The Ramones are one of the most successful and recognizable punk bands in America. Since their start in the 70’s they’ve been a symbol of rebellion and rock, so it comes as a surprise that after all of these years their self-titled debut album, which was released April 23 1976, has just now sold 500,000 copies, certifying it gold.
Despite the lack of hard copies sold, Ramones has been very successful throughout the years. This album is what helped the band come into the spotlight, turning them into icons. Spin magazine named it the number one album in their special 25 edition, the number one spot in the 50 Most Essential Punk Albums list and they were even listed as the second greatest band of all time, right behind the Beatles. This album features hit songs like “Blitzkrieg Bop”, “Beat on the Brat”, and “Judy Is A Punk”, All of which are now considered classics.
Today the band is no longer together. Tragically Joey Ramone died of lymphona in 2001, after a 6 year battle with the disease and DeeDee Ramone passed of a drug overdose in 2002. Unfortunately the two never got to see the band honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Grammy’s but the rest of the band were sure to honor their fallen members.
Be sure to listen to the Ramones in honor of this huge honor for the band.
