HERC's formal introduction to the Ramones, the American punk icons, came in the form of a late-night HBO viewing of the film
Rock N Roll High School in the early Eighties. His primary interest in watching the movie was star P.J. Soles from
Halloween and
Stripes.
Thirteen Ramones tracks can be heard on the film's soundtrack, some of them performed by the band onscreen but we'll have to get into that some other time. It would be another five years or so after that initial viewing before HERC first purchased a Ramones album when he picked up the single most jam-packed Ramones album ever issued,
MANIA.
This disc features 30 tracks from the band's first 10 albums on a single disc which tells you all you need to know about the band's songs; they are short and sweet, fast little in-your-face rave-ups. Clad in their uniform of ripped blue jeans, t-shirts, and leather jackets, the music they played was gloriously primal, with lyrics meant to be shouted aloud rather than simply sung.
Though they never acheived much commerical success in their time, the band have since become highly respected and lauded for their importance and influence. There's one original Ramone (drummer Tommy) left standing and I hope he's getting a cut from all of those Arturo Vega designed seal of Ramones t-shirts I see folks wearing. The band is in the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame as they should be and have been mentioned more than a few times as the second greatest rock band of all time behind the Beatles. Not surprisingly MANIA is the Ramones' biggest-selling album and it's only certified Gold - half a million copies shipped.
Listen to the Ramones Mania
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