ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR!
With those words, Dee Dee Ramone starts every one of the 19 songs in this set from the band's early days. The count-off is as much a signature of the seminal punk band as their bowl cuts, leather jackets, ripped jeans and sneakers.
I saw The Ramones four or five times in my late teens and early 20s (the mid- to late-80's). While each show was similar in terms of set list, crowd and energy, the experience never got old. The amount of energy released in the mosh pit was enough to send a rocket to Russia.
As a freshman in high school, I took guitar lessons, learning songs by Led Zeppelin, Ozzy Osbourne, the Rolling Stones and other classic rockers on my Fender Strat copy. I never got very good, so when I discovered punk rock and bands like The Ramones in my junior year of high school, I was ecstatic. Here were songs I could actually play!
Despite how easy Ramones songs are, I got a kick out of seeing guitarist Johnny Ramone messing up the intro to the band's cover of "California Sun." That's part of what made the boys from Queens so lovable: they were cartoon superheroes come to life, not all that well drawn, flawed, ugly, prone to mistakes -- just like the rest of us.
Anyway, enjoy the show!
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