Favorite Punk Guitar Riffs

Someone I follow on Instagram asked for favorite punk guitar riffs. I had opinions. This isn't exhaustive, but it's what came to mind at the moment I saw it:


The Ramones - Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment
The Damned - New Rose
Rancid - Avenues and Alleyways
Buzzcocks - Ever Fallen in Love
Television - See No Evil
Misfits - Last Caress
Dead Boys - Sonic Reducer
The Saints - Stranded
Sex Pistols - Anarchy in the UK
The Undertones - Gotta Getta



With some more thought I'd have included:

The Dead Kennedys - Holiday in Cambodia
The Clash - Should I Stay or Should I Go
The Blue Hearts - Owaranai Uta

and of course, the song this blog is named for:

The Dictators - Who Will Save Rock and Roll?

The Ramones - I Don't Wanna Grow Up

The Ramones covering Tom Waits.

And here is the original:

The Ramones - Rock 'n' Roll High School & Do You Remember Rock and Roll Radio (Live)

Live on The Old Grey Whistle Test in 1980, a smashing version of both Rock 'n' Roll High School and a kickass version of Do You Remember Rock and Roll Radio.

Osaka Ramones - Blitzkrieg Bop

Osaka Ramones, aka Shonen Knife, covering The Ramones.



This cover made me grin ear to ear for the entire song, and for a while afterward.

Weird Al cover The Ramones "Beat on the Brat"

I approve of this cover in every way possible.



I thought the U2 cover of Beat on the Brat was good, but this is better.

The Ramones - Little Bit O Soul

The first Ramones album I owned was Subterranean Jungle. I got it from a damaged cassette rack at a record store for $2 and played the living hell out of it.

The first track is a cover from Music Explosion, but to me, it screams Ramones.

The Ramones - The Crusher

For no reason except that I got in some good grappling today. The Crusher - written by Dee Dee, here sung by CJ.

Dead Boys / Ramones at CBGBs

Thanks to my friend Ed for finding this and sending this along:

The Dead Boys and The Ramones live at CBGBs in 1979.



The Dead Boys song is Caught With the Meat in Your Mouth; as Joey says The Ramones play Loudmouth.

Too bad it's a little bit rough, but it's good to see them live back in the day.

Speaking of the Dead Boys and CBGBs is a whole set:

Joey Ramones & the Dictators - The Kids are Alright

Distorted, but really good - The Dictators with Joey Ramone on vocals covering The Who's "The Kids are Alright."



They're at Coney Island High, which if I recall correctly was managed by Lindsay Anderson of The Kowalskis.

Rancid - I Kept a Promise - all I hear is Ramones

Ramones much?

I know the guys in Rancid love The Ramones. You can hear the influence on their song "The Brothels." They were on the stage for the last Ramones show ever, and did 53rd and 3rd with them for fuck's sake. But they generally don't sound very Ramones-y to me. But then comes along a track like this:



I just hear about five different Ramones songs in that one, not the least of which is I Wanna Be Sedated.

Music Mythos: The Ramones

This is a pretty entertaining, very angry, long retrospective/rant about The Ramones.

And this guy likes one of my favorite albums by The Ramones - Subterranean Jungle. That was the first full-length album by The Ramones that I owned. It was a $2 cassette from the discount bin because someone had driven a nail through the case when it was being packed. The tape was fine, and I played the living hell out of it.

The Ramones - Every Time I Eat Vegetables It Makes Me Think of You

The other day my friend Ed and I were listening to the radio and Girlfriend in a Coma came on. I said, I prefer The Ramones take on the subject:



Really catchy. Really what-the-hell? too, which is very Ramone-y to me. "Did he just sing about Thorazine?" Yep.

That's from Subterranean Jungle, the first album by The Ramones that I owned personally.

Shonen Knife & CJ Ramone - Blitzkreig Bop

I love The Ramones. I loved CJ Ramone, and in fact when I finally got to see The Ramones it was CJ on bass at The Stone Pony in Asbury Park (motto at the time: post-apocalypse charm, pre-apocalypse parking!)

I also deeply love Shonen Knife (少年ナイフ), another band it took me forever to get to see. Finally saw them live at Maxwell's in Hoboken NJ.

Here they are together, slamming through Blitzkreig Bop.



If you check CJ's channel, there is a video of them doing a song called Scattergun together as well.

Joey Ramone & Holly Beth Vincent: I Got You Babe

I hadn't heard this before, but my friend Ed told me about it today. I like this version.

The Whores of Babylon - Two Hearts

Whores of Babylon was a collaboration project between:

Stiv Bators (The Dead Boys, The Lords of the New Church)

Johnny Thunders (The Heartbreakers)

Dee Dee Ramone (The Ramones)

They didn't get much done before it all came apart. One track that features - at the very least - Stiv and Johnny Thunders is this one, Two Hearts.



Since I love, love, love everything Stiv Bators ever did and I love The Ramones and Johnny Thunders as well, well, this was a cinch to like.

Sadly they didn't do much else, and all three of them died too fast, too young.

The Ramones in The Guardian

There is a pretty good article in The Guardian about the re-issue of the first Ramones album.

Also, a link in that article goes to this even better article:

"They were the smartest dumb band you ever heard."


That's Handsome Dick Manitoba of The Dictators. There is also commentary by Paul Cook (Sex Pistols), the lead singer of Penetration, Suicide, and the Buzzcocks.

I Like the Cover Better: My Back Pages

This cover of Bob Dylan's "My Back Pages" is why I like the song "My Back Pages."


I'd heard the original, but it took The Ramones (here fronted by C.J. Ramone on vocals) to make it more than just a Dylan song that I didn't pay much attention to.

Going back to any of Dylan's versions (like this all-star one) and the cover by The Byrds, yes, I like it a lot. I love the lyrics, every single one of them, especially the refrain ("Ah, but I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now") and this:

"In a soldier's stance, I aimed my hand
At the mongrel dogs who teach
Fearing not that I'd become my enemy
In the instant that I preach
My pathway led by confusion boats
Mutiny from stern to bow."

That last couplet, especially - it's a line that sticks with me when I can't see my way forward, and reminds me it's all going to look like foolishness or wisdom once I see where I've ended up. Plus it's flat-out fun to sing. Especially when it's C.J. Ramone singing.

I only ever saw The Ramones live with C.J., and they performed this. It's probably when the song really slammed into me and said, pay attention, these are words you want to hear.

Covers: Out of Time by Chris Farlowe

Until about 5 minutes ago, I had no idea this existed. But then I saw Chris Farlowe is an upcoming guest on Diane's Kamikaze Fun Machine on 91.1 WFMU, and so I took a look:




I still like the Stones original better, but man, what a cool cover. So is this cover by The Ramones, from the outstanding Acid Eaters.

Ramones: Merry Christmas (I Don't Want To Fight Tonight)

On the fifth day of Christmas, punk rock gave to me: The Ramones!



Badly acted video plus really catchy song.

I bet Johnny hated it.

But I love it.

I miss The Ramones. I only ever saw them once, in the CJ era. Great show. Made up for all the times I tried to go but it was sold out, weather intervened, our ride didn't show up, etc. etc. Once. Only once. But it was great.

All-Star Auditions: the Horndogs

A friend of mine forwarded this to me when we were talking about Joe Walsh.



In order:
Slash, Rick Nielsen, Dusty Hill, Matthew Sweet, Joey Ramone, Lisa Loeb, Dave Mustaine, Roy Clark, Johnny Lang, Michael Stanley, and Joe Walsh as "Ed."

I love that no one can keep a straight face when Joey Ramone is auditioning.

And the comments on Joe Walsh.

"His guitar playing's kinda sloppy"
"Yeah, yeah. And he looks kinda slow."

Hey, ten bucks is ten bucks.