The first “1, 2, 3, 4” The usual thunderstorm that preceded The Ramones concerts could be heard one summer day in 1974 in the legendary CBGB club in New YorkIt had been exactly five years since the north of the state had welcomed the masses of hippies who had packed WoodstockFive years later, the dream of the summer of love had died. in the maelstrom of the Vietnam Warthe opioid crisis and the economic recession, and another, more incendiary spirit was fighting its way through with punches and kicks.

But in 1974 none of that existed yet. Not even the first issue of the ‘Punk’ fanzinewhich gave its name to that revolutionary movement, had been printed. All that came later, in 1977, with the siege that was the music of The Clash and Sex Pistols, who would end up shoring up all the clichés of the genre.

Three years earlier, the base was already there. Four young people, fed up with disco music which was broadcast day and night, playing the soft rock of his adolescence and the doo wop (a vocal style of music born from the union of the rhythm and blues and gospel genres, very popular in the 1950s)towards street life and memorable choruses, making up for his lack of musical knowledge with energy.

The eponymous ‘Ramones’ and CBGB became the Gallic village of the city’s renegades

Those who were able to witness The Ramones’ first concert described it as chaotic. However, the band got a residency at CBGB and word spread. Their audience was treated to a very short set every night that earned them the name ‘blitzkrieg’such as the blitzkrieg developed by the Wehrmacht (unified armed forces of Nazi Germany) in World War II.

A few months later, the group was already recording their first album. The self-titled Ramones and that small redoubt on the Lower East Side became the Gallic village of the city’s renegades. A few years later, its stage was visited by Blondie, Talking Heads, Television, Richard Hell and the Voidoids or Patti Smithusing this space as a springboard to sound out to the rest of the world.

Sidewalk Music

The four members of the Ramones looked like they were taken from a comic strip. almost identical hairstylesa bowl, and the short suckers They would arrive later. On that afternoon in 1974, only their vocalist, Joey, was dressed in that unique way that ended up transcending time. The rest would do so a few months later, making the transition official on the cover of their first self-titled album, published in 1976 and reproduced ad nauseam in all kinds of formats: vinyl, posters, t-shirts… and even mugs.

The ‘perfect’ model leather jacketpopularized by James Dean in Rebel without a causebecame an icon. This was also the official uniform of the city’s pimpsa profession that his bassist had practiced Dee Dee for years and was the inspiration for themes such as 53rd and 3rdamong others. He was, without a doubt, the member who best knew the miseries that existed between the sidewalk and the stage, and who best knew how to bring them to the band’s imagination.

A race to the finish

Despite their influence, the Ramones’ career was not one of success. The band was haunted by the ghosts of bad luck. Their career never took off in their native country, where they shared the most musical references and where their spirit was best understood. In exchange, they gained the fascination of a good part of Europe, Japan or Argentina, where they were able to mobilize millions of fanseven reaching cause serious national security problems during their visits.

Problems between vocalist Joey and guitarist Johnny Ramone also added weight to an increasingly unbearable burden. Irreconcilable political positions andthe enmity after Joey’s girlfriend left him in favor of Johnny caused the schism between them. They did not speak to each other for the rest of their musical career.; a gap that grew over the years and that was not mitigated by the singer’s death in 2001, when the guitarist refused to attend his partner’s funeral.

That first Ramones concert would have been almost impossible to organize today, given the exorbitant rents and the lack of spaces for live music.

The grueling tours also took their toll on the health of its members, and replacements followed one another over the years. Tommy Ramonetheir first drummer, was replaced by Marky in 1978, who still keeps the group’s brand active by giving recitals all over the world –and leaving some unpleasantness on the national radio waves-.

From CBGB to 2024

CBGB was born from the intention of its owner, Hilly Kristalto create a country and bluegrass concert hall in a very depressed area of ​​Manhattan. Although the folk music thing did not catch on with the parishioners and became the refuge for all the musical proposals of the city’s misfits. In the following years, this proposal spread like wildfire and it was not long before it made an appearance Seymour Steinresponsible for most of the albums that the label Sire -responsible for the promotion of Madonna and The Replacements’ albums- published in those years of the New York new musical wave.

Although the venue closed in 2006, the influence of CBGB and the music that was born on its fringes remains just as relevant. That first Ramones concert would have been almost impossible to organize today between the Excessive rents and the acute lack of spaces for live music that our cities suffer, always lacking for independent proposals compared to ticket sellers, promoters and million-dollar tours.

Not even the mecca of punk music could escape the real estate speculation that ended up driving the legendary venue out of the Lower East Side. Political and social pressure, charity concerts and the mobilization of half the music industry that took its first steps within its walls covered in graffiti and signatures served to stop its closure.

CBGB and the Ramones have not survived to this day. But it is gratifying to think that, looking back fifty years, the music, the band and the spirit that drove them to take the stage that August day are still with us, with the same obstacles and the same energy to knock them down.