Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #637879 in Books
• Published on: 1993-05-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 202 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Music journalist Bessman's closeness to his subject--he is a good friend of the members of the Ramones--has both positive and negative effects on his authorized history of this seminal American band, famous for knowing only three chords and for playing everything as fast as possible. Bessman has great access to details such as the Ramones's mistrust of the Talking Heads--"a bunch of intellectuals"--with whom they toured Europe. But it also means that he sometimes misses the ironies and inconsistencies in their behavior, like the fact that members of a band whose lyrics include the infamous line "Well I'm a Nazi, schatzi, you know, I fight for the fatherland" claimed that their work had no political content. The "four guys from Queens" who formed the original group in 1974 seem to have been truly without pretensions, which makes Bessman's overheated interpretation of their achingly simple lyrics just silly. Bessman's theory is that the Ramones were always poised on the brink of stardom but missed out due to the mistakes of others, i.e., the release of one of their best-known songs, Rockaway Beach , during the winter and the poor distribution of their only film, Rock 'n' Roll High School. Photos.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
This journal of the "Grateful Dead of punk rock" is well paced, streamlined, and tautly built. It pulses home its main point with fierce precision: that the durable yet quirky band has earned a place in the annals of rock'n'roll history. The book chronicles the lives of the band members with a cold eye, depicting everything from the tragic flaws (drug addiction, personality disorders) to their dedication to their style of music: three-chord punk rock songs that so viscerally capture the teenage angst of suburban youth. The author argues that the Ramones symbolize the breakout from the stranglehold of disco music and the salvation from the self-congratulatory babbling of progressive rock (e.g., bands like Emerson, Lake, and Palmer and YES). The Ramones recaptured the essence of rock'n'roll, and their rewards included a feature film ( Rock'n'Roll High School , 1979). Inspiring and often hilarious, this book is appropriate for libraries with extensive music or rock history collections. --Mike Tierno, New York
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
"Before the Ramones, there was nothing"--A rock critic

"The Ramones were the only outside band that everyone looked up to."--Chrissie Hynde

"They've remained true to their vision of rock'n' roll as fast, fun music."--Kurt Loder

"They speak up for outcasts and disturbed individuals."--Jon Pareles, the New York Times

"People say that your music is loud and destructive and lethal to mice, but I think you're the Beethovens of our time."--from Rock 'n' Roll High School

"Virtually every current commercial guideline in rock is broken somewhere in the Ramones." --Robert Hillburn

"We're not trying to compete with Bruce Springsteen."--Tommy Ramone
-- Review

Customer Reviews

gabba gabba hey
Great read on the Ramones. Very few good books out there this is one.

Jason's Review
I loved this book. The Ramones are my favorite band. It was full of facts I didn't even know about the Ramones. So I really liked this book.
This book is full of Ramones facts. It tells you about their albums, band members, and everything important that happened to them! It tells you of moments like when they were fighting, when they got along, why some people left the Ramones and how some people got kicked out. Some things I didn't know before I read this book is that Joey Ramone teamed up and did a duet with Deborah Harry from Blondie. I also learned C.J., Richie, and Elvis Ramones real names.
I think someone who would like this book is a Ramone's fan. Someone who really likes the Ramones. Because it's about the Ramones.

The Good, The Bad, and the Bessman Book...
I have to say, Jim Bessman did a pretty good amount of research to get some of the information in this book. But the data does not compare to all the stuff featured in the book "Hey Ho, Let's Go: Story of The Ramones", but it doens't fall flat all together.

I originally got this is in mid 2003, but didn't take up reading it until late 2003. Anyways, it does have a fare amount of info- the only Ramones book to talk about the hidden demo "Succubus". And since it was the first Ramones book I read, I learned that the show Marky missed in 83' do to being drunk, was actually at my hometown- Virginia Beach, VA. Though other books said it, this was the first of my hearing of it.

Bessman goes over all the usual subjects- forming of the band, band members, and etc. He does include a nice array of hard to find, or only found in this book pictures. He includes lyrics from songs and such, but ironically, he lost most of the money he made from this book because he included the lyrics with getting permission! (Nice one Jim) And unlike a few other Ramones books, he goes over the short (2 show) lived band member-Elvis Ramone, AKA- Clem Burke from Blondie. Though, he doesn't cover to much of Richie, or the pre-Joey, Johnny, Dee Dee, Tommy grouping- Richi. But if you read Dee Dee's autobiography, he explains some about Richi, and the "Hey Ho Let's Go" book mentions him to.

After reading all English written Ramones books, I've classified them all as "Band Related"- mainly diving into what went on between everyone as time's went by, "Media Related"- primarily focused on what happened around the band before it came about, while they were together, and what they influenced in this world; also tapping in on record sales, videos made, and such. And finally: "Mixed"- these are the best types of Ramones books, including the inside of the band and the outside.

I classify "Ramones: An American Band" as "Media Related", but close to "Mixed". It tells of the band's upbringings and such, but focuses more on the songs themselve than the creaters.

In relation to this book, I recommend "On the Road With The Ramone"- really great mixed book. Provides more inside info than I've seen any other book about The Ramones have. Plus, a vast collection of photos. Also, "Hey Ho, Let's Go: Story of The Ramones" was very well documented.

Though, to finish this up, I have to say that Bessman released this a bit early- making it seem as though The Ramones would have kept touring at least another 10 or so years. But, they broke up about 4 years after this books publishing.

Thanks for reading and have a nice day,

Mikey.