Ramones HEY HO LET'S GO: ANTHOLOGY

Includes a hardcover 80 page booklet with liner notes by David Fricke.
The Ramones: Joey Ramone (vocals); Johnny Ramone (guitar); Dee Dee Ramone (vocals, bass); C.J. Ramone (bass); Tommy Ramone, Marky Ramone, Ritchie Ramone (drums).
Producers include: Craig Leon, Tony Bongiovi, T. Erdelyi, Ed Stasium, Daniel Rey.
Compilation producers: Bill Inglot, Gary Stewart, Don Williams.
It took four Queens punks who could barely string together four chords to revitalize American rock & roll. The Ramones torpedoed self-important '70s arena-rock, stripping it down to its foundations. Thanks to their pop smarts, they became the nation's favorite and perhaps most influential punk rock outfit.
The Ramones' music has always echoed a Phil Spector-esque sense of melodic structure. HEY HO LET'S GO! is a delirious, nonstop rush of barreling drums and guitars topped with bubblegum melodies. The emphasis is on the band's seminal '70s output. "Blitzkrieg Bop," "Rockaway Beach," "Teenage Lobotomy," and "I Wanna Be Sedated" whiz past like no-frills Lear jets. The Ramones' power lies in their simplicity; you won't even find a guitar solo here. The band's post-'70s output is a mixed bag, but the second disc includes a sampling of its brighter moments. To the Ramones credit, they held on to their ideals and never played unplugged, released a concept album, or recorded a song that outstayed its welcome.

• Format: CD
• Genre: Rock