Tarlac National High School

Tarlac City
S.Y. 2007-2008

REACTION PAPER

In

ENGLISH IV

Submitted by:
Joseph M. Estacio

Submitted to:
Benjie Lim
English Teacher

First Punk Rock Group

 The Ramones are not "widely considered to be one of the first punk rock groups."
They are obviously that--everyone agrees on that. What is "widely considered" by many
critics and fans alike--even All music: "The Ramones are the first punk rock band"--is
that they are the first punk rock group. Every band before them--the Stooges, Dolls,
MC5, ad infinitum--are proto punk bands and not wholly punk rock, that is,
contemporaneous with the cultural moment of '76-'77. The Ramones hold an esteemed
place in pop culture history and should be noted boldly as such.

Unfortunately, the dominance of the US in, well, everything, and the UK in punk
rock obscure the first punk rock group - not noted as punk until years after their
formation, but still identified as such and never classified as protopunk - the Australian
band, The Saints. However, the article was changed at some point - it should indeed
reflect that the Ramones are one of the first, and are considered the first.

I don't know why you remembered The Saints. It's a really great band, but its first
album (I'm) Stranded was released in 1977 - three years after The Ramones formed.
There's no band in the world that might be called the absolutely true first punk band.
Punk rock was born as a result of series of happenings, its roots lies in Little Richard,
Eddie Cochran or Jerry Lee Lewis power rock'n'roll, The Kinks garage invention, the
sonic attacks of The Who, The Troggs and The Sonics, in the Velvet Underground anti-
hippy protest, The Stooges noise blasts and New York Dolls drunk'n'drugs experience.
But when someone asks me "What's the new Ramones brought to proto-punk?" I always
answer: "They brought nothing new in proto punk. It's vice versa. They removed all the
excessive from proto-punk. And that was the genius step in the creating real modern days
punk". The Ramones was the first band, created absolutely white-sounding, blues-less
rock.

They were playing punk rock for years before the Ramones, and because they
didn't get found by the scene until 1977, despite the fact they hadn't changed their
musical style, they were a punk band after the Ramones? --Switch 11:59, 22 September
2006 (UTC)
It's not fair to call them the first punk band ever. I agree that they are "widely considered
to be one of the first punk rock groups."

Lets call them the first notable punk group. Or the group which was later called
punk, around which the label most fit. The embodiment of punk rock? I'm sorry but to the
users on here who are trying to give some props to The Saints... it think it’s pretty
ridiculous. Even The Saints THEMSELVES played a tribute show for the Ramones. The
Saints are definitely one of the first punk groups and they even developed their style
around the same time as the Ramones, but they are not even close to as notable as the
Ramones in regards to the genesis of what was to become "punk" & "punk rock."
However being that punk IS! the very thing that is excluded and elusive, this, in turn,
makes them even more punk than they would have been otherwise.

The Ramones were the first punk band to get a record deal. This is by far the #1
reason why they are considered to be the first punk band. Some of the other bands like
the NY Dolls and such may have had some punk attitude, but they still looked and
sounded like a 70s band (IMO). The Ramones made popular the simple 3 cord songs with
no guitar leads, and 2 min or less in duration. They gave everyone who listened to their
music the idea that you didn't have to be a life-long musician, you just needed to have the
want and drive to do it. The first album, with bass on one side and guitar on the other
(balance) was perfect for learning for those who learned by ear, and not by book.

The Ramones have more in common with the rock bands of the 50's and 60's in
terms of their musical style than they do with punk rock. Their image and sound is
alternately closer to being Garage Rock. I admit they were influential to punk music -
they were in the right place at the right time - but they have little in common with true
punk bands like Iggy and the Stooges, Black Flag and others that came later. Its my
choice, but I will be putting their genre into iTunes as Garage Rock for my personal
music collection, they are barely related to Punk Rock - Some of the themes maybe, but I
don’t see the Ramones as having a punk rock sound or feel.

Perhaps, but The Ramones do fit very well in the Garage Rock category, and from
my point of view that is where they belong. I am amused by the suggestion that "soft"
punk is punk at all, and not a form of punk-glamorized pop music. For my money, if it
isn't hardcore punk, it simply isn't punk, it's something else - a pretender cashing in with
their pop, or cult-oriented spin on the punk feel. Punk was born out of a time and a place,
a political environment and economic conditions, so in honesty they just don't make it
any more - the time has passed. Soft punk is a sham. The Ramones are Garage Rock.

Political punk was a British thing. It is a different brand, not the only one. The
music style was created in the USA/NY clubs and copied by the British bands so it is
somewhat amusing that you would then call the Ramones pretenders because you prefer
the political style. All of the bands you mention consider the Ramones as their influence,
and the band that started it all. Read the history from Black Flag, in their own words they
said they were fueled by the first album of the Ramones.

The term "punk" comes from the mid-70's New York based fanzine of the same
name. Prior to then "punk" was a term for homosexual prisoners. William S. Burroughs,
who lived near CBGB's and was friends of many of the performers there, was influential
in the usage of the term. The difficulty in defining the style of the Ramones, and the early
release of their debut led to them being considered the first "punk" band. It later applied
to Blondie, Talking Heads, Television, Patti Smith and many other bands that don't fit the
contemporary notion of punk. The British bands, under the guidance of former New York
Dolls manager Malcolm Mclaren redefined punk as anthemic, driving, short, fast and
political. But the true punks of 1975 New York City were less easily classified.