The Ramones Influenced by the Beach Boys

[urbanite]

Marky Ramone of The Ramones has a new book out called "Punk Rock Blitzkrieg: My Life As a Ramone."  In an interview for the book, he says "We were the Ramones: influenced by the Beach Boys, Jan and Dean, the Beatles and out comes the omelette."  Huh?

I sort of like the Ramones, but don't see the connection between the sound of the Beach Boys' song, and the way a Ramones' record sounds.

[runnersdialzero]

*giggle* if you can't hear it, I don't know what to tell you. I hear The Beach Boys all over several of The Ramones' songs. I started to list some examples, but there are literally way too many to list. "Rock 'n' Roll High School", the single version, might be a good starting point, but it's present on so many of their songs.

[Michael Edward Osbourne]

I can hear the early Beach Boy sound in The Ramones. The rawness and fast pace of Little Honda for example. And Joey's voice was kinda Mike Love/nasal/surfy. The Ramones loved that early Beach Boy stuff, and covered a couple of their tunes along the way. They even mention The Beach Boys in their song 7-11. But there's not much post '65 BB influence in the Ramones' sound. Joey, however, absolutely loved Caroline No. But I have a hard time imagining Johnny and Dee Dee grooving to the Friends album.

[Shady]

The ramones we're such a blighted band, how can one group of guys be so unlucky.

On topic, they we're very much beach boys fans. Prerty crazy but the beach boys influenced the God fathers of punk.

[beacharg]

I sort of like the Ramones, but don't see the connection between the sound of the Beach Boys' song, and the way a Ramones' record sounds.

Not long ago, I posted something like this:

Just listen to this songs and tell me you don't get a "Beach Boys vibe" from them. They are speeded up and less sofisticated (specially vocally), but the resemblance is there (of course there other influences like classic Rock n' Roll, Spector, etc.). The Ramones were huge Beach Boys fans, specially Joey.

Oh, Oh, I Love Her So
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8HxnhD4c6k

Rockaway Beach
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6siGKxcKol0

Sheena Is A Punk Rocker
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nlX7P0nhaI

California Sun (I know, it's a cover, but anyway)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjCa8i5JDF4

Do You Wanna Dance (idem)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9KfHpm4s4w

Touring (1981 version)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_pyrTJw6ts

7-11 (a direct reference to the BBs in the lyrics)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6_dRQ4uqPE

You Sound Like You're Sick
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyYUOr0dSp4

She's A Sensation (specially towards the end, 2:33)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqSRFvmcCj0

Surfin' Safari 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTGr9f5yPCY

Surf City 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDHJjkocGJs

Cheers

[TonyW]

The Boys had a big influence on another early punk band in Australia's Radio Birdman (although The Stooges were a more obvious influence). In the mid 70's I used to hang out in a pub in Sydney and my mates and I were allowed to stack the jukebox and we had a few early Beach Boys singles, Surfin Safari, Surfin USA, Fun x3, etc. along with all the new punk stuff and it was members of Radio Birdman who used to select the Boys songs the most. Here are a couple of obvious examples of the Beach boys influence on Radio Birdman:

An early cover of Surf City:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8E7jRKAnYk

King Of The Surf:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRpOlwePXts

Aloha Steve and Danno:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5Jjg-5ouaI

And here for anyone who enjoys power rock 'n' roll is a lost old hippie introducing Birdman
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQEiFEQq0zQ

[ArchStanton]

I was always a casual fan of the Beach Boys, but when I really got into the Ramones and read what a big influence the Boys were on them, it made me dig deeper into the entire catalog.

Rockaway Beach is apparently a complete dump, so pretty funny to hear the Ramones sing about it the way the Boys did when they went on their Surfin' Safari.

[Jon Stebbins]

The signature Ramones sound on records like Sheena is A Punk Rocker, Blitzkrieg Bop, Rockaway Beach etc... is an obvious homage to the Beach Boys and other surf groups, put through the amphetamine/Stooges filter of course...but it's totally obvious what the root influence is. Johnny and Joey have been name checking the Beach Boys as a big influence since the '70's. Hard to comprehend how any BB's fan cannot hear the connection between Fun Fun Fun, Little Honda etc...and the Ramones.

[Lee Marshall]

Here are a couple of obvious examples of the Beach boys influence on Radio Birdman:


King Of The Surf:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRpOlwePXts

Tony...I don't remember whether 'King of the Surf' was the B side of 'Surfin' Bird'' or 'Bird Dance Beat'...I owned 'em both and don't remember exactly...but THIS one was a Trashmen song.  More of the mid-60s California 'inspired' sound for sure.  'A-Bone' was the other B side on those 2 specific hits...  Perhaps it's really more 'Dick Dale' influenced than it is by Brian and the Boys...
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Here it is...  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTxFfpRYg3M

[debonbon]

The signature Ramones sound on records like Sheena is A Punk Rocker, Blitzkrieg Bop, Rockaway Beach etc... is an obvious homage to the Beach Boys and other surf groups, put through the amphetamine/Stooges filter of course...but it's totally obvious what the root influence is. Johnny and Joey have been name checking the Beach Boys as a big influence since the '70's. Hard to comprehend how any BB's fan cannot hear the connection between Fun Fun Fun, Little Honda etc...and the Ramones.

Also a lot of Spector/60s girl group sound in there. Sheena is a Punk Rocker is heavily influenced by Spector.

[Mitchell]

If I recall correctly, there's a cool story in the End of the Century reissue liner notes about how Brian and Rodney Bingenheimer took Spector to see the Ramones at the Whiskey and convinced him to produce them.

[elnombre]

I'm shocked if anyone can't hear The Beach Boys influence on The Ramones.

Maybe I'm the nut, but I love The Ramones and consider myself someone who hates punk. I also love Johnny Thunders and find him far too rock n' roll/50's-60's girl band influenced to qualify as punk.

It may just be me. 

[phirnis]

If I recall correctly, there's a cool story in the End of the Century reissue liner notes about how Brian and Rodney Bingenheimer took Spector to see the Ramones at the Whiskey and convinced him to produce them.

Is that true? Somehow I find it hard to picture MIU-era Brian 1.) being into the Ramones, and 2.) hanging around with Spector.

[kwan_dk]

If I recall correctly, there's a cool story in the End of the Century reissue liner notes about how Brian and Rodney Bingenheimer took Spector to see the Ramones at the Whiskey and convinced him to produce them.

Is that true? Somehow I find it hard to picture MIU-era Brian 1.) being into the Ramones, and 2.) hanging around with Spector.

I doubt that. Barney Kessel's sons, David and Dan Kessel who sort of became Phil's drinking buddies / bodyguards during the 70s, are usually credited with introducing him to them. And speaking of which, in case you haven't seen this hilarious clip about the trials and tribulations of the Spector sessions, you really should:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PU2A62fem5k

I love Dee Dee's quote: "He wasn't the most friendly guy I've ever met. He tried to be friends but then he'd have the guns on him and he wouldn't let me out of his house for a couple of days. And then if he said if you'd wanna play his pinball machine he'd let you play it for a minute and then he'd say 'Ok, everybody to another room.'"