The Ramones to Honor 50th Anniversary of Debut Album With Year-Long Celebration Featuring Reissues, Museum Exhibit
An authorized exhibit will open at the Punk Rock Museum in Las Vegas on July 4 and Rhino Records will announce a series of reissues and remastered, upscaled videos.
Johnny, Tommy and Joey Ramone of the Ramones perform on stage in the late 1970s.
Do you wanna dance? Good, because 50 years ago Thursday (April 23) The Ramones released their self-titled debut album, the punk rock atom bomb that blew our minds with such classics as “Blitzkrieg Bop,” “Beat on the Brat,” “Judy Is a Punk,” “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend,” “Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue,” “53rd & 3rd” and “Today Your Love, Tomorrow the World,” among others.
The leather jacket and ripped jeans quartet originally comprised of singer Joey, guitarist Johnny, bassist Dee Dee and drummer Tommy Ramone wrote the template for the genre with their signature mix of bubblegum and girl group-spiked pop run through a blender on high speed in barely two-minute songs whose lyrics read like a suburban parent’s worst nightmare.
To mark the group’s 50th anniversary, the Ramones and Rhino Records are launching a year-long celebration that will include the only authorized exhibition dedicated to the band, which will make its world premiere at the Punk Rock Museum in Las Vegas on July 4. The show organized and curated by the Punk Foundation in collaboration with late guitarist Johnny Ramone’s wife Linda Ramone and Ramones Production Inc., will feature the band’s music, memorabilia, along with public and member’s only performances, artist conversations, interactive experiences, artist-led tours and other events.
The museum will also host a 4th of July bash featuring the Ramones tribute band Mama’s Boy.
In addition, between now and the end of the year, the band and Rhino will announced a series of physical reissues and releases, as well as tribute performances and newly remastered, upscaled videos for such classics as “I Wanna Be Sedated,” “Psycho Therapy,” “Rock N’ Roll High School,” “Sheena is a Punk Rocker,” “Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want To Fight Tonight),” “We Want the Airwaves,” “Do You Remember Rock and Roll Radio?” and others. Head over to the band’s YouTube page to check out the revamped visuals.
Watch the “Rock N” Roll High School” video below.
