Although some debate that this music is either proto-Punk or Punk music itself, we can safely say this album changed a lot. The Ramones made simple, loud and raw Punk Rock for those who hated Hippies, thought Progressive Rock was boring and didn’t dig Disco music. This changed a lot in the music scene of the day. It is widely considered a classic in its own right, so let’s take a look and see where we go with it.

We kick off with Blitzkrieg Bop which begins with some nasty sounding, yet excellent guitar riffs and playing by the band in general. This is a top listen, and although this sounds really dumbed down on first listen, it actually isn’t. This is simple, beautiful and melodic for this sort of music. The Ramones do terrifically here, a great start to their album, and career as well. The chanting in this is infectious.

Next is Beat On The Brat which is about chasing a bully who is troublesome. The musicianship in this is wonderful, and it is powerfully effective. This is a simple piece of music, surprisingly so for the time. No extended solos or the like, just simply great Pop/Rock music with attitude. Very catchy.

Judy Is A Punk comes next, and is a lot faster than the previous tracks. It’s also really short as well, being only a minute and a half long. Instantly listenable and wonderful, this is definitely different. A top listen, once again and for those who like a different kind of music here.

I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend is up next, and is a slower ballad sort of tune, but with a very basic guitar style setup. A nice listen and sounding great all around, this is a nice Pop song. Who knew Punk rockers could make tunes like these? A great listen, and has some great harmonies here, too.

Next up is Chain Saw which starts with…a chainsaw. It then goes bang, straight into a fast and furious piece with lyrics complaining about a lover. A great listen and just under two minutes, this is a great piece of music to grab the senses with. Top Punk music and excellent to hear.

Following is Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue which is a bizarre statement of intent. It’s a childish statement, but a good one at that. There is some almost Surf Rock lead guitar in this one, and although is very repetitive, is very short length wise. Cool stuff, but stay away from the glue pot, kids.

I Don’t Wanna Go Down To The Basement is next, which is well played and catchy. It is a great piece of music about childhood fears and insecurity around it. Musically, it is awesome with loud guitars, pacing drums and bored sounding singing. It’s a super cool track, and very Punk oriented. Terrific to hear, and has not aged at all. Great slice of energetic fun.

Loudmouth is a great piece that sounds like a sugar or caffeine rush set to music. It talks about someone who cannot keep their mouth shut about things. Enjoyable listening, and very good quality music. Excellent listening, the last part of the song is different in approach, with shuffle like groove based drums, all the way to the fade out. Awesome.

After that is Havana Affair which is a tongue in cheek story about adventures in Havana. Musically, it is a really awesome listen and is very riff oriented and powerful. For these reasons, this is an awesome listen that one can bop along to. Cool.

Following is Listen To My Heart which is a strong and powerful listen, discussing relationship issues at hand, unusually so for this sort of music. A top and danceable piece, this just sounds very direct and proper musically. Another great song.

53rd & 3rd has a different sort of catchy groove throughout the song. It’s a strange song lyrically (about prostitution in the New York red light district maybe?) and sounds bizarre to listen. It’s an enjoyable song regardless, and is classic Ramones. There is a false ending here, before fading out gloriously. Interesting.

Let’s Dance begins with pounding drums and a fast paced sense of melodic riffs. It’s loud, powerful and good fun without being totally intellectual about things. Which is entirely the point about the Ramones. This is not Classical music, it is just good fun to hear. Fast, energetic and fun, this is really great to hear.

After that is I Don’t Wanna Walk Around With You which is loud, heavy and very direct sounding. It’s a teenage love story gone wrong, but music is excellent to hear. Perhaps aimed at an ex-girlfriend, there is an interesting lead guitar break in here as well. Excellent to hear, great stuff. It segues into the last song.

Lastly, we arrive at Today Your Love, Tomorrow The World. This is really a great way to conclude such an excellent and good quality debut album, and this is a great song from it as well. It goes into more complex drum parts and chanting, before ending. A nice finish to a great album.

The Ramones delivered a classic which is individual in its own way with this album. It is a top listen, historically important and just out there fun. Their career starts here, and anyone who takes more than a passing interest in Rock music and/or Punk Rock must hear this. Trashy fun from start to finish.

Revolutionary.

9/10