THE HALL OF MINOR ROCK GODS

What I need is a booming, echoey sound effect with that title. Hell, a laser show with a fog-machine would be the perfect cherry topping to that sundae.

I digress. 

This past summer the Rolling Stones made a return trip to Buffalo, New York after a near 20 year absence to the region. With ticket ranging upwards  to $400 getting an opportunity to catch what may be their final tour (although they've been saying this about these geezers for the past 20 years),  the price was a huge deterrent in catching the show. Truthfully, I respect their music and will enjoy listening to it but wouldn't consider myself a fan of the band, so the decision was relatively easy to make. 

$50 on a Social Distortion show? I am all in. 

On the day of the show I got a text from a friend who simply asked, "Would you like to go to the Rolling Stones"? Of course my first reaction was to think not for $100, but replied "how much?"

Then perhaps one of the greatest words in the English language, popped up on my text screen.

"Free". 

$0 to see the Rolling Stones? I am all in. 

So, that evening I went to a sold-out stadium rock concert. 

The ROCK GODS at Ralph Wilson Stadium, Buffalo NY

Again, I am not a fan but from that evening, The Rolling Stones are ROCK GODS, and am honored to see them live in concert. The performance was absolutely amazing and everything one could imagine what a stadium rock concert should sound and be like. 

This set me thinking about what truly makes a Rock God. Oh sure, the corporate music industry can define them as those who had hits, sold-out shows and sold a ton of albums, and popular culture and one-direction media sources create icons out of both the band's music and members that elevate them to deities. 

But there has to be more to the definition. 

The ancient Greeks and Romans in their polytheistic worshipping had a god for almost everything. Understandably there was a main head god with his "queen" but there were several other gods with various purposes and functions that were equally important in the universe and, specifically the daily lives of humans. If this approach is applied to how one can consider a band Rock Gods, then there plenty of room for the God of Dead Flowers and the God of Rockville. 

Because with this way of defining what constitutes a Rock God then we identify who are the Zeus(s) and who are the Asclepius (s) of Rock and Roll.

So with an acknowledgement that bands like the Rolling Stones, The Who, and performers like David Bowie or Bruce Springsteen are major "gods", let us take a look at the HALL OF MINOR ROCK GODS (echo, echo). 

REM

Am borderline with declaring REM as "minor" because of their influence and success first as a alt-indy band on college radio then to the international recognition of their music. Why am entering them into the HALL OF MINOR ROCK GODS is that even though their influence on college radio in the 80's which eventually lead to the internet diversity found in podcasts and a creation of a genre of music many tried to emulate, discussion about who influence the alt-music sound steers away from REM. Why? Perhaps as is the case with The Beatles, REM was listened to on a daily basis and became so ingrained in a generation's music library that now they're shelved and only occasionally pulled down for an off-pitched, mumbled singing by Michael Stipe and Peter Buck's Byrds inspired chord structured jangling song or two. 

The Misfits

From their experimental album reconstruction of classic 50's songs (Project 50's) to the sci-fi/horror themed 12 Hits from Hell, Glenn Danzig and his merry band from Lodi, New Jersey have been influential in shaping the music industry to this day and can be considered creators of the genre "Horror Punk". Formed in 1977, The Misfits under Danzig's tutelage until 1983, recorded several singles, EP and albums including the original member album Walk Among Us as well as the recorded by later release Static Age. Later incarnations of The Misfits would see a shift from punk to a hardcore sound and several albums released featuring original member Jerry Only with later addition of his brother Peter aka Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein. Regardless of the lineup, The Misfits are an underground to the surface cult-classic band that still remains relevant in Rock mythology.

The Cramps

What The Misfits are to the past and present Horror Punk movement, The Cramps are to the Psycho-'Billy music movement; they are the gods of that domaine. From the highly charged live-performances to the 8 studio-recorded albums spanning over two decades, Erick Lee Purkhiser aka Lux Interior, Kristy Wallace aka Poison Ivy and drummer Harry Drumdini (lineups also included Gun Club guitarist Kid Congo Power) brought their unique twist on an Americana sound that influenced numerous bands (Flat Duo Jets, The Reverend Horton Heat and modern day Saint Paul and the Broken Bones) that still, to this day, hasn't been duplicated (Sorry Southern Culture on the Skids). With Lux's unpredictable stage presences that made past and present Mick Jagger look like a geriatric marionette puppet, and the pelvic grinding guitar riffs by Ivy, The Cramps were one of the best post-punk bands worthy of deification. 

The White Stripes

Yes, this may come as a surprise. In the same context that Rock Gods Nirvana legitimized Punk Rock with their sound (and some say killed it) and launched a genre of Power Pop/Punk Pop or The Talking Heads and the avant-garde/art music sound that remains classic, this duo of Megan White and Jack Gillis (later taking his wife's surname) redirected a floundering underground music industry and refreshed interest in music influenced by early Blues, Americana and Punk. Soon after their self-titled first album The White Stripes was heard, a slight pulse was felt, and by White Blood Cells their music was beginning to salvage underground Rock and Roll. The Black Keys, Millennial's fav Mumford and Sons and other garage-rock/blues/Americana band owe their rise to success to the breakthrough albums crafted by The White Stripes. 

GG Allin
What Rock God Elvis Presley did to create the iconoclastic showmanship of  Rock, GG Allin did everything to bring the myth down. With unprecedented live performances including shitting himself, self-mutilation and beating up audiences, GG Allin was shot out of Mount Mainstream Olympus and, like Hades, thrown into the unseen depths of counter-culture Hell. His music was poorly recorded and, honestly, hard to sit down and tap your feet to, but with GG Allin the music was secondary to his concept of "making Rock dangerous again". If you were one of the fortunate to make it out of one his live performances unscathed and not traumatized, the experience would ever change the perception of how far a Rock show performance could go and forever influence your views of Rock showmanship. GG Allin never inspired to be part of Mount Mainstream Olympus (often making claims of committing suicide during one of his performances) and this rebellious attitude to all things safe and sane about Rock and Roll is exactly the spirit behind the music and a major reason why GG Allin can be considered a Minor Rock God.

GG Allin Making Friends

The Ramones

Why is this legendary group from Queens not considered as Rock Gods? Simple. Because nobody has placed this title on them. The Ramones are one of the most influential post-punk bands to rise out of late 70's and continued to shape music until the death of Joey Ramone in 2001.  What makes them one of the lead deities in this HALL OF MINOR ROCK GODS is that they are considered the Uber-God in the counterculture music mythology, and this works against their placement in mainstream Rock history. Why they are not considered "classic rock" and featured on radio stations playing this genre is beyond me. What The Ramones did for America music is salvage the dying sounds of early Rock and muffled genre of Surf Music (thank you Beatles) and, through the angst ingredient of Punk, created a music style that is the child of these genres pushed aside by the British Invasion. The fact that the Rock and Roll HOF finally inducted The Ramones in 2001 speaks to the oversight by Mount Mainstream Olympus. 

The Clash

Okay, so there is some irony after slamming the British Invasion that am placing a British band as one of the most highly ranked Minor God of Rock.  Honestly, one could flip The Ramones and The Clash based on both band's being overlooked in significance byMount Mainstream Olympus yet both have been historically noted in influencing numerous bands and individuals. The glaring difference is that The Clash was not inducted into the Rock and Roll HOF until 2003. That's is not the reason why this band is the head honcho. 

In an alternative universe that sees several rerouted American music history moments, as on route to the USA, the Beatles' plane crashes in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean in 1964, this tragedy prevents decades of an America that's exposed to bubble-gum Rock and the birth of boy-bands. As a result, Surf Music continues to dominate radio giving an early birth to genres inspired by the sounds as mainstream openly accepts these alternative bands. A group of hooligans comes to America, and overhauls everything we've been exposed to thus far at the 1967 Monterrey Pop Festival. This group with Marshall stacks and an unprecedented stage show dominates American radio, and records charts, to becomes the British Invasion that the mainstream openly accepts.  This opens the minds and musical tastes of America for the appearance of "The Only Band That Matters" in the early 80's that sets the tone for the mainstream music industry and brings genres like Ska and Rocksteady to a wider listenership. 

Like I said, this is an alternative universe as the Beatles safely landed in the USA and made history. 

This also sealed fate of The Clash being consigned to the counter-culture as The Who, although Rock Gods, didn't become the defining sound in American Rock Music history which would have opened the door for alternative variations in the following decades. The Clash, "The Only Band That Matters", is a footnote in mainstream Rock history. What will not be recognized by the Mount Mainstream Olympus is that The Clash can be considered one generation's version of The Beatles with the diversity of sounds created over the short span of five years that inspired numerous bands throughout the 80's, 90's and the 21st Century. 

The Clash will be known as the post-punk band that had a few top-40 hits with one song Rock the Casbah being used by troops in Iraq (and reportedly making Joe Strummer cry upon hearing the news), but their music and legend is worthy of Rock God status. Yet, turn-on classic rock stations and is this music played? No. The Clash has gone back to the underground and on the throne in the Hall of Minor Rock Gods.

Most Influential Ramones Albums

Okay, so it's been a while since last blog.

Like recovering from a bout of stomach flu, The Greetings from the Whiskey Bottle hasn't fully returned. What can I say? Been as busy as a hooker during shore-leave, so just haven't had the opportunity to sit with a dram of Jim Beam and ramble.

Onwards.

The Ramones have been one of the most underrated yet influential bands of the late-twenty century. Fortunately, the band finally received long overdue prominent recognition by being introduced into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame in 2002 and an 2011 Grammy Lifetime achievement award.

Unfortunately, dying of lymphoma in 2001, lead singer Jeffry Ross Hyman aka Joey Ramone did not see this recognition whereas guitarist John William Cummings aka Johnny Ramone and bassist Douglas Glenn Colvin aka Dee Dee Ramone did not see the HOF induction due to their unfortunate deaths (Johnny succumbed to prostate cancer in 2004 and Dee died of a herion overdoes in 2002).

Awards or not, I am sure each member understood the influence they had on shaping not only the American punk scene but modern music as a whole. The Ramones truly brought change when it "was needed fast before Rock's just part of the past" by trashing the Glam, massive guitar, garbage posing as the next phase of Rock 'n' Roll.

Bands from Green Day to the Misfits, Social Distortion to the Foo Fighters, were influenced by the driving, chopping seemingly single chord music ripped from the Ramones. British punk-pioneer, Joe Strummer saw the Ramones and after Johnny Ramone said to Strummer, "We're lousy, we can't play. If you wait until you can play, you'll be too old to get up there." This inspired Strummer and soon after this he and his bandmembers of The Clash played live shows (and the rest is history) seen below. 

Clearly, The Ramones had an impact on how post-modern music was shaped, so this debate should be shelved with the argument to whether or not punk is American born or hatched in the UK. We all agree its the Yanks that got it going, right? 

And Jon Lydon is an idiot for saying otherwise.

The true debate now lies with which Ramones albums were the most influential. So, with this said, I am now putting in order, without any particular number to rank them, these albums.

Hey ho, let's go!

The Ramones-1976 Sire Records. This self-titled, first album launched this four-piece band from Queens into history (and, to some, infamy). Featuring Ramones "classic hits" Blitzkrieg Bop, Beat on the Brat and Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue, this album created the American punk movement. Surprisingly this album reached #111 on Billboard's 200 and was, lamely, ranked #33 on Rolling Stones 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. With the  Ramones ripping songs under 3 minutes, this album set a standard for punk and, later, alt-music bands to follow. 

Rocket to Russia-1977 Sire Records. What the above album did to create an American music movement, this album cemented the Ramones place as forefathers of Punk music as it became the quintessential must have album in any budding punker's album collection (I wore my LP copy out). The second attempt reached #49 on Billboard's 200 and was, again lamely, rank #105 on Rolling Stones 500 Greatest Albums.

What makes this album influential is the marriage of punk, classic 50's rock, 60's surf music resulting in 14 songs under 3 minutes. Nothing like this was heard before Rocket to Russia was produced, but the sound it help create and launch the Mod-Garage/Surf Band movement. Oddly, this album did not create any anthem or "hits" but the record is loaded with some of the best Ramones music from the first song Cretin Hop to the last Why is it Always This Way? 

End of the Century-1980 Sire Records. Although the 1978 album Road to Ruin introduced a more pop-infused Ramones, this album fully shifted the band's sound to a more pop-driven, softer approach. The album saw success as it reached #44 on Billboards 200 and #14 on the UK Album Chart. For many, it was a dismal attempt at legitimizing their sound, yet for others, the album marked the beginning of the band becoming rock icons. 

Legendary girl-band star-maker (and future killer) producer Phil Spector was brought on for this fifth album. The result met mixed reviews including bandmember, Dee Dee Ramone who once was quoted as saying "I think some of the worst crap I wrote went onto that album." Regardless of taste, Spector's influence on End of The Century had a directed impact on the band that altered their sound until later albums. Controversial or not, Spector, at times with a gun pointed at the band, undoubtedly delivered the granddaddy album of the Power-Pop-Punk movement echoed through Blink 182, Green Day and The Queers. 

That's it. The most influential Ramones albums. Let the debate begin.

In their vast discography, it is most certain that one or two albums like Too Tough to Die, or Leave Home left some impression on group that inspired them to become the next alt-rock or mod-band to make it to the next level. And certainly albums like Leave Home with Pin Head or the Road to Ruin's I Wanna be Sedated are viewed as the band's anthems that to this day are considered punk-rock standards. 

So are the Ramones deserving of Hall of Fame recognition? Absolutely!

Its just a pity the recognition was so long overdue. 

Matthew LaChiusa is the lead-singer of the Roots Rock Buffalo bar-band, Dick Whiskey. The band has managed to incorporate an accordion into covers of "Ramona", "Jack and Judy" and "The KKK Took My Baby Away". He also thinks Jon Lydon is a fool for taking credit for creating the Punk movement.