Everyone knows and loves the Ramones. Unfortunately, we can only talk about them in the past tense as Tommy Ramone is the only original living member (who ironically fronts a Bluegrass band nowadays). The original punk rockers, the Ramones was an incredible collection of talent. You had the signature voice and cultural icon in Joey. The no-nonsense, rapid-fire Johnny. The raw and eccentric Dee Dee. The boys from Queens took rock and roll back to the basics when it needed it the most. Released in April of 1976 (produced for a whooping 6 grand), the Ramones self-titled debut remains a true classic. My pick from the album is “Beat on the Brat”, a song written when “Joey saw some mother going after a kid with a bat in his lobby and wrote a song about it.” So bust out those torn jeans and leather jackets, and put a little punk rock in your Thursday.