Ask the person on the street who they think is the greatest band in the world and they'll probably say Coldplay or the Killers. If they're a little more daring they might suggest AC/DC or Ramones. But all these bands have something in common: they have one song. Not literally, because they have the decency to give them different names – but they are all essentially reworking the same musical idea over and over again.
It's not unfair to say that certain bands have taken the "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" maxim to heart and based entire careers on one good idea. Ramones, a band who understood what it meant to be a brand, are masters of this. Such was Johnny Ramone's unerring dedication to their visual and musical identity that he imposed strict codes, and any deviation from their sartorial and musical formula was strictly forbidden (which might explain Dee Dee Ramone's brief spell as tracksuit-wearing rapper Dee Dee King). Fortunately, the Ramones one song – you know, the one that begins "1,2,3,4!" – has no extended guitar solo and clocks in at around two minutes – is a belter.
No comments:
Post a Comment