Bands have to grow, experiment, and make music for the present day. Restricting oneself from development is a one-way street to self-parody.
When it comes to bands with extensive discographies the Ramones is stronger than most. Even their most scrutinized efforts are miles ahead than many artists best accomplishments.
I find it strange that albums such as ‘End of the Century’ and ‘Pleasant Dreams’ aren’t held in as high regard as their earlier LP’s. The songwriting is so strong and the sweat is there. I do believe the media and even members the band like to hate on these albums to make the legend more interesting. It doesn’t appear to me that it’s a popular opinion among fans.
That being said, the point at which I feel the Ramones began to stumble was around ‘Animal Boy’ and ‘Halfway to Sanity’. ‘Brain Drain’ was an improvement.
Did they jump the shark? Sure. The albums they made after Dee Dee departed were pretty lifeless. Although they had fun a moment or two.



