Buck, I see your point, but that's exactly why the Ramones matter. They loved bubblegum 60s pop, when rock was dumb and fun, like early Stones records. Early to mid 70s what was passing as rock was overblown spectacles, virtuoso solos, 30 minute epics, lyrics about Gandalf, or glam with it's focus on image and style over substance.
So the Ramones say, we just wanna have fun. Let's play rock the way you should, loud fast, and easy to remember so you can sing along after the first time you heard it. And to this day, it inspires people who will never be able to play Eruption to play a guitar, learn your three chords, that you didn't have to look great or have armadilloes in your trousers. Just put on your crappy jeans and t shirts, and get on with your ugly self. So they go over to the UK and on their first tour, members of Sex Pistols and The Clash, who hadn't even played live at that point, talked to them. My memory's fuzzy, but I think Joe Strummer told Dee Dee the Clash was gonna pack it in because they were no good. Dee Dee tells them "Who cares, we suck too, just do it cause it's fun!"
So do you like the music? No? Cool. But they did matter and they were important, and to my ears, wrote some really great songs. Sheena Is A Punk Rocker, I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend are as great as any 60s pop song.
