This poster for the 50th Anniversary tribute to the Ramones' first album release is based on Danny Fields' photo for the third Ramones album "Rocket to Russia", which was released in late 1977. The Ramones had an extraordinary two-year run with their genre-defining self-titled debut, "Leave Home", and "Rocket to Russia" all coming out in '76 and '77! All three albums are incredible and are the only three to feature drummer Tommy Ramone, who also helped with production. I think this photo of the Ramones captures their iconic essence as leather-jacket-and-jeans-clad punk pioneers in grimy mid-70s Lower Manhattan. The first album cover is BXW, "Leave Home" is primarily blue, and "Rocket to Russia" is black and pink, so in this poster I combined those colors to represent the incredible blast of the first three Ramones albums. I first got into the Ramones in 1985, and they quickly became one of my favorite groups. I saw them live in 1988 and 1989, and the shows were non-stop high-intensity action. The Ramones show I saw in the Fall of 1988 at the Living Room in Providence, Rhode Island should have held 500, but in Providence, clubs paid off the cops, and there were probably 1,000 people in the venue. Jane's Addiction opened up and raised the energy level. When the Ramones came on, the crowd was ready to go nuts. I was near the stage, and the crowd surged forward, compressing everyone so tightly that I thought my ribs would be crushed. I could actually pick my feet off the ground simultaneously without using my hands. The Ramones played non-stop, no breaks between songs for about two hours. The band was super tight. Johnny leaned into the crowd and didn't even take his leather jacket off for an hour, even though it was sweaty as hell in there. Joey's hair was in his eyes, but he stayed planted in front of the mic and sounded great. At certain points I felt like I was going to suffocate or be crushed, but I refused to give up my spot right at the front. It may seem weird to say you are having the time of your life fighting for your life, but that's the only way I can describe that show later in life.
-Shepard
PRINT DETAILS: Ramones 50th. 24" H x 18" W. Screen print on 80# cream Speckletone paper. Signed by Shepard Fairey. Numbered edition of 600. Comes with a Digital Certificate of Authenticity provided by Verisart. $75
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