Ramones: Leave Home (Sire)

New York Post-march 1977

Dave Marsh

Many DPs are shying away from this record, making the mistake of confusing pure, basic, hard rock with incompetence. At its best, "Leave Home" is reminiscent of the early Who; even at worst, the comparison with the early British sound (circa 1965) might be based more on music than spirit, which is a delightful change from the Eric Carmen axis. Some of the lyric themes are a bit questionable- "Commano," "Carbona Not Glue" for instance-but "Leave Home" is pure rock and roll. Since you probably won’t sample it on the radio, you’ll have to trust me: This is a genuine item.