Once regarded as a joke, their music little more than an adrenaline rush of one minute, five second noise, The Ramones have come to be regarded as having influenced almost every star-struck guitarist who knew just three chords and wanted to write a song.
From their 1974 debut at New York's premier punk dive, through the classic albums and blistering live sets, The Ramones cut an unforgettable swathe through two decades of pop.
They set the scene for punk and hardcore with honed-down songs and ferocious 20-minute sets... and they always put the music first. Seen through the eyes of the people who were there at the time, including musicians, managers, producers, publicists and New York punk scenesters, it's all here: the break-ups, the bathos, the Budweiser ads, the blistering live sets, and the background to all those classic albums. Tragically, three of the four original Ramones are now dead.
This updated edition of Everett True's classic biography climaxes with the sad death of guitarist Johnny Ramone.
Hey Ho Let's Go: The Ramones shows the heroic Ramones staying faithful to their own unique musical vision right to the bitter end.