open 12 to 7 today ! on this date 38 years ago ! Ramones is the debut alb** by the American punk rock band Ramones, released on April 23, 1976 through Sire Records. After Hit Parader editor Lisa Robinson saw the band at a gig in New York City, she wrote about them in an article and contacted Danny Fields, insisting he be their manager. Fields agreed and convinced Craig Leon to produce Ramones, and the band recorded a demo for prospective record labels. Leon persuaded Sire president Seymour Stein to listen to the band perform, and he later offered the band a recording contract. The Ramones began recording in February 1976, needing only seven days and $6,400 to record the alb**. They used similar sound-output techniques to those of the Beatles, and used advanced methods of production by Leon. The alb** cover, photographed by Punk magazine's Roberta Bayley, features the four members leaning against a brick wall in New York City. The record company's paid only $125 for the front photo, and has since become one of the most imitated alb** covers of all time. The back cover depicts an eagle belt buckle along with the alb**'s liner notes, which failed to credit backing vocalist Mickey Leigh. After its release, Ramones was promoted with two singles which failed to chart. The Ramones also began touring to help sell records; these tour dates were—for the most part—based in the United States, though two were booked in Britain. Violence, drug use, relationship issues, humor, and Nazism were prominent in the alb**'s lyrics. The alb** opens with Blitzkrieg Bop, which is among the band's most recognized songs. Most of the alb**'s tracks are uptempo, with many songs measuring at well over 160 beats per minute. The songs are also rather short; at two-and-a-half minutes, I Don't Wanna Go Down to the Basement is the alb**'s longest track. Ramones contains a cover of the Chris Montez song Let's Dance.
