Top 10 Ramones Covers

[Another fine list by our list expert, Brent Chittenden. – AC]

This week marks 38 years since The Ramones hit the stage CBGBS. The Ramones helped CBGB become a performing venue for new artists which eventually helped kick off the American side of punk.

The Ramones went on to spread punk to the UK and across North America and influence so many bands that it would be impossible to track them all. So we decided to track down a few of them. Here are the Top Ten Covers of The Ramones.

10) KISS – Do You Remember Rock n’ Roll Radio?

I maybe the only person in the world who likes this cover but for me it’s really interesting. KISS upped the rock n’ roll quotient and they just seem to be the perfect band for this song.

9) Static – X – Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment

Another band that fits perfectly with the song. You may now proceed to make jokes concerning the song title and Wayne Static’s hair.

8) Shonen Knife – The KKK Took My Baby Away

While musically, it’s not much different from the original, Naoko Yamano’s vocals just ratchet up the song into almost bubblegum pop territory. This was among an entire album of Ramones covers Shonen Knife recorded for 2011’s Osaka Ramones.

7) Corey Taylor – Outsider

While not officially recorded, Slipknot’s lead singer performed this awesome acoustic version of “Outsider” on a recent tour of smaller venues.

6) Rancid – Sheena Is A Punk Rocker

I imagine when this tribute album was being assembled, Rancid was the first band to get a call. And for good reason.

5) Behemoth – I’m Not Jesus

I’m actually amazed that it took until 2008 for a black metal band to cover this track.

4) Metallica – Commando

Metallica have a knack for doing decent punk covers (their covers of The Misfits for instance) and this is no different. While it’s deeper and more “metal” this cover keeps with the Ramones spirit of short.

3) Rob Zombie – Blitzkrieg Bop

Zombie’s co-produced the tribute album “We’re A Happy Family” as well as do the cover artwork. I always thought that this cover should be used in movie trailers.

2) The Pretenders – Something To Believe In

The Pretenders went with a really interesting feel for this cover and surprisingly went with a simpler version than The Ramones original.

1) Tom Waits – Danny Says

If you heard this cover from Wait’s 2007 album, Orphans, without any context, you’d be completely forgiven if you didn’t realize it was a Ramones track. Waits brings the speed down and brings a subtle beauty to the lyrics.

If you like the idea of this list, the previously mentioned tribute album “We’re A Happy Family” is a great start and to be honest, I almost could have made the entire list from it. But there is a ton out there. Jason Mraz, Foo Fighters, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, who should have been on this list that we missed? As final parting shot however, the greatest tribute to The Ramones was written by Lemmy and Motorhead.