Archive article of the fortnight: The Ramones Anthology

"Pulling A Fast One" is how we headlined our Strokes cover this issue. The pun is two-fold, a reference to the Irish implications of the band's name - a stroke, a scam, a fast one - but also a respectful nod to their penchant for flying the flag of primal, three-minute rock 'n' roll. As such, The Strokes belong to a classic New York tradition stretching back at least as far as the original of the species, the almighty Ramones.

Bursting onto a jaded mid-seventies music scene, full of the bloated carcasses of prog-rockers and self-indulgent superstars, the late Joey and friends injected exactly the required antidote of no-frills energy, urgency, attitude and fun. In the process, they helped lay down a blueprint that would turn music - and the music industry - on its head.

In this 1999 piece, ostensibly an album review of Hey Ho Let's Go: The Ramones Anthology but as much a full-on retrospective, Peter Murphy pays tribute to the original band of brudders.