Ramones’ Debut Album Finally Certified Gold

2014-06-12

Story by Charles Ken

The Ramones’ 1976 self-titled debut is officially certified gold

The Ramones usually aren’t in the news these days for their self-titled debut album, but this week is the exception. That seminal rock ‘n’ roll album from the ‘70s punk rockers’ has just been certified gold by the Recording Industry of America (RIAA).

On April 30, the RIAA officially certified “Ramones” for hitting the 500,000 sales mark in the U.S. That was nearly 38 years after the album’s original release on April 23, 1976. In total, “Ramones” has been issued 15 times, but it was all worth it, as all those reissues helped inch the album to gold status.

“Ramones” didn’t enjoy too much commercial success in the 1970s, peaking at No. 111 on the U.S. Billboard 200. Still, the album is considered one of the finest in the punk movement and was called the most influential punk record by Spin magazine. “Ramones” was also inducted into the Library of Congress in 2013 alongside two other important releases: Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon” and Janis Joplin’s “Cheap Thrills.”

While “Ramones” may have taken nearly four decades to go gold, it took just six years for the Ramones’ greatest hits album, 1988’s “Ramones Mania,” to be certified gold.




Charles Ken
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