10 Records Worth To Die For: #243 mit Ronnie Simmons (Richie Ramone, Rose Tattoo, Faster Pussycat)

„I wanted to play like Steve Jones, talk like Johnny Rotten and look like Sid Vicious.“

Von

9. Februar 2025

Ronnie Simmons spielt in vielen Bands, darunter Faster Pussycat, der Band um Richie Ramone und Rose Tattoo. Parallel hat er auch noch eine eigene Band mit dem Namen Ronnie Simmons And The Redback Spiders (Review zum aktuellen Album gibts hier. Bemerkenswert ist dass Simmons es geschafft hat in zwei seiner Lieblingsbands heute selbst aktives Mitglied zu sein. Alleine schon so viele Bands unter einen Hut zu bekommen ist eine Glanzleistung!
Aber genug meiner Worte, nun gehts zu Ronnie Simmons und seinen zehn Lieblingsplatten:

1Ramones – It’s Alive

The energy, the songs, the sound, the whole experience start to finish was life changing for me. There was a period where I think it was the only album I listened to: I learned every chord, every lyric even everything Joey said between songs off by heart.

2Rose Tattoo – Rose Tattoo

The epitome of what I love about rock n roll. This album is like lightning captured in a bottle. Songs like Rock n Roll Outlaw & One Of the Boys became like my credo from the age of 13 when I first heard it and Mick Cocks’ right hand on this along with Pete Wells slide playing really opened my eyes as a guitarist and Angry’s lyrics and vocals are incendiary. I wouldn’t be who I am today if it wasn’t for this album. I’m now proudly one of the boys.

3AC/DC – Dirty Deeds (Australian release)

One of the first albums that taught me my way around a guitar. I love albums from bands where you can hear the hunger, camaraderie and the upward trajectory on them. I think it’s pretty self-evident how great this lineup was: Bon, Angus, Malcolm, Phil & my now mate and band mate from The Tatts – Mark Evans. It was really hard to pick just one album, but I lost my virginity when I was 15 to this one, so that’s why I picked it.

4Sex Pistols – Never Mind the Bollocks

Again, I learned every chord, lyric and this album changed me as a teenager. I wanted to play like Steve Jones, talk like Johnny Rotten and look like Sid Vicious. I was fascinated by how big his guitar sound was. It was my main inspiration behind always wanting a white Les Paul Custom and I still have my padlock necklace (that never had a key) from when I was 14. I wore it in the Little Misunderstood music video.

5Angels (Angel City) – Face To Face

The guitar sound and energy blew me away when I discovered it, but the melodies and lyrics are what kept me listening. The palm muted downstrokes of the rhythm guitars was something I instantly had to figure out how to do and the lead guitar is what basically taught me how I can use the major scale in a way that was cool and Doc’s lyrics really made me think.

6Ace Frehley – 1978 solo album

The first vinyl record I ever got and the epitome of what I think is a great lead guitar sound. The songwriting, the attitude and personality In Ace’s voice, the lyrics – another one I memorised inside out. From hanging out a taxi window in New York City blasting NY Groove the first time I went there to the moment The Redback Spiders hit the road for the first time Hayden and Ando put it on in the early hours of the morning and said “this is a tradition for us” I thought “these are my guys”.

7Kiss – Alive!

This was the album that solidified my obsession with Kiss when I was barely 13. Again, similar to what I said about Ramone’s – It’s Alive: The energy, the songs, the sound, the whole experience start to finish transported me to another place where all I wanted was to be onstage doing what I do now. My school books were covered in drawings from the album cover and insert. My first girlfriend back then actually dumped me because “the Kiss thing is starting to get weird”, I still laugh about that.

8Blues Brothers soundtrack

The first album I ever got and what made me want to be a musician. I actually started on saxophone before I picked up a guitar and this album introduced me to what I could actually do with the instrument outside the school band or just playing scales etc. hence why I have Jake & Elwood tattooed on my hands.

9Divinyls – Desperate

One of my all-time favorites and other first vinyls I ever got. The songwriting and lyrics, the production and overall sound is magic and I always find myself coming back to this record. I really dig Mark McEntee’s approach to playing guitar, Rick Grossman is such a great bass player and Chrissy Amphlett was and is my ultimate female rock singer. How she pronounces “voodoo” in ‘Siren’ still gives me goosebumps every time I hear it.

10Billy Joel – The Stranger

Probably my favorite songwriter and lyricist of all time. It was hard to pick just one between this, Turnstiles and Glass Houses but I chose The Stranger purely for Scenes From an Italian Restaurant. I love how it’s like songs within a song and it’s a great example of both jazz & rock saxophone in one song. “Cold beer, hot lights, my sweet romantic teenage nights”