The Ramones released their classic tune "Rock 'n' Roll High School" on this day in 1979. Therefore it would be impossible not to feature their film of the same name for today's SoundTRAX selection!
Is it a good movie? Oh, good lord, no.
Is the music terrific? Absolutely.
Cult director Roger Corman was the executive producer and originally wanted Cheap Trick or Todd Rundgren to be the musical focus of the movie but when they were unavailable, The Ramones were chosen.
P.J. Soles stars as "Riff", a delinquent fan of the band who wants to them to record a song she wrote. The villain of the movie is the school's principal who, naturally, hates rock and roll and burns records.
Told you it was bad.
But when the band shows up to help Riff exact revenge, at least it's bad in a fun way. It's a true guilty pleasure.
The soundtrack of course features plenty of Ramones favorites, plus tunes from Nick Lowe, Brian Eno, Devo, Chuck Berry, Alice Cooper, and more.
In honor of the song's 44th anniversary, today's SoundTRAX selection is The Ramones' "Rock 'n' Roll High School."
Feast your eyes on the official music video but be warned: you can't unsee the image of Marky Ramone in drag.
