The Ramones. Some of you oldsters remember their early years-- at the height of your teenage years, these guys were there, presenting you with a revolution by way of your bedroom stereo's speakers. They made you who you are today. They shaped your life, and you will never be able to repay them for that. On the other hand, statistics show that the average Pitchfork reader is a guy between the ages of 16-24. (Yeah, I know where you live, punk!)

To the average Pitchfork kid, the Ramones are typically looked at somewhat differently. Oh, sure, we love 'em, too. Buying a Ramones album was, without a doubt, part of each of our discoveries of punk and indie rock. But, for the most part, we're only familiar with Ramones Mania, or in rare instances, both volumes of All the Stuff (and More). That's everything we needed to hear. See, as we slogged through the Ramones' massive back catalogue, we realized something-- all these songs sound pretty much the same. After all, there's only so much you can do with three chords.

So, despite the greatness of albums like Beat On the Brat, Rocket to Russia, The End of the Century, and the Rock N' Roll High School soundtrack, we settled for the stuff we already knew from hours spent listening to alternative and college radio. Oh, yeah, their formula is timeless. Three- chord, '60s- inspired, straight- forward rock n' roll will never become unlistenable. Hell, this stuff could potentially be remembered through the ages. I mean, there's no doubting it strongly influenced some of today's most legendary rock stars-- the Pixies' Black Francis might never have even made it out of his U-Mass dorm room without applying what he learned from the Ramones.

So, for those of you who felt that All the Stuff (and More) didn't provide you with quite enough material, Rhino Records now brings you, Hey Ho Let's Go, an overpowering anthology spanning a whopping 58 tracks and 156 minutes of raw, in- the- red Ramones rock. Did I mention the hardcover, full- color 80- page storybook they included? Shit, this is practically the band's entire legacy.

There's no denying that Hey Ho Let's Go is now the quintessential Ramones collection. All the classics are here, the remastering is superb, the big ol' book is even a good read. But one has to ask: is there such a thing as too much Ramones? As far as I'm concerned, Ramones Mania encapsulated the band's career flawlessly, cramming all the essentials onto one disc. It was not only more affordable, but a less daunting listen.

Of course, Hey Ho Let's Go includes every Ramones track that's even remotely renowned (and even a few rarities, including the infamous "lost" track "Carbona Not Glue"), so, for that reason, young, aspiring Ramones fans may want to dive headfirst into this two- disc monster. But if you're the average Pitchfork reader, you'll find (or perhaps, have already found) everything you need on previously released albums.

-Ryan Schreiber