I really enjoy their songs, and I first listened to them in my late 20s, long after the age where bands imprint on you like a baby chick.

Music is always highly subjective, but to my ears, I'd have to agree. Not that my opinion means anything at all.

I think the headline implies as much... people liked the idea of the Ramones more than they liked actually listening to them.

They have certain charms but talent wasnt high on that list.

Pinhead

They didn't. What happened is that one of them (Johnny) was a staunch conservative, so, like Sex Pistols with Johnny Rotten, they are routinely "cancelled" from the punk scene (e.g. they are not real punk, their music sucks etc). Other bands with less musical prowess (like the Exploited) are still idolatred by the punk scene because they were largely anarchists. It's fun that, after 50 years, Ramones and SP are the only punk bands that still generate controversy. Pretty much all the others are run-of-the mill punk bands that we got used to and completely lost any provocative charge.

shots fired.