The Ramones’ self-titled first album came out in April 1976, and by sales standards alone it was a flop, reaching only No. 111 on the Billboard chart.

But with its raw sound and extremely bare songwriting style, “Ramones” became a founding document of punk rock. For its 40th anniversary, the album is being celebrated with an expanded reissue due this summer from Rhino Records and an exhibition, “Hey! Ho! Let’s Go: Ramones and the Birth of Punk,” opening at the Queens Museum on April 10.

None of the original band members — Joey, Johnny, Dee Dee and Tommy Ramone — survive, but some of the people involved in making the first album recently recalled the early days of the band and its rushed but calculated time in the studio. Here are edited excerpts from their comments.

The Band

Formed in 1974 in Forest Hills, Queens, the Ramones — named for a pseudonym once used by Paul McCartney (Paul Ramon) — dressed in leather jackets and ripped jeans, and began to make a name for their chaotic, lightning-fast shows at CBGB.