TS: Ramones vs. AC/DC vs Motorhead

Any self respecting RAWKist should have one album by all three. But no more, really.

You can make some interesting formulas here...

Motorhead = AC/DC + Ramones
Ramones = Motorhead - AC/DC
AC/DC = Motorhead - Ramones

Or, erm, something... except strangely this thread just makes me want to listen to the Datsuns. Can anyone make me a copy of the Datsuns album, since my copy was nicked while on tour?

Tough choice, but I love the fact that Motorhead did a song about the Ramones.

Even better -- the Ramones then covered said song!

Ramones
AC/DC

Motorhead

Though I should probably specifify I'm talking about Bon Scott era AC/DC. Brian Johnston's and the Ramones are a little more even. Motorhead are surely interesting guys but I don't get as much tunewise from them.

Ramones
Motorhead
AC/DC

Stones
Who
Beatles

Can I repeat that?

maybe they're into some kind of zen thing - seeing if they can create the platonic ideal of their ur-record or something. also to the trained ear - to the fan - there's lots going on that the squares are missing out on.

see also chuck berry, johnny cash, jackie chan & the jesus & mary chain

I don't have any reason to support these other than petty ones so forgive me.

1) The Ramones - Reason number one: I am a silly American with Brooklyn roots, and they were from New York. Reason number two: The jewishness of it all. And reason number three: They were inadvertandly the reason why the Sex Pistols became a group, which could be negetive points against them in my opinion, but it's going to be counted as good points because as much as I dislike the Sex Pistols, they were responsible for a lot of good backwash.
2) Motorhead - Reason number one: Really fucking good songs. Reason number two: Lemmy pushing Mark McCrap of Sugar Ray into a swimming pool at a Headbangers Ball party. Reason number three: Hawkwind. Reason number four: Lemmy's involvement with Troma.
3) AC/DC. I never got into this band. I think not being around for the original hype made it difficult for me to get into this group.

(Hawkwind > )Motorhead > AC/DC

My Motorhead phase was over kind of quickly. I still put them on now and then, but the aggressiveness of it can get annoying quickly for me.

AC/DC is a band that I'm just finally starting to respect and enjoy. I don't know why exactly; I went through a similar "realization process" with Motorhead, Judas Priest and Van Halen (all bands I once thought of as music for 'welfare' high school dropouts who buy their clothes at K-Mart). I just bought the remaster of If You Want Blood and am now considering the rest of the Bon Scott albums and a few of the classic 80s ones as well, perhaps .

Funny that I was actually kind of comparing AC/DC to the Ramones and Motorhead when I decided to search "AC/DC" in the archives and I should turn up this thread comparing the three bands.

Good god I'm an asshole. For the last 10 years, I could've been drinking my ass off to this shit. Instead I was listening to... I don't know, some weird shit probably.

From 1977 to 1983 they released more great albums filled with more great songs than the Ramones and Motorhead ever did. It's just an easy number game here.

Plus, I think Alex's point above is wrong: AC/DC actually changed the most musically of the three bands. Sure, they always played straight-forward rock n' roll, but listen to how different something like Dirty Deeds sounds from Flick of the Switch. And they had more tempo/mood changes. Just look at the 4 biggest hits from Back In Black alone: "Hells Bells" is slow and dark; "Shoot To Thrill" is fast and charged; "Back In Black" is mid-tempo and funky; and "You Shook Me All Night Look" is also mid-tempo but has a much lighter, pop vibe than the other three. I don't think you could pick out the differences between 4 Ramones or Motorhead songs like that.

All three bands rock, but AC/DC rocks and thensome.

I could! Heck, anyone could!

i guess it's not that tough to pick ac/dc over just about anyone though. they are fab. even if i do love motorhead to death. i never listen to the ramones.

Personal anecdotes that only probably interest me:

The Ramones were my first ever concert (The Bayou, Washington, DC, 1986) and I once got to interview Joey in his NY apartment. Lemmy thanked me on two Motorhead discs (once as a writer, once because I worked for his label at the time) and I have NEVER EVEN ONCE caught AC/DC live! Every time the band came through since I started attdning shows, it just didn't happen. I must correct that or the other two factoids are pretty fucking hollow...

To which my friend replied:
Yeah, the same song. At three different speeds.

and whoever said the ramones got the nod for starting something. Silly goose, Motorhead is responsible for speed metal. Not that's a badge of honor, but certainly a matter of fact.

Reason number two: Lemmy pushing Mark McCrap of Sugar Ray into a swimming pool at a Headbangers Ball party.

Tell me there's footage of this up on youtube somewhere.

I've been scrolling through Headbangers Ball vids on youtube all day

I guess it's heartless to hold it against 'em but AC/DC and Motorhead soldier on, while The Ramones were wrong about that whole Too Tough To Die thing. Exact opposites of Spinal Tap when it comes to drummer longevity.

And while all 3 hit plateaus, the Ramones' not-great years is the most obvious decline - but maybe because they started out the best.

Great as they are, Motorhead and AC/DC never really said much about real life - hanging out, getting bored, losing your mind, falling in love, getting your heart broke... so fuck it, Ramones win.

I totally disagree with that last sentence, especially as it applies to Bon-era AC/DC.

Ramones forever. and they aren't nearly as monochromatic as they're being made out to be either.

Their non great years were fucking great, IMO.

this is better than any post-Back n Black AC/DC (I'm undecided about where the Motorhead cutoff is)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBCCuvFiwdM

Ramones are a very distant third in this contest, IMO. i like the first album but after that, blecchh.

Fair enough, Bill - I was way off on early AC/DC... And it sells the early Motörhead short too.

ac/dc own

ramones win this one obv