Premier Rock Forum

steve wrote:

ubercat wrote:If you remove Ramones from history the hole isn't as large as the one left by removing Kraftwerk.

I love Kraftwerk, but you out yo damn mind.

I'm pretty sure punk would have congealed without Ramones. 1,000 monkeys with typewriters...

I don't know, earlier noisy/primitive tendencies in American rock (like Cleveland "proto-punk") seems like it might have been too volatile and fragmented and anti-commercial and Stooges-duplicating to spread widely and coalesce into a major shift. The Ramones benefited from being in the right place among the right people at the right time AND from bringing together really disparate strands (Beach Boys, Charles Manson, life in Forest Hills) with unique originality, humor, and unpretentiousness. Life-changing.

But obviously there are millions of people who don't like / have never heard / could give a flying fuck about the Ramones or punk rock, whereas EVERYONE has heard -- and, I'll wager, enjoyed -- at least some music that has been directly influenced by Kraftwerk, whether or not they wanted to or even knew it. Both are fantastic, but in terms of global and historical significance, Kraftwerk takes it. Also I'm on a massive Kraftwerk kick these days; though my enjoyment of them isn't nearly as context-specific (i.e. in reaction to shitty radio fare, being a teenager, etc.), it's not less.

I expected Ramones to walk away with this poll on this forum.

ubercat wrote:

steve wrote:

ubercat wrote:If you remove Ramones from history the hole isn't as large as the one left by removing Kraftwerk.

I love Kraftwerk, but you out yo damn mind.

I'm pretty sure punk would have congealed without Ramones. 1,000 monkeys with typewriters...

Sure, but given that...The Ramones were those thousand monkeys with typewriters...if it hadn't been them, it would've been somebody like them

ctrl-s wrote:Whether or not you think their critical and popular reception was/is deserved, no Ramones and no Kraftwerk = no music as we know it since 1976. "I am not responding but posting in yawning superior blase mode" should've been a voting option, apparently.

wrong. what about the stooges?

"Since 1976," I said. Do you think that without punk rock, sparked by bands like, say, the Ramones, the Stooges influence would've taken root and spread as it has since then?

ctrl-s wrote:EVERYONE has heard -- and, I'll wager, enjoyed -- at least some music that has been directly influenced by Kraftwerk, whether or not they wanted to or even knew it.

Even Coldplay fans.

Knew that'd come up. I've never heard it and never want to. It does kind of prove the point, though.

If for some strange reason I was allowed to be either a Ramone or an official member of Kraftwerk (complete with corresponding robot), I would choose to be a member of Kraftwerk. In a fucking heartbeat. Hell, take away the robot and I'd still rather be in Kraftwerk. Kraftwerk.

Kraftwerk seemed like an interesting science experiment to me. The music - meh. No Ballz.

the Ramones, on the other hand are all Ballz.

Ramonse - FTW.

the$inmusicisallmine wrote:Kraftwerk seemed like an interesting science experiment to me. The music - meh. No Ballz.

the Ramones, on the other hand are all Ballz.

Ramonse - FTW.

So jocks > nerds.