Let's Fight! The Ramones vs. the Sex Pistols!

[Sir Rob]

Lets not forget that the punk movement had different origins in the US and the UK, which makes the comparison difficult. The US movement was art based, whereas the UK movement, as conceptual as it was, had a mass impact on a whole generation of people who genuinely had "no future", which is the reason why as short as it was in time (18 months really, and thisperiod HAS to be defined by the Sex Pistols duration) it had such a social impact in Europe.

I was one of those people who genuinely had "no future" - and they were right!   

[jazzfascist]

In terms of finally defining punk, it must be Sex Pistols and I think it has something to do with them cutting their hair which was a kind of reverse Beatles, the final FU to the hippie generation, who used to connect that with nazism and so forth.

:*)

The Sex Pistols are to the 70s what the Monkees were to the hippies.

Well I'm sure that Ramones would be sad to hear that, because that was probably what they wanted to be.

Søren

[mark goddard]

i like the Bad Brains the best .......

[kookadams]

The Ramones for sure! How could any say the Pistols? Like someone previously wrote, they made one album and they existed for barely over 2 years, so I don't even see how you could compare. The Ramones made brilliant albums like Leave Home, Rocket to Russia, Pleasant Dreams, Too Tough to Die etc. The Sex Pistols were a creation of Malcolm McLaren while the Ramones were a real band that established longevity and have had the biggest impact of the face of rock music in the past 30+ years! I love Never mind the Bollocks but the Ramones to me are the most important band since the Beach Boys and always will be.

[Aegir]

Damn, I miss these people. Hardly anyone that posted in this thread posts here anymore.

Aegir's 70s Punk Band Ranking

(from best to worst)
1. The Misfits
2. The Ramones
3. The Clash
4. The Sex Pistols

It's hard to believe my music tastes haven't changed in two years. The Sex Pistols are just part of the hype machine, all publicity. The anti-punk. Their most famous member wasn't even really part of the band.

[lance]

I give it to the Pistols, for Johnny Rotten--a real original. Plus their drummer kicked ass, at least on record.

[KokoMoses]

The first punk of all-time was Mike!!!!

His nasal, attitude-drenched early voice, sounded like some snotty, asshole,"punk' kid who didn't care about anything other than surfin and pickin up chicks and pounding around town in his car. He didn't  sound like anyone who had come before, and no one has sung like him since.

Other than Mike, you can't pass over Bob Dylan as bieng pretty damm punk!!!!

Otherwise, I give it to The Ramone's all the way!

[The Heartical Don]

Perhaps, in the end, I prefer the TV Personalities. 'Part-time Punks' defines the era for me.

[Music Machine]

Gotta say I prefer the Ramones. I went through a phase of really liking the Sex Pistols when I was in my teens, now I only like a couple of songs and the live in SF 1978 cd. I still enjoy reading interviews with all the surving members but I hardly go near their music these days. I get a lot more enjoyment out of the music the guys in the band have said were their influences these days.

When it comes to 70's punk I think the UK Subs and the Dictators are really good and underrated. The Buzzcocks are quite good too.

[Alex]

Ramones all the way!!! Did the Sex Pistols ever cover the BBs? Did Phil Spector ever (attempt to) produce the Sex Pistols? Were the Sex Pistols ever about anything other than (manufactured) depressing nihilism?

The Ramones knew how to have fun, and they weren't put together by some cranky old manager who was just looking to make a quick buck off his band.

Apart from the Ramones, my favorite punk band would have to be The Clash. They brought all sorts of diverse influences into their music and were always "fucking with the formula", even throwing the formula out on quite a few occasions. And I love their political stance(s). The Clash were one of the few major musical artists to tackle left-wing politics in their music since the heydays of the protest movements in the 60s. I'd be hard pressed to find s Sex Pistols OR a Ramones song that condemns former American soldiers who fathered children in Vietnam and never wanted anything to do with their children ("Straight to Hell"-which was sampled by M.I.A.).