[justshutupandtakeit]

That is a far cry from being the greatest rock band ever. I like what I have heard from them but they are no better than the Thunderbirds or Stray Cats, if as good.

While not my favorite LZ is a far better and more influential band than the Ramones. The other two you mentioned are insignificant.

[t_skoz]

Have you EVER posted a comment that was not completely asinine?

Seriously.

[GSWarrior]

You can't compare Zep with the Ramones. You're missing the whole point.The Ramones reached an audience by taken rock music back its basics....three chords and a fast tempo. They provided the blueprint for much of what was to follow in the punk realm.

They were also one of the first bands to meld rock music with junk culture.

At least the Dictators are still around.

[weegee]

The Ramones were WILDLY influential. Just the "bands" in England that saw their July 4th 1976 performance that formed as a result show their impact (Sex Pistols, Clash, Souisie Siux...)

Tune into Little Steven's Underground Garage syndicated radio show. He'll give you his theory of programming that show. He says that everything he plays is centered around The Ramones. Everything that came before and influenced the band and everything that came afterwards and was influenced by the band.

They certainly helped spearhead more basic rock and roll songs in a time of extended guitar solos, prog keyboard freakouts, sensitive songwriter fern bar music such as James Taylor and Carly Simon, coked out gay disco...

Who influenced more bands in the long run, Styx or the Ramones?

If you are to claim that Led Zepplin has spawned more bands, can you point to progeny? What can we do to determine that they didn't get their sound from The Yardbirds? Or the bands that influenced the Yardbirds?

And for the record (not that you made this claim), the Ramones' songs were not "short". Look up the runtime of some of the biggest hits of the 1950s and 1960s and many of them clock in under 2:15.