# The three great primitives of rock: AC/DC, the Ramones and Motörhead **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 7, 2026, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-three-great-primitives-of-rock-ac-dc-the-ramones-and-motorhead/1026445 "2026-01-07T20:57:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2026, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-three-great-primitives-of-rock-ac-dc-the-ramones-and-motorhead/1026445/21 "2026-01-07T22:23:21Z")
> [@Treppenwitz](#): > > Also, does it have to be rock to be rock? How about Rhythm ‘n’ Blues? Of course the great Dr Feelgood count. And I don’t really make a difference between r’n’r and r’n’b. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2026, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-three-great-primitives-of-rock-ac-dc-the-ramones-and-motorhead/1026445/22 "2026-01-07T22:26:26Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > I was actually thinking about the Flamin’ Groovies as a fourth candidate for this thread, because I love them, but then ditched them because **nobody than us two knows them**. 😉 🤨 ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2026, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-three-great-primitives-of-rock-ac-dc-the-ramones-and-motorhead/1026445/23 "2026-01-07T22:29:40Z")
Sorry @blondebear, it was hyperbole. 😄 ---
**Author:** ![Jaycat.again](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat.again/32/11525_2.png) [@Jaycat.again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaycat.again)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2026, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-three-great-primitives-of-rock-ac-dc-the-ramones-and-motorhead/1026445/24 "2026-01-07T22:52:41Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > these three bands represent the essence of what rock’n’roll is all about, Chuck Berry is what rock ‘n’ roll is all about. You need look no further. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2026, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-three-great-primitives-of-rock-ac-dc-the-ramones-and-motorhead/1026445/25 "2026-01-07T22:54:56Z")
> [@Jaycat.again](#): > > Chuck Berry is what rock ‘n’ roll is all about. You need look no further. In principle, I agree, and at least AC/DC and Motörhead are unthinkable without him and built on him. But hey, they played _louder_. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2026, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-three-great-primitives-of-rock-ac-dc-the-ramones-and-motorhead/1026445/26 "2026-01-07T22:57:01Z")
I saw the Flamin’ Groovies just last year. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2026, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-three-great-primitives-of-rock-ac-dc-the-ramones-and-motorhead/1026445/27 "2026-01-07T22:58:00Z")
Hey, that’s cool, I didn’t know they’re still around. Are many original members left? ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2026, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-three-great-primitives-of-rock-ac-dc-the-ramones-and-motorhead/1026445/28 "2026-01-07T23:02:34Z")
Yeah. Jordan, Wilson, and Alexander. Loney died a few years ago. ETA: I looked it up to make sure, and Jordan might be the only one in the line up I saw on The Little Steven’s Underground Garage cruise. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2026, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-three-great-primitives-of-rock-ac-dc-the-ramones-and-motorhead/1026445/29 "2026-01-07T23:04:11Z")
Would love to see them, but I heavily doubt they’ll play in Germany, they’re virtually unknown here. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2026, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-three-great-primitives-of-rock-ac-dc-the-ramones-and-motorhead/1026445/30 "2026-01-07T23:14:49Z")
I think that, if you’re going to identify “the three great primitives” of something, then those three have to cover the full gamut of that something. But even if you feel that, for instance, “the best rock doesn’t have keyboards”, still, some rock does include keyboards, and so you have to have keyboards in at least one of your primitives. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2026, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-three-great-primitives-of-rock-ac-dc-the-ramones-and-motorhead/1026445/31 "2026-01-07T23:19:33Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > But even if you feel that, for instance, “the best rock doesn’t have keyboards”, still, some rock does include keyboards, and so you have to have keyboards in at least one of your primitives. Huh? Some Rock includes theremins, maracas, or the jawbone of an ass. Do they all have to be represented? ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2026, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-three-great-primitives-of-rock-ac-dc-the-ramones-and-motorhead/1026445/32 "2026-01-07T23:27:22Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > Some Rock includes … the jawbone of an ass. Hmmph. I will remind you that David Lee Roth is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as part of Van Halen! ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2026, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-three-great-primitives-of-rock-ac-dc-the-ramones-and-motorhead/1026445/33 "2026-01-07T23:30:00Z")
Well, OK, if your primitives don’t include a jawbone of an ass, then they don’t quite encompass the full gamut of all of rock, but they might still come really, really close, because very few rock bands include ass-jawbones. But an awful lot of them contain keyboards, and so if you don’t include that, it’s a poor approximation of a gamut, indeed. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2026, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-three-great-primitives-of-rock-ac-dc-the-ramones-and-motorhead/1026445/34 "2026-01-07T23:37:47Z")
I thought they were Granite, Gneiss and Schist… ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2026, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-three-great-primitives-of-rock-ac-dc-the-ramones-and-motorhead/1026445/35 "2026-01-07T23:56:56Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > Huh? Some Rock includes theremins, maracas, or the jawbone of an ass. Do they all have to be represented? Nope. Just bagpipes. > [@Thing.Fish](#): > > I endorse this formulation. All three are great, and I can’t think offhand of any logical addition to the list. I get what OP is going for and I concur with this. My 18 year old self loved all three for their straight-ahead formulas. Not sure I need to listen to them much these days, but back then, hell yeah! ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2026, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-three-great-primitives-of-rock-ac-dc-the-ramones-and-motorhead/1026445/36 "2026-01-08T00:01:37Z")
> [@wguy123](#): > > I get what OP is going for and I concur with this. My 18 year old self loved all three for their straight-ahead formulas. Not sure I need to listen to them much these days, but back then, hell yeah! The difference seems to be that I still feel my inner 18 year old, although I’m hitting 58. Rock’n’roll is one of the reasons I never really felt adult. ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2026, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-three-great-primitives-of-rock-ac-dc-the-ramones-and-motorhead/1026445/37 "2026-01-08T00:01:54Z")
Seriously, if primitives are the fundamental, basic building blocks or original elements from which more complex things are built, then I’d nominate for the primitives of the guitar/bass/drums category of rock: Chuck Berry Bo Diddley Monk Montgomery Gene Krupa Buddy Rich ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2026, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-three-great-primitives-of-rock-ac-dc-the-ramones-and-motorhead/1026445/38 "2026-01-08T00:06:23Z")
> [@peccavi](#): > > Bo Diddley Oh yes, a good example, one of the greatest primistivists in music. ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2026, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-three-great-primitives-of-rock-ac-dc-the-ramones-and-motorhead/1026445/39 "2026-01-08T00:23:15Z")
There are a couple of Aussie bands that took AC/DCs formula and ran with it. Airbourne and The Poor come to mind. I would think some of the NWBHM would count too. Blitzkrieg and Satan both come to mind, though Blitzkrieg did change their sound. I have had Satan on all day today and don’t remember any ballads, at least no maudlin shit as you’d say. ---
**Author:** ![Disinfectus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/disinfectus/32/11085_2.png) [@Disinfectus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disinfectus)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2026, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-three-great-primitives-of-rock-ac-dc-the-ramones-and-motorhead/1026445/40 "2026-01-08T00:35:13Z")
> [@peccavi](#): > > Gene Krupa > Buddy Rich Those are jazz players. Buddy Rich hated rock and roll. And I’m not sure I understand the OP. Rock and Roll was around a lot longer than any of those three bands. They were no trailblazers, IMO. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-three-great-primitives-of-rock-ac-dc-the-ramones-and-motorhead/1026445.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-three-great-primitives-of-rock-ac-dc-the-ramones-and-motorhead/1026445.md?page=3)