| Rocket to Russia | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Ramones | ||||
| Released | November 4, 1977 | |||
| Recorded | August – September 1977 at Media Sound Studios, Midtown Manhattan | |||
| Genre | Punk rock | |||
| Length | 31:46 (original) 43:23 (Expanded Edition) |
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| Label | Sire (US & UK) Philips (Europe) |
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| Producer | Tony Bongiovi, Tommy Erdelyi | |||
| Ramones chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [1] |
| Robert Christgau | (A) [2] |
| Rolling Stone | [3] |
| Allmusic (Rhino Records expanded release) | [4] |
| This table needs to be expanded using prose. See the guideline for more information. | |
Rocket to Russia is the third studio album by the American punk rock band The Ramones. It was released on November 4, 1977 through Sire Records. It was their last with original drummer Tommy Ramone. The album incorporates surf rock and other influences. It includes some of the Ramones' best-known songs, including "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker" and "Teenage Lobotomy". In 2003, the album was ranked number 105 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
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The album was recorded in late August 1977 at Media Sound studios in Midtown Manhattan. The cost of recording Rocket to Russia was roughly $25,000, which was significantly higher than that of the band's two previous records. At the request of guitarist Johnny Ramone, Punk Magazine editor and illustrator John Holmstrom produced the sleeve art, a cartoonish view of the world from a rocketship with a pinhead, emblematic of the band, grabbing onto it. In 1978, the album peaked at #49 on the Billboard pop albums chart, making it one of the band's most popular releases.
On June 19, 2001, Rhino Records re-released the album. In addition to remastering the tracks from the original album, it included alternate versions of album tracks as well as a B-side.
"Surfin' Bird" is a cover of the original song by The Trashmen. "Do You Wanna Dance?" was written by Bobby Freeman in 1958, but is probably best known for a 1965 cover by the Beach Boys.
"I Don't Care", one of the first songs the band ever wrote, was originally recorded as a demo for their first album, Ramones.
The song "Cretin Hop" was inspired by Cretin Avenue in St. Paul, Minnesota, which is named after former Bishop Joseph Crétin, the Ramones noticed the name while on tour.[5] "Cretin Hop" was played in the onstage fight scene in the punk movie SLC Punk!.
"Rockaway Beach" and "Teenage Lobotomy" were released as downloadable content for the music video game Rock Band.
Green Day covered Teenage Lobotomy and Blitzkrieg Bop at the Ramones' 2002 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
All songs written by the Ramones except where noted.
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