Rocket to Russia

Infobox Album
Name = Rocket to Russia
Type = Album


Artist = Ramones
Background = Orange
Released = November 4 1977
Genre = Punk rock
Recorded = August – September 1977 at Media Sound Studios, Midtown Manhattan
Length = 31:46
Label = Sire
Producer = Tony Bongiovi, Tommy Erdelyi
Reviews =
*Allmusic Rating|5|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:gekxikb6bb59 link]
*Robert Christgau (A) [http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=ramones link]
*"Rolling Stone" [http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/theramones/albums/album/209183/review/5946204/rocket_to_russia link] Rhino Records Expanded Release:
*Allmusic Rating|5|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:3ft67u5020ja link]
Last album = "Leave Home"
(1977)
This album = "Rocket to Russia"
(1977)
Next album = "Road to Ruin"
(1978)

"Rocket to Russia" is the third album by American punk group the Ramones. Released on November 4 1977, 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". RS500|105

History

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.

ong information

"Rockaway Beach", penned by bassist Dee Dee Ramone in the style of the Beach Boys and other early rock 'n' roll bands, was written about Rockaway Beach, Queens, where Dee Dee liked to spend time. Johnny Ramone claimed that Dee Dee was the only real beachgoer in the groupFact|date=February 2007. Released in 1977, it was the Ramones' highest charting single in their career, hitting #66 on the "Billboard" Hot 100. "Rockaway Beach" has been covered by Finnish punk rock band Ne Luumäet (in Finnish, "Hiekkaa Hietarannan"), Swedish rock band Sahara Hotnights, American punk rock band The Queers (who covered the entire Rocket to Russia album in 1994 (Rocket_to_Russia_(Queers_album)), and Canadian rock band Deja Voodoo (also in Finnish).

"Sheena Is a Punk Rocker" was written by lead singer Joey Ramone as a reference to a punk rock fan. Like "Rockaway Beach", it is one of their more popular and enduring songsFact|date=February 2007, showing the band's surf rock influences, and was arguably one of the first songs to reference punk rock in the title (the earlier "Judy Is a Punk" most likely meant the term in a somewhat different light)Fact|date=February 2007.

"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 group ever wrote, was originally recorded as a demo for their first album, "Ramones".

"Cretin Hop" was played in the onstage fight scene in the punk movie "SLC Punk".

"Rockaway Beach" and "Teenage Lobotomy" are available for download in the music game "Rock Band".

Track listing

All songs written by the Ramones except where indicated.

#"Cretin Hop" (Tommy Ramone, Johnny Ramone, Dee Dee Ramone)– 1:55
#"Rockaway Beach" (Dee Dee Ramone) – 2:06
#"Here Today, Gone Tomorrow" (Joey Ramone) – 2:47
#"Locket Love" (Dee Dee Ramone) – 2:09
#"I Don't Care" (Joey Ramone) – 1:38
#"Sheena Is a Punk Rocker" (Joey Ramone) – 2:49
#"We're a Happy Family" – 2:47
#"Teenage Lobotomy" – 2:00
#"Do You Wanna Dance?" (Bobby Freeman) – 1:52
#"I Wanna Be Well" (Joey Ramone) – 2:28
#"I Can't Give You Anything" (Dee Dee Ramone) – 1:57
#"Ramona" – 2:35
#"Surfin' Bird" (Carl White / Alfred Frazier / John Harris / Turner Wilson) – 2:37
#"Why Is It Always This Way?" – 2:32

Rhino bonus tracks

15. "Needles & Pins (early version)" (Sonny Bono / Jack Nitzsche) – 2:24
16. "Slug (demo)" (Joey Ramone) – 2:23
17. "It’s a Long Way Back to Germany (UK B-side)" (Dee Dee Ramone) – 2:22
18. "I Don’t Care (single version)" – 1:40
19. "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker (single version)" – 2:48

Personnel

Ramones

*Joey Ramone – lead vocals
*Johnny Ramone – guitar
*Dee Dee Ramone – bass, backing vocals
*Tommy Ramone – drums, producer

Additional personnel

*Tony Bongiovi – producer
*Ed Stasium – engineer
*Don Berman – assistant engineer
*Greg Calbi – mastering
*Danny Fields – photography
*John Holmstrom – artwork