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". In 2003, the album was ranked number
105 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
History
The album was recorded in late August at Media Sound studios in Midtown Manhattan.
The cost of recording Rocket to Russia, at roughly $25,000, was significantly higher than 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.
In 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.
Song 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 claims that Dee Dee was the only real beachgoer in the
group[citation needed]. 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 Swedish rock band Sahara Hotnights.
"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 songs[citation needed], showing the bands' 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)[citation needed].
"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" was confirmed to be a playable track in the video game Rock Band, but it was instead replaced by another
Ramones hit, "Blitzkrieg Bop".
Track listing
All songs written by the Ramones except where indicated.
- "Cretin Hop" – 1:55
- "Rockaway Beach" (Dee Dee Ramone) – 2:06
- "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow" (Joey Ramone) – 2:49
- "Locket Love" – 2:11
- "I Don't Care" (Joey Ramone) – 1:39
- "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker" (Joey Ramone) – 2:49
- "We're a Happy Family" – 2:40
- "Teenage Lobotomy" – 2:01
- "Do You Wanna Dance?" (Bobby Freeman) –
1:55
- "I Wanna Be Well" – 2:28
- "I Can't Give You Anything" – 2:01
- "Ramona" – 2:38
- "Surfin' Bird" (Carl White / Alfred Frazier / John Harris / Turner Wilson) – 2:37
- "Why Is It Always This Way?" – 2:22
Rhino bonus tracks
- "Needles & Pins (early version)" (Sonny Bono / Jack Nitzsche) – 2:24
- "Slug (demo)" (Joey Ramone) – 2:23
- "It’s a Long Way Back to Germany (UK B-side)" – 2:22
- "I Don’t Care (single version)" – 1:40
- "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker (single version)" – 2:48
Personnel
Ramones
Additional personnel
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