Rocket to Russia [Import]

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Among Creem magazine's predictions for 1977 was the claim that the Ramones would make three No. 1 singles but that none would chart. Well, "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker" and "Do You Wanna Dance" did make the 80s on the Billboard Hot 100, while "Rockaway Beach" went all the way to No. 66, but the point basically stands: Two-minute blasts of power chords, speedy tempos, and praise of fun in the sun weren't where it was at for radio in the year Journey hired Steve Perry. Rocket to Russia, the home of those semi-hits, is still many fans' favorite Ramones long-player, thanks not only to those near misses but also to the fervor of "Cretin Hop," the scene celebration of "Ramona," and the anthemic pout of "I Don't Care." They did, though--they really, really did. --Rickey Wright

Album Description
The 1977 & third album by New York's beloved punk rockers, unavailable as an individual title on CD in the U.S. 14 tracks, including 'Sheena Is A Punk Rocker', 'Cretin Hop', 'Rockaway Beach', 'We're A Happy Family', 'Teenage Lobotomy' and 'Surfin' Bird'.

Tracks:

Cretin Hop
Rockaway Beach
Here Today, Gone Tomorrow
Locket Love
I Don't Care
Sheena Is A Punk Rocker
We're A Happy Family
Teenage Lobotomy
Do You Wanna Dance?
I Wanna Be Well
I Can't Give You Anything
Ramona
Surfin' Bird
Why Is It Always This Way?
Needles & Pins (Early Version)
Slug (Demo)
It's A Long Way Back To Germany (U.K. B-Side)
I Don't Care (Single Version)
Sheena Is A Punk Rocker (Single Version)

Amazon.com

"Our records have the bitterness of life in them," quoth Dee Dee Ramone, and Rocket to Russia brought the pain. Despite carrying on the celebratory tone of the Ramones' debut and Leave Home in the likes of "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker," "Cretin Hop," a tribute to dirty "Rockaway Beach," and covers of the Trashmen and "Do You Wanna Dance?" their third LP displays a dark humor that's less jokey than the previous releases' goofs on bad mental health and dysfunctional relationships. The group's best-produced of its first three releases, Rocket achieves an almost smooth texture thanks to a clean mix and increased use of Beach Boys-inspired vocal harmonies. Still, the joyous grind of Johnny's guitar is front and center for much of this enduring album. Rhino's refurbished version offers five bonus tracks, including a rough early version of "It's a Long Way Back to Germany" and a demo, "Slug," which imagines (?) a world crawling with insects. --Rickey Wright

Customer Reviews:

The Ramones Rocket to Russia.......2007-01-10

I bought this album because I owned it approx 30 years ago and had a vague memory of it being good. I was not dissappointed, in fact it seems to have improved with age, or maybe my taste has. Whichever is the case Rocket to Russia is in my humble opinon the best ever Ramones album. Cretin Hop is an all time classic not to mention Teenage Lobotomy, Sheena is a Punk Rocker and the best ever version of Surfing Bird. there are also 5 ripper bonus tracks. Long live the Ramones.

Does punk get any better than this? I think not..........2006-11-25

Unlike some reviewers here, I didn't exactly grown up in the punk era of the late 70s/early 80s. Yeah I was around, but the diaper rash kinda hampered my appreciation for the genre. I kind of backed into the Ramones in high school after wondering where Green Day got their ideas from (and I am happy to say that once I heard the real thing I dropped Green Day and started buying albums from the likes of the Ramones, Talking Heads, The Clash, Devo, etc. etc.). This music wasn't really THAT old when I first discovered it, and it has really stuck with me through all my phases.

Anyway, in this era of emo, mall-punk, sloppy pseudo-hardcore and the like, it's refreshing to throw this one on the player and remember that punk rock can be far from the cheesy and awkward "devolution" which has occurred. Perhaps this fact alone shows the limitations of the genre as well. I mean, there is by definition only so much you can really do with a few chords and a lot of nervous or angry energy. That potential was largely maxed-out by around 1986 (although you never know, some would have said the same about 50s rock n roll). The point is, nothing that has happened since the release of this album takes anything away from its superior quality and the absolute pop PERFECTION of these rock n roll nuggets. It's got an angry Beach Boys sound that was stunningly unique for its time, and it's just so much fun to listen to nearly anywhere. If you like punk rock, this should be the first stop you make.

-HW

a new favorite band has graced my prescences!.......2006-11-19

i cannot believe i let the Ramones fall by the wayside all these years i was into anything punk rock/anything good. when i used to think "Ramones" i used to think Blitzkrieg bop and i wanna be sedated and how they were so overplayed, so i just kind of disregarded the band with naivety.

now recently, i had picked up this album just because i wanted a cd and luckily i couldnt afford anything else besides this moderately priced album and when i listened, i instantly knew i had to have them all! the whole album is great and gets plenty of listening time.

i really dont know what else to say besides the fact that we need them in today's music scene more than ever. even if they were just the wise rock n roll sages that stood for something. shame that the all of the main guys died within 4 years. RIP Johnny, Joey, Dee Dee

5 stars; what else???.......2006-08-22

OK, I know I'm slow. Still updating my 'vinyl'. This CD is EXCELLENT; even better with the xtra tracks.
All Ramones are kickass; and yes, I think the Spector album is great too.

the punk Beach Boys.......2006-08-20

The Ramones were the punk Beach Boys and sung about the same concerns: going to the beach, being alone in your room, wanting girls. This album is one of the seminal punk documents and is a necessary part of anyone's musical collection. Pure pleasure all the way through. I can't recommend it highly enough.

Average customer rating:

4 out of 6 Ramones surveyed say....
The best Ramones album.
Gabba Gabba Get It!
Utterly brilliant!
Quite simply the best rock 'n' roll album ever.

Rocket to Russia
The Ramones
Manufacturer: Import [Generic]
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Punk | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

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Similar Items:

Subterranean Jungle
The Ramones
Leave Home
End of the Century

ASIN: B00002DEOL
Release Date: 2000-05-16

Tracks:

Cretin Hop
Rockaway Beach
Here Today Gone Tomorrow
Locket Love
I Don't Care
Sheena Is A Punk Rocker
We're A Happy Family
Teenage Lobotomy
Do You Wanna Dance
I Wanna Be Well
I Can't Give You Anything
Ramona
Surfin' Bird
Why Is It Always This Way?

Amazon.com

Among Creem magazine's predictions for 1977 was the claim that the Ramones would make three No. 1 singles but that none would chart. Well, "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker" and "Do You Wanna Dance" did make the 80s on the Billboard Hot 100, while "Rockaway Beach" went all the way to No. 66, but the point basically stands: Two-minute blasts of power chords, speedy tempos, and praise of fun in the sun weren't where it was at for radio in the year Journey hired Steve Perry. Rocket to Russia, the home of those semi-hits, is still many fans' favorite Ramones long-player, thanks not only to those near misses but also to the fervor of "Cretin Hop," the scene celebration of "Ramona," and the anthemic pout of "I Don't Care." They did, though--they really, really did. --Rickey Wright

Album Description

The 1977 & third album by New York's beloved punk rockers, unavailable as an individual title on CD in the U.S. 14 tracks, including 'Sheena Is A Punk Rocker', 'Cretin Hop', 'Rockaway Beach', 'We're A Happy Family', 'Teenage Lobotomy' and 'Surfin' Bird'. Also features the original artwork, full lyrics & all of the artwork accompanying the lyrics from the original release.

Album Details

Classic 1977 Album by the Punk Pioneers. Produced by Tony Bongiovi; Features 'sheena is a Punk Rocker', 'teenage Lobotomy', 'ramona' and Eleven More.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 6 Ramones surveyed say...........2004-01-02

that this was the best Ramones recording. (Of course, the 2 that didn't vote for this as the best(marky and CJ), didn't play on it.) This recording really marks America's greatest rock band at its finest. They still had their original Tommy on drums, who really was the best Ramone to have in the studio. He left the group soon after this recording to become a recording engineer full-time. Also, the stresses of the road, internal bickering, and pressures from the recording industry had not taken a toll on the band yet. All of these elements certainly had a serious impact on the band later. If you have to buy one Ramones recording, this should be it....and don't worry about additional tracks on a reissue CD. This album would suffer from any tweaking. Furthermore, if you have to buy one rock recording, this should be it!

The best Ramones album........2001-04-22

Not only is Rocket to Russia THE best punk album of all time, it is also one of the best Rock n Roll albums of all time. There is not a false step from beginning to end, including the lyric sheet with the art by John Holmstrom. "There's no stoppin' the cretins from hoppin'/ Ya gotta keep it beatin' for all the hoppin' cretins/ Creeeeetin/ Creeeetin...." Joey Ramone. RIP.

Gabba Gabba Get It!.......2000-08-31

This is what rock n' roll is all about: 2 minutes of ear-splitting, inspired lunacy, short break, 2 more minutes of ear-splitting, inspired lunacy, short break, 2 more minutes ... and so on until the end of this shattering, pounding, shouting, utterly joyous carnival of rebellion and cartoon violence.

It's hard to argue with the pithy philosophy of "I Don't Care" ("I don't care about this world ... I don't care about that girl ... I don't care.") or the Frankenstein-ish fun of "Teenage Lobotomy" (DDT did a job on me ... now I am a real sickie ... guess I'm gonna have to tell 'em ... that I got no cerebellum ..."). Nobody could hear you if you argued with any of it anyway. The knob on this monster goes to 12. And a half.

If you haven't heard it, you haven't started living yet. Buy it, no matter your current financial situation. You can't afford not to.

Utterly brilliant!.......1999-07-02

This is the album that features the only rhyme I've ever heard for cerebellum.....

This prove that the Ramones truly walk on water...

Quite simply the best rock 'n' roll album ever........1999-06-04

'Rocket to Russia' is the Ramones at their best. With lyrics such as '...sitting here in Queens eating refried beans, we're in all the magazines, gulping down thorazines. We ain't got no friends, our trouble never ends, no Christmas cards to send... Daddy likes men.' surely the Ramones will never be bettered? That's the majesty of 'We're a happy family'. Sublime.