View source for Rocket to Russia

{{for|the cover album|Rocket to Russia (The Queers album)}}
{{good article}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2025}}
{{Infobox album
| name         = Rocket to Russia
| type         = studio
| artist       = the [[Ramones]]
| cover        = Ramones - Rocket to Russia cover.jpg
| border       = yes
| alt          = 
| released     = {{start date|1977|11|04}}
| recorded     = April, August–September 1977<ref name="loudersound"/><ref>Bessman 1993, p. 74.</ref>
| studio       = 
*[[Mediasound Studios|Mediasound]] and Sundragon, {{nowrap|New York<ref name="loudersound"/>}}
| genre        = *[[Punk rock]]
*[[pop punk]]<ref name=RSTop50>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/50-greatest-pop-punk-albums-122677/|title=50 Greatest Pop-Punk Albums|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=November 15, 2017|access-date=June 28, 2019|archive-date=November 9, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109041822/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/50-greatest-pop-punk-albums-122677/|url-status=live}}</ref>
*{{nowrap|[[surf punk (music genre)|surf punk]]<ref name="Rathbone">{{cite journal|last=Rathbone|first=Oregano|title=Ramones – Rocket To Russia: 40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition|url=https://recordcollectormag.com/reviews/rocket-russia-40th-anniversary-deluxe-edition|journal=[[Record Collector]]|issue=474|date=December 2017|access-date=2018-11-21|archive-date=2018-11-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181121204046/https://recordcollectormag.com/reviews/rocket-russia-40th-anniversary-deluxe-edition|url-status=live}}</ref>}}
| length       = 31:46
| label        = [[Sire Records|Sire]]
| producer     = {{hlist|[[Tony Bongiovi]]|[[Tommy Ramone|T. Erdelyi]]}}
| chronology   = Ramones
| prev_title   = [[Leave Home]]
| prev_year    = 1977
| next_title   = [[Road to Ruin (Ramones album)|Road to Ruin]]
| next_year    = 1978
| misc         = {{Singles
 | name        = Rocket to Russia
 | type        = studio
 | single1     = [[Sheena Is a Punk Rocker]]
 | single1date = May 1977 
 | single2     = [[Rockaway Beach (song)|Rockaway Beach]]
 | single2date = November 1977
 | single3     = [[Do You Wanna Dance?]]
 | single3date = March 1978 <ref>True 2005, p. 343.</ref> 
}}
}}

'''''Rocket to Russia''''' is the third studio album by the American [[punk rock]] band [[Ramones]], released on November 4, 1977, through [[Sire Records]]. It is the band's last album to feature original drummer [[Tommy Ramone]], who left the band in 1978 to focus on production. The album's origins date back to the summer of 1977, when "[[Sheena Is a Punk Rocker]]" was released as a single. That summer was known as the peak of the punk rock genre since many punk bands were offered recording contracts. The album's recording began in August 1977, and the band had a considerably larger budget with Sire allowing them between $25,000 and $30,000; much of this money went toward the album's production rather than recording.

The album's cover art was directed by John Gillespie. John Holmstrom and guitarist [[Johnny Ramone]] both worked on illustration, with the entire back cover contemplating a military theme, while the inner sleeve artwork depicted many of the themes portrayed in songs. The subject matter of songs varied throughout the album, though nearly all the tracks on the album incorporated humor into the lyrics. The musical style showed more of a [[surf rock]] influence, and many songs had minimal structuring.

The album received positive reviews, with many critics appreciating the matured production and sound quality as compared to ''Rocket to Russia''{{'}}s predecessors. Music critic [[Stephen Thomas Erlewine]] called it his favorite Ramones album as it contained several [[hook (music)|hooks]] and featured more variety of [[tempo]]s. The album was not as commercially successful as the band had hoped, peaking at number 49 on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]].<ref name="The Ramones">{{Cite magazine|title=The Ramones|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/the-ramones/|access-date=2022-02-04|magazine=Billboard|language=en-US}}</ref><!-- Switch "Alternative Airplay" tab to "Billboard 200" --> Band members blamed the [[Sex Pistols]] for their lack of sales, saying that they changed the punk image for the worse. The album was ranked at number 106 in ''Rolling Stone'''s "[[Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|500 Greatest Albums of All Time]]" in 2012, and was ranked number 385 in the 2020 edition.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-20120531/ramones-rocket-to-russia-20120524 |title=500 Greatest Albums of All Time: Ramones, 'Rocket to Russia' |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=31 May 2009 |access-date=28 September 2016 |archive-date=1 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161001155313/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-20120531/ramones-rocket-to-russia-20120524 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|date=2020-09-22|title=The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-albums-of-all-time-1062063/|access-date=2020-11-25|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en-US|archive-date=2021-07-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210702101400/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-albums-of-all-time-1062063/|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Background ==
In the summer of 1977, the single "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker" was released shortly after the release of the band's second album, ''[[Leave Home]]''. This period was extremely significant to the punk rock genre, as it was the initial wave of New York City's underground punk bands receiving recording contracts. New York-based clubs [[CBGB]] and [[Max's Kansas City]] began to see bigger audiences crowd in to hear these bands.<ref name="m 107" /><ref name="m 108" /> Punk fans commonly believed that this musical style would soon top the market, to which author Tom Carson explains: "To be in New York that summer was to have some sense of what it might have been like to live in [[San Francisco]] in 1966 or '67, or in London when the [[Beatles]] and the [[Rolling Stones|[Rolling] Stones]] first hit."<ref name="m 107" />

== Recording and production ==
[[Sire Records]] allowed the band between $25,000 and $30,000 to fully record and produce the album, which is a considerably larger budget compared to the band's previous albums. The band spent most of the money Sire had given them on the album's production value. The studio rent was $150 per hour, usually using the first take of a song as its final recording. Johnny explained that "it's best to do it quickly&nbsp;... You do not wanna sit there and bullshit. It's your money they're spending."<ref name="true 95">True 2005, p. 95.</ref>

The recording began on August 21, 1977, and took place in [[Midtown Manhattan]] at [[Mediasound Studios]], a premises of a former [[Episcopal Church (United States)|Episcopalian Church]].<ref name="true 94">True 2005, p. 94.</ref> On the first day of sessions, guitarist [[Johnny Ramone]] brought a copy of the [[Sex Pistols]]' single "[[God Save the Queen (Sex Pistols song)|God Save the Queen]]" with him, remarking that their type of music "robbed" the band.<ref name="porter 82" /> He emphasized that the album's sound engineer [[Ed Stasium]] needed to incorporate better production than that of the Sex Pistols, to which Stasium replied "no problem."<ref name="porter 82">Porter 2003, p. 82.</ref><ref name="true 100" /> Johnny relates: "These guys ripped us off and I want to sound better than this."<ref name="true 100">True 2005, p. 100.</ref>

Although the album cites [[Tony Bongiovi]] and [[Tommy Ramone]] (credited as T. Erdelyi) as the head producers, much of the album's production was done by Stasium; Johnny went so far as to insist that Bongiovi was "not even there" during the band's recording sessions.<ref name="true 95" /> ''Rocket to Russia''{{'}}s final mastering was mainly done in Bongiovi's Power Station studio.<ref name="true 94" /> Infamous record producer [[Phil Spector]] offered to fabricate ''Rocket to Russia'', but the band declined, feeling as though the album would not be the same without Tommy and Bongiovi.<ref>Ramone 2012, ch. 3.</ref>

== Title and packaging ==
[[File:Rocket to Russia (back cover) - Ramones.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The back cover of ''Rocket to Russia'' features illustrations by John Holmstrom.<ref name="album notes" />]]
The album was released on November 4, 1977, under the name ''Rocket to Russia'', although it had a working title of ''Get Well''.<ref name="true 95" /> John Gillespie directed the artwork on the album, and the cover photo was taken by Danny Fields. The photo was taken in Extra Place, an alley in [[East Village, New York City|East Village]], [[Manhattan]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Berman |first1=Andrew |title=Famous Album Covers Brought Onto Their Original New York City Locations Where They Were Shot |url=https://www.vintag.es/2012/06/vintage-famous-album-covers.html}}</ref> Arturo Vega is credited as Artistic Coordinator, and [[Punk (magazine)|''Punk'']] magazine editor [[John Holmstrom]] illustrated for the album.<ref name="album notes">{{cite AV media notes |title=Rocket to Russia |others=Ramones |year=1977 |chapter=back cover |type=[[Long Play|LP]] |publisher=[[Sire Records]] |id=SR 6042 }}</ref> Holmstrom and Johnny collaborated on the back cover's concept, eventually conceiving a military theme with an anti-communist cartoon drawing. The back cover art depicts a "pinhead" riding a rocket from the United States to Russia. The drawing features many landmarks which pertain to their global position, including [[The Empire State Building]] and [[United States Capitol|Capitol Building]], and [[Saint Basil's Cathedral]] in [[Moscow]], along with highly stereotypical caricatures of certain ethnicities. The original artwork is now featured in the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] in [[Cleveland, Ohio]]. The inside sleeve features cartoon illustrations of each song's basic concept.<ref>Ramone 2012, ch. 11.</ref><ref>Leigh 1994, p. 258.</ref>

== Lyrics and composition ==
Compared to the band's previous albums, the songs from ''Rocket to Russia'' were more [[surf music]] and [[bubblegum pop]] influenced. But similar to their previous releases, the lyrics integrated humor,<ref name="bessman 86" /><ref name="true 96" /> specifically [[black comedy]] with themes circling [[mental disorders]] and [[psychiatry]].<ref name="true 95" /><ref name="bessman 86" />
{{Listen|filename=Ramones - Sheena Is a Punk Rocker.ogg|title="Sheena Is a Punk Rocker"|description="Sheena Is a Punk Rocker", a song about a young female punk fan, was said by Joey's brother [[Mickey Leigh]] to have "handily summed up the spirit of the scene and put punk rock on the map.<ref>Leigh 1994, p. 178.</ref>
|pos=left
|format=[[Ogg]]}}
The album opens with "Cretin Hop", which pays homage to Ramones fans,<ref name="bessman 86" /> and was inspired by Cretin Avenue of [[St. Paul, Minnesota]], named after former [[bishop]] [[Joseph Crétin]].<ref name="true 96">True 2005, p. 96.</ref> When the piece was performed at concerts, the band would [[Pogo (dance)|pogo]] dance on stage.<ref name="bessman 86">Bessman 1993, p. 86.</ref> "Rockaway Beach" was written by bassist [[Dee Dee Ramone]], and was inspired by the [[Beach Boys]] along with other [[surf music]] bands. The title refers to a neighborhood and beach in [[Queens]] which Dee Dee was a fan of, as confirmed by Tommy and Joey.<ref>True 2005, p. 97.</ref> "I Don't Care" is composed of three chords and features minimal text composition. The song is among the first pieces written by the band and was originally recorded as a demo that was released on the 2001 expanded edition of the Ramones debut album.<ref name="bessman 84">Bessman 1993, p. 84.</ref> "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker" was written by Joey, who explains that the lyrics are about a young female outsider named Sheena who strayed away from the popular [[disco]] and surf music and instead visited [[nightclub]]s and listened to punk rock.<ref name="porter 82" /> The mid-tempo song deviates from a three-chord pattern and starts off with Dee Dee shouting "Four!", which, according to engineer [[Ed Stasium]], was the result of Dee Dee starting his iconic countdown before the tape started rolling.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUJCS_r18sY |title=The Rhino Podcast #1: Ramones "Rocket To Russia" with guest Ed Stasium - YouTube<!-- Bot generated title --> |website=[[YouTube]] |access-date=2018-07-23 |archive-date=2019-03-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190304163254/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUJCS_r18sY&gl=US&hl=en |url-status=live }}</ref> This is followed by guitar riffs deemed to have a "raucous" [[Texture (music)|texture]] by author Tom Carson. The author also suggests that these chords "bump[ed]" into each other until the song's fade-out ending.<ref name="m 107">Marcus 2007, p. 107</ref><ref name="m 108">Marcus 2007, p. 108</ref>

"We're a Happy Family" is a caricature of the conditions which 20th-century middle-class American families lived in. The song's lyrics depict a dysfunctional family where the father is a lying [[homosexual]], the mother is [[substance abuse|addicted to prescription drugs]], the infant has [[chills]]. The writing also tells of how the family are friends with the [[President of the United States]] and the [[Pope]] and indicate that the family sells "[[marijuana|dope]]".<ref name="bessman 86" /> The song fades out with various different lines taken from fake dialogue, which illustrate a side of Joey's personality according to his brother [[Mickey Leigh]].<ref>Leigh 2009, p. 353.</ref>

Side B of the album begins with "Teenage Lobotomy", which deals with the brain surgical operation [[lobotomy]]. The lyrics outline how this procedure can cause serious consequences to the brain, with the line "Gonna get my [[Doctor of Philosophy|Ph.D]], I'm a teenage lobotomy."<ref name="bessman 84" /> The composition features more complex melodies than that of other songs from the album, with Stasium proclaiming it to be a "mini-Ramones Symphony".<ref name="true 94" /> ''Rocket to Russia'' is the first album to feature two cover songs: "Do You Wanna Dance?" (originally performed by [[Bobby Freeman]]) and "[[Surfin' Bird]]" (originally performed by [[the Trashmen]]).<ref name="allmusic">{{cite web|last=Erlewine|first=Stephen Thomas|author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/rocket-to-russia-mw0000005209|title=Rocket to Russia – Ramones|website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=2014-02-08|archive-date=2014-01-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140128100930/http://www.allmusic.com/album/rocket-to-russia-mw0000005209|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Critical reception ==
{{Music ratings
| rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref name="allmusic" />
| rev2 = ''[[The Austin Chronicle]]''
| rev2score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite news|last=Beets|first=Greg|url=http://www.austinchronicle.com/music/2001-07-13/82342/|title=Ramones: Ramones, Leave Home, Rocket to Russia, and Road to Ruin (Rhino)|work=[[The Austin Chronicle]]|date=2001-07-13|access-date=2016-09-06|archive-date=2016-09-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160916220805/http://www.austinchronicle.com/music/2001-07-13/82342/|url-status=live}}</ref>
| rev3 = ''[[Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies|Christgau's Record Guide]]''
| rev3score = A<ref name="christgau">{{cite book|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|chapter=Ramones: Rocket to Russia|chapter-url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_album.php?id=3796|access-date=2013-05-27|title=Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies|title-link=Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies|publisher=[[Ticknor and Fields]]|year=1981|isbn=0-89919-026-X|archive-date=2016-09-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160919015259/http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_album.php?id=3796|url-status=live}}</ref>
| rev4 = ''[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]''
| rev4score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Savage|first=Jon|author-link=Jon Savage|title=Giant steppes|magazine=[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]|issue=291|date=February 2018|page=105}}</ref>
| rev5 = ''[[NME]]''
| rev5score = 10/10<ref name=NME>{{cite magazine|last=Long|first=April|url=http://www.nme.com/reviews/ramones/5280|title=Ramones: Ramones / Leave Home / Rocket To Russia / Road To Ruin|magazine=[[NME]]|date=2001-06-19|access-date=2014-01-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140111074020/http://www.nme.com/reviews/5280|archive-date=2014-01-11|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| rev6 = ''[[Record Collector]]''
| rev6score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Rathbone|first=Oregano|url=https://recordcollectormag.com/reviews/rocket-russia-40th-anniversary-deluxe-edition|title=Ramones – Rocket To Russia: 40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition|magazine=[[Record Collector]]|issue=474|date=December 2017|access-date=2018-11-21|archive-date=2018-11-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181121204046/https://recordcollectormag.com/reviews/rocket-russia-40th-anniversary-deluxe-edition|url-status=live}}</ref>
| rev7 = ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]''
| rev7score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite book|last=Wolk|first=Douglas|author-link=Douglas Wolk|editor1-last=Brackett|editor1-first=Nathan|editor1-link=Nathan Brackett|editor2-last=Hoard|editor2-first=Christian|editor2-link=Christian Hoard|chapter=The Ramones|title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide|title-link=The Rolling Stone Album Guide|publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|edition=4th|year=2004|isbn=978-0-7432-0169-8|pages=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/675 675–76]}}</ref>
| rev8 = ''[[Slant Magazine]]''
| rev8score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}<ref>{{cite web|last=Hoskins|first=Zachary|url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/ramones-rocket-to-russia-40th-anniversary-deluxe-edition|title=Ramones: Rocket to Russia (40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)|work=[[Slant Magazine]]|date=2017-11-23|access-date=2017-11-23|archive-date=2017-12-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171205160915/https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/ramones-rocket-to-russia-40th-anniversary-deluxe-edition|url-status=live}}</ref>
| rev9 = ''[[Spin Alternative Record Guide]]''
| rev9score = 10/10<ref>{{cite book|last=Sheffield|first=Rob|author-link=Rob Sheffield|editor1-last=Weisbard|editor1-first=Eric|editor1-link=Eric Weisbard|editor2-last=Marks|editor2-first=Craig|chapter=Ramones|title=Spin Alternative Record Guide|title-link=Spin Alternative Record Guide|publisher=[[Vintage Books]]|year=1995|isbn=978-0-679-75574-6|pages=320–22}}</ref>
| rev10 = ''[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]''
| rev10score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Ramones: Rocket to Russia|magazine=[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]|issue=51|date=August 2001|page=94}}</ref>
}}
''Rocket to Russia'' was well received by critics, and was often given a positive review. Many critics appreciated the band's progression of sound quality and production value, as opposed to the album's predecessors.

Critic [[Robert Christgau]] reaffirms that the album's content evolved significantly since previous releases. Writing in ''[[Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies]]'' (1981), he noted that the album had "something for everyone" and called it a "ready-made punk-rock classic."<ref name="christgau"/> ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' critic [[Dave Marsh]] began his review of the album by stating: "''Rocket to Russia'' is the best American rock & roll of the year and possibly the funniest rock album ever made." Like other critics, Marsh recognized the advanced sound quality, explaining that "the guitars still riff relentlessly, but they are freer within the murky sound, and the songs give them much more to work with."<ref name="rolling stone">{{cite magazine|last=Marsh|first=Dave|author-link=Dave Marsh|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/rocket-to-russia-19771215|title=Rocket to Russia|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=1977-12-15|access-date=2014-02-08|archive-date=2014-04-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140410193031/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/rocket-to-russia-19771215|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[John Rockwell]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' deemed ''Rocket to Russia'' the band's best album "because the humor and the role-playing have become more overt than ever."<ref>{{cite news|last=Rockwell|first=John|author-link=John Rockwell|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1977/12/11/archives/rocks-history-on-six-disks-rock-disks.html|title=Rock's History On Six Disks|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=1977-12-11|access-date=2020-10-15|archive-date=2020-08-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200820191721/https://www.nytimes.com/1977/12/11/archives/rocks-history-on-six-disks-rock-disks.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' labeled it "an important breakthrough album," and praised the "inspired lunacy."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hilburn |first1=Robert |title=Breakthrough Album for the Ramones |work=Los Angeles Times |date=Jan 15, 1978 |department=Calendar |page=66}}</ref> [[UPI]] listed ''Rocket to Russia'' as the second best album of 1977, writing that the Ramones were "the undisputed kings of American Punk."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Meyer |first1=Bruce |title=Fleetwood Mac, Bob Seger grooved best discs in '77 |work=Muncie Evening Press |agency=UPI |date=Dec 31, 1977 |page=T10}}</ref>

[[Stephen Thomas Erlewine]], a music critic at [[AllMusic]], said that the production "only gives the Ramones' music more force." He stated that although it lacks the revolutionary impact that their debut had, ''Rocket to Russia'' is the band's "most listenable and enjoyable album" because of its surplus of [[Hook (music)|hooks]] and varying [[tempo]].<ref name="allmusic" />

== Commercial performance ==
Although the band expected the album to spawn a few hit songs, ''Rocket to Russia'' sold few records. The album charted on the US [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] at number 49, making this album one of the most successful of the Ramones' releases.<ref>{{cite web|url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p5223|pure_url=yes}}|title=The Ramones US albums chart history|publisher=allmusic.com|access-date=2010-12-23}}</ref><ref name="The Ramones"/><!-- Switch "Alternative Airplay" tab to "Billboard 200" --> It also debuted at number 31 on the [[Sverigetopplistan|Swedish charts]],<ref>{{cite web| url=http://swedishcharts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Ramones| title=swedishcharts.com – Discography Ramones| publisher=Hung Medien| access-date=2010-12-23| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140109034749/http://swedishcharts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Ramones| archive-date=2014-01-09| url-status=live}}</ref> 36 on the [[RPM (magazine)|Canadian charts]],<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-100.01-e.php| title=Search – RPM – Library and Archives Canada| publisher=collectionscanada.gc.ca| access-date=2013-02-13| archive-date=2012-10-04| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121004071412/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-100.01-e.php?PHPSESSID=q7a8kho0gp0ecl1bcihne0pto6| url-status=live}}</ref> and 60 on the [[UK Albums Chart]].<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artists/| title=The Official Charts Company – The Ramones| publisher=[[Official Charts Company]]| access-date=2008-12-22| archive-date=2019-05-08| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190508182655/https://www.officialcharts.com/artists/| url-status=live}}</ref>

The lack of record sales was largely due to fellow punk band [[Sex Pistols]] turning people off the genre "with their antisocial behavior," as put by author Brian J. Bowe. Rock music historian [[Legs McNeil]] relates: "Safety pins, razor blades, chopped haircuts, snarling, vomiting—everything that had nothing to do with the Ramones was suddenly in vogue, and it killed any chance ''Rocket to Russia'' had of getting any airplay."<ref name="Bowe 52" /> Joey also insisted that the Sex Pistols were partially responsible for the low sale numbers, concluding that before ''[[60 Minutes]]'' focused on the Sex Pistols, ''Rocket to Russia'' had decent airplay. After this, Joey asserted that "everyone flipped out and then things changed radically. It really kind of screwed things up for ourselves."<ref name="Bowe 52">Bowe 2010, p. 52.</ref><ref>{{cite AV media |people=Fields, Jim (director); Gramaglia, Michael (director) |date=2003-01-19 |title=End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones |medium=DVD |publisher=[[Rhino Entertainment|Rhino Records]]/[[Sire Records]] |location=United States}}</ref>

== Tommy's departure ==
Drummer Tommy, who had also worked to co-produce the album, was troubled by the lack of sales and began debating on continuing with the Ramones. He also considered touring to be "depressing", and that the audience at unfamiliar gigs were "a bunch of very eccentric, high-strung, crazy people, from one shit-hole club to another."<ref name="leigh 183" /> The drummer left the band in 1978 but continued as producer on their next album ''[[Road to Ruin (Ramones album)|Road to Ruin]]''.<ref>Bessman 1993, p. 94.</ref> He said:

{{Blockquote|I was thinking, 'What's best for the Ramones?' There was all this tension between me and Johnny. I was trying to release the pressure, to keep the band going. I told Dee Dee and Joey first that I was leaving the band. They said, 'Oh no, don't go, don't go, blah, blah, blah.' I told them we had to do something because I was losing my mind.<ref name="leigh 183">Leigh 1994, p. 183.</ref><ref name="leigh 184">Leigh 1994, p. 184.</ref>}}

== Track listing ==
===Original release===
All tracks originally credited to the Ramones (except "Do You Wanna Dance?" and "Surfin' Bird"). Actual writers are listed alongside the tracks.
{{Track listing
| headline = Side one<ref name="allmusic" /><ref name="notes">{{cite AV media notes |title=''Rocket to Russia'' |others=Ramones |year=1977 |type= |publisher=[[Sire Records]] |id=SR 6042 }}</ref><ref name="notes CD">{{cite AV media notes |title=''Rocket to Russia'' (expanded) |others=Ramones |year=2001 |type=[[Compact disc]] |publisher=[[Rhino Records]] |id=8122-74309-2 }}</ref><ref>{{cite AV media notes |title=''Rocket to Russia'' (40th anniversary deluxe edition) |others=Ramones |year=2017 |type=3CD+1LP |publisher=[[Rhino Records]]/[[Sire Records]] |id=R2 563470, 081227932718 }}</ref>
| title1 = Cretin Hop
| writer1 = Ramones
| length1 = 1:55
| title2 = [[Rockaway Beach (song)|Rockaway Beach]]
| writer2 = [[Dee Dee Ramone]]
| length2 = 2:06
| title3 = Here Today, Gone Tomorrow
| writer3 = [[Joey Ramone]]
| length3 = 2:47
| title4 = Locket Love
| writer4 = Dee Dee Ramone
| length4 = 2:09
| title5 = I Don't Care
| writer5 = Joey Ramone
| length5 = 1:38
| title6 = [[Sheena Is a Punk Rocker]]
| writer6 = Joey Ramone
| length6 = 2:49
| title7 = We're a Happy Family
| writer7 = Ramones
| length7 = 2:47
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = Side two
| title1 = [[Teenage Lobotomy]]
| writer1 = Ramones
| length1 = 2:00
| title2 = [[Do You Wanna Dance?]]
| note2 = [[Bobby Freeman]] cover
| writer2 = Bobby Freeman
| length2 = 1:52
| title3 = I Wanna Be Well
| writer3 = Joey Ramone
| length3 = 2:28
| title4 = I Can't Give You Anything
| writer4 = Dee Dee Ramone
| length4 = 1:57
| title5 = Ramona
| writer5 = Ramones
| length5 = 2:35
| title6 = [[Surfin' Bird#Covers|Surfin' Bird]]
| note6 = [[The Trashmen]] cover
| writer6 = [[The Rivingtons|Carl White, Alfred Frazier, John Harris, Turner Wilson]]
| length6 = 2:37
| title7 = Why Is It Always This Way?
| writer7 = Ramones
| length7 = 2:32
| total_length = 31:46
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = 2001 expanded edition CD (Warner Archives/Rhino) bonus tracks
| title15 = [[Needles and Pins (song)#Ramones version (1978)|Needles & Pins]]
| note15 = early version
| writer15 = [[Sonny Bono]], [[Jack Nitzsche]]
| length15 = 2:24
| title16 = Slug
| note16 = demo
| writer16 = Joey Ramone
| length16 = 2:23
| title17 = It's a Long Way Back to Germany
| writer17 = Dee Dee Ramone
| note17 = UK B-side
| length17 = 2:22
| title18 = I Don't Care
| writer18 = Joey Ramone
| note18 = single version
| length18 = 1:40
| title19 = Sheena Is a Punk Rocker
| note19 = single version
| writer19 = Joey Ramone
| length19 = 2:48
| total_length = 43:48
}}
*Track 15 previously unissued.
*Track 16 produced and arranged by Dan Kessel and David Kessel. Recorded at [[Gold Star Studios]], [[Los Angeles]], December 1978.<ref>True 2005, p. 138.</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Gold Star Studios, L.A., December 1978. |url=https://www.facebook.com/ramonesmuseumberlin/photos/a.10162033677875510/10165891824485510/ |publisher=Ramones Museum Berlin|website=Facebook |date=February 16, 2022|access-date=April 12, 2022 }}</ref> First issued on ''[[All the Stuff (And More) Volume Two]]'' (1991).

===2017 40th anniversary deluxe edition (Sire/Rhino)===
Adapted from the album's [[liner notes]].<ref>{{cite AV media notes |title=Rocket to Russia (40th anniversary deluxe edition) |others=Ramones |year=2017 |chapter=Booklet |type=[[Compact disc]] |publisher=[[Sire Records]]/[[Rhino Entertainment|Rhino]] |id=R2 563470}}</ref>
 
'''Disc 1'''
;Remastered original mixes
*''Tracks 1–14 (original mixes) as per original album''

{{Track listing
| headline        = 40th anniversary tracking mix
| title15         = Cretin Hop
| writer15        = Ramones
| length15        = 1:55
| title16         = Rockaway Beach
| writer16        = Dee Dee Ramone 
| length16        = 2:06
| title17         = Here Today, Gone Tomorrow
| writer17        = Joey Ramone
| length17        = 2:47
| title18         = Locket Love
| writer18        = Dee Dee Ramone
| length18        = 2:09
| title19         = I Don't Care
| note19          = version 2
| writer19        = Joey Ramone
| length19        = 1:38
| title20         = It's a Long Way Back to Germany
| note20          = version 1
| writer20        = Dee Dee Ramone
| length20        = 2:49
| title21         = We're a Happy Family
| writer21        = Ramones
| length21        = 2:47
| title22         = Teenage Lobotomy
| writer22        = Ramones
| length22        = 2:00
| title23         = Do You Wanna Dance?
| writer23        = Freeman
| length23        = 1:52
| title24         = I Wanna Be Well
| writer24        = Joey Ramone
| length24        = 2:28
| title25         = I Can't Give You Anything
| writer25        = Dee Dee Ramone
| length25        = 1:57
| title26         = Ramona
| writer26        = Ramones
| length26        = 2:35
| title27         = Surfin' Bird
| writer27        = White, Frazier, Harris, Wilson
| length27        = 2:37
| title28         = Why Is It Always This Way?
| writer28        = Ramones
| length28        = 2:32
| total_length    = 65:46
}}

*Tracks 15–28 mixed by Ed Stasium at Eight Palms Ranchero, [[Poway, California]], 2017.

'''Disc 2'''
{{Track listing
| headline        = Mediasound/Power Station rough mixes

| 
| title1          = Why Is It Always This Way?
| note1           = Mediasound rough, alternate lyrics
| writer1         = Ramones
| length1         = 1:58

| title2          = Rockaway Beach
| note2           = Power Station Rough
| writer2         = Dee Dee Ramone 
| length2         = 2:06

| title3          = I Wanna Be Well
| note3           = Power Station rough
| writer3         = Joey Ramone
| length3         = 2:28

| title4          = Locket Love
| note4           = Power Station rough
| writer4         = Dee Dee Ramone
| length4         = 2:15

| title5          = I Can't Give You Anything
| note5           = Power Station rough
| writer5         = Dee Dee Ramone
| length5         = 2:02

| title6          = Cretin Hop
| note6           = Power Station rough
| writer6         = Ramones
| length6         = 1:55

| title7          = We're a Happy Family
| note7           = Power Station rough
| writer7         = Ramones
| length7         = 2:14

| title8          = Ramona
| note8           = Mediasound rough, alternate lyrics
| writer8         = Ramones
| length8         = 3:06

| title9          = Do You Wanna Dance?
| note9           = Mediasound rough
| writer9         = Freeman
| length9         = 1:52

| title10         = Teenage Lobotomy
| note10          = Mediasound rough
| writer10        = Ramones
| length10        = 2:02

| title11         = Here Today, Gone Tomorrow
| note11          = Mediasound rough
| writer11        = Joey Ramone
| length11        = 2:47

| title12         = I Don't Care
| note12          = version 2, Mediasound rough
| writer12        = Joey Ramone
| length12        = 1:46
| total_length    =
}}

{{Track listing
| headline        = 40th anniversary extras
| title13         = Here Today, Gone Tomorrow
| note13          = acoustic version
| writer13        = Joey Ramone
| length13        = 2:48
| title14         = It's a Long Way Back to Germany
| note14          = version 1, Dee Dee vocal
| writer14        = Dee Dee Ramone
| length14        = 2:24
| title15         = Ramona
| note15          = Sweet Little Ramona Pop Mix
| writer15        = Ramones
| length15        = 3:07
| title16         = Surfin' Bird
| note16          = alternate vocal
| writer16        = White, Frazier, Harris, Wilson
| length16        = 2:40
| title17         = Teenage Lobotomy
| note17          = backing track
| writer17        = Ramones
| length17        = 2:06
| title18         = We're a Happy Family
| note18          = at home with the family
| writer18        = Ramones
| length18        = 1:02
| title19         = Cretin Hop
| note19          = backing track
| writer19        = Ramones
| length19        = 1:58
| title20         = Needles and Pins 
| note20          = demo version
| writer20        = Bono, Nitzsche
| length20        = 2:44
| title21         = Babysitter 
| note21          = B-Side version, remastered
| writer21        = Ramones
| length21        = 2:45
| title22         = It's a Long Way Back to Germany 
| note22          = B-Side version, remastered
| writer22        = Dee Dee Ramone
| length22        = 2:21
| title23         = Joey RTR radio spot promo 
| length23        = 0:52
| title24         = We're a Happy Family 
| note24          = Joey and Dee Dee dialogue
| writer24        = Ramones
| length24        = 1:12
| total_length    = 52:45
}}

*Tracks 1–12 mixed by Ed Stasium at Mediasound and [[Power Station (recording studio)|the Power Station]], New York, 1977.
*Tracks 13–19 and 24 mixed by Ed Stasium, 2017.
*Track 21 produced by Tony Bongiovi and T. Erdelyi, engineered by Ed Stasium. Recorded at Sundragon, New York, 1976. Mixed by Ed Stasium at Mediasound, New York, 1977.
*Track 22 produced by Tony Bongiovi and T. Erdelyi, engineered by Ed Stasium, assisted by Don Berman. Recorded at Mediasound, New York, 1977. Mixed by Ed Stasium.
*Track 23: Joey's voice recorded at Sire Records' basement studio, October 1977.
*All tracks, except 21 and 22, previously unissued.

'''Disc 3'''
{{Track listing
| headline        = Live at [[The Apollo, Glasgow|Apollo Centre]], Glasgow, Scotland (December 19, 1977)
| title1          = Rockaway Beach
| note1           = live
| writer1         = Dee Dee Ramone
| length1         = 3:00
| title2          = Teenage Lobotomy
| note2           = live
| writer2         = Ramones
| length2         = 2:08
| title3          = [[Blitzkrieg Bop]]
| note3           = live
| writer3         = [[Tommy Ramone]], Dee Dee Ramone
| length3         = 2:03
| title4          = I Wanna Be Well
| note4           = live
| writer4         = Joey Ramone
| length4         = 2:21
| title5          = Glad to See You Go
| note5           = live
| writer5         = Joey Ramone, Dee Dee Ramone 
| length5         = 1:51
| title6          = Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment
| note6           = live
| writer6         = Dee Dee Ramone, [[Johnny Ramone]]
| length6         = 1:37
| title7          = You're Gonna Kill That Girl
| note7           = live
| writer7         = Joey Ramone
| length7         = 2:27
| title8          = I Don't Care
| note8           = live
| writer8         = Joey Ramone
| length8         = 1:40
| title9          = Sheena Is a Punk Rocker 
| note9           = live
| writer9         = Joey Ramone
| length9         = 2:26
| title10         = [[Carbona Not Glue]] 
| note10          = live
| writer10        = Ramones
| length10        = 1:34
| title11         = Commando
| note11          = live
| writer11        = Dee Dee Ramone, Johnny Ramone
| length11        = 1:58
| title12         = Here Today, Gone Tomorrow 
| note12          = live
| writer12        = Joey Ramone
| length12        = 3:14
| title13         = Surfin' Bird 
| note13          = live
| writer13        = White, Frazier, Harris, Wilson
| length13        = 2:23
| title14         = Cretin Hop 
| note14          = live
| writer14        = Ramones
| length14        = 1:45
| title15         = Listen to My Heart 
| note15          = live
| writer15        = Dee Dee Ramone
| length15        = 1:38
| title16         = [[California Sun]] 
| note16          = live
| writer16        = [[Henry Glover]], [[Morris Levy]]
| length16        = 1:48
| title17         = I Don't Wanna Walk Around With You 
| note17          = live
| writer17        = Dee Dee Ramone
| length17        = 1:24
| title18         = Pinhead 
| note18          = live
| writer18        = Ramones
| length18        = 3:47
| title19         = Do You Wanna Dance? 
| note19          = live
| writer19        = Freeman
| length19        = 1:41
| title20         = Chain Saw 
| note20          = live
| writer20        = Joey Ramone
| length20        = 1:31
| title21         = Today Your Love, Tomorrow the World 
| note21          = live
| writer21        = Dee Dee Ramone
| length21        = 3:25
| title22         = Now I Wanna Be a Good Boy 
| note22          = live
| writer22        = Dee Dee Ramone
| length22        = 2:03
| title23         = Judy Is a Punk 
| note23          = live
| writer23        = Joey Ramone
| length23        = 1:15
| title24         = Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue 
| note24          = live
| writer24        = Dee Dee Ramone
| length24        = 1:22
| title25         = We're a Happy Family 
| note25          = live
| writer25        = Ramones
| length25        = 2:26
| total_length    = 53:03
}}

*Recorded by the [[Basing Street Studios]] Mobile. Engineered by Frank Owen, assisted by Greg Cobb. Mixed by Ed Stasium at Eight Palms Ranch, Poway, California, 2017.

'''LP'''
;40th anniversary tracking mix
* ''Track listing as disc 1, tracks 15–28''

== Personnel ==
Adapted from AllMusic and the album's [[liner notes]],<ref name="allmusic" /><ref name="notes" /> except where noted.

'''Ramones'''
* [[Joey Ramone]] – lead vocals
* [[Johnny Ramone]] – guitar
* [[Dee Dee Ramone]] – bass guitar, backing vocals
* [[Tommy Ramone]] – drums

'''Additional musicians'''
* [[Ed Stasium]] – additional guitar,<ref>Bessman 1993, p. 89.</ref> backing vocals<ref name="true 95"/> 
* [[Baillie & the Boys|Kathie Baillie]] – backing vocals on "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker"<ref name="loudersound">{{cite web|last=Stasium |first=Ed|url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/the-ramones-rocket-to-russia-track-by-track-guide-by-producer-ed-stasium|title=The Ramones' Rocket To Russia: track-by-track guide by producer Ed Stasium|work=[[Classic Rock (magazine)|Classic Rock]]|date=December 14, 2017|access-date=April 12, 2022}}</ref>
* [[Baillie & the Boys|Alan LeBoeuf]] – backing vocals on "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker"<ref name="loudersound"/>
* [[Baillie & the Boys|Michael Bonagura]] – backing vocals on "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker"<ref name="loudersound"/>

'''Production'''
* [[Tony Bongiovi]] – producer
* Tommy Ramone – producer (credited as T. Erdelyi)
* Ed Stasium – engineer, mixing
* Don Berman – assistant engineer
* [[Greg Calbi]] – mastering
* [[Danny Fields]] – photography (front cover)
* John Gillespie – art direction  
* [[John Holmstrom]] – artwork (back cover and inside drawings)
* [[Arturo Vega]] – artistic coordination

==Charts==
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|-
! Chart (1977–1978)
! Peak<br/>position
|-
! scope="row"| Australian Albums ([[Kent Music Report]])<ref name=aus>{{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6}}</ref>
| align="center"| 79
|-
{{Album chart|Canada|36|chartid=5514a|artist=Ramones|album=Rocket to Russia|rowheader=true|accessdate=28 June 2023}}
|-
! scope="row"| Finnish Albums ([[The Official Finnish Charts]])<ref name=FINI>{{cite book|last=Pennanen|first=Timo|title=Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972|edition=1st|publisher=Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava|location=Helsinki|year=2006|isbn=978-951-1-21053-5 | language= fi}}</ref>
| align="center"| 11
|-
{{Album chart|Sweden|31|artist=Ramones|album=Rocket to Russia|rowheader=true|accessdate=28 June 2023}}
|-
{{Album chart|UK2|60|date=19771218|rowheader=true|accessdate=28 June 2023}}
|-
{{Album chart|Billboard200|49|artist=Ramones|rowheader=true|accessdate=28 June 2023}}
|}

== References ==
'''Citations'''
{{reflist}}

'''Bibliography'''
* {{cite book |last=Bessman |first=Jim |author-link=Jim Bessman|title=Ramones: An American Band |publisher=[[St. Martin's Press]] |year=1993 |isbn=978-0-312-09369-3 }}
* {{cite book|last=Bowe|first=Brian J.|title=The Ramones: American Punk Rock Band|date=January 2011|publisher=Enslow Publishers|location=[[Berkeley Heights, New Jersey]]|isbn=978-0-7660-3233-0}}
* {{cite book |last = Leigh |first = Mickey |author-link=Mickey Leigh|title = I Slept with Joey Ramone: A Family Memoir |publisher = [[Simon & Schuster|Touchstone Books]] |year = 2009 |isbn = 978-0-7432-5216-4 |url = https://archive.org/details/isleptwithjoeyra00leig }}
*{{cite book|last=Marcus|first=Greil|author-link=Greil Marcus|title=Stranded: Rock and Roll for a Desert Island|year=2007|publisher=[[Da Capo Press]]|isbn=978-0-3068-1532-4}}
*{{cite book|last=Mednick|first=Avram|title=GOT LIVE ALBUM IF YOU WANT IT!: 100 Live Recordings to Consider|publisher=[[iUniverse]]|isbn=978-1-4917-1374-7|year=2013}}
* {{cite book|last=Porter|first=Dick|title=Ramones: The Complete Twisted History|year=2004|publisher=[[Information Today, Inc.|Plexus Publishing]]|isbn=978-0-85965-326-8}}
* {{cite book|last=True|first=Everett|author-link=Everett True|title=Hey Ho Let's Go: The Story of the Ramones|year=2005|publisher=Omnibus Press|isbn=978-1-84449-413-2}}

== Further reading ==
* {{cite book |last1 =McNeil|first1 =Legs |last2 =McCain |first2 =Gillian |author1-link=Legs McNeil |title =  Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk |url =https://archive.org/details/pleasekillmeunce00mcne|url-access =registration|publisher = [[Grove Press]] |year=2006|isbn=978-0-8021-4264-1}}
* {{cite book|title=On the Road with the Ramones|year=2007|publisher=Bobcat Books|isbn=978-1-86074-514-0|author1=Meyer, Frank|author2=Melnick, Monte|url=https://archive.org/details/onroadwithramone00meln}}
* {{cite web|last=Olliver|first=Alex|date=September 20, 2017|url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/the-new-york-punk-albums-you-need-in-your-record-collection|title=The New York punk albums you need in your record collection|website=[[Metal Hammer|Louder]]|access-date=February 22, 2020|archive-date=October 27, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211027141048/https://www.loudersound.com/features/the-new-york-punk-albums-you-need-in-your-record-collection|url-status=dead}}
* {{cite book|title=Lobotomy: Surviving the Ramones|year=2000|publisher=[[Perseus Books Group|Thunder's Mouth Press]]|location=New York City|isbn=978-1-56025-252-8|author1=Ramone, Dee Dee |author2=Kofman, Veronica |edition=2nd}}

{{Ramones}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1977 albums]]
[[Category:Ramones albums]]
[[Category:Sire Records albums]]
[[Category:Rhino Entertainment albums]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Tony Bongiovi]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Tommy Ramone]]