Album
Rocket to Russia
Rocket to Russia is the third album by the Ramones, released on 4 November 1977. It arrived in the middle of punk's biggest summer, when labels were signing bands left and right, and the group had a much larger budget than before, most of it spent on production rather than recording. The result sounds fuller and cleaner than the two records before it, with more surf rock colouring and plenty of humour running through the lyrics. "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker" had come out as a single that summer.
It was the last album to feature original drummer Tommy Ramone, who left in 1978 to concentrate on production. Critics were warm, and Stephen Thomas Erlewine named it his favourite Ramones record for its hooks and its wider range of tempos. Sales fell short of what the band hoped, peaking at number 49 on the Billboard 200, and they blamed the Sex Pistols for changing punk's image. Rolling Stone later placed it in its 500 Greatest Albums list.
Rocket to Russia: tracklist, credits and charts
14 tracks · 32:12Tracklist
- 1Cretin HopColvin, Erdelyi, Ramone, Ramone1:55
- 2Rockaway BeachColvin, Erdelyi, Ramone, Ramone2:06
- 3Here Today, Gone TomorrowColvin, Erdelyi, Ramone, Ramone2:47
- 4Locket LoveColvin, Erdelyi, Ramone, Ramone2:09
- 5I Don’t CareColvin, Erdelyi, Ramone, Ramone1:38
- 6Sheena Is a Punk RockerColvin, Erdelyi, Ramone, Ramone2:49
- 7We’re a Happy FamilyColvin, Erdelyi, Ramone, Ramone2:47
- 8Teenage LobotomyColvin, Erdelyi, Ramone, Ramone2:00
- 9Do You Wanna Dance?Bobby Freeman1:52
- 10I Wanna Be WellColvin, Erdelyi, Ramone, Ramone2:28
- 11I Can’t Give You AnythingColvin, Erdelyi, Ramone, Ramone1:57
- 12RamonaColvin, Erdelyi, Ramone, Ramone2:35
- 13Surfin’ BirdFrazier, Harris, White, Wilson2:37
- 14Why Is It Always This Way?Colvin, Erdelyi, Ramone, Ramone2:32
- Produced by
- Tony Bongiovi, Thomas Erdelyi, T. Erdelyi
- Recorded at
- Mediasound Studios, Sundragon Studios, Mediasound and Sundragon, New York
- Recorded
- April, August–September 1977
- Mixed at
- Power Station at BerkleeNYC, Le Studio, Track Recorders
- Engineered by
- Ed Stasium
- Labels
- Philips, Sire
- Length
- 32:12
Line-up
- Dee Dee Ramone · bass guitar
- Johnny Ramone · guitar
- Tommy Ramone · drums (drum set)
- Joey Ramone · lead vocals
Singles
- “Sheena Is a Punk Rocker” · May 1977
- “Rockaway Beach” · November 1977
- “Do You Wanna Dance?” · March 1978
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 · 1977–1978 | 49 |
| UK Albums Chart · 1977–1978 | 60 |
| Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts) · 1977–1978 | 11 |
| Swedish Albums · 1977–1978 | 31 |
| Canadian Albums (RPM) · 1977–1978 | 36 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 1977–1978 | 79 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom · 2026 | Silver |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
80.4
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
4.5k
ListenBrainz listeners
93k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
20k
Deezer fans (all editions)
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1976
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1977
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1978
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1979
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1980
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1981
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1983
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1984
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1985
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1985
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1985
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1986
Animal Boy
1986
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1987
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1988
Brain Drain
1989
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1990
All the Stuff (and More), Volume 1
1990
Loco Live
1991
Mondo Bizarro
1992
Acid Eaters
1993
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1995
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1996
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1997
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1999
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2000
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2002
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2003
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2006
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More on Philips
The label →
Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + musicbrainz + wikidata
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 4 November 1977 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 4 November 1977 | |
| Wikidata | 4 November 1977 | |
| US release | 4 November 1977 | earliest US date |
16 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | XW | Warner Bros. Records | 603497866151 | deluxe |
| 1977 | DE | Philips | other | |
| 1977 | PT | Sire Records | other | |
| 4 November 1977 | US | Sire Records | original | |
| 1978 | DE | Sire Records | other | |
| 25 January 1990 | JP | Sire Records | 4988014731430 | other |
| 1999 | XE | Sire Records | 075992742429 | other |
| 2001 | XE | Rhino | 081227430924 | remaster |
| 19 June 2001 | US | Rhino | 081227430924 | remaster |
| 10 April 2007 | US | Rhino | other | |
| 5 September 2007 | JP | Sire Records | 4943674073818 | other |
| 19 July 2011 | US | Rhino | 081227976651 | other |
| 2017 | XE | Rhino | 081227932695 | other |
| 23 November 2017 | XW | — | other | |
| 24 November 2017 | US | Rhino | deluxe | |
| 24 November 2017 | — | Rhino | deluxe |
Cover art sources
deezer · native: native 1800x1800
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| deezer ✓ | 1800×1800 | native: native 1800x1800 |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |
| coverartarchive | 953×953 | upscaled |