Let The Day Begin...Let The Day Start!: Day 309 - Ramones

Rocket To Russia - Ramones
Sire
Produced by Tony Bongiovi and Tommy Ramone (Ed Stasium as Sound Engineer did a lot of work on the production side though uncredited as such)
Released 4th November 1977
UK Charts #60
US Charts #49

The 2001 CD Expanded Reissue included these bonus tracks
15 Needles and Pins (Early Version)    
16 Slug (Demo)    
17 It's A Long Way Back To Germany (U.K. B-Side)    
18 I Don't Care (Single Version)    
19 Sheena Is A Punk Rocker (Single Version)

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

 Singles on Rocket To Russia

(UK 12" Picture Sleeve)

Sheena is a Punk Rocker / Commando / I Don't Care

May 1977 (UK)

Limited Edition Numbered to 12,000

 UK Chart #22

(US Picture Sleeve)

Sheena Is A Punk Rocker / I Don't Care
July 1977 (US)
US Chart #81
 

Both songs were re-recorded for the album. Sheena Is A Punk Rocker had appeared on the Leave Home album replacing Carbona Not Glue that had to be removed due to Carbona being a trademarked product. So the US edition of the album included Sheena and the UK edition Babysitter was the replacement song.

 (US Picture Sleeve)

Rockaway Beach / Locket Love

 November 1977 (US)
US Chart # 66*

* Was the highest place chart single in the USA for the Ramones throughout their whole career! Very hard to believe indeed!

(UK Picture Sleeve)

Rockaway Beach / Teenage Lobotomy / Beat On The Brat

December 1977 (UK)

(UK Picture Sleeve)

Do You Wanna Dance / It's A Long Way Back To Germany / Cretin Hop
March 1978 (UK)

(US Picture Sleeve)

Do You Wanna Dance / Babysitter

April 1978 (US)
US Chart #86

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Rocket To Russia was the third studio album from the Ramones, and the second one to be released in 1977 (Leave Home had been released in January). It would be the last Studio Album that Tommy would be sitting at the drum stool, but he stuck around to Produce future albums.

Sheena Is A Punk Rocker had been released earlier in the year backed by I Don't Care and had been their first charting single in the UK reaching #22. Both tracks were re-recorded for the album. 

The Rockaway Beach single really should have been a summertime hit but Sire Records for some unknown reason released Swallow My Pride (which was on the Leave Home Album) during the Summer in the UK as the follow up to Sheena. Swallow My Pride had been released in the States in February 1977! Whilst Swallow My Pride just scrapped into the Top 40, peaking at #36, Rockaway Beach on the other hand, released in December failed to chart in the UK! In the USA it fared better reaching #66 which was actually the highest chart position for a single the Ramones ever had throughout their whole career in their homeland (in the UK their highest placed single was #8 and that was in 1980 with Baby, I Love You)!

A few tracks from the album managed to stick around in their live sets even right up to the very end: Cretin Hop, Rockaway Beach, Sheena Is A Punk Rocker, and Teenage Lobotomy. There were two Cover Versions on the album, Bobby Freeman's Do You Wanna Dance and The Trashmen's Surfin Bird.

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QUICK NOTE

If you might have noticed that on other pages on this blog that images have disappeared this is due to some issues at Photobucket and I'm hoping that they restore normal service soon.

Don't let this little issue spoil your visit to the blog.

Cheers - Doug

Let The Day Begin...Let The Day Start!