The Ramones
Rocket To Russia

Jason Landry, contributor

The Soundwaves Vinyl of the Week is The Ramones, Rocket To Russia.

 

When people think of American punk rock bands, one of the first one’s that comes to mind is The Ramones. Hailing from New York City, they helped to create the punk scene and define the genre.

 

Released in 1977, Rocket To Russia was their third studio album. It includes such hits as “Rockaway Beach”, “Sheena Is A Punk Rocker”, and the Bobby Freeman cover of “Do You Wanna Dance?” The thing I like about their music is that they could turn any song, new or old, into a Ramones-flavored punk song just by applying a fast steady drum beat and a few power chords. Even though many of their songs sounds the same, that’s what makes it fun and less serious than traditional music. I'm pretty certain they weren't contemplating over a missed note or a strange snare hit.

 

After giving this album a full listen, you might find, as I did, that it has this blended surf-rock/surf-punk feel to it, as if you were listening to a sped-up, grittier Beach Boys. Essentially they swapped out flowered shirts and surfboards for black leather jackets, a quick tempo, and overdriven rock guitars.

 

This is precisely how genres of music evolve. It’s very similar in my opinion to how the glam and hair metal genres transformed—one minute they were everywhere and then something radically different appeared in the Pacific Northwest. No longer were we seeing teased up hair and make-up—it was flannel shirts, cut of jeans, and boots, creating a metal/punk hybrid known as grunge. 

 

Even though Rocket To Russia wasn’t a smashing success when it debuted, it helped to pave the way for other punk acts to get record deals and Rolling Stone magazine named it #3 on their 50 Greatest Pop-Punk Albums list. I find it hard to disagree with that.