Ramones - Rocket to Russia (Dlx)
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Free Music Notes for Rocket to Russia (Dlx)
Free Music Review: Just buy it!
Hit: 5 Stars
This cd might change your life. All the tunes are upbeat, catchy, and classic.
Free Music Review: What a rocket
Hit: 5 Stars
I got a copy of this back in 77, they were hot, punk was hot, and the rest is history.Free Music Review: best ramones cd
Hit: 5 Stars
from start to finish..this album is truly the bestFree Music Review: Polished, listenable, with signs of influence by English punk.
Hit: 4 Stars
Got my cd as part of a '2 in 1' set, with their self-titled debut. Fortunately the guitars are up in the mix, compared to their debut album, where they seem to have been told to "Shhh!"...perhaps by the studio or something. So, at least on this album you get to hear punk guitar like it was meant to be heard. Whilst not having commercially accessible pop-punk as found in their debut, or pop-punk classic "End of the century", this is nonetheless a solid album. If you get recent releases of their 2nd album ("Leave home") you get some good live versions of many songs off of their debut album...and the guitars are up in the mix for them, which is cool. Anyway, my cd has the 14 original album tracks, plus 5 bonus tracks, some of demo quality, as well as single versions of songs on this album. Two songs betray a punk influence working the other way...from England to the Ramones, who are credited as founding punk (though I would give Australian punk act The Saints equal top billing with the Ramones on that score). Those two songs are "We're a happy family" and the next song on the album, "Teenage lobotomy".
Best song:
Slug - a bonus track and in demo form. This should song should have made it on to their hits compilation in my view. A catchy, boppy song.
Next best songs:
Here today, gone tomorrow - a slower tempo song. Sing-along-able.
We're a happy family - ironic and sarcastic in tone. About a dysfunctional family. The outro has Joey singing in a faux English accent...the next track on the album has this too...part of that English punk influence I mentioned in the header.
I wanna be well - catchy, sing-along-able song which has drug references.
Most of the rest:
Cretin hop - bassy, guitars up in the mix for the album opener...a good sign!
Rockaway Beach - sort of a Beach Boys style song. Some lyrics are similar to "Rock'n'roll High School" which features in their later album "End of the century".
I don't care - very similar to their debut's "Judy is a punk". Made me wonder if I got the wrong track on the debut album. Has a sort of grungy guitar sound quality to it.
Sheena is a punk rocker - another song which reminds one of "Rock'n'roll High School". Features hand claps.
Teenage lobotomy - has English punk vocal vowels. Bassy, with an interesting drum intro.
I can't give you anything - has acoustic guitar strumming. Catchy.
Ramona - has some sweet and smooth backing vocals.
Surfin' bird - hard sound with some good scat singing.
Why is always this way - about suicide.
Needles and pins - bonus track. An early version of their covering this song. Seems to dip momentarily into mono.
It's a long way back to Germany - has a familiar guitar pattern at the start...Nirvana do something like that?
I don't care - bonus track. The single version. Bassy, heavy metal type heavy and fuzzy guitar. Bass similar to The White Stripes' "7 nation army" lick.
Recommendations:
for Ramones:
Ramones - pop-punk is created before punk in the US. Has many of their best songs, like "53rd and 3rd" and "I wanna be your boyfriend".
End of the century - has their best pop-punk material, like "Rock'n'roll High School", "Chinese rock" and "Danny says".
for hard punk:
The Saints - (I'm) Stranded. The most seminal punk pioneering album in my view...seems to presage speed and thrash metal at times too. Not much pop-punk on this album.
Stiff Little Fingers - Inflammable material. One of only two 5/5 albums for me. Great punk from Ireland. The other 5/5 punk album for me is The Saints' "Eternally yours", which has some Nuggets' style pop on it as well as the greatest punk song of all time, in my view..."Know your product".
The Damned - Damned damned damned. First punk album by a British band. Of the pub-rock variety.
for art punk/rock:
Wire - Pink flag. Has elements of punk and the alternative band Elastica raided at least one song from Wire to do their variation on it...e.g. Wire's "Three girl rhumba" was transmogrified into Elastica's "Connection".
Wire - Chairs missing. Elastica might have raided another song from this album too...apparently it's "I am the fly", but I haven't heard what Elastica have done with it.
Wire - 154. Not punk anymore...art rock.
The Clash - London calling. Their best album. The album is more art rock to me than punk.
The Clash - Combat rock. Nirvana's Kurt Cobain lists this album in his top 50 records of all time. He also has The Saints' "Know your product" in that list too, though I think their entire album deserves such praise too.
Radio Birdman - Radios appear. Often called 'proto-punk' this Australian pioneer sound punk enough for me...but they do a line in jazzy type songs too...not unlike their heroes, The Stooges.
for proto-punk:
New York Dolls - New York Dolls. Maybe Ramones were influenced by them? Ramones did give 1960s pop the kind of twist that the Dolls did on their debut, at times.
Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers - L.A.M.F. Like Radio Birdman, these guys get labelled as 'proto-punk', but to me they sound punk enough. You first hear Dee Dee Ramones' song "Chinese rocks" on this album. Ramones did their version some years later on "End of the century" (as "Chinese rock").
The Stooges - The Stooges. Has their best songs on it. An influence on Ramones, who name check them on "Do you remember rock'n'roll radio?", I think...along with proto-metal band Blue Cheer...whose debut is very good too.
Free Music Review: Nice one, comrades.
Hit: 4 Stars
While not quite as strong as their first two records, "Rocket to Russia" is still an impressive release. The best songs ("Cretin Hop", "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow", "I Don't Care") easily equal the high standard set by the band's previous output, but the inclusion of two half-baked covers ("Do you Wanna Dance?" and the far-too-obvious "Surfin' Bird") hint at the rot that would soon set in and reduce the band to self-parody. On the plus side, this CD reissue includes a version of "It's a Long Way Back to Germany" which was originally a UK-only B-side and is an absolute mindblower.