Rocket to Russia
Rocket to Russia is the Ramones’ third studio album, recorded in August 1977 at Mediasound Studios in a former Episcopalian church in Midtown Manhattan. With a budget of $25,000–$30,000—most spent on production—the band prioritised speed, using first takes almost exclusively. Ed Stasium engineered and mixed most of it; Tony Bongiovi’s involvement was limited to final mastering at Power Station. The album reached No. 49 on the Billboard 200, yielded the band’s highest-charting single (‘Rockaway Beach’ at No. 66), and was hailed by Rolling Stone’s Dave Marsh as ‘the best American rock & roll of the year’. Its sound is tighter, brighter, and more pop-oriented than earlier releases, integrating surf and bubblegum influences while retaining the band’s signature velocity and brevity.
