385. Ramones, "Rocket to Russia"

 


The Ramones are indelibly etched not just into American music but American culture, and you no doubt know a number of songs on this album, like "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker" and "Rockaway Beach."  Maybe you know "Teenage Lobotomy" (in which Joey confuses the procedure with the patient, singing "I'm a teenage lobotomy") and their covers of "Do You Wanna Dance" and "Surfin' Bird."  

Of course, this album was incredibly important, and was obviously an influence on everyone from The Clash to Green Day to the Strokes.  The songs are full of hooks and catchy as hell.  What's not to like?

Welllllllll......it wouldn't be any fun if there was NOTHING not to like, so let me do it.  With the obvious caveat that this was a blast of fresh air when it came out, it sounds dated as hell now.  A lot of the songs sound the same.  There's a lot of the one-two-three-four tempo and the same four chords arranged in slightly different ways.  And the doo-wop and surf rock influence is right out front, not that there's anything wrong with that, but like I said, it sounds dated.

But fuck all that, I'm just being a dick.  For 1977 this was brash and must have sounded hard as fuck.  I mean, just compare it to another 1977 album, My Aim Is True and tell me which one would grab your attention more right out of the gate.  (Not necessarily the same one that still sounds great today, btw.)

This album was produced by Tony Bongiovi, whose cousin with the same last name would go on to start another band that was influenced by the Ramones.

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