Editing Rocket to Russia (section)

{{for|the cover album|Rocket to Russia (The Queers album)}}
{{good article}}
{{Infobox album
| name         = Rocket to Russia
| type         = studio
| artist       = the [[Ramones]]
| cover        = Ramones - Rocket to Russia cover.jpg
| border       = yes
| alt          = 
| released     = {{start date|1977|11|04}}
| recorded     = April, August–September 1977<ref name="loudersound"/><ref>Bessman 1993, p. 74.</ref>
| studio       = 
*[[Mediasound Studios|Mediasound]] and Sundragon, [[New York City]]<ref name="loudersound"/>
| genre        = *[[Punk rock]]
*[[pop punk]]<ref name=RSTop50>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/50-greatest-pop-punk-albums-122677/|title=50 Greatest Pop-Punk Albums|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=November 15, 2017|access-date=June 28, 2019|archive-date=November 9, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109041822/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/50-greatest-pop-punk-albums-122677/|url-status=live}}</ref>
*{{nowrap|[[surf punk (music genre)|surf punk]]<ref name="Rathbone">{{cite journal|last=Rathbone|first=Oregano|title=Ramones – Rocket To Russia: 40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition|url=https://recordcollectormag.com/reviews/rocket-russia-40th-anniversary-deluxe-edition|journal=[[Record Collector]]|issue=474|date=December 2017|access-date=2018-11-21|archive-date=2018-11-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181121204046/https://recordcollectormag.com/reviews/rocket-russia-40th-anniversary-deluxe-edition|url-status=live}}</ref>}}
| length       = 31:46
| label        = [[Sire Records|Sire]]
| producer     = {{hlist|[[Tony Bongiovi]]|[[Tommy Ramone|T. Erdelyi]]}}
| chronology   = Ramones
| prev_title   = [[Leave Home]]
| prev_year    = 1977
| next_title   = [[Road to Ruin (Ramones album)|Road to Ruin]]
| next_year    = 1978
| misc         = {{Singles
 | name        = Rocket to Russia
 | type        = studio
 | single1     = [[Sheena Is a Punk Rocker]]
 | single1date = May 1977 
 | single2     = [[Rockaway Beach (song)|Rockaway Beach]]
 | single2date = November 1977
 | single3     = [[Do You Wanna Dance?]]
 | single3date = March 1978 <ref>True 2005, p. 343.</ref> 
}}
}}

'''''Rocket to Russia''''' is the third studio album by the American [[punk rock]] band [[Ramones]], and was released on November 4, 1977, through [[Sire Records]]. It is the band's last album to feature original drummer [[Tommy Ramone]], who left the band in 1978 to focus on production. The album's origins date back to the summer of 1977, when "[[Sheena Is a Punk Rocker]]" was released as a single. That summer was known as the peak of the punk rock genre since many punk bands were offered recording contracts. The album's recording began in August 1977, and the band had a considerably larger budget with Sire allowing them between $25,000 and $30,000; much of this money went toward the album's production rather than recording.

The album's cover art was directed by John Gillespie. John Holmstrom and guitarist [[Johnny Ramone]] both worked on illustration, with the entire back cover contemplating a military theme, while the inner sleeve artwork depicted many of the themes portrayed in songs. The subject matter of songs varied throughout the album, though nearly all the tracks on the album incorporated humor into the lyrics. The musical style showed more of a [[surf rock]] influence, and many songs had minimal structuring.

The album received positive reviews, with many critics appreciating the matured production and sound quality as compared to ''Rocket to Russia''{{'}}s predecessors. Music critic [[Stephen Thomas Erlewine]] called it his favorite Ramones album as it contained several [[hook (music)|hooks]] and featured more variety of [[tempo]]s. The album was not as commercially successful as the band had hoped, peaking at number 49 on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]].<ref name="The Ramones">{{Cite magazine|title=The Ramones|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/the-ramones/|access-date=2022-02-04|magazine=Billboard|language=en-US}}</ref><!-- Switch "Alternative Airplay" tab to "Billboard 200" --> Band members blamed the [[Sex Pistols]] for their lack of sales, saying that they changed the punk image for the worse. The album was ranked at number 106 in ''Rolling Stone'''s "[[Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|500 Greatest Albums of All Time]]" in 2012, and was ranked number 385 in the 2020 edition.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-20120531/ramones-rocket-to-russia-20120524 |title=500 Greatest Albums of All Time: Ramones, 'Rocket to Russia' |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=31 May 2009 |access-date=28 September 2016 |archive-date=1 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161001155313/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-20120531/ramones-rocket-to-russia-20120524 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|date=2020-09-22|title=The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-albums-of-all-time-1062063/|access-date=2020-11-25|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en-US|archive-date=2021-07-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210702101400/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-albums-of-all-time-1062063/|url-status=live}}</ref>