Ramones ‘Rocket To Russia’ LP Gets 40th Anniversary Reissue

The Ramones released their second album of the calendar year, and third overall, on November 4th 1977, capping off one of the biggest years in the history of punk with Rocket To Russia. Among the band’s best-loved albums, it features classics like Sheena Is A Punk Rocker and Rockaway Beach along with their signature covers of Do You Wanna Dance? and Surfin’ Bird. It’s also the last album ever recorded by all four founding members, as drummer Tommy Ramone left soon after to focus on writing and producing. The Rocket To Russia 40th Anniversary Reissue can be pre-ordered here

You can read more about the 40th anniversary reissue of Rocket to Russia below

The album’s 40th anniversary will be celebrated with a 3CD and 1LP boxed set in hardbound LP sized book.

The first disc of the Deluxe Edition features a re-mastered version of the original stereo mix for Rocket To Russia, plus the 2017 40th Anniversary Tracking Mix created by Ed Stasium, which provides a back-to-basics version of the album, and a different track listing from the 1977 original. The 2017 40th Anniversary Tracking Mix is also featured on the LP that accompanies the Deluxe Edition.

Two dozen rare and unreleased recordings are found on the second disc, including rough mixes from sessions at Mediasound and The Power Station. There’s also an early version of Needles And Pins with Tommy on drums, the B-side single mix of Babysitter, an alternate version of It’s A Long Way Back To Germany with Dee Dee Ramone on vocals, an original radio promo with Joey Ramone, and more.

A highlight of this Deluxe Edition is the complete unreleased concert included on the third disc. This never before heard multi track recording of the band’s December 19th 1977 show at the Apollo Centre in Glasgow, Scotland captures the Ramones just a few days before the group recorded the classic live album It’s Alive, and mixed for this 40th Anniversary edition by Ed Stasium. In Glasgow, they played songs from all three studio albums including Blitzkrieg Bop, Judy Is A Punk, Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment and California Sun.