Released a mere 10 months after their sophomore effort, Leave Home, The Ramones' third album is a pretty big leap for the band in terms of production and songwriting. Not only does this album feature some of the band's most endearing work, but it is also a stepping stone in punk music. Melody and songwriting were finally given the spotlight and the music became less about simply being loud and aggressive, and started to harness its fury into something that could start a riot, or a spontaneous fit of dancing.
Simply put, Rocket To Russia is considered to be the band's finest outing by a lot of people, and I can definitely see where they're coming from, because this album is a near flawless blend of the punk sound the band were working with on their debut and sophomore albums, fusing it with 50's style rock reminiscent of Elvis to create a sound that would go on to define the American punk sound.
Obviously this album features some of the groups most endearing material, such as the anthemic "Sheena Is A Punk Rocker" to the beach rock classic, "Rockaway Beach". But the album offers up some really excellent deep cuts as well; such as the irresistibly catchy "Do You Wanna Dance" which is two minutes of pop-punk bliss.
However, this album is not without its flaws; case and point, "I Don't Care" which features the laziest lyrics and worst singing featured on a Ramones album at this point in the band's career. I get the feeling that this song was included as more of a 'statement' then an actually worthwhile song. Also, the renowned repetition and recycling are still prevalent here, save in a far less egregious fashion.
Regardless, this LP is still a bonafide classic in every sense of the word, and is an excellent place to start if you're looking for an easy in to the Ramones catalog.
9.5/10
No comments:
Post a Comment