The Ramones' third studio album Rocket to Russia was released in 1977. It was released during the height of punk rock but it did not achieve much commercial success, which the band blamed on the Sex Pistols for polarizing the punk movement. It was the last album featuring the original lineup as Tommy Ramone left the band to work solely on production after the disappointing sales of the album. Nevertheless, the album once again garnered highly positive reviews from critics, some of whom cite it as their favorite record from the band.
Because the Ramones know the dangers of doing the same thing thrice, for this album, they've racked their brains and taken inspiration from... the Beach Boys? I suppose it only makes sense considering Joey's regular consumption of DDT and his "Teenage Lobotomy," which went so incredibly he's now got all the girls and is pursuing a PhD. In addition to covering "Surfin' Bird" and "Do You Wanna Dance," the band expresses their love for California music by writing New York City's first ever (albeit highly ironic) surf song: "Rockaway Beach." Besides a punk's healthy dose of disillusionment ("I Don't Care"), the band also seems to have a more positive outlook on life since their debut, turning an insult into an anthem ("Cretin Hop"), wishing to be well ("I Wanna Be Well"), and trying to hang on a little bit longer ("Locket Love"). And although all the jokes are great, their best one seems to be a wink at my criticism of their second album: they do another ballad. A-