According to Best Ever Albums, Rocket to Russia is the 100th best album of the 1970's. I'm going to be listening to these albums off and on and I'll write about them here. I'm sure The Ramones first album will be higher in the countdown, but if you have never listened to The Ramones and you want to give them a shot, this is the album to put on. I don't think one can overstate how influential The Ramones have been and especially Rocket to Russia. This album is a pop/punk masterpiece with good production and great songs, and it proved that The Ramones formula could be used to create very solid pop music.
It surprises me to find that this album is ranked 100th, I had thought it would be a top 50 album, but critics and lists are kind of stupid. For reasons beyond me they will give more credence to the first album, because it came first, than the album that perfected the sound. I don't think anyone would really argue that this isn't a better album.
There are some classic songs on this album, most notably: "Sheena is a Punk Rocker" and "We're a Happy Family."
This album is fun for trips to the beach, for mix tapes, or for using as soundtrack to family movies.
Following the Rhapsody rating method I give it 4 out of 5 stars for Really Good.
What are some of the songs on this album? Under what circumstances would you listen to the album? Using the Rhapsody method, how many stars would you give the album?
ReplyDeleteI echo GoHeath's questions.
ReplyDeleteThis review could prove that The Heath Post record-review formula could be used to create very solid evaluations of old albums in addition to new releases.
ReplyDeleteWow! Four stars!
ReplyDeleteYou know, you might want to labels for four- or five-star reviews so that readers could jump straight to the best stuff.
I am very happy that the review was updated to fit with the rest of the formula, and I agree with Eric that it makes sense to create special labels for four- and five-star reviews.
ReplyDeleteI had to really think about this one's star rating. It's probably the best straight punk album ever made, and when you are in the right mood it is fantastic.
ReplyDelete