Ramones “Rocket to Russia” 1977. Sire Records. Today, May 19th, is Joey Ramone’s birthday (b. 1951 d. 2001). The third studio album by the Ramones was released during the peak of punk, reaching #49 on the Billboard chart.

A bit slower, more surfy and poppy than previous releases, it still epitomized the punk ethos of simple snottiness while commenting on social issues, in the case of “Rocket to Russia” family dysfunction (“We’re a Happy Family”), being a social outcast (“Sheena is a Punk Rocker”) and suicide (“Why is it Always This Way?”)