Road to Ruin (Ramones album)

For the cover album, see Road to Ruin (The Mr. T Experience album).

Road to Ruin
Studio album by
the Ramones
ReleasedSeptember 22, 1978
RecordedMay–July 1978[1]
StudioMediasound, New York City
Genre
Length31:02
LabelSire
Producer
Ramones chronology
Rocket to Russia
(1977) 		Road to Ruin
(1978) 		End of the Century
(1980)
Singles from Road to Ruin
  1. "Don't Come Close"
    Released: 1978[2]
  2. "Needles and Pins"
    Released: 1978
  3. "I Wanna Be Sedated"
    Released: September 21, 1978
  4. "She's the One"
    Released: 1979 (UK)[3]

Road to Ruin is the fourth studio album by the American punk rock band Ramones, released on September 22, 1978, through Sire Records as LP record, 8 track cartridge & audio cassette.[4] It was the first Ramones album to feature new drummer Marky Ramone, who replaced Tommy Ramone. Tommy left the band due to low sales of previous albums as well as stress he experienced while touring; however, he stayed with the band to produce the album (credited as T. Erdelyi) with Ed Stasium. The artwork's concept was designed by Ramones fan Gus MacDonald and later modified by John Holmstrom to include Marky instead of Tommy.

The album incorporated musical elements that were less prominent in punk rock, such as heavy metal-influenced guitar solos and 1960s-style ballads. The songs on Road to Ruin are considered by some as an attempt to get the band more airplay. The album did not sell as well as the band had hoped, peaking at number 103 on the Billboard 200, more than 50 places behind its predecessor, Rocket to Russia. However, Road to Ruin lives on decades later as a fan favorite.[5] "I Wanna Be Sedated", which had a successful music video produced almost a decade after its release, has since become one of the band's most well-known tracks, as well as their second most-streamed track on Spotify after "Blitzkrieg Bop". The album has had multiple re-releases with new work from producer Ed Stasium.

  1. ^ "Booklet". Road to Ruin (40th anniversary deluxe edition) (CD). Ramones. Sire Records/Rhino. 2018. R2 570998.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  2. ^ Porter 2004, p. 96.
  3. ^ True 2005, p. 343.
  4. ^ Road to Ruin at Discogs (list of releases). Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  5. ^ Greene, Andy. "Readers' Poll: The 10 Best Ramones Albums". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 11, 2021.