Ramones - Rocket To Russia (40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) (2017) [Hi-Res]

Rhino will continue their Ramones archive releases with a 40th anniversary super deluxe edition of the band’s third album, Rocket to Russia.

The 1977 album is reissued as a 3CD+LP set and features two mixes of the album: a remastered version of the original and a new 40th Anniversary ‘Tracking Mix’ by original Rocket To Russia engineer/mixer Ed Stasium. The latter provides a ‘back-to-basics’ version of the album, and has a different track listing from the 1977 original. Stasium explains things in the sleeve notes: “When putting together this new Tracking Mix, I decided to include the versions of ‘I Don’t Care’ and ‘It’s A Long Way Back to Germany,’ since they were recorded during the Rocket To Russia sessions at Mediasound, and are completely different takes that have never been heard before. Sheena has been omitted, as it was recorded in a totally different session a few months prior, in-between the Leave Home and Rocket To Russia albums.” Both of these are squeezed onto the first CD.

The second CD contains 24 rare and unreleased recordings including rough mixes from sessions at Mediasound and The Power Station. There’s also an early version of Needles And Pins (with Tommy on drums), the B-side single mix of Babysitter, an alternate version of It’s A Long Way Back To Germany with Dee Dee on vocals and more.

The final CD includes a complete unreleased concert included on the third disc. The gig is from 19 Dember 1977 at the Apollo Centre in Glasgow, Scotland. This has been newly mixed from the multi-track tapes by Ed Stasium.