The Ramones- Road To Ruin (Hi-Fi)

Label: Sire / Rhino

Reissued 3/28/2025, Originally released 1978

The Ramones first unveiled Road To Ruin on September 22, 1978. It notably marked the debut of Marky Ramone behind the drumkit. Collaborating with producers T. Erdelyi and Ed Stasium, the band cut the album at Mediasound Studio A—which just so happened to be a former Episcopalian Church in Midtown Manhattan. Grinding throughout the early summer of ‘78, they churned out signature anthems such as “I Wanna Be Sedated” for the record. Stasium penned new liner notes for the High Fidelity Release of Road To Ruin. He recalls the sessions in vivid detail, discussing the various recording techniques at a fascinating and impressively granular level. He also illuminates the careful meticulousness at the heart of The Ramones’ sound, setting the scene, “We always recorded the band live in the studio.” The producer goes on to add, “The final result was a very musically diverse album, ranging from classic Ramones (“I Wanted Everything”) to a style that some fans called pop country (“Don’t Come Close”), which, believe it or not, has 14 tracks of overdubbed guitars on it!”

Track listing:

1. I Just Want To Have Something To Do
   
2. I Wanted Everything
   
3. Don’t Come Close
   
4. I Don’t Want You
5. Needles & Pins
6. I’m Against It
7. I Wanna Be Sedated
   
8. Go Metal
   
9. Questioningly
   
10. She’s The One
    
11. Bad Brain
    
12. It’s a Long Way Back