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. 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. "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.
Conception
After the band's previous album Rocket to Russia saw poor album sales, drummer Tommy Ramone left his performing position to focus primarily on producing for the band. After Tommy suggested they search for a new drummer, they began looking in New York City based clubs. While at CBGBs, Ramones bassist Dee Dee Ramone approached Marc Bell (Marky Ramone) – who was his friend and had previously been the drummer in Richard Hell and the Voidoids – asking him if he was interested in joining the Ramones. A month after this encounter, manager Danny Fields formally asked Marky to audition for the band. Around twenty others auditioned to be the drummer, though Johnny, Joey and Dee Dee wanted to hire Marky after his performances of "I Don't Care" and "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker". Marky stayed close to Tommy's straightforward technique, with a bit more technical sophistication.
Three weeks after Marky joined the band, the Ramones began recording Road to Ruin in Midtown Manhattan at Mediasound Studios, the premises of a former Episcopalian Church. Album engineer Ed Stasium explained the recording process: "After Tommy left the band, we went straight into working on the Road to Ruin album with Marky Ramone. We rehearsed with Marky, just getting it down. Then we went into the studio, recorded, and mixed the record at Media Sound. We spent a lot of money, and the entire summer, on Road to Ruin." Music critic Charles Young of Rolling Stone called the album's production "clean and simple", but pointed out that the track "Bad Brain" contained "funny noises" suggested by the producers in between drum beats, which prevents the song from having the humorous asperity that was intended. This sketch did, however, include original drummer Tommy, so the drawing had to be modified to depict Marky instead. This alteration was undertaken by artist John Holmstrom, a Punk magazine associate and designer.
Lyrics and composition
The album introduced some characteristics that were new to Ramones records, such as guitar solos, acoustic rhythm guitars, and ballads. These attributes were debated by the band's fans as well as critics, who questioned whether these changes sought to expand their musical fashion or the band was simply selling out and abandoning their punk-rock edge. Though "Bad Brain", "I Wanted Everything", and "I'm Against It" each serves as basic punk songs to intensify the behavior of the audience, the most popular tracks on the album are the pieces which part from their initial style. This quote would be the chorus to "I Wanna Be Sedated", whose lyrics invoke the stress which the band was under during touring. It is the most downloaded song from the catalog by The Ramones.
The album opens with the midtempo piece "I Just Want to Have Something to Do", which contains lyrics pertaining to ambivalence and anomie. > The next track, "I Wanted Everything", is compared to Merle Haggard's song "If We Make It Through December", being called its "punk counterpart" by Rock: A Canadian Perspective author Larry Starr. "Questioningly" is a ballad focusing on failing relationships and heartbreak. "Don't Come Close" uses elements that can also be heard in country music, such as twang. while "Needles and Pins" is a cover. "I Wanna Be Sedated" was written by Joey while in the hospital where he was treated for burns on his face and in his throat. The injury was the result of an exploding kettle full of boiling water which served to treat sinuses. The album concludes with "It's a Long Way Back", which was written by Dee Dee and depicts his childhood in Germany.
Release
With the band's slight change in musical style, material included on the album was intended to gain a sense of mainstream acceptance, though the band members felt that this was not achieved. Record World called it "a fine pop outing" and said that "The vocals are familiar but the mid-'60s English rock beat and instrumentation have a smoother and finer edge."
Critical acclaim for Road to Ruin did not fully transpire until decades after its release. AllMusic senior editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine found that the album does not reach the quality of the Ramones' previous albums, taking issue with its "undistinguished" songs, but the music nonetheless "sounds good" despite lacking in "exuberant energy or abundant hooks".
| title2 = I Wanted Everything
| writer2 = Dee Dee Ramone
| length2 = 3:18
| title3 = Don't Come Close
| writer3 = Dee Dee Ramone
| length3 = 2:44
| title4 = I Don't Want You
| length4 = 2:26
| title5 = Needles and Pins
| note5 =
| writer5 = Sonny Bono, Jack Nitzsche
| length5 = 2:21
| title6 = I'm Against It
| length6 = 2:07
Notes
- Tracks 13–14 first issued on Hey Ho! Let's Go: The Anthology, Rhino #75817 (7/20/99).
- Track 15 is from the original soundtrack album Rock 'n' Roll High School, Sire #6070 (4/79). Produced and engineered by Ed Stasium. Remix engineer: Joel Soifer.
- Track 16 is previously unreleased. Outtake from Road to Ruin sessions.
- Track 17 was first issued on All the Stuff (And More!) Volume 2, Sire #26618 (7/91). Produced by Tommy Erdelyi, recorded during demo sessions for Pleasant Dreams.
2018 40th anniversary deluxe edition (Sire/Rhino)
Disc 1
;Original album
- Features both the remastered original mixes (tracks 1–12) and the 40th anniversary Road revisited mix (tracks 13–24). Track listings as per original album.
- Tracks 13–24 mixed by Ed Stasium at Eight Palms Ranchero, Poway, California, 2018.
Disc 2
;Notes
- All tracks produced and engineered by T. Erdelyi and Ed Stasium, assisted by Ray Janos and Ramona Jan, at Mediasound, New York, 1978.
- Tracks 1 and 2 are outtakes from the Road to Ruin sessions. bass, backing vocals
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