Limited 180gm vinyl LP pressing. Rocket to Russia is the third studio album by the American punk rock band The Ramones and was released on November 4 1977 through Sire Records. It s origins date back to the summer of 1977 when quot;Sheena Is a Punk Rockerquot; was released as a single. That summer was known as the peak of the punk rock genre since many punk bands were offered recording contracts. The album s recording began in August 1977 and the band had a considerably larger budget with Sire allowing them $25 000 and $30 000; much of this money went toward the album s production rather than recording.