"Halfway to Sanity" is the tenth studio album by American punk rock band Ramones, released on September 15, 1987, by Sire Records. It is notable for being the last album featuring drummer Richie Ramone. Produced by Daniel Rey, the recording sessions began in April 1987 at Intergalactic Studios in New York City. The band recorded the instruments before the vocals to expedite the learning process for the songs.
While the album performed well on international charts, it peaked at No. 172 on the Billboard 200 in the United States. The production process was marked by disagreements among band members and producer Daniel Rey, who described them as impatient. Following the album's release, the Ramones embarked on a world tour, but several dates were canceled after Richie Ramone left the band due to financial disputes with Johnny Ramone. During this period, Blondie’s Clem Burke, performing under the pseudonym "Elvis Ramone," temporarily replaced Richie, until Marky Ramone rejoined.
The album features a diverse range of styles, including hard rock, heavy metal, crossover thrash, and bubblegum pop. Notably, Joey Ramone sings a duet with Blondie’s Debbie Harry on the track "Go Lil' Camaro Go." Despite mixed critical reviews, Stephen Thomas Erlewine later noted that Halfway to Sanity represented the last time the band "still sounded like they mattered."
Before producing Halfway to Sanity, Daniel Rey had a history with the Ramones, having opened for them in the late 1970s with his band Shrapnel. He had also collaborated with Joey Ramone and Johnny Ramone individually on songwriting for their previous album, Too Tough to Die. Rey had been producing young bands in his own studio, and Johnny Ramone took note of the quality of these recordings, suggesting that they were superior to the Ramones' recent work. This led Johnny to hire Rey, who was seen as both affordable and someone who could work well with both Johnny and Joey, despite their personal differences. Johnny Ramone later described this period as "stressful" for the band in his 2012 autobiography, Commando.
