ON THIS DAY IN 1977 - JOHNNY RAMONE BROUGHT THE SEX PISTOLS INTO THE STUDIO AS THE COMPETITION

ON THIS DAY IN 1977 — JOHNNY RAMONE BROUGHT THE SEX PISTOLS INTO THE STUDIO AS THE COMPETITION. ⚡

Before Rocket to Russia reached record stores on November 4, 1977, its sessions began with a challenge.

On the first day in the studio, Johnny Ramone arrived carrying a 45 RPM copy of the Sex Pistols’ “God Save the Queen.” He played it in the control room before the Ramones started tracking. 🎸

According to engineer and producer Ed Stasium, Johnny considered the British band serious competition. His concern was direct and musical: he wanted his own guitar to sound better than Steve Jones’s tone. No elaborate speech was needed. The record itself had set the standard Johnny intended to beat. 💥

The first song recorded during those sessions was “Why Is It Always This Way,” according to the original track sheet later examined by Stasium. From there, the Ramones built their third studio album: 14 compact tracks including “Cretin Hop,” “Rockaway Beach,” “Sheena Is a Punk Rocker,” “Teenage Lobotomy” and “We’re a Happy Family.” 🎛️

Tommy Ramone, the group’s drummer and co-producer, later also recalled that the band heard “God Save the Queen” while making Rocket to Russia. The moment captures two landmark punk groups developing on opposite sides of the Atlantic—and Johnny responding in the language he trusted most: guitar sound, speed and impact.

It would be misleading to claim that the Sex Pistols determined the album’s later commercial fortunes. What the evidence preserves is simpler and more revealing: Johnny heard a rival’s record, recognized the challenge and went back to work. 🚀

Sometimes competition does not change the destination. It simply makes the rocket burn hotter.

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