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"They'll get better," said Keith Richards of punk musicians in 1977. "You can't help but get better." And Road to Ruin is the album that demonstrated the Ramones had gotten "better" at being musicians, if not at becoming stars. "I Just Want to Have Something to Do" is quite simply one of the greatest opening tracks on any rock album, ever. For the first time, Johnny actually throws in pyrotechnics that go beyond basic power chords. "I Don't Want You" is riff-driven punk rock, while "I Wanna Be Sedated" and "She's the One" are some of their best pop-punk. But Road to Ruin also breaks some stylistic barriers. "Don't Come Close" is almost country & western and "Questioningly" is a simple ballad. A cover of the Searchers' "Needles & Pins" is downright reverent, though it's sadder than the original. The superbly remastered Rhino reissue of what was arguably their last great album includes original artwork, liner notes by Punk! magazine's Legs McNeil, and the band's tracks from the Rock 'N' Roll High School soundtrack--meaning the title track as produced by Ed Stasium as opposed to Phil Spector. --Bill Holdship