 The album received positive reception , with many critics appreciating the matured production and sound quality as compared to Rocket to Russia 's predecessors . Music critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine called it his favorite Ramones album as it contained several hooks and featured more variety of tempos . The album was not as commercially successful as the band had hoped , peaking at number 49 on the Billboard 200 . Band members blamed the Sex Pistols ' for their lack of sales , saying that they changed the punk image for the worse . This is the last album to feature original drummer Tommy Ramone who left the band in 1978 to work solely on production . The album was ranked at number 106 in Rolling Stone 's " 500 Greatest Albums of All Time " in 2012 . 
