After completing the 'A Day At The Races Tour' in June 1977, Queen entered the studio to begin work on News Of The World in July 1977, enlisting Mike Stone as assistant producer at Sarm East and Wessex studios in London. Reacting to some of the criticisms levelled at A Day At The Races (1976) as well as to the emerging popularity of punk rock, Queen decided to scale down some of their complex arrangements in favour of a more direct 'hard rock' sound. This turn in direction to a minimalist sound resulted in many songs on the album being tailor-made towards live performances, with both 'We Will Rock You' and 'We Are The Champions' becoming enduring rock anthems. Releasing to widespread acclaim, News Of The World reached number 4 on the UK Albums Chart and number 3 on the US Billboard 200, and has since sold over 4 million copies in United States to earn 4x Platinum certification.