Rocket from the Tombs
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1974 in Cleveland, Ohio, United States |
| Defunct | 1975; reunited 2003–2017 |
| Headquarters | Cleveland , United States |
| Products | Studio albums, live recordings, singles |
| Website | rocketfromthetombs |
Rocket from the Tombs (RFTT) is a rock band from the United States, initially active between mid-1974 and mid-1975 in Cleveland, Ohio. The group, which included David Thomas, reunited several times starting in 2003.
Although they were relatively obscure during their early existence, RFTT later gained recognition as an influential protopunk ensemble. Several members went on to achieve fame with bands like Pere Ubu and the Dead Boys. Billy Bob Hargus remarked, "The Rockets' sound is considerably more aggressive than that of Ubu or the Dead Boys."
Band history
RFTT debuted live on June 16, 1974, at Cleveland’s Viking Saloon. The founding lineup consisted of David Thomas (known as "Crocus Behemoth," handling vocals and bass), Kim Zonneville (bass and vocals), Glenn "Thunderhand" Hach (guitar and vocals), and Tom "Foolery" Clements (drums).
The most renowned roster included Thomas, Peter Laughner, Craig Willis Bell (also known as Darwin Layne), Gene O'Connor (Cheetah Chrome), and Johnny Madansky (Johnny Blitz).
Following the band's breakup, members went on to establish three notable groups:
- O'Connor and Madansky teamed up with vocalist Stiv Bators to create Frankenstein, which eventually transformed into the punk outfit Dead Boys.
- Laughner and Thomas formed the avant-garde band Pere Ubu alongside bassist Tim Wright, who had served as RFTT’s sound engineer. Laughner passed away in 1977 due to acute pancreatitis.
- Bell moved to Connecticut where he founded the band Saucers.
Each of these bands incorporated RFTT compositions into their repertoires: Dead Boys popularized tracks like "Ain't It Fun," "What Love Is," "Down in Flames," "Caught With the Meat in Your Mouth" (originally titled "I'm Never Gonna Kill Myself Again"), and "Sonic Reducer"; Pere Ubu reworked "Final Solution," "Life Stinks," and "30 Seconds Over Tokyo"; Saucers performed songs such as "Muckraker" and “Frustration.”
During their initial phase, RFTT did not release any studio albums; however, live recordings and demos circulated informally as bootlegs. These were later gathered by Smog Veil Records into the collection The Day the Earth Met the Rocket from the Tombs (2002).
The San Diego punk band Rocket from the Crypt adopted their name after encountering RFTT bootleg recordings.
Reunion
Interest in Rocket From The Tombs was revived by the Smog Veil Records release, prompting a 2003 reunion featuring original members Thomas, Chrome, and Bell, along with guitarist Richard Lloyd and drummer Steve Mehlman. Although some rumors suggested Laughner might have replaced Lloyd in Television decades earlier, this has been refuted on Lloyd’s official website.
On June 10, 2003, RFTT gave their first live radio performance since the 1970s during Brian Turner’s show on WFMU.
In 2004, Smog Veil and Morphius issued Rocket Redux, an album of studio renditions of original Rocket From The Tombs tracks recorded by the 2003 lineup. The release was well-received critically; one reviewer described it as feeling less like a reunion and more like a debut fueled by passion and vitality.
By 2006, Thomas confirmed another reunion centered on creating new material. That summer, the band toured across the United States introducing fresh songs but then entered a period of inactivity until 2009 when they participated in the Mark Mulcahy tribute compilation Ciao My Shining Star: The Songs of Mark Mulcahy. Their album Barfly was released on September 13, 2011, followed by plans for a tour. Prior to touring, Lloyd was replaced, and on December 30, 2011, Cheetah Chrome left the group, leaving Thomas and Craig Willis Bell as the sole remaining original members.
In November 2015, Rocket From The Tombs unveiled their album Black Record.
Studio Albums
- Rocket Redux (2004)
- Barfly (2011)
- Black Record (2015)
Live Recordings
- When It's Too Late To Die Young (digital release only) (2011)
- Extermination Night (digital release only) (2012)
- Strychnine (digital release only) (2012)
- That's What I Call Rock Music (digital release only) (2022)
Additional Releases
- A Night Of Heavy Music (unauthorized cassette) (1975)
- Life Stinks (1990)
- The Day the Earth Met the Rocket from the Tombs (2002)
- Ciao My Shining Star: The Songs of Mark Mulcahy (2009)
Singles
- "I Sell Soul" / "Romeo & Juliet" single (released 6 April 2010)
Bibliography
- Clinton Heylin, From the Velvets to the Voidoids: A Pre-Punk History for a Post-Punk World (1993), Penguin Books