Rocket from the Tombs
"The Day the Earth Met The Rocket From the Tombs"
(Smog Veil)

One of the most enigmatic groups of the mid-70s pre-punk era was Cleveland's Rocket from the Tombs, a supergroup consisting of members of the Dead Boys and Pere Ubu. While the musicians went on to greater acclaim in their post-Rocket bands, fans interested in the lineage of Ubu and the Dead Boys should be ecstatic at the prospect of hearing the earliest incarnation of both of those bands, available for the first time on CD. Out of print since its inception, the Tombs catalogue is as much a historical document as anything by the Ramones, Stooges, or Television.

The album starts with loft sessions from 1975, fronted by David Thomas's unmistakable paranoid wail. Fittingly, they begin the disc with the Stooges' "Raw Power", thrusting their sound in the red within seconds of the disc's start. Pere Ubu fans will be amazed at the inclusion of an early version of the Ubu hit "30 Seconds Over Tokyo" which didn't appear till the 1978 debut EP by Ubu, "Datapanik in the Year Zero". Co-written by Ubu/Tombs guitarist Peter Laughner, this is the earliest version of ths song known to exist. Later, the Tombs tear "Foggy Notion" by the Velvet Underground to shreds. The sound on this recording can be likened to a lower-fi version of the fantastic "Sonic's Rendezvouz" records re-released by City Slang a couple of years ago. The guitar playing is amazing and keeps you captivated throughout the 74 minutes of unadulterated rock.

Having influenced a number of bands (including the obvious Rocket From the Crypt, who lifted part of their name), no one can deny the effect that Rocket from the Tombs had on late 70s/early 80s punk and post-punk. The jagged sound of this recording can be heard on everything from Wire to the Fall to Devo and back again. Additionally, it is a rare look into the genius that became Pere Ubu and the Dead Boys. Wonderful, and well worth owning.

-Karthik