Something I Learned Today

Man, I was thrilled when I finally tracked down a copy of the Rocket From The Tombs archival juggernaut The Day The Earth Met… Even with all of the hype I was still floored by the amazing sounds contained therein. For those in the dark Rocket From The Tombs where a proto-art-skronk-punk band from Cleveland circa 1974-1975 and served as the first band for underground rock dudes David Thomas, Peter Laughner, and Gene O’Connor (aka Cheetah Chrome). The band disintegrated before reaching a studio, but many of the track would gain new life in the members new bands. Thomas and Laughner would go on to form the legendary avant punk outfit Pere Ubu, while O’Connor and RFTT drummer Johnny Blitz would later surface as part of the Dead Boys.

As for the disc itself, well it contains 19 cuts of raw, vintage rock culled from rehearsels and live recordings. Track include early versions of Pere Ubu and Dead Boy classics, covers of The Stooges and the Velvet Underground, and tracks that never reappeared in any form. In short, this is a must listen for anyone with an interest in primal American punk.

Based upon the success of The Day The Earth Met…. Rocket From The Tombs regrouped (with Television’s Richard Lloyd filling in for the deceased Laughner) to tour and properly record many of the tracks for release as 2004’s Rocket Redux. These kinds of endeavors usually raise a red flag, but Redux is a solid, surprising rock album that deserves a listen. Below are a couple of my favorites:

From 2002’s The Day The Earth Met….
Rocket From The Tombs - Never Gonna Kill Myself Again.mp3
Rocket From The Tombs - 30 Seconds Over Tokyo.mp3
Rocket From The Tombs - Search & Destroy.mp3

From 2004’s Rocket Redux
Rocket From The Tombs - What Love Is.mp3
Rocket From The Tombs - Life Stinks.mp3

End:

An outtake from one of the headliners at tomorrow’s Underground Garage Fest in NYC. $20 to see The Stooges, NY Dolls, the Strokes, Bo Diddley, the Raveonettes, and a whole bunch of others? How can you go wrong?

Iggy & The Stooges - Scene of the Crime.mp3
So Iggy has gone and reunited with the Asheton brothers. The good news is that all reviews of the reunion have been very positive. The downside is that the band is sticking only to the first 2 albums. In short, no Raw Power tracks. I guess that means you won’t be hearing this one tomorrow evening. “Scene of the Crime” is an outtake from the Raw Power sessions. Why it was left out I’ll never understand. Deliciously raw with Iggy shouting “I need an ALIBI!” over a searing James Williamson lick ( and some background piano). 3 minutes of pure Stoogified bliss.

“Scene of The Crime” was released on Year of the Iguana, one of the myriad Stooges rehashes that have been put out over the years. A couple of unreleased gems, some live stuff, some demo. IMO the best of all the comps out there. Make sure you have the 3 proper albums first, though.