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If you are not familiar with the band Rocket From The Tombs, they were the fore-runners of The Dead Boys and Pere Ubu. Heralding from Cleveland in 1974, Rocket were raw and explosive live, and, as a matter of fact, the only recordings of the band are from live shows.
With the Clash not starting off until 1976, The Pistols in 1975, and with the Ramones just starting to play gigs in 1974 (and with the SoCal Punk scene still four years away), what say we give Rocket their due, and at least recognize their importance in the same breath as The Ramones! All in favor, say oy, rather, make that aye!
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I'm not familiar with them.
Seems I have a bit of investigation to do...
"Writing about music is like dancing about architecture"
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"Sonic Reducer" was originally done by Rocket From The Tombs, although IMHO the best version is on the vinyl version of The Dead Boys first album, Young, Loud, and Snotty.
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wait, what did they have to do with Pere Ubu
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13-08-2011, 19:32
(This post was last modified: 13-08-2011, 19:41 by gater.)
When Rocket broke up, two members, Dave Thomas (AKA Crocus Behemoth) and Peter Laughner joined up with Rocket's sound engineer Tim Wright (playing bass) to form Pere Ubu (with some other Cleveland undergrounders), and push the envelope out more, and in other directions.
Laughner died not much after that.
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I'd say that the Neon Boys were the true Godfathers of punk. There are numerous stories about how McClaren went over to NY and pretty much decided to create the Sex Pistols based on Richard Hell and Tom Verlaine's style.
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What about late sixties MC5 and Iggy and the Stooges ?
(I love Pere Ubu !!!...great recco from Mtthw !!!).
The ultimate connection is between a performer and its' audience!
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You can't really say that there is any "true godfather of punk", it was juwst something that was bound to happen. It would only be natural that the garage rock of the 60's got took a strep further. Of course some stuff like the Stooges and the VU had a more profound impact on the genre, but it was most certainly not the work of just one band
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First release for Neon Boys was an EP in 1980 including Richard Hell and The Voidoids on the reverse... and never really cauaghtg on here in the US, but were pretty big in Europe, but not reallt until about the same time as the lit-off of Rocket, or even a bit later. The question then becomes, who had the first impact? BTW, Television did not hit the CBGB's stage until 1974, the same time Rocket was starting to build its following in the heartland. Point well taken, and you know your stuff!
You can live in staunch denile and mark me as your enemy, but I'm just a voice among the throng who want a brighter destiny, and say with me, "We are the New America!" -Greg Graffin
