Rocket from the Crypt Albums (7)
What The Critics Say
Rebounding from both a messy extrication from Interscope and the departure of founding drummer Atom, Rocket recruited San Diego scene vet Mario Rubalcaba to fill in and whipped out the fierce and fine Group Sounds. Superchunk's Jon Wurster actually plays the skins on most of the tracks, as Rubalcaba (redubbed in Rocket-style Ruby Mars) only officially joined towards the end of recording, but either way the band sounds fully up to necessary events. "Straight American Slave" says that much at the start -- it's Rocket as all have come to know and love them, garage/punk/R&B grooves tightly wound as hell, horns ripping joyfully through the mix, call and response choruses, and Reis as always the at-once slick and raging frontman. From there it's barely a breath taken before launching into "Carne Voodoo," and the instant party atmosphere that Rocket know how to nail just so runs rampant. Having participated in a slew of fine solo efforts and projects all throughout 2000 like the Hot Snakes and the Sultans, hearing Reis take full charge with Rocket again seems like coming home to something especially great. Hints of other influences and approaches certainly crop up on the slightly calmer "S.O.S." and most notably with the marvelous closing track "Ghost Shark." A big woozy slow number with a bit of emotional bite, it makes for a perfect ending, with legendary producer Jim Dickinson adding piano. Those who want more of what Rocket does so well can't be disappointed, though. Sure to be future classics include "White Belt," which never seems to stop building up, the utterly anthemic "Heart of a Rat," and the no-less-so "This Bad Check Is Gonna Stick" -- with bells, even! Ten years since Rocket's first full-length, the sextet still sounds like they're on a live wire with an endless power source, as inspiring here as ever before. ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
It's a bit of a mystery why it took Rocket from the Crypt a full three years to deliver RFTC, the followup to their major-label debut Scream, Dracula, Scream. After all, diversity isn't Rocket from the Crypt's bag -- they just love rock & roll, baby, and all of the sleaze, leather, booze, bikes and babes that come with it. Before, they kept raw by producing their own records, but here they hired an outside producer in Kevin Shirley, who previously worked with Journey. There's not a trace of Journey on RFTC, but Shirley has given the band a bigger, glossier sound that may distress longtime followers, who were into the whole MC5/Stooges/Stones biker vibe of the earlier albums. That said, RFTC rocks harder and with more attitude than almost any other record released under the alternative umbrella in the late '90s. The guys haven't lost it -- they've just found another way to say it. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
'Scream, Dracula, Scream!'
Release Date 10/10/1995
Tracks 14
Label Atlantic
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Rocket From the Crypt keeps the rock & roll torch burning with its fourth full-length, Scream, Dracula, Scream! (named after the infamous '70s black horror flick Scream, Blackula, Scream!). The presence of RFTC's innovation and energy is still right in your face, and with an added trumpet player in the band's lineup, the horn section is more apparent than ever; also, there's a loud party atmosphere that fails to cross the line of obnoxious. Tracks like "Born in '69" and "On a Rope" provide headbanging fun, but Rocket From the Crypt is anything but long-haired butt rock; this has enough of a cool edge to scare Henry "The Fonz" Winkler out of any roller rink. ~ Mike DaRonco, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
1995 was Rocket's year of sheer productivity -- no less than three separate major releases, counting the fantastic The State of the Art Is on Fire EP, not to mention another slew of singles. The rarest of the three is for many the best, the limited-edition vinyl-only release Hot Charity. Just under half an hour long, this particular album has never been reissued on CD, though it's been sought after more than a few times by obsessed fans, while Japanese and Australian special editions of other Rocket albums have included tracks from it on bonus discs. Starting with the dramatic slow build of "Pushed," making for an almost cinematic opening to the proceedings (helped by the fact that it's an instrumental), Hot Charity smokes from the start and takes special care not to let up. The recording quality sounds fantastic, the band is as playful as it is utterly hard-edged, and everything, simply put, rocks. There's the party grooving of "My Arrow's Aim," with some smart guitar playing increasing the nerviness as everything gets more driving, ending up in a great, strutting chorus interspersed with Apollo 9 and JC 2000 blowing like fiends. Or one can just simply let the amazing blend of Reis' vocals and the backing singing from others on the downright soaring "Guilt Free" do its work. Slower grooves aren't forgotten, like the twangy, measured kick of "Feathered Friends," piano adding to the wooziness here and there. Mostly, though, it's music like the addictive handclap/rockabilly bass and echo leading into the rip-roaring "Lorna Doom," quick, amazing end solo and all, which leads the way, and that's nothing to regret in the slightest. In lieu of a wider issue, this is one to search for -- either in and of itself or on the Internet. ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Circa: Now!, Rocket From the Crypt's second album, represents the toughening up and expansion of the band's sound. Never content to play their punk rock by the book, the band uses dynamics, songcraft, and the sax of Apollo 9 to add texture and power to their rock hard guitar-bass-drums foundation. The album was recorded as the band was barricaded inside a L.A. studio during the April 1992 riots that tore the city apart. Some of the songs like the frantic "Killy Kill," "Short Lip Fuser," and "Dollar" are back-to-the-wall rockers that sound like the work of a band in the middle of something heavy. Elsewhere the band shows it isn't afraid to get melodic on the Soul Asylum-influenced "Hairball Alley." They aren't afraid to strip the guitars back and get atmospheric either as the Brill Building punk ballad "March of Dimes" illustrates. The truly epic track on the album that points toward the brilliance of 1995's Scream, Dracula, Scream! is "Ditch Digger," a track with amazing dynamics and a bullfighter's bravado that actually threatened to become a hit in the crazy post-Nirvana daze of 1992. Speaking of post-Nirvana madness, after Circa: Now! was released on Cargo/Headhunter the band became the subject of a frantic major-label bidding war which Interscope won after throwing a ridiculous wad of cash at the band. Circa: Now! isn't their best work; Scream, Dracula, Scream! takes that honor with RFTC close behind, but it is an album that will help clear out any lingering post-grunge hard feelings about the early '90s with a blast of good old-fashioned rock & roll energy, and that is nothing to sneer at. ~ Tim Sendra, All Music Guide
'Paint as a Fragrance'
Release Date 1/1/1991
Tracks 10
Label Headhunter
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
This record lurches through ten solid songs, which, though as aggressive as punk's roots, offer much more than your typical power-chord mosh pit anthems. John "Speedo" Reis stuns with his soulful, Sammy Davis, Jr.-meets-Eddie Cochran lead vocals, while backing vocalist Elaina adds rich harmony. In addition to more immediate punk scorchers, Rocket From The Crypt also explores other musical terrain; the band gears up with rockabilly-laden guitar riffs, which are then unleashed with some dissonant guitar harmonies and breakneck piano. ~ Matt Carlson, All Music Guide
