The life of Rocket from the Tombs was short lived and broke into many different bands that survived it, each kept a different affectation of the artistry of the original alive. Peter Laughner originally survived the band as an original member of Pere Ubu with David Thomas. He co-wrote and performed a couple of Ubu's first singles but fell out of the group due to his substance abuse. Though he is often seen as an important string of Ubu (not wise and a venturesome mistake), it's probably best to view his work (and any, if any, influence) as a singular discography outside of it to better put it all in perspective.
Laughner never released a proper studio LP during his life time, but many demo, radio and live recordings survive him either as a solo artist or a member of a band. Although he had talent as a guitarist, singer and songwriter, he was aware that (but could never escape) his greatest weakness, a hero-worship of the New York scene, of Lou Reed specifically, and to a lesser degree Dylan and old bluesmen, could only be tempered by being in a band. So he had many of all kinds: a blues trio, a folk duo, proto-punk, punk, art-punk, post-punk, and new wave. My favorite is probably his collaboration with Don Harvey on reed organ. Each were unique from the others but only a couple (Rocket from the Tombs because he had no real control and Pere Ubu because the project wasn't his) really could distance themselves from Laughner's influences. That influence usually came out as an unnatural number of Reed or Television covers (always the same ones throughout his recordings), songs that needed to be reworked time and again so they wouldn't be mistaken for a Reed or Dylan song, a singing voice that only stopped imitating when he was too drunk or high to try, and his inability to keep a band together due to his abuse of drugs and alcohol and lack of leadership skills despite having great potential to be a leader. He was a better guitar player sober, but was hardly ever that by the end of his life. Bands were often better off without him but couldn't survive without his impetus, ideas, charisma, or star-power.
On the Cleveland rock scene, David Thomas remised the fatal flaw of Cleveland punk as simply being unlikeable from the outside looking in, a counterpoint to the cool New York scene. To him, Laughner's fatal flaw was trying to be a New Yorker, to escape his Cleveland fate by bridging the two cities together through his music and to a more tragic extent, through his body. Neither were successful in accomplishing it, but his death was. It forged a myth and misunderstanding around his music and influence and extended it to the Cleveland scene that could no longer escape his phantom fingerprints. For better or for worse.
He died at 24. The best compilation of his work to date is Take the Guitar Player for a Ride released in 1993.
Here is the complete discography for Peter Laughner:
Do Re Mi (1972 live recording as The Original Wolverines)
WMMS Coffee Break (1972 live recording with John Sferra)
Cinderella Backstreet's Last Show (1973 live bootleg as Cinderella Backstreet)
Early Demos (1972-1974 demos and other recordings)
Live on CWRU (1974 live recordings plus demos)
Cinderella's Revenge Last Show (1975 live bootleg as Cinderella's Revenge)
Rehearsal (1975 rehearsal recording with The Wolves)
Live in January (1976 live recording with The Wolves)
Creem Offices (1976 recordings with Lester Bangs)
The Ann Arbor Tapes (1976 recordings with Don Harvey)
Setting Son (1976 acoustic home recordings)
Earth by April (1976 bootleg compilation as Friction)
Live at Pirate's Cove (1976 live bootleg as Friction)
Last Rehearsal (1977 live recording with The Wolves)
Nocturnal Digressions (1977 home recordings)
Peter Laughner: (1982 compilation album)
Baby's on Fire (1992 single with The Finns)
Take the Guitar Player for a Ride
Babylon's Burning: The Rough 'n' Ready Rise of PUNK RAWK 1973-1978 (2007 compilation song with Craig Bell)
Play On Beloved Son (2015 compilation album)
"Amphetamine" by Peter Laughner & Don Harvey
"In the Bar" by Peter Laughner
"Me & The Devil Blues" by Peter Laughner
Pass the Headphones!!
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