Back in the day: Despite never releasing an album during their existence, Cleveland's Rocket From the Tombs were and are immeasurably influential.

Nearly three decades ago, they came and went with barely a notice. They never stepped foot inside a proper studio and left no official document of their existence. They were together for less than a year in a variety of personnel profiles, played only a handful of live shows and only one outside of their native Cleveland. And yet, 30 years removed from their incendiary inception and equally volatile demise, Rocket from the Tombs has become one of the most influential bands to rise out of the Midwest, rivaling The Stooges and MC5 for being name-checked and covered by big name contemporaries.

In a nutshell, RFTT began in 1974 with Cleveland music journalist David Thomas (aka Crocus Behemoth) and a collection of local musicians. Later that year, the band's best-known membership included drummer John Madansky and the dual guitar assault of Creem writer Peter Laughner and punk-in-waiting Gene O'Connor (better known by his nom du rock, Cheetah Chrome). Madansky left in 1975, replaced by a revolving cast of skin beaters; bassist Craig Bell arrived with the new drummers and stuck it out until the band called it quits in the fall of '75.

But one of their last appearances was one of the most memorable of RFTT's brief career. Laughner, also a local promoter, brought future New York legends Television to Cleveland for two shows and booked his own band as the opening act. The experience had a deep and long lasting effect on Television guitarist Richard Lloyd.

"We made such an impression on Richard when we opened for Television in Cleveland in 1975 that he remembers the show vividly to this day," says Thomas in a recent e-mail exchange. "In the 27 years I have been touring, I remember three or four opening bands. By which I mean, not much more than I can recall their names. We were good. We were memorable."

Much has happened in the intervening years since RFTT's flaming break up. Thomas and Laughner (who died in 1978 of acute pancreatitis) went on to form art-damaged avant Rock legends Pere Ubu while Chrome and Madansky (as Johnny Blitz) started the Dead Boys with latter-day RFTT vocalist Stiv Bators. Songs from the Rocket repertoire made their way into each band's set list; "Final Solution," "30 Seconds Over Tokyo" and "Life Stinks" for Pere Ubu, "Sonic Reducer," "Ain't It Fun" and "Down in Flames" for the Dead Boys.

While Rocket's progeny continued to alter the musical landscape, a great many people never forgot them. Over the years an underground trade in low quality but essential Rocket bootlegs has kept the band's name alive, and high profile peers like Living Colour and Pearl Jam have spread Rocket's gospel by covering their songs. After nearly 30 years of no official RFTT releases, Nevada's Smog Veil Records gave Thomas the opportunity to compile the best of the boots and demos into the first real Rocket album, The Day the Earth Met Rocket from the Tombs.

Thomas had been in contact with Chrome and Bell on this project when he was asked to curate UCLA's Disastrodome Festival earlier this year. "UCLA presented a three-day festival of my music in all its forms in February," says Thomas. "We wanted something different to open for Pere Ubu and UCLA wanted it to have some connection to me. The Day The Earth Met... had just come out and on a whim somebody suggested a reunion. Craig, Gene and I were in touch and all agreed to do it. RFTT had a Spinal Tap-like procession of drummers during its short life, so there was no incumbent. We asked Pere Ubu's drummer (Steve Mehlman) to do it, (since) he would be on site anyway. The real problem was the second guitarist position. Gene was friends with Richard (Lloyd) and the suggestion was immediately the only possible choice for various reasons having to do with the history of connections between Peter Laughner and Television."

That appearance has resulted in the current RFTT tour and the recording of Rocket Redux, a studio collection of some of Rocket's greatest songs as done by this version of the band. The album won't be in stores until February 2004, but will be available at Rocket shows on this current jaunt.

Guitarist Chrome is philosophical about Rocket's past, present and future. "I always thought we were a great band and I always thought we could have done more," he says from his Nashville home. "It's nice to be able to do more."

Although the mix remains as unstable today as it was when the Rockets imploded in 1975, Chrome and Thomas agree that there is every possibility that they will sustain beyond this tour and Rocket Redux to create something new.

"We aren't talking about it until the tour is finished," says Thomas. "Then we will make the decision on whether or not to become a real band. Once that's done we will start the process of writing and see where that takes us."

Chrome concurs. "That's back to 'We'll see how this goes,' " he says with a laugh. "The subject's been brought up and the thought is there. It hasn't been ruled out ... boy, I sound like Rumsfeld, don't I? I put about as much thought into it as he does."