Artist · chart history · #253 in alternative artist polls
Rocket from the Crypt
Band San Diego United States Active 1989–2005
Rocket from the Crypt formed in 1989 in San Diego, United States and was active until 2005. Rocket from the Crypt has 12 chart appearances on 10 radio countdowns from 5 stations on RockLists, spanning 1993–2024. The most successful song on radio countdowns is “On a Rope”, which appears on 4 lists with a best position of #54. The station that charted Rocket from the Crypt most often is 91X (San Diego, CA / Tijuana), with 8 appearances. The artist’s biggest year on year-end countdowns was 1995.
Rocket from the Crypt were San Diego's answer to the question nobody asked: what if punk rock came with a horn section and a showman's swagger? John Reis led the charge on guitar and vocals, with ND on second guitar, Petey X on bass, Atom on drums, and Apollo 9 on saxophone and JC 2000 on trumpet blaring over the top like a revue band on a bender.
Circa: Now! in 1992 won them critical praise and a contract with Interscope, and "Sturdy Wrists" and "Hippy Dippy Do" showed off the formula: big riffs, bigger hooks and a greasy, sweaty rock and roll bounce. Scream, Dracula, Scream! in 1995 is the peak, a record that barrels through "On a Rope", "Born in '69" and "Young Livers" like it's late for the party, and RFTC in 1998 kept the heat on, with "Lipstick" as its calling card, all backed by a steady stream of vinyl singles and EPs on independent labels.
The sales never matched the noise, though. Interscope lost interest, the band left the label, and Atom Willard left the band. After a quiet spell in which Reis started Hot Snakes and Sultans and launched his Swami Records label, they signed to Vagrant with new drummer Ruby Mars and made two more albums before signing off with a sold-out Halloween farewell show in San Diego in 2005. They came back for Yo Gabba Gabba! in 2011 and properly in 2013, and bands like Jimmy Eat World and the Get Up Kids have named them as an influence.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
Songs by Rocket from the Crypt on radio countdowns
| # | Song | Strength | Lists | Best | #1s | Peak year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | On a Rope | 4 | #54 | – | 1996 | |
| 2 | Born in '69 | 1 | #28 | – | 1995 | |
| 3 | Sturdy Wrists | 2 | #73 | – | 1993 | |
| 4 | Hippy Dippy Do | 1 | #303 | – | – | |
| 5 | Young Livers | 1 | #61 | – | 1995 | |
| 6 | Lipstick | 1 | #67 | – | 1998 | |
| 7 | Middle | 1 | #693 | – | – |
Albums with charting songs
Where each song was first released, from MusicBrainz.
Year-end chart timeline
Combined year-end countdown points per year. Taller bars mean more songs placing higher across more stations.
Every countdown appearance
| Year | # | Song | Countdown |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 693 | Middle | The Best Opening Tracks of All Time |
| 2021 | 177 | On a Rope | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '90s |
| 2006 | 75 | Artist ranking | 91X Top 100 Artists of All-Time (Memorial Day 2006) |
| 2002 | 1215 | Sturdy Wrists | Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) |
| 1999 | 303 | Hippy Dippy Do | 91X Fat 500 Songs of All-Time (July 1999) |
| 1999 | 356 | On a Rope | 91X Fat 500 Songs of All-Time (July 1999) |
| 1998 | 67 | Lipstick | 91X Top 91 Songs of 1998 |
| 1996 | 54 | On a Rope | 91X Top 91 Songs of 1996 |
| 1996 | 96 | On a Rope | WBER Listener Countdown 1996 |
| 1995 | 28 | Born in '69 | 91X Top 91 Songs of 1995 |
| 1995 | 61 | Young Livers | 91X Top 91 Songs of 1995 |
| 1993 | 73 | Sturdy Wrists | 91X Top 91 Songs of 1993 |
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