A significant group in L.A.'s late-'70s to early-'80s
punk
scene, Long Beach's
T.S.O.L.
(
True Sound of Liberty
) briefly flirted with pseudo radical politics on their exceptional self-titled debut EP, which included songs like
"Abolish Government/Silent Majority"
and
"Property Is Theft."
But that phase of the band didn't last long, as they cast away the politics in favor of horror-movie-inspired, gothy,
Misfits
-style shtick on their first full-length,
Dance With Me
. This album contains their most famous song,
"Code Blue,"
an extremely catchy number about necrophilia, ever popular with young fans who scream for them to play it at every show. No mere footnote in
punk rock
history,
's early records are slam pit-inducing, infectious stuff.
is loaded with fine numbers, including
"Sounds of Laughter,"
"I'm Tired of Life,"
"Die for Me."
Other than
the Misfits
, no band has combined gothy subject matter and
barre chords as well as
, who hit the nail on the head with this classic 1981 recording. ~ Adam Bregman