Formed: Silver Strand Beach, Oxnard, California, USA
These Oxnard skatepunks formed in 1982 and splintered amid much confusion sometime in the late 80’s. In between they appeared on Someone Got Their Head Kicked In!, and made a couple of fairly standard hardcore LPs. The first of these, Don’t Be Mistaken is probably too generic to warrant any kind of serious investigation, although ‘Intense Energy’ is an entertaining ode to their favoured pastime (skateboarding you will be surprised to hear). The eponymous follow-up is equally lacking in character, although a move is made away from the pure thrash ethos in favour of more conventional mainstream rockisms, even to the extent of incorporating a needless Hendrix cover (‘Foxy Lady’). Bootleg, so-titled as it doesn't appear to have a name and was released on a subsidiary of the entirely disreputable Ron Moody’s Mystic label, is a live recording taped at CBGB’s in 1985.
The band has split and reformed a few times, and apparently made two albums in the mid-90s (Nowhere To Run and Live At The Lair), although I've never seen copies. They definitely released an album called Grind Kings in 2005, though. Mark Aber and Big Bob reformed the band in 2005 (or thereabouts).They have also been the subject of a tribute album (who hasn't?), Taking Out A Little Agression: A Tribute To.... (Dr. Strange, 2007)
CLASSIC LINEUP (1983-85):
Mark Hickey AKA Mark Rodemaker - vocals RIP 2000 (liver failure)
Henry Knowles - guitar RIP 29th August 2003 (leukemia)
"Big" Bob Clark - bass - eventually left in '92
Mark Aber - drums
DISCOGRAPHY
Subsequent studio albums: Nowhere To Run (1996), Full Circle (2003), Grind Kings (2006).
Singles / Albums
| Don't Be Mistaken (LP, 1983) |
Agression (LP, 1985) |
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Extraneous Releases |
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| Bootleg (LP, 1985) |
Super Seven Presents...Live At The Underground Railroad E.P. (7", 1986) |
Agression '87 (Tape, 1987) |
The Best Of Agression (LP, 1990) |
Full Circle (CD, 2003) |
| Locals Only (CD, 2005) |
Greatest (LP, 2014) |
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Various Artists
Someone Got Their Head Kicked In! US LP 1982 (Better Youth Organization): Intense Energy / Dear John Letter / Rat Race
The Sound Of Hollywood #3 - COPulation US LP 1984 (Mystic): Slamming At The Curb
Nardcore US LP 1984 (Mystic): The Smell / Calling For You
Mystic Sampler #2 US LP 1985 (Mystic): Rich Kids
Mystic Sampler #3 US LP 1986 (Mystic): Insomnia
Super Seven Sampler #1 US LP 1987 (Mystic): Body Count
Someone's Gonna Get Their Head To Believe In Something US CD 1992 (Better Youth Organization): Intense Energy / Dear John Letter / Rat Race
Links
Wikipedia page
MySpace page
Article & Interview
Kill From The Heart
Henry Knowles tribute
