Zero Boys - History Of

Original Release Date

1984

Release Information

US Tape 1984 (Affirmation - G2 30 1)

A1 Drive In
A2 Black Network News
A3 Splish Splash
A4 I Need Inergy
A5 Johnny Better Get
A6 Dingy Bars Suck
A7 Seen That Movie Before
A8 High Places
B1 Blood's Good
B2 Human Body
B3 Moms' Wallet
B4 Down The Drain
B5 Outta Style
B6 You Can Touch Me
B7 Trying Harder
B8 I'm Bored

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US LP 2009 (Secretly Canadian - SC189)

A1 Drive In 1:20
A2 Black Network News 2:13
A3 Splish Splash 1:29
A4 Inergy 2:51
A5 Johnny Better Get 2:17
A6 Dingy Bars Suck 0:55
A7 Seen That Movie Before 2:03
A8 High Places 1:18
A9 Blood's Good 2:22
B1 Human Body 1:45
B2 Mom's Wallet 0:46
B3 Positive Change 1:18
B4 Amerika 3:13
B5 New Generation 1:50
B6 Livin' In The 80s 2:17
B7 Stoned To Death 2:21
B8 Stick To Your Guns 2:32
B9 I'm Bored 2:51
B10 Piece Of Me 2:16

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US CD 2009 (Secretly Canadian - SC189)

1 Drive In 1:20
2 Black Network News 2:13
3 Splish Splash 1:29
4 Inergy 2:51
5 Johnny Better Get 2:17
6 Dingy Bars Suck 0:55
7 Seen That Movie Before 2:03
8 High Places 1:18
9 Blood's Good 2:22
10 Human Body 1:45
11 Mom's Wallet 0:46
12 Positive Change 1:18
13 Amerika 3:13
14 New Generation 1:50
Livin' In The '80s EP:
15 Livin' In The 80s 2:17
16 Stoned To Death 2:21
17 Stick To Your Guns 2:32
18 I'm Bored 2:51
19.1 Piece Of Me 2:16
19.2 (silence) 10:00
19.3 Black Network News 2:19
19.4 Blood's Good 2:24
19.5 Untitled 0:24

Chart Placings

None

Credits

SC189:

Paul Z Mahern - Vocals and Guitar
Terry "Hollywood" Howe - Guitar and Vocals
Mark Cutsinger - Drums and Vocals
David "Tufty" Clough - Bass (1-13)
John Micthell - Basss (11-19)

Produced by Zero Boys
Engineereed and Mxed by Paul Mahern, John Helms, Brad Garton, Ted Dunn, and Vess Ruhtenberg
Mastered by Roger Seibel at SAE Mastering
Photos by Carol Stamile

1-7, 9, 12, and 13 recorded at Hit City, Indianapolis, Indiana 1983
8, 10, and 11 recorded at Keystone Recording, Indianapolis 1982
14 recorded at Zounds Studios, Lafayette, Indiana 1981
15-19 recorded at Ted Dunn Studios, Indianapolis 1980

Liner Notes: Eric Weddle, Lafayette, Indiania 2008

Reviews & Opinions

TIM YOHANNAN, MAXIMUM ROCKNROLL #15: JULY 1984: Sixteen classy ZERO BOYS songs. A few have already appeared on their superb album, but the rest are hitherto unreleased gems that reveal why this band should be rated right up there with the CIRCLE JERKS as prime exponents of brisk, hook-laden thrash and punk. Excellent.

PITCHFORK: The 80s had barely begun, but with that EP, Zero Boys made their early bid for the decade. Of course, it was not to be. Like most punk bands, the group burned bright but fast, yet the limited Zero Boys legacy remains pretty impressive nonetheless, especially as heard on the original lineup's sole full-length, Vicious Circle, and the formerly cassette-only clearing house History Of, which between the two of them comprise the sum total of Zero Boys' '79 to '83 era.

The five-song Livin' in the '80s EP is included on History Of, and those tracks capture the group in its most formative (if already strikingly confident) stages. Vicious Circle, on the other hand, marks the great leap forward that went nowhere but still stands as one of punk's more consistent blasts of fun and fury. "Vicious Circle is practically unique among hardcore punk albums, since it was professionally recorded and performed by seasoned rock'n'roll musicians," blogged longtime fan John P. Strohm, formerly of the Lemonheads and Blake Babies, but back in 1981 a teenager in Bloomington whose mind was blown by Zero Boys.

Indeed, while hardcore was drumming the melodies out of punk, Zero Boys were capably pairing tunes with fast tempos. Not that the 40-second introductory title track doesn't hone to the loud 'n' fast rules, but by "Amphetamine Addiction" the band has blasted off into tight tangents equally informed by Black Flag's muscle, the cynical Dead Kennedys, and the madness of the Germs, with a hint of the rockabilly swing that propelled X. If most of the songs hover below the ultra-efficient two-minute mark, it's remarkable how good they sound, bearing few marks of punk's proud amateurishness. The group's still livin' in the 80s, as its snotty de rigueur anti-establishment subject matter reflects, but songs such as "Drug Free Youth", "Hightime", "Trying Harder", and "Down the Drain" (with its almost Minutemen-like bass runs) stand on the same level as that era's other punk high points. They're loud and fast, and yes, they rule.

The classic Zero Boys line-up disbanded in 1983 while recording what would be the follow-up to Vicious Circle, but what was salvaged from those sessions is collected on History Of. While not on par with the debut, this disc of long-lost leftovers isn't the sound of some flash in the pan struggling to come up with a sequel, either. The group's clearly full of good ideas, and as tight as ever. That Zero Boys never made it over this hump is a shame, if not an outright tragedy, but with the set-- and in particular songs such as "Inergy", "Seen That Movie Before", and "Amerika", the last of which actually tops three minutes-- fans new and old can now get a taste of what could have been.

Additional Notes

Discogs note regarding the CD: Tracks 19.2 to 19.5 are not listed on the packaging. These versions of "Black Network News" and "Blood's Good" are different recordings than tracks 2 and 9. Also issued as a bootleg LP with a completely different sleeve.

Images

US Tape 1984 (Affirmation - G2 30 1)

US LP 2009 (Secretly Canadian - SC189). Click here for more

US CD 2009 (Secretly Canadian - SC189). Click here for more