Though are primarily remembered for 1983's new wave hit "China" from , only a year before, they were a hard-charging punk band with a 1977 vintage sound. Hailing from New Orleans, the group was composed of singer/rhythm guitarist , lead guitarist , bassist , and second drummer . They'd issued the smoking EP a year earlier with drummer . He quit when they packed up and moved to Los Angeles (where joined the band on 's recommendation). Based on the strengths of their EP and live show, they won a deal with 's label. cut with producer in five days. The original album contained a dozen tracks, including a newly recorded version of "Guns of Revolution," ten originals written by various bandmembers, and a scorching cover of 's "Folsom Prison Blues." drew apt press comparisons to , which excited since they deliberately emulated the English band. Their songwriting featured unabashedly political lyrics, dirty yet anthemic guitar hooks, chanted group choruses, hyperkinetic drumming (that wouldn't have been out of place on a or record), and furious, unbridled energy in performance and on record. were all 18 years old at the time; they understood intrinsically the power, immediacy, and connection punk offered, and committed to it in their songs. After the blasting opener, "Guns of Revolution," sets the rage level on stun, "Teenage Underground" and "Peer Pressure" deliver chugging power chords and screeching siren-call lead fills, framing twinned sung and shouted vocals. The former is a paean to resistance, while the latter seeks freedom via a clattering breakdown in the bridge. "Grow Up" is almost hardcore. Its furious tempo and upmixed distortion testify to the alienation in American childhood. A shambolic melody from "Battle Hymn of the Republic" introduces "Dead Heroes," an urgent, punishing rocker. Amid its riffs and -esque power chords, and sing about having to register for the draft by law, lamenting the tragic deaths of teens in unnecessary wars. It's followed by their excellent reading of "Folsom Prison Blues," wedding a two-step, cut-time country shuffle revved with blazing surf guitar leads and emulated rhythm licks. "Condition Red" is furious in tempo, with shouted lyrics, crashing bass and drums, and warring guitars that crisscross bluesy garage rock, early metal, and punk. While didn't sell well, it got lots of press, especially when buoyed by their live show on tour, and the album is regarded as a true classic of the original punk era. recorded two other charting LPs before 1985, then split up. ~ Thom Jurek