Agent Orange – Living In Darkness CD
A very welcome reissue for this 1981 Californian skate-punk classic. Agent Orange was formed in 1979 by Mike Palm (guitar/vocals), Steve Soto (bass) and Scott Miller (drums), but by the time they came to record debut album Living in Darkness, tSoto had been replaced by James Levesque and the trio had signed with Posh Boy Records. For this edition, Radiation have added the three extra tracks from the sessions that didn’t make it onto the original release: “Pipeline,” “Breakdown” and “Mr Moto,” but not the unrelated bonus tracks from compilations, etc., that appeared on the 1992 CD release. Less music for your money, but it makes for a more satisfying listening experience as the three tracks fit perfectly without negating the album’s deliberately short and punchy running time.
Despite the undeniable fact that the Ramones included a cover of the Trashmen’s “Surfin’ Bird” on Rocket to Russia in ’77, Agent Orange is credited with being the first band to bring surf music into the punk sphere; hey ho – but irritating though that is, they certainly did bring surf influences into their music, and Living in Darkness is as purely enjoyable a skate-punk-surf album as you could hope to find. The immortal, dramatic opener “Too Young to Die” immediately establishes the band’s incisive style. Sharp and intense rather than sloppy, there’s an almost metal edge to Mike Palm’s precise buzzsaw guitar that belongs firmly to the ‘80s, though there’s a vaguely Sonic Youth vibe too, only without SY’s unconventional guitar sounds.
It’s punk, but not quite hardcore, and there’s a feeling of coiled tension not dissimilar to that which Ian MacKaye would bring to Fugazi in the mid-‘80s, giving the album an intensity usually associated with more furious music. The other notable thing about Agent Orange was their almost un-punk way with catchy melodies, and “Everything Turns Grey” again has a metallic edge but is straightforwardly commercial – a melodic track with a good tune, big guitars and nice backing vocals.
The band’s surf credentials come to the fore with a blast through the traditional Mediterranean folk tune “Miserlou,” but taking inspiration – of course – from Dick Dale’s familiar surf version, giving it a little more punk energy; you can pretty much guess what it sounds like if you don’t already know it – it’s pretty good. “The Last Goodbye” is another catchy punk anthem, the album’s clean production bringing out the details nicely, even if the vocals seem perhaps overly foregrounded at the expense of the guitars. It’s a minor complaint, since early ‘80s US punk rock doesn’t really come any more accessible than this, but at the same time Agent Orange never feels like a sellout pop group.
“No Such Thing” is one of several songs that will be familiar to skaters from video game soundtracks. It’s another zippy punk anthem, but with a bit of atmosphere and depth and a nice guitar solo – feelgood music about feeling bad. “Cry for Help in a World Gone Bad” is similar and has a nicely relentless quality that feels a bit like early Suicidal Tendencies, only with a catchy chorus. “Bloodstains” was the song that got the band signed to Posh Boy Records and the album version is a touch slower but is just as abrasive as the version they released on their 1980 EP. It’s a “Cherry Bomb”-like chugging tune, but with a “Miserlou”-like solo and ranting vocals that ramp up the punk energy. The album’s title track originally brought Living in Darkness to a close and it’s another good, dynamic performance, if a bit wordy. The whip-crack noises in the chorus give it a very early ‘80s feel, a little like UK punk of the Stiff Little Fingers/Vibrators type, but it’s a good solid end to one of the great short-sharp-shock punk albums of the era.
As for the bonus track, “Pipeline” is “Pipeline” – naturally it’s faster and dirtier, and there’s no electric piano, but it’s still recognizably the Chantays surf classic. “Breakdown” is a different kettle of fish; a speedy, almost hardcore track that sounds remarkably like Murphy’s Law. “Mr. Moto” is another ‘60s surf cover, this time less immediately familiar and therefore more satisfying – the inevitable faster pace and fuzz tones mean that it doesn’t quite capture the atmosphere of the Bel-Airs original, but on the plus side, it’s not quite as silly either and the drumming is great; it’s probably the best of the band’s surf instrumentals and it’s mystifying that it was left off the original release of the album.
It was to be five years before Agent Orange followed up Living in Darkness with This Is the Voice, which was essentially more of the same and still very good, but somehow less essential – perhaps just because music that’s fueled by youthful intensity, anger and attitude is best left to the very young. At the time they were recording Living in Darkness, Agent Orange were still in their late teens and the album remains one of the great youth-punk albums. There were great punk bands like the Germs or Wayne County & the Electric Chairs – or the Sex Pistols for that matter – who lived on the brink of or actually descended into – chaos and destruction with sometimes-thrilling results, but Agent Orange were from the other, more disciplined school of punk. The intensity of their debut comes from the band’s control over their material and the tightness of their playing, factors which require zero knowledge of the musical or cultural context of the time to appreciate.
Label: Radiation Reissues – RADCD002
Country: Italy
Media Condition: Mint (M)
Sleeve Condition: Mint (M)
Sealed