The Misfits
Like the 13th Floor Elevators in the '60s and the New York Dolls in the early '70s, this USA punk band was swiftly surrounded in a cloak of mythology and cult appeal. Long after their demise (they played their last live gig in 1983), their obscure US-only records were fetching large sums of money in collecting circles, by those fascinated by the band's spine-chilling mix of horror-movie imagery and hardcore. The Misfits were formed in New York in 1977, by Gerry Only and Glenn Danzig and, like many aspiring new wave acts, played in venues like CBGBs. Later that year, Cough Cool became their first single on their own Plan 9 label. A four-track single, Bullet (in a sleeve showing J.F. Kennedy's assassination), was recorded before their debut, and followed by Horror Business. A third single, Night Of The Living Dead, surfaced in 1979, the reference to the classic George A. Romero film revealing the Misfits’ continued fascination with blood-and-guts horror. Then came an EP, THREE HITS FROM HELL, recorded in 1980, but not issued until the following April, and a seasonal October single, Halloween. Finally, the Misfits rounded off 1981 by recording the seven-track EP EVILIVE, originally sold through the band's Fiend fan club, which secured a German 12-inch release. The band's only original UK release was a 12-inch EP BEWARE. Other Misfits releases included a 12-inch EP, WOLF'S BLOOD and several albums: 1982's MISFITS WALK AMONG US, EARTH A.D. and LEGACY OF BRUTALITY. Danzig issued his first solo single in 1981, Who Killed Marilyn?, and was venerated in heavy metal magazines in the late '80s as his band, Danzig, gained ground. Hain issued a 12-inch, Unholy Passion and two albums, INITIUM and COMING FIRE.