There was a time when American punk had sharp edges and was dangerous and actually scared the ‘establishment’ - or at least the L.A.P.D.. Ask Henry Rollins.

It was so intense, so pissed off and so in your face -

I had my own little vinyl label -Happy Hermit - back in those days and I can’t remember exactly how I met Target of Demand back in the 80’s, but they were it. It was a challenge, I remember, every nerve on edge throughout every one of their short, explosive outbursts in the studio waiting to see if the performance would completely derail. Never did, just a tight, united assault …

Especially in “Plastic Bullets”. This is a 30+ year old song, and to hear it today - this is as urgent as it ever was. More so? Listen to this.

I hear vinyl is back, ‘punk’ is back, a new cycle. Good. I have been approached over the years about this 1st punk record I released on my Happy Hermit label back in the 80’s but when a sequence of events led me back to my old friend and most revered Punk legend, Robbie Fields AKA Poshboy Records, that’s the ‘brand ‘ who deserved this re-issue.

The first time I met Robbie was when I was working at Hollywood’s legendary Gold Star Studios, where my bosses Stan Ross and Dave Gold had pretty much invented Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound and were at the time - early 80’s, remember, the industry was well - geared into whoring those ‘indestructible’ CD’s by then. Robbie was there one morning when we opened, in a wrinkled sky-blue polyester suit, a reel of tape under his arm, and literally pulled change out of his pocket to master his record. He’d slept in his car in the parking lot waiting for us to open.

Stan fell in love with him.

So: because great spirit, punk, and music never die, I’m loving this reissue, the appropriate 2018 EQ by the equally legendary Geza X, originally engineered and mixed by Jim Mankey, mastered originally at the great Gold Star Studios, and appreciated and taken to another level by the legendary Robbie Fields, aka my pal Posh.

Johnette Napolitano, May 2018