Band from Fullerton in Orange County, California, who I would immediately tag as "punk" only their early rejection by the local hardcore scene led them to completely disassociate themselves from the genre. Nevertheless, if they were punk -- and I'm not saying for a moment that they were -- their debut album Living In Darkness would be one of the all-time classic punk recordings. Heavily influenced by 1960s surf instrumentals, their early raw sound gave way to a more polished style that failed to draw much interest from the non-punk-rock-listening world and led some of their punk adherents to assume they'd sold out.

Named for an herbicide used in the Vietnam War as a defoliant, so called because of the orange stripe on its container. Produced rather severe side effects in those exposed to it.

lineup:

  • Mike Palm - vocals & guitar
  • James Levesque - bass
  • Scott Miller - drums

partial discography:

  • Living In Darkness (1981)
  • When You Least Expect It... (EP, date unknown)
  • This Is The Voice (1986)
  • 1990 live album, title unknown
  • Virtually Indestructible (1996)