Band history compiled by Jeff, Discography by James
Vancouver's D.O.A. were an early and extremely influential punk rock band. Formed in 1978, they quickly got down to business by releasing the Disco Sucks EP on singer/guitarist Joey Shithead's own Sudden Death label. Along with other early pioneers, they blazed the trail to a North American punk scene by putting out records and touring with virtually no existing 'scene' infrastructure to rely on. Early shows included clashes with audience members and police, and they can attest that police riots at punk shows were not strictly an LA occurrence.
The original D.O.A. lineup was Joey, bassist Randy Rampage, and amazing drummer Chuck Biscuits. Their first full length came out on Friends records in 1980, and was soon followed by 1981's seminal Hardcore '81 LP. The latter is commonly sited by the first wave of "hardcore" bands as a catalyst and namesake for the that movement. Following this record both Randy Rampage and Chuck Biscuits left the band. Chuck joined Black Flag and began his long career as a punk rock band slut (Social D, Circle Jerks, Danzig). His brother Dimwit took over for him, and Wimpy from the Subhumans joined on bass. D.O.A. jumped to Jello Biafra's Alternative Tentacles label for the War on 45 EP and most of their subsequent records (short stints at Frontier and Enigma didn't last). War on 45 record found them attempting to ditch the punk straightjacket by interjecting funk, reggae, and a cover of Edwin Starr's Motown classic "War" into the mix. Apparently it actually charted in Billboard.
While D.O.A. shared the political commitment of Jello's Dead Kennedys or fellow Canadians the Subhumans, they also cultivated a party band image (exemplified by the cover of their 1985 effort, Let's Wreck the Party). Their manager Ken Lester billed them as a "populist" band. Joey has kept at it with various backing bands over the years, putting out a 1995 album on a Virgin subsidiary before revamping the Sudden Death label for a few albums and reissues.
Releases
DISCO SUCKS 7" (Sudden Death, 1978)
PRISONER 7" (Quintessence, 1978)
TRIUMPH OF THE IGNOROIDS 12" (Friends, 1979)
WORLD WAR 3 7" (Quintessence, 1979)
SOMETHING BETTER CHANGE LP (Friends, 1980)
HARDCORE '81 LP (Friends, 1981)
POSITIVELY D.O.A. 7" (Alternative Tentacles, 1981)
WAR ON 45 12" (Alternative Tentacles, 1982)
RIGHT TO BE WILD 7" (Sudden Death, 1983)
GENERAL STRIKE 7" (Sudden Death, 1983)
DON'T TURN YER BACK ON DESPERATE TIMES 12" (Alternative Tentacles, 1984)
LET'S WRECK THE PARTY LP (Alternative Tentacles, 1985)
EXPO HURTS EVERYONE 7" (?, 1986)
TRUE NORTH STRONG & FREE LP (?, 1987)
LAST SCREAMS OF THE MISSING NEIGHBORS LP (Alternative Tentacles, 1989)
MURDER LP/CD (Enigma, 1990)
TALK MINUS ACTION EQUALS ZERO (Restless, 1991)
13 FLAVOURS OF DOOM CD/LP (Alternative Tentacles, 1992)
IT'S NOT UNUSUAL... 7"/CD (Alternative Tentacles, 1993)
LOGGERHEADS CD (Alternative Tentacles, 1993)
THE ONLY THING GREEN 7" (Alternative Tentacles, 1993)
KEN JENSEN MEMORIAL SINGLE split 7" w/ RED TIDE (Sudden Death, 1995)
THE BLACK SPOT CD (Essential Noise/Virgin, 1995)
Reissues
BLOODIED BUT UNBOWED 78-83 LP (CD Presents, 1984)
THE DAWNING OF A NEW ERROR CD (Alternative Tentacles, 1992 - includes "Let's Wreck the Party" and other previously released material)
GREATEST SHITS CD (qqryq, 1991 - Polish collection with previously released and rare songs)
BLOODIED BUT UNBOWED/WAR ON 45 CD (1992,restless)
MOOSE DROPPINGS CD (Timberyard, 1993 - Australian collection of previously released material)
SOMETHING BETTER CHANGE CD/LP (Sudden Death, 2000)
Compilations
VANCOUVER COMPLICATION LP (Pinned, 1979) "Kill Kill, This Is Pop", "I Hate You"
LET THEM EAT JELLYBEANS LP (Alternative Tentacles, 1981) "The Prisoner"
RAT MUSIC FOR RAT PEOPLE vol. 1 LP (Go!, 1982) "America the Beautiful", "Fucked Up Ronnie"
P.E.A.C.E. LP (R Radical, 1984) "America the Beautiful"
SOMETHING TO BELIEVE IN LP (BYO, 1984) "Tits on the Beach"
WE WON'T BE YOUR FUCKING POOR 2LP (Mortarhate, 1985)
TERMINAL CITY RICOCHET soundtrack LP (Alternative Tentacles, 1989) "Behind the Smile", "That's Progress"
INFO
Interview from Snotrag
This is an interview with Joey Shithead from 1978, around the time his former band The Skulls ended and he started DOA. This interview also appeared in the liner notes to the Vancouver Evolution 7". Thanks to James Cornell for sending it.
DOA Official Website
This site is on Joey Shithead's Sudden Death Records page. There's a bunch of writing here - interviews, the beginnings of a really great "oral history" - but some of links are dead.
