Liner Notes from No Rules In This Game
When the Mob started, we were high school kids who already knew about Sabbath, Nugent, Aerosmith, and the now "classic" rock -- ala that early 80's era. Late 70's for that matter. The Mob was an 80's band. Van Halen's first record was played a lot. Black concert T's were the fashion statement. Yep! If you saw Yes last night you wore your Yes T in school the next day. We played Van Halen on 45 all the time. Jose and I saw the Bad Brains by mistake one night, early 80's, so we kept from going off the deep end into Jethro Tull, the Dead, and the Doors. We knew that what we saw/heard was it. Just it.
My cousin played me the Ramones "Rocket to Russia" one Christmas or Thanksgiving, so we had back up and were on our way. Ralph was past his Kiss phase so Jose, Ralph and me were listening to punk records all the time. We were into punk so naturally we gravitated to CBGB's. We were underage -- who cared. Drinking kamikazes at CB's was our Friday. One night, we saw the Bad Brains opening for Richard Lloyd and our lives were changed -- changed forever.
I was playing with Heart Attack at the time and Ralph and Jose started the Mob. We all grew up together, it was a natural merger. We all knew what we wanted to play. We needed a drummer and Jamie went to the same high school as I did. He was into Blondie so we thought O.K., close enough. Force fed him "The Incredible Dickies" and after, and only after, raising his hi-hat just a bit we had it together. So the Mob as a unit started jamming. In Ralph's garage on 89th St., my mon's basement, anywhere. Our sound had one basic ingredient -- speed! We were working on a second, based on speed with rhythm with choruses and some harmonies. Of course the Bad Brains and the Dickies had this sound sewn up but we didn't care. We weren't thinking of playing anything except what we wanted to listen to. What we liked to listen to at the time. We also wanted to be good. We knew the Stimulators anthem hard, fast, rules and went for it. At CBGB's one night we played and Chuck Valle was there. I didn't know him at the time. He was about 17, I was about 21. He played in Ludichrist at the time. Years later we were friends on tour and he told me that we were the loudest band he ever saw at CBGB's, and he meant it. I felt great about the shows.
Our first show was on June 5th, 1981. We opened for the Bad Brains at the BC Club, downstairs. Earl used Jamie's drums and I used Dr. Know's pedals. It was all good. What's next...? We played at all the clubs in New York -- CBGB's, Glidersleeves, Max's, Playroom, A7, etc. We always thought of playing good shows, that was all that mattered. Hard bands -- hard shows. D.C. and Boston bands and the occasional L.A. band that came through, we played with all of them. It was a great vibe, we'd book up Scream and Artificial Peace to play with us here in New York, and they'd do the same in D.C. Same for SSD and Gang Green in Boston, COC in North Carolina, and Death Piggy in Richmond. We were thick like peanut butter. There was always this N.Y. "us", D.C. "us" and Boston "us" thing but, we didn't get caught up in it. We were more social than political. We played shows up and down the coast. We were also specialists at setting up shows at bars that had no idea what was going to happen. We needed to play places with a P.A. Did them in Queens, Times Square, Bed Sty, and all over New York. Remember this happened before any stage diving or slamming. We were playing 100 mph jams and our friends were pogoing and creepy crawling but not stage diving. Mosh was still spelt with an 'a'. Mosh was how it sounded but, it was spelt mash. We mashed it and all the slamming and stage diving came. Slamming around early '83 then stage diving like 2 months after that, then 100 people on stage like 2 months after that. We were young and basically had no idea how hardcore music would affect music as a whole. What it is today. I know it did. How do I know? Fans "slam," "stage dive" and "crowd surf" to the Cranberries now. Early '83-'84 in A7 at 4:15 a.m. when 50 people were doing it, it was safe to say it was the only place it was happening at the time. Nobody cared what "it" was we were all just having a great time doing it.
The shows were always more important to the Mob than anything else. Recordings to us were like after the shows. Lo and behold those 7 inches all the old school bands folded and glued still have their place in history. On the wall in Japan in a music store going for $100 U.S. Lyric sheet included.
Some of the best shows were - at CBGB's the Sunday before Christmas with Minor Threat and Urban Waste. Three dollars. Then with the Circle Jerks at Zappas in Brooklyn. The Community Center gig in Ravenwood, Queens was also great. The housing police loved us. Opening for the Ramones was always fun. It was like big time rock-n-roll for us. Tons of lights. St. Patricks Day at L'Amour's in Brooklyn was jammed. I don't remember sound checking ever but those three shows and the Ramones shows rocked.
Touring to Miami and back twice opened a lot of doors. The vibe at the Mob shows was always cool. That was our thing. Our style. It was like we all knew, all 100 of us in 2-2. We wanted to keep what was ours but the energy was so up that the Village Voice wrote about it. People Magazine wrote about it. This NYHC scene had grown and my time, place, period, whatever moved on. We didn't invent it or what came after it. We just did our Mob Style. Hardest band in N.Y. from '83-'84. Hands down.
When we started the Mob it was because it was right. We knew it, we didn't plan it. We just collectively as a 4 piece unit knew. There's no better feeling than when something is right. We had a label called Mobstyle records. Put out hardcore records, helped bands get gigs. There was unity even with the drama of growing up in New York. The best feeling I remember as a group was our rehearsal spot or dressing room deciding what we were going to open the set with. We would be OK, "Paranoid" first and "Kill Them" then we'd be like, how about 5 quick ones, no breaks and leave the stage. Always had "12XU" up our sleeve.
We had the best experiences with the Mob, learned all those lessons of life, never gave in, never took the easy way out. We always could just look at each other and know with that smile that we only knew. Our fans and friends knew also.
After us what happened? We all had the common sense enough to know when our time as a band was over. We looked back at our achievements and went on with our lives. The Mob re-united for its last gig at the Ritz one year. I think it was the year Sick of It All was big.
It's cool, no hang-ups. It was like a relationship that was over and the two people knew it, we were seeing other people, all's fair, please don't call me, it'll be easier that way.
Peace out
P.S. I like Wu-Tang and Green Day, and I'm very good with keys and pets. Now go away!
Liner Notes by Jack Flanagan
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