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Dec 31, 2025 Web Exclusive By Matthew Berlyant

James Reyonds’ Left For Dead reissue label continues its excavation process for high-quality New York/New Jersey punk rock. In recent years, they’ve reissued or put out archival recordings by obscure by well-remembered (and until recently, barely documented) NYC punk bands like Nasty Facts, The Comateens, and The Senders, alongside underheard NJ ’80s punk bands like Detention and TMA in conjunction with Reynolds’ early ’80s Jimboco label, who had originally issued a two-song 7-inch by Rousers in 1981. This was, until now, their only released output.

Now they’ve released the full demo session that punk ‘n’ roll luminaries Rousers recorded for Seymour Stein’s Sire label. The session was produced by Ed Stasium back in 1979 at Sire’s basement studio on the Upper West Side. Whether this material would’ve had a commercial or underground impact had it been released is a question that can never be answered, but as Tim Stegall’s liner notes indicate, it wouldn’t have been that surprising if Marshall Crenshaw had heard these guys given the similarity of some of the material to some of the songs on his classic 1982 debut album and his early singles.

At certain points, the material is reminiscent of Vancouver’s Modernettes and Los Angeles’ The Gears, two other better-documented bands of the era who also combined ’50s rock and roll with the energy and aplomb of punk rock. In the case of Rousers, they owed an explicit debut to Duane Eddy (whose recordings Sire had reissued back in 1975), covering his “Ramrod” and “Movin’ and Groovin’” here alongside Wilson Pickett’s “You Need Me.”

The two-CD version has a six song bonus disc that features covers of the Bacharach/David chestnut “Baby It’s You” and the often-covered surf instrumental classic “Pipeline.” (www.rousers.bandcamp.com/album/1979-sire-session)

Author rating: 8/10