Thursday, 16 July 2015
Code Of Honor ~ What Are We Gonna Do?
"Here we are, a small group of kids who realize our government is fucked, but what are we gonna do? WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO?"
A classic 1982 US hardcore skate punk single today.
Following the demise of Californian punk outfit Sick Pleasure, 3 members of that band (Mike Fox (guitar), Dave Chavez (bass) and Sal Paradise (drums) ) were joined by vocalist Johnithin Christ and they formed Code Of Honor. Due to there still being half an album's worth of Sick Pleasure material unreleased, they added their new songs to it and put out a split album titled Fight Or Die/Dolls Under Control (1982 on Subterranean Records).
Also on Subterranean was their only single, a 7" containing the tracks What Are We Gonna Do? and What Price Would You Pay? 1984 saw the release of album number 2, Beware The Savage Jaw, but by this time much of the aggression and speed had been toned down. They split pretty much straight after though in 2006 there was a compilation called Complete Studio Recordings 1982-1984.
Known for their political lyrics and hatred of the Reagan Administration, they were a popular live act. They shared a stage with most of the top bands from that era; The Ramones, Misfits, Black Flag, Adolescents, Circle Jerks, Dead Kennedys, The Damned, Agent Orange, DOA, Suicidal Tendencies, Bad Religion, TSOL etc, etc, etc......
Johnithin Christ passed away in 2009 following a bout of Pneumonia so I'll dedicate today's song to his memory. This is What Are We Gonna Do?......
Code of Honor musically was the RUSH of punk rock. Saw them at least 2 dozen times in the Bay Area 82-84'.
ReplyDeleteNever got to see them live.... I had the split album w/ Sick Pleasure and the first album back in "the day". Loved em but never got to see em,sadly!! Sigh....
ReplyDeleteWhat city did they hail from? I mean, which part of the Bay Area?
ReplyDeleteI think they were from San Jose.
DeleteThey were from SF
ReplyDeleteBeing French, I never got the chance to see them live but I treasure their records. Among the very best.
ReplyDelete