The Simpletones - I Have a Date
The Simpletones are an underappreciated
punk band, formed in 1978 in Rosemead, CA. who, when recognized, are known for their songs appearing on the legendary 'Beach Blvd' compilation, which was played by the famous LA radio host Rodney on his show 'Rodney on the Roq', on KROQ. There isn't much information online about the group, though the line-up is available on a Facebook page called 'Punk Rock Graveyard', and consisted of 'Snickers', Jerry Koske, 'Rabit', and Jay Lansford. Apparently a number of them were involved in some local LA bands afterwards, and had a bit of local notoriety.
Listen to I Have a Date by The Simpletones here.
This song is from the aforementioned
compilation Beach Blvd, which released in the summer of 1979. I've had a bit of a theme with some of songs over the last few weeks, as a number of them were songs I first heard as a cover, and didn't discover the original until long afterwards; this song fits that same profile, as I first heard the version from The Vandals, from their 1995 album Live, Fast, Diarrhea. Their version is pretty similar, though they add a guitar solo over the break, and Warren Fitzgerald's spastic style gives it a different energy.
