This site is not authorized by Glenn Danzig/Evilive Music, Jerry Only/Cyclopian Music, Inc., Misfits A.D. nor any of their representatives.
In 1980 The Misfits hadn't tried touring again since the loss of drummer Joey Image (December 1979) but they did manage to perform one show at The Exile in Long Island City, NY on July 10th, 1980 (as well as a Halloween show that year at Club 57 in New York) with new drummer Arthur Googy and with all that down time they eventually got it together and entered Master Sound Productions (August 1980) in Franklin Square, NY to begin recording their second attempt at a debut album.
The Misfits; July 1980
In attendance was of course singer/songwriter Glenn Danzig, bassist Jerry Only along with guitarist Bobby Steele and new drummer Arthur Googy; tagging along was Jerry's younger brother, "Doyle". As the sessions progressed the band was finding themselves in need of a guitarist as Bobby was failing to show up for sessions (and practices), as luck would have it, Glenn and Jerry had been giving Doyle guitar lessons and he seemed like the perfect answer to their troubles.
Doyle freshman year (1979)
Doyle sophomore year (1980)
12 songs were recorded during these sessions:
​
01 Halloween
02 Vampira
03 I Turned Into A Martian
04 Skulls
05 London Dungeon
06 Night Of The Living Dead
07 Horror Hotel
08 Ghouls Night Out
09 Astro Zombies
10 Where Eagles Dare
11 Violent World
12 Halloween II
13 London Dungeon
Bobby provided 3 guitar tracks for each song, with Doyle also providing guitar tracks for a majority of the songs. Producer, Robbie Alter provided additional guitar on London Dungeon and Violent World; Glenn himself provided guitar on Halloween II. For whatever reason after these tracks were mixed Glenn chose not to do anything with most of them* and instead The Misfits would head back into the studio to try again. *London Dungeon, Horror Hotel and Ghouls Night Out would all make it onto the 3 Hits From Hell 7" EP (April 1981).
The Misfits (Doyle's first show) at Club 57, Halloween 1980;
photo by Joseph Szkodzinski
For the next go round, The Misfits entered Newfound Sound Studios in Fair Lawn, NJ in June 1981.
The Misfits, August 1981; photo by Eerie Von
8 songs were recorded during these sessions:
​
1 20 Eyes
2 I Turned Into A Martian
3 Astro Zombies
5 All Hell Breaks Loose
4 Nike A Go Go
6 Devils Whorehouse
7 Hate Breeders
8 American Nightmare
Glenn performed guitar on American Nightmare but all other tracks featured Doyle as Bobby had been let go of the band back on Halloween 1980; these tracks again for unknown reasons would languish as Glenn would instead decide to go back to the studio.
The Misfits performing at the East Side Club in Philadelphia, PA; August 1981
This time The Misfits entered Mix-O-Lydian in Boonton, NJ in August 1981.
Jerry Only and Arthur Googy during soundcheck;
Chase Park in NY; August 1981
photo by Eerie Von
6 songs were recorded during these sessions:
​
1 20 Eyes
2 I Turned Into A Martian
3 Astro Zombies
4 Vampira
5 Devils Whorehouse
6 Nike A Go Go
Glenn shared guitar duty with Doyle but once again the tracks collected dust as the band went back for more recording. The band also began performing shows again in August 1981 but would only do around 10 by years end.
Doyle; Chase Park, August 1980
photo by Eerie Von
Mix-O-Lydian was chosen once again and was used multiple times over the rest of 1981 to record 11 more songs:
​
01 20 Eyes
02 I Turned Into A Martian
03 All Hell Breaks Loose
04 Nike A Go Go
05 Night Of The Living Dead
06 Skulls
07 Violent World
08 Braineaters
09 Die Die My Darling
10 Halloween
11 Halloween II
Flyers for various Misfits shows in 1981
Glenn and Doyle shared guitar duty once more. This version of Halloween II was an overdub of the previous recording with drums by Glenn. The versions of Halloween and Halloween II comprised the Halloween 7" single (October 30, 1981).
The Misfits; Cuckoo's Nest in Costa Mesa, CA (November 1981)
At this point Glenn cobbled up tracks from the various sessions and created cassette tapes as an album demo and even had 25 center labels printed for the proposed release.
PL9-01 unused center labels
The 13 tracks on PL9-01 are:
Side A:
20 Eyes Mix-O-Lydian 08/1981 later used in Misfits box-set
I Turned Into A Martian Mix-O-Lydian 08/1981 later used in Misfits box-set
Astro Zombies Mix-O-Lydian 08/1981 later used in Misfits box-set
Vampira Mix-O-Lydian 08/1981
All Hell Breaks Loose Mix-O-Lydian 1981
Nike A Go Go Mix-O-Lydian 08/1981
Devils Whorehouse NFS Sessions 06/1981
​
Side B:
Night Of The Living Dead Mix-O-Lydian 1981
Skulls Mix-O-Lydian 1981
Violent World Mix-O-Lydian 1981
Horror Hotel MSP Sessions same as 3 Hits from Hell
Ghouls Night Out MSP Sessions same as 3 Hits from Hell
American Nightmare NFS Sessions 06/1981 later used on Legacy of Brutality
Glenn Danzig; December 1981
photo shared by Bazillion Points
As Glenn sent the demo out and called around for record distribution he would eventually get the attention of Ruby/Slash Records and the band would sign a one album deal with the label. In preparation Glenn scrapped previous plans and chose instead to take various tracks back into the studio, do new mixes and overdub guitar to them. He and Chris D. (Flesheaters and founder of Ruby Records) did this at Quad Teck in Los Angeles, CA in January 1982.
outtake from Walk Among Us photo session
from the collection of Maurice Nunez
"I played guitar on the tracks and on Braineaters' I actually played the drums! For the guitar parts I used lots of different guitars. I used a Gibson Les Paul Junior and I also used this guitar, which belong to this Beatnik guy called George who we knew, and who used to fix all the amps and stuff for us. He had this '57 Gretsch Country Gentleman that he had put in Super DiMarzio pickups of which he would later rewound himself. According to George, he used to be friends with Les Paul and George Benson and all these guys so learned how to do all of this through them. And he also put this extra volume knob on this old guitar too. When George died, he gave that guitar to Steve Zing from Samhain who is actually in my band now and who still has that same guitar. So I used that guitar a lot on that record. Amp wise, there were lots of different stuff too like Marshalls and Fenders. For some of the songs I went through a Fender Twin and cranked it up by turning the master volume and regular volume all the way up. I also had this old Vox Phantom, which I still have but has all been taken apart. And it [Vox] didn't have a tremolo bar on it anymore so I made one out of a bent screw driver and put it in there. And I did the tremolo that way with it on a number of songs. I tracked at least two tracks of guitar and sometimes three for each song. I would do a power chord track, a rhythm track, and a regular track."~Glenn Danzig, Ultimate-guitar.com, June 2009
front/back of Walk Among Us
The Misfits debut album was finally released in March 1982. Glenn has often expressed his disappointment in the fuscia album cover over the years, most recently in a 2009 interview with Ultimate Guitar, “Yeah I did all the album's art work and had this idea but at the same time, I had no idea how I was going to make it work. It was going to be us standing there with flying saucers and a bat spider. It was suppose to look different to the actual printed version though. I remember I flipped out on our label because it was suppose to be in all these different colors such as red, black and orange but the way it came out was truly awful. But they had already printed them anyway though they had not shown us any proofs beforehand. Because it was this little label, it was a really big nightmare working for them and we never got paid until we began threatening them with legal action.”.
labels from one set of Walk Among Us acetates
TERROR TIMES, 1982------------------MISFITS - "WALK AMONG US"
I've been waiting for an album like this to open my eyes for too long now.Before anyone accuses these guys of jumping on the Horror Rock bandwagon,let it be made clear that The Misfits have been playing exactly this samekind of music since 1978, long before 45 Grave was ever even conceived. Asfar as violence and horror goes, you need look no further and you need neverlook again. This unpleasant upheaval of sound will grind on your brain foras long as you can bare the pain. This band of fiends is without a doubtthe sickest of the sick, and they don't seem to be pleased with the world ingeneral which in turn produces music to demolish your skull. There is nocompassion shown for anything here except for death, hate, and completeannihilation. With titles like "Brain Eaters," "Astro Zombies," and "Nightof the Living Dead" what reason could you not have for buying thiswonderful record. This would make a lovely Mother's Day present. Of allthe records you've heard, this one will be the one which will tempt you mostto gout and mutilate an infant.
the 2nd pressing of Walk Among Us; 1982
Italian (3rd) pressing of Walk Among Us; 1982
UNKNOWN, 1982-------------Misfits - "Walk Among Us" - Ruby Records
After a bunch of extraordinary singles (six in all) on their own label,Plan 9, The Misfits have finally released an album on Ruby Records. There'sa big "horror rock" trend going on these days, especially in LA, so you'llprobably take a glance at this album, laugh, and say "Gee, what a rip offof TSOL and 45 Grave." Fuck no, these guys have been around much longerthan those westcoast bozos, it's TSOL who've ripped off The Misfits. Notonly were the Misfits first, they fit and live the image so much better.TSOL just make me laugh. Anyway the Misfits write such powerful songs,I could tell you right now that my favorite cuts are "20 Eyes," "HateBreeders," and "Night of The Living Dead" but that doesn't explain howgreat this band is... If you want a more detailed analysis, theres somekids in Maumee On. who are intensely knowledgeable about this band, so askthem... until then just by this fuckin record.
original Walk Among Us band photo
photo shared by https://www.instagram.com/wearethefiendclub138/
SOUNDS, May 1, 1982, page 14----------------------------NEW YORK NOOS by Tim Sommer
The Misfits, who have a truly awesome album just out on Ruby Slash ('TheMisfits Walk Among Us') were their usual phenomenal selves. They're anamazing, muscle-bound wall of sweat, power and flash, somewhere betweenthe Subs, Kiss, and the Damned; they're one of the fiercest and most visuallyconscious punk bands ever, and well worth checking out.
Versions of the tracks recorded during the Master Sound Productions sessions would eventually see the light of day (September 2001) in all their glory...but that is another story.