Used Records+Slam Dancing=(ex) Nerd Memories

June, 1984. Santa Barbara Junior High's Graduation Dance. Trying to act cool and failing miserably (hey, I was a nerd.) A few hundred kids standing around, drinking punch for all I can remember. There is a DJ. He's from a local band, The Tan. Probably trying to make some extra cash because his band aren't.

Hey, would you want to DJ a fucking junior high school party if you didn't have to?

Anyway, he starts his set. All I remember is two things.
The first is, though I had not heard anything like it at that time, I'm pretty sure that he played a ska song. The Specials, possibly? So, the song starts and some of the stranger looking kids start this insane/violent/stomp/fight/dance and the teachers are going nuts.

Chaos! Anarchy! My introduction to slam dancing!

To tell you the truth, I don't remember what I thought at the time. I knew of punk, had seen a Dead Kennedys record (WTF!) at the local record store, but, you know, I was a kid into Van Halen and the whole LA hard rock scene. (Look for my Forgotten Hits of Hair-Metal post soon!) Dreamed of going to the US Festival, the metal day. It's like, what? New wave day? The Clash, who the fuck were they!

Who knew I would be stage diving and playing hard core a few years later.

The other thing I remember from the dance is that the DJ played one of his own songs, a Tan song. I'm not sure, but he may have sung along to the record on an extra mike. A song called "Bad Party."

Fast forward about a decade.

Back in Japan, browsing through the used record bins at Reco Fan in Machida. I hit the 100 yen corner. You know what's coming. Yes, a 12" by The Tan. And, yes, "Bad Party" is the second track on the b side.

Hell, ya, I picked it up.

There are 3 songs on the 12", "Bad Party" being the best. Why? Because it was played at my junior high graduation dance.

The Tan "Bad Party"

One thing, how the shit did this record get to Japan? My copy is stamped #0782 so I'm guessing that 1000 were made. And you know what the really fucked thing is, I saw another copy a few years later at a different shop.

僕のアメリカの中学の卒業ダンスパーティーでThe Tanっていうバンドの人がDJをやってた。１０年後、町田レコファンでそいつらの12"発見。¥100。売れなかった、安っぽNew Wave?