13-track recording from Sire Records basement studio out via Left For Dead

Left For Dead Records issues the Rousers’ 1979 Sire Records basement session on October 14. The release comes in black and translucent white numbered 12″ LP and 2 x CD formats with additional material.

Title: 1979 Sire Demo
Artist: Rousers
Release Date: 2025-10-13
Genres: Power Pop, Punk Rock, Rock and Roll
Label: Left For Dead Records
Description: Rousers 1979 Sire Session out October 14 via Left For Dead Records. Ed Stasium-produced NYC punk tapes archived 45 years now on vinyl and CD.

The session was tracked by Ed Stasium, who had recently worked with the Ramones and Talking Heads. The original lineup—Jeff Buckland on vocals, Bill Dickson on rhythm guitar, John Hannah on bass, Tom Milmore on lead guitar, and Jerid O’Connell on drums—recorded in the label’s Upper West Side facility. The tapes remained in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s Sire archives until digitization and restoration in 2024. Mixing was handled by Bob Stander at Parchessi Studio and Stasium.

The 13 tracks include originals like “Be My Girl,” “Product of the USA,” “Bumblebee Rock,” and “Lonely Summer,” alongside Duane Eddy material (“Ram Rod,” “Movin’ N Groovin'”) and a version of Wilson Pickett’s “If You Need Me.” The band used Gibson guitars through Fender amplifiers. The recording method was direct to tape.

RCA and Warner Bros. subsidiary Sire had expressed interest in the band during their active period, but no contract materialized. Reynolds Jimboco released the band’s first single in 1981—”Party Boy” backed with “Don’t Let The Band Stop Playing”—produced by Wayne Kramer of MC5.

The Rousers operated in Manhattan during the 1970s punk period. The band drew from the New York Dolls, Ramones, and 1950s guitar instrumentals, particularly those of Duane Eddy. Their approach combined Elvis Presley and Buddy Holly vocal techniques with guitar-driven arrangements suited to venues with dance floors. The session sat unreleased for 45 years between the 1979 recording date and the 2024 restoration.

The package includes liner notes by Tim Stegall, who writes for The Tim “Napalm” Stegall Substack and Ugly Things.

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