The Higson’s single took me over 23 years of searching to find. Last summer I hit pay dirt at Mystery Train, a marvelous used record shop in Gloucester, MA. First heard in the Philly dorm room of my pal who went by the apt name of Map. Indeed, he certainly showed me the way with these two records. The Higsons track embodied our irreverent gonzo side, I guess. It was so great to put it on the turntable after all these years and have it be as fantastic as I remembered it. It has many of the hallmarks of 1981 post-punk experimentation: the dissonant slashing guitar chords, the chorused white-boy funk bass, the ska references, the crazed chanting. Map also introduced me to the Monochrome Set, specifically their spaghetti western-tinged single “Cast a Long Shadow”, which I eventually tracked down on the excellent Cherry Red Records compilation “The Eyes of Barbara Steele” (pictured below). Whereas the Higsons seemed like the kind of guys you would have a few pints and jokes with after the football match, the Monochrome Set came off like eccentric Dada-ist nobility. I’m sure I speak for Little Hits in saying that the first four Monochrome Set albums are indespensible. I started out with their fantastic comp “Volume, Contrast, Brilliance” (one of my desert island records) and moved on to Love Zombies and then Eligible Bachelors. Yow. Anyway, Map was kind of daffy goofy gangly faux-spastic nerdy in all the right ways back then, and these two songs really are the musical equivalent of my memories of him from that time. Plus the tunes are a laugh riot and yet somehow remain elevated above all-out jokey novelty record status, perhaps because they are really more sophisticated and witty than say, oh, the Pop-O-Pies. Quite a feat to sing “Hoo ha a-debba debba debbay, hoo ha a-dep dep doo” and “bah bup bup bah bah bah bup bah bah bup bah” and keep your ascot pin in place.

Andrew Chalfen