Our friends at Drastic Plastic Records have just reissued Agent Orange’s hardcore classic Living in Darkness in a super-limited run of opaque-blue and 180-gram black vinyl — just 500 copies are being pressed of each — and they’ve hooked us up with one copy of each to give away to a pair of lucky Slicing Up Eyeballs readers.
Plus, each winner will receive the label’s CD reissue of the 1981 album as well.
TO ENTER: Simply drop a comment below naming your favorite Agent Orange song (or songs) and share some thoughts on why they hold that special place in your heart.
RULES: This contest is open to United States entrants only (sorry, label’s rules), and we will take entries until 12 p.m. EST Friday, March 15, 2013. After that point, we’ll select two winners at random and contact them via e-mail — so please remember to use a legit address when you enter. And if the winners do not respond after one full week, we’ll select new ones. Please, only one entry per person.
For more information on Agent Orange and other Drastic Plastic releases, visit drasticplasticrecords.com.
UPDATE: The contest is now closed. Thank you all for entering and sharing your memories. Winners have been notified.
Tough to pick just a single favorite. I guess I’ll have to go with “Bloodstains”, but if you ask me tomorrow I’d probably pick something else.
“Too Young To Die”
Bloodstains (Original Version), A Cry for Help in a World Gone Mad. They managed to perfectly walk a tight rope of being powerful, catchy and angry. Truly great and (often)overlooked punk rock.
As much as I love “Bloodstains,” “Fire in the Rain” is still my go-to Agent Orange song – it’s the first one I ever connected with, before working my way back to Living in Darkness. The main reason I dig this band, besides Mike Palm’s way with a tune, is that they still sound so different than both their peers and current acts – a unique mix of punk, metal and power pop. Plus the heavy surf rock influence, of course.
Too Young To Die was always on the skate mixes we made.
“There’s No Such Thing” and title cut “Living In Darkness” were such poignant outsider anthems for an oft withdrawn, always depressed Chicago girl who lived, at that time, solely to slam and stage-dive. Thankfully, maturity, social skills, and Jesus came to this girl over time… but these songs still rock! And Agent Orange puts on a great show!
Fire In The Rain. It still kicks ass today, would love to win the cd reissue. Thanks
Bloodstains
Definitely Fire in the Rain. First CD I ever bought was Agent Orange!
Everything Turn Grey!
Hands down I gotta say their cover of “Miserlu”
Always loved Bloodstains. Probably should be listening to the band more – no doubt there’s other great tracks I’m not as up to speed on.
“Everything Turns Grey”
Simply awesome skate music that has provided an excellent soundtrack for countless sessions for many, many years.
Bloodstains was the first song I heard and is well-played, no doubt, but No Such Thing and Miserlou are definite contenders.
I’ve always loved Bloodstains but No Such Thing and Miserlou are tight contenders.
Everything Turns Grey. No matter what you think or do or say. Ahh teenage nihilism.
too young to die like how the song gets intteruptted in a panic like being chased by someone threatening lol reminds me of skating pools without permission in the 80’s and having to bail
I have to go with “Bloodstains.” This takes me back to the good old days of trying to skateboard on wooden ramps several decades ago, and being an epic failure at doing so.
“Everything Turns Grey” but really, the entire record as a whole. Skate Visions (R.I.P. Jeff Phillips)!
“No Such Thing”! An excellent anthem to my teenage years!
A.O. are the single greatest skate rock band ever! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGgptWdX-BQ
I Kill Spies is my all-time favorite song by Agent Orange. I just like the whole James Bond meets surf punk vibe, especially the lyrics. I got to see Agent Orange play a couple of times and got to meet Mike Palm and he’s really a cool cat and great to his fans.
I would say Fire in the Rain. Awesome song
“No Such Thing” sounds as good now as it ever did.
“everything turns grey” great so cal skate band!
Miserlou…surf punk heaven!
“No Such Thing” is brilliant. Saw them way back and they delivered.
I would have to say my favorites are Bloodstains and No Such Thing.
I would have to say my favorites are Bloodstains and No Such Thing.
From the first record A Cry for Help in a World Gone Mad & from the second Fire in the Rain. Their music just reminds of a great time in my life, mid-late 80’s BMX freestyling, hearing a lot of their tunes in competitions & BMX vids.
Bloodstains. They are all awesome songs. I just love the
lyrics and what them mean to me!
Everything Turns Grey was my first favorite song by them, but as of late I’ve really connected with Fire in the Rain. That was the song that really got me back into them after a few years of not listening to them.
“No Such Thing”
That album (and Minor Threat)really brings me back to my middle-school skate-rat days!
Fire in the Rain
Fire in the Rain
Loved this album back in the day. Some serious skate destruction went down with this one on the boombox. With that being said, I will always be partial to “The Last Goodbye” as it was probably the very first song I was able to figure out on the guitar all on my own. Good times.
This is Not the End. Be it the tiny grooves or bleeding
ears, they could only take so much. This rang to me as a 11 year
old (when the record came out) as much as it does to me now as a 38
year old listening to the records as if I were still that little
skate punk. Oh, to be a kid again!
“Fire in the Rain”, easily.
“Fire In The Rain” never gets old even after seeing the band close to 10 times live at this point.
I know a cover might not be “purist” but my favorite is Somebody to Love. My dorm mate Glen turned us on to Agent Orange in ’85. It was my first entry into “punk” and was an important stepping stone in my musical life.
Fire In The Rain, and I love it for no other reason that it reminds me of middle school!
Breakdown is my favorite song on LID. Agent Orange is one of the best shows I ever went to. It was at the Satyricon here in Portland with the former Social D rhythm section in the band with Mike Palm. The six pitchers of beer I split with my friend helped the experience too.
Everything Turns Grey. Classic surf punk.
Fire in the Rain
Bloodstains, simply because it is the first one I ever heard and it is what drew me in.
The Last Goodbye owns bones.
‘everything turns grey’.. such a classic throughout. can’t tell you the number of times the bands i was in have covered this.
Very hard to decide. This whole album was my high school life anthem. Guess if I had to choose I go with “A Cry for Help in a World Gone Mad.” Just intense from beginning to end. I’m also partial to the really early stuff, like “El Dorado”.
“El Dorado”.
One of the best early CA. punk bands. Love all their music!
Bloodstains, but their cover of Pipeline is great too. Ah, WTH, have they even recorded a bad song? It’s all good. I came home from work a couple months ago and my 14 year old had the guitar cranked up. I thought I recognized the song. When I asked him what he was playing he said, “Bloodstains.” He heard it on a video game and figured it out. He has good taste.
Everything Turns Grey, because a great local punk band in Sioux Falls, SD that I followed had a song called Everything Turns Black…check out Ira Robbin’s great reviews of No Direction in the Trouser Press Record Guide online…Agent Orange rules…
Agent Orange was one of the first CD’s I ver bought. I remember listening to it to the point the CD was worn out and it was also one the first CD’s I bought a second time! I think my favorite all time is Bloodstains!
everything turns grey/ pipeline. went to a little punk rock party in early ’82. my friend jack played both sides of the single. it blew me away. the next weekend i went to new york to pick it it up. had to have it!
Bloodstains…because, it does.
I grew up in Orange County, so Agent Orange always takes me back to the good old days. The Cover of Secret Agent Man is a classic!
Too Young To Die was always a favorite of mine. Glad to see this album get the re-issue it deserves!
Too Young To Die and Living In Darkness are the ones.
“Bored of You” Agent Orange quickly became one of my favorite punk bands back in high school because they didn’t quite fit the mold of a punk band. Agent Orange covered surf instrumentals, their lyrics were a bit on the mundane side, and they didn’t conform to the punk style by wearing dorky sweaters. (Which is something I can totally relate to.)
Everything Turns Grey. It has a nice solo and nice backing vocals. :D
my favorite would probably be too young to die. i’m forever too young to die!
Bloodstains…pure pop punk resonated with me as a kid….still love it!!
Bloodstains and I Kill Spies
Love the whole album but at 13 years of age “Bloodstains” sealed it, I have used the chorus as a toast for 30 plus years even at a wedding.
Ive listen to Agent Orange since I was a kid so they’ll always be on my playlist!
I would love to know why AO hasn’t recorded any music in ages????
Until then, Everything Turns Grey.
everything turns grey is a great song. Bloodstains was always a crowd favorite as well.
Living in darkness for a million reasons, not the least of which is the fact that its a great song that somehow beautifully captures an often unpredictably introverted mental state I’ve often been prone to over the years (no I’m not deranged or suicidal). I was 14 years old when I got this cassette tape. I was sent to live in Florida for the summer with relatives while my parents went through a divorce. My cousin who I stayed with was older and a rad surfer type played some A.O for me and I went to the mall a few days later and picked Living In Darkness up (it included the Bitchin’ Summer EP, so I figured I was getting a deal!) I still have the original cassette(Posh Boy,PBC 122, it’s white) 26 years later. Both sides of it are worn to shit but I still have the original insert and tape case and somehow it still plays. I don’t know how I’ve managed to hold onto it after all these years, as I’m not that kind of hang on to it dude, but this record has always held a special place in my heart. Like everyone else it started with skateboarding (the old Vision Skate Visions video)and somehow dug under my skin for good. A lot of music I’ve listened to over the years doesn’t seem to hold up now like I thought it would, but this short ass cassette stills sounds as good today as the time I first heard it.
Cheers!
Fire in the Rain
Bloodstains, totally my fave.
“Everything Turns Grey” is my all-time favorite A.O. tune, but “Bloodstains” holds a special place for me because my friends and I did a lip-sync for our ninth grade talent show…and won!
KROQin’ “Bloodstains”!
The whole “Living in Darkness” album is on point, but I especially love “Cry For Help in a World Gone Mad.” It perfectly exemplifies the feeling of outgrowing/growing apart from/growing apathetic toward old friends, even ones you were once very close to. It’s a sad feeling, but also empowering in a way.
My favorite Agent Orange song is “Everything Turns Grey.” I had heard the cover that Lagwagon had done and when I found out it was an Agent Orange song, I tracked down the original version. I had already heard “Bloodstains,” but for some reason that song wasn’t enough to get me interested in checking out more of their music. Fortunately Lagwagon intervened and I ended up becoming a fan.
Tie for Everything Turns Grey & Bloodstains… Used to skateboard around listening to those tunes! Good times!
This album came out when I was in high school. Some friends of mine and I built a half pipe and used to spend as much time as we could skateboarding while we played skate punk tunes on my boom box. Living in Darkness was on heavy rotation, and Bloodstains was our anthem. Seems like yesterday.
“fire in the rain”
simply because it’s the first song i had ever heard from them….and it fully kicked my ass….
“Bloodstains”
I can’t even begin to describe how pissed off I was when my car stereo was stolen, with my copy of “Living In Darkness” still inside! A great album!
bite the hand that feeds……..
whole skate/surf/punk/spy/secret agent thing going on…….only have been able to catch agent orange in concert 1 time….back in late 90’s at jannus landing……great concert..
“The last goodbye” .. Forever reminds my 40 year old bones being 15 and having skinned knees on the 1/2 pipe by our fort in the woods
I’ll go with Bloodstains.
Miserlou. 1st thing I’d heard! Used to come in from skating all day, dreaming I was as cool as Agent Orange sounded
“Too Young To Die”
Living in Darkness is one of the best albums of all time. My son introduced me to AO a few weeks ago. How did I miss AO on the music scene? Getting old here, I guess…
Breakdown and Bloodstains. I can’t really explain it, I just like them the best. In the mornings I play Agent Orange, Dead Kennedys, Rancid, Sex Pistols, Ramons at elevated levels because I have 2 hours of freedom before the rest of the crew shows up. Security just shakes their head. They don’t understand. But it gets me pumped for the rest of the day. But deny me my morning music and I’m hella grumpy.
Contest is now closed. Thank you all for entering and sharing your thoughts. Winners to be notified via e-mail.