Agent Orange was formed in Placentia, California in 1979 by guitarist Mike Palm, a musical omnivore whose early influences included vintage surf music, heavy metal, and '50s and '60s rock. Emboldened by the rise of punk rock, Palm began consolidating his tastes into a meld that fused the style of classic sounds with the impact and velocity of punk. Teaming with bassist Steve Soto and drummer Scott Miller, Palm assembled the first edition of Agent Orange (the name was a dual reference to the notorious defoliant used by the United States military in Vietnam and the group's home in California's Orange County). In 1980, the trio self-released their debut single, "Bloodstains" b/w "America" and "Bored of You." Thanks to frequent spins on Bingenheimer's KROQ radio show, "Bloodstains" became a favorite in the Southern California punk community, and the band struck a deal with the independent Posh Boy label to cut their first full-length album, 1981's Living in Darkness. By the time Agent Orange cut the LP, Steve Soto had left the group to form the Adolescents, and James Levesque took over on bass. Living in Darkness spread the word about the band's skate-friendly surf/punk sound, and Posh Boy pulled a single from the album, "Everything Turns Gray," backed with a revved-up cover of the Chantays' "Pipeline." 1982 saw the release of Bitchin' Summer, a four-song EP featuring covers of four classic surf instrumentals.
In 1983, Agent Orange jumped from Posh Boy to a larger and better distributed indie, Enigma Records, and brought out the EP When You Least Expect It, which featured two originals and two covers, including their take on Jefferson Airplane's "Somebody to Love." While Agent Orange remained active as a live band, it would be three years before they released another recording, their second full-length album, 1986's This Is the Voice, which boasted slicker production and a poppier sound than their previous efforts. Agent Orange were never an especially prolific recording act, and it would be 1991 before another album appeared, a live recording titled Real Live Sound. During the downtime between This Is the Voice and Real Live Sound, Scott Miller and James Levesque both left the group, and bassist Brent Liles and drummer Derek O'Brien signed on. In 1991, O'Brien dropped out, and Scotty Lund took over behind the drums, while Sam Bolle preplaced Liles on bass in 1992. In 1996, Agent Orange released their third studio album, Virtually Indestructible, released by the Gunka Disc label. The album featured drummer Charlie Quintana (formerly of the Plugz and Social Distortion) taking over for Scotty Lund, though Steve Latanation would step in after Quintana's departure in 1997.
In 2000, Agent Orange returned with Greatest & Latest, which collected live and studio recordings of original songs as well as tunes from their back catalog. The album was reissued in 2004 as Blood Stained Hitz, and was recycled again in 2008 as Surfing to Some F#*ked Up S@!t, with the addition of a cover of Metallica's "Seek and Destroy." In 2004, there was another turnover in the rhythm section with the arrival of bassist Bruce Taylor and drummer Dusty Watson. In 2006, bassist Perry Giordano came on board after Taylor moved on, and Dave Klein succeeded Watson as drummer in 2009. In 2003, Agent Orange's Enigma Records material was reissued in a two-CD set titled Sonic Snake Session. Liles died in 2007 after being hit by a truck, Levesque passed in 2014, and Quintana lost his life after struggling with emphysema and heart disease in 2018.
Biography by Mark Deming
Members
Mike Palm : Vocals & Guitars (1979 - Present)
Steve Soto : Bass & Vocals (1979-1980)
James Levesque : Bass & Vocals (1980 - 1988)
Brent Liles : Bass & Vocals (1989 - 1995)
Sam Bolle : Bass & Vocals (1996 - 2005)
Perry Gx : Bass & Vocals (2006 - Present)
Scott Miller : Drums & Vocals (1979 - 1988)
Derek O'Brien : Drums & Vocals (1989 - 1995)
Charles Quintana : Drums & Vocals (1996 - 1998)
Dusty Watson : Drums (1999 - 2000)
Steve Latanation : Drums (2000 - 2005)
Dave Klein : Drums (2009 - Present)
Albums
Living in Darkness 1980
When You Least Expect It 1984
This Is The Voice 1986
Real Live Sound 1990
Virtually Indestructible 1996
This That-n-The Other Thing 2000
There are other artists with the same name:
Dutch Agent Orange
The second Agent Orange was a Dutch hardcore punk band from Amsterdam. They were formerly known as Jezus and the Gospelfuckers and also recorded songs for a Pusmort compilation under the bandname "Genocide Express". As Agent Orange they record 2 singles, the first called "your mother sucks coocks in hell" which sells on ebay for insanely high prices, and a second one called "VD" aka "hello boyfriend coming my way?
German Agent Orange are from Germany and were formed in 2005 in "hude" near Bremen.
Swiss Agent Orange
Trip/bit hop producer, to avoid confusion, he changed his name to agentff6600.
Danish Agent Orange
Two musicians of a local danish band called digiis (short of digital inspired), who has made a side project. The music is both electronic and acoustic.
http://www.myspace.com/davidmads
There is also another German Agent Orange from Bisingen. They played Metal and released a single and 2 albums, the second on B.O. Records.
Voices
Agent Orange Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It seems to me that in the past
The darkness was my friend
Those times have changed, I'm now a stranger
In a violent place
I walk alone down empty streets
I turn my head, did someone call my name?
I feel alright - but I keep on hearing voices in the night
I've got a feeling something's wrong
But I can't place it
A feeling that I know is real
'Cause I can taste it
Someone's watching me - I feel their presence
But I can't see them
Some else is right behind me
I hold my breath - I get the feeling...
I feel alright - but I keep on hearing voices in the night
The opening lines reflect the feeling of being lost in a familiar yet unknown world. The singer is alone at night, with no clear path ahead of them. However, it also reflects on a time when darkness was familiar to them and they had a sense of security. This is juxtaposed with the current reality where they are a stranger to the place and it is a violent one. The sense of alienation is palpable here.
The chorus, "I feel alright - but I keep on hearing voices in the night," has an almost dissociative undertone to it. While the singer claims to be fine, the "voices" reveal a deep-seated fear that something might be wrong. It's like they are trying to convince themselves that everything is alright, but they are unable to shake off the unease. The imagery of someone calling their name or watching them is particularly eerie. The singer is paranoid and unsettled throughout the song, and the voices are symbolic of both external and internal conflict.
Overall, "Voices" is a song that packs a lot of emotions and vivid imagery in just a few lines. The sense of dislocation and danger is palpable, and the lyrics are a haunting reflection of the human psyche.
Line by Line Meaning
Night time - all alone - nowhere to begin
The singer feels lost and unsure of how to move forward in life, especially when they are alone at night.
It seems to me that in the past / The darkness was my friend / Those times have changed, I'm now a stranger
In the past, the singer used to find comfort in the darkness, but now they feel like they no longer belong.
In a violent place / I walk alone down empty streets / I turn my head, did someone call my name?
The singer is in a dangerous neighborhood and is constantly on edge, wondering if someone is calling out to them or following them.
I feel alright - but I keep on hearing voices in the night / I've got a feeling something's wrong / But I can't place it / A feeling that I know is real / 'Cause I can taste it
Even though the singer feels okay, they are still haunted by the voices they hear at night and have a strong sense that something bad is going to happen.
Someone's watching me - I feel their presence / But I can't see them / Some else is right behind me / I hold my breath - I get the feeling...
The singer is convinced that they are being watched, even if they can't see anyone, and is terrified of the possibility of someone being right behind them.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: JAMES LEVESQUE, MICHAEL PALM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind