The lineup first consisted of vocalist Jack Grisham (who has been credited as Jack Greggors, Alex Morgan, Jack Ladoga, Jim Woo and James DeLauge), guitarist Ron Emory, bassist Mike Roche, and drummer Todd Barnes, the band's first release was a harshly political eponymous T.S.O.L. EP featuring tracks such as "Superficial Love," "World War III" and "Abolish Government."
After their debut EP, they released Dance With Me, their first full-length record. A departure from the entirely political nature of the previous release, Dance With Me was far darker and more macabre, featuring such themes as necrophilia, and the song "Silent Scream," which is made up entirely of horror movie clichés. Their most popular release, both then and to this day, the album earned them the title of the "West Coast Misfits" (a reference to Glenn Danzig's band the Misfits on the East Coast), and has made the band a favorite amongst horror punk fans.
They later signed to independent label Alternative Tentacles, for which they released the Weathered Statues 7" EP and the Beneath the Shadows album which featured, for the first time, keyboard player Greg Kuehn who added a new dimension to the band. Around this period their style had changed further, becoming highly experimental and varied, featuring art punk and psychedelic leanings, as well as their customary horror themes.
In 1983 amid personal turmoil, Jack Grisham and Todd Barnes left the band and were replaced by singer Joe Wood (who was Grisham's brother-in-law) and drummer Mitch Dean. This new line-up (with Joe Wood and Mitch Dean) released the album named Change Today? in 1984 on Enigma Records.
The group changed their sound entirely for their next release Revenge, adopting a punk metal sound. Their music was featured in the 1984 movie Suburbia, the 1985 version of popular horror movie Return of the Living Dead and Dangerously Close in 1986.
The band became friends with Guns N' Roses and T.S.O.L. t-shirts can be seen in the "Sweet Child o' Mine" video. They followed up with an album in a similar style, titled Hit and Run. Before it was released, original guitarist Ron Emory quit the band, leaving Mike Roche as the sole original member.
T.S.O.L. were joined briefly by guitarist Scotty Phillips, who quit before the band started recording the follow-up to Hit and Run. They eventually hired guitar player and actor Marshall Rohner. They released a blues-metal album titled Strange Love in 1990. Mike Roche quit shortly before the album release, leaving no original member in the band. A compilation album entitled Hell & Back Together: 1984-1990 was issued in 1992 with an emphasis on their metal era. Murphy Karges, later of Sugar Ray, briefly replaced Roche on bass as did Dave Mello.
Meanwhile, the original members had started playing shows featuring the band's early material under the name T.S.O.L., often playing the same cities, the same nights as the other T.S.O.L. Since Joe Wood and Mitch Dean now owned the rights to the name T.S.O.L., they threatened to sue the original members, who released a live album of their early material under the name "Grisham, Roche, Emory and Barnes" but stopped playing together soon after because of drug problems.
In 1996, most of the original members settled down and realized that they still had a passion for their music and that fans wanted them to reunite. In 1999, they fought with Wood for rights to the name and won before joining the Vans Warped Tour, playing for the first time in years under the name T.S.O.L.
Todd Barnes had died on December 6th, 1999 of a brain aneurysm at the age of 34. The remaining members recruited drummer Jay O'Brien and released the Anticop single and the Disappear and Divided We Stand albums on Nitro Records, the latter of which featured Greg Kuehn back on keyboards. The Original T.S.O.L. recorded two more full length albums. In September of 2007, Cider City Records released the posthumous live album Live From Long Beach, recorded in November 2006 on the weekend of the band's two "farewell" performances.
Their departure was short-lived, however, with a couple of local shows in late 2007. They also headlined the "F**k the Whales, Save a Chckn" benefit in February of 2008, held to help with cancer treatment bills for guitarist Craig "Chckn" Jewett of D.I.
They are an independent band under the Nitro Records banner, which was started by the Offspring vocalist Dexter Holland, for whom T.S.O.L. is cited as an influence.
In December 2008, the band, in cooperation with Hurley, entered the studio to record Life, Liberty & the Pursuit of Free Downloads which was, as the title suggests, made available as a free download through Hurley's website on January 8, 2009.
The late eighties T.S.O.L. version apparently are popular enough to invite bookings in Brazil & Argentina, where the Grisham led band hold no legal rights to prevent Wood from gigging as T.S.O.L. Since 1996, Wood has been joined by guitarists including Mike Martt and Drac Conley, drummers Steve "Sully" O’Sullivan and Mitch Dean and bassist Dave Mello, who joined the band near the end of its Enigma years run. Additionally, Wood has pursued musical work in Joe Wood and the Lonely Ones & Cisco Poison.
Members
* Jack Grisham - vocals
* Ron Emory - guitar
* Mike Roche - bass
* Antonio Val Hernandez - Drums
* Greg Kuehn - piano, synthesizers
Former members
* Todd Barnes - drums
* Murphy Karges (born Matthew Murphy Karges) - bass
* Dave Mello - bass
* Joe Wood - vocals, guitar
* Mitch Dean - drums
* Marshall Rohner - guitars
* Jay O'Brien - drums
* Travis Johnson - drums
* Billy Blaze - drums
* Frank Agnew - guitar
* Scotty Phillips - guitar
* Tiny Bubbz - Drums
Candy
T.S.O.L. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Maybe you already know
Found her at a backyard party
So I took her home
She never gave me no feedback
So how was I to know that when it comes
To her cocaine, Candy don't know
Candy ran me out of my soul
I didn't think it was funny
Too bad she never gonna make it
She never gonna make it all the way home
I packed my bags for New York City
I heard she had some friends
Found her at some big time party
And it never ends
She told me some lie about her money
I knew my soul was on ice
She had me playin' her game
And I paid the price
I ran out of my money
I ran out of my soul
I didn't think it was funny
Too bad she never gonna make it
She never gonna make it all the way home
I found myself this roadside cafe
Thought maybe I'd get some rest
Candy walks in the front door
Goddamn, she's lookin' her best
I knew that this was gonna be the last time
I'd get safe to speak my mind
I told her where she could go
She said she needed a ride
I ran out of my money
I ran out of my soul
I didn't think it was funny
Too bad she never gonna make it
She never gonna make it all the way home
I woke up, I was in Georgia
Couldn't believe my eyes
Candy walks into the barroom in a wicked disguise
I followed her to the back room
When I opened the door
I'm lookin' down the barrel of her 44
I ran out of my money
I ran out of my soul
I didn't think it was funny
Too bad she never gonna make it
She never gonna make it all the way home
The song "Candy" by T.S.O.L. tells the story of the singer's encounter with a woman named Candy who introduces him to the world of drugs and ultimately ruins his life. The lyrics vividly portray the downfall of the singer's life as he follows Candy from one party to another, and finally confronts her in a bar where he risks his life. The opening verse describes how he met Candy at a backyard party and took her home without knowing about her addiction. She takes advantage of him and runs him dry of his money and soul.
The second verse reveals the singer's attempt to escape from Candy by moving to New York City but he finds her again at a party. This time he becomes a victim of her lies and games and is left without money and soul once again. The final verse shows the singer encountering Candy one last time in a roadside cafe where he confronts her about ruining his life. She manipulates him into giving her a ride but it is revealed in a twist at the end that Candy is armed and dangerous.
The song makes use of a simple and repetitive structure of verses and choruses that follows a straightforward narrative. The lyrics are straightforward and paint a vivid picture of the singer's descent into ruin. The music is also aptly dark and menacing, creating an ominous atmosphere that adds to the song's overall message.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm gonna tell you about Candy
I will give you the details of Candy
Maybe you already know
You might be familiar with her
Found her at a backyard party
I met her at a party in someone's backyard
So I took her home
I decided to bring her to my place
She never gave me no feedback
She did not express her opinion about anything
So how was I to know that when it comes To her cocaine, Candy don't know
I could not guess that Candy was unaware of the effects of cocaine
Candy ran me out of my money
Candy took all of my money
Candy ran me out of my soul
Candy made me lose my spirit
I didn't think it was funny
I did not find it amusing
Too bad she never gonna make it
It is unfortunate that she will not succeed
She never gonna make it all the way home
She will not arrive safely at her destination
I packed my bags for New York City
I prepared to leave for New York City
I heard she had some friends
I knew she had acquaintances in the city
Found her at some big time party
I encountered her at a major event
And it never ends
The partying and drug use goes on continually
She told me some lie about her money
She deceived me regarding her finances
I knew my soul was on ice
I realized my spirit was in jeopardy
She had me playin' her game
She made me participate in her schemes
And I paid the price
I suffered consequences as a result
I found myself this roadside cafe
I discovered a cafe on the side of the road
Thought maybe I'd get some rest
I hoped to find some relaxation
Candy walks in the front door
Candy enters the cafe
Goddamn, she's lookin' her best
She looks very attractive
I knew that this was gonna be the last time
I was aware that this would be the final encounter
I'd get safe to speak my mind
I would have the opportunity to express myself without fear
I told her where she could go
I informed her about where she could leave
She said she needed a ride
She requested for transportation
I woke up, I was in Georgia
When I regained consciousness, I was in Georgia
Couldn't believe my eyes
I was in shock
Candy walks into the barroom in a wicked disguise
Candy appears in the bar wearing a deceitful outfit
I followed her to the back room
I trailed her into the rear of the establishment
When I opened the door
As I unlocked the door
I'm lookin' down the barrel of her 44
I saw the end of her gun pointing at me
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BRIAN ALEXANDER MORGAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Statutory Ape
One of my favorite bands in 99... Can't believe they aren't bigger 🤐
Retro Music TV
Underrated band
Massimo Fava
Very true. Thanks for your comment.
Анатолий Тихонов
Very simple and very cool!
Thank you so much, Massimo! Thanks to you, I have heard a lot of new good music!
Massimo Fava
Thanks, it was a pleasure.
Massimo Fava
Unfortunately, many other interesting videos have been blocked for copyright infringement.
Michael Duke
Am I ever gonna make it , a all the way out!
RemmyMonroe
いいねぇ
Massimo Fava
Grazie.
HEADBANGERSBALLER
Best song Ever!!!! Hi KEIR....