Anyone camping out in front of MTV in its first year will remember The Hitmen's "Bates Motel" immediately. It's one of those great forgotten bits of 80's obscura. The Hitmen, fronted by Ben Watkins, recorded their first album "Aim for the Feet" in 1980 under the Urgent Records division of Columbia. It's pretty light but listenable stuff (along the lines of more familiar bands of the era such as The Romantics, The Producers, or Graham Parker and The Rumour) but ultimately forgettable. Their second release, 1981's "Torn Together" leads off with "Bates Motel", a rich, murky, yet danceable gem that sets the tone for the rest of the album. The upgrade in style is not too surprising considering this outing was produced by Rhett Davies (who is also associated with Talking Heads, Roxy Music, and Icehouse, among many others).

Aim For The Feet (1980)
01 OK
02 Private Eye
03 She's All Mine
04 Kid's Stuff
05 Guess Who
06 I Still Remember
07 Slay Me With Your 45
08 Eyes Open
09 Bad Timing
10 Hold On to Her

Torn Together (1981)
01 Bates Motel
02 What Would The Neighbors Say
03 Picking Up The Pulse
04 Score It Blue
05 The Hard Heartbeat
06 Don't Speak With The Enemy
07 Shade In Fade Out
08 Changing Faces

Album cover images are included. Enjoy and SEED!