This is a very rare 1979 US 3-track wide-centred 7″, pressed on transparent yellow vinyl, limited to just 2000 copies. Complete with picture sleeve, horror story insert, and ‘Fiend Club’ merchandise insert. Also includes Teenagers From Mars, and Children In Heat PL1009. Read background info below…

Recorded in January 1979 at C.I Recordings in New York, the release was originally intended to be a five track EP. At the time The Misfits could not afford to release a 12”, so it was trimmed to the three tracks for a 7” release. While a 12” acetate was produced for the EP, the remaining two tracks (Who Killed Marilyn? And Where Eagles Dare) would not see an official release until their 1981 compilation, Legacy Of Brutality.

The tracks from the session that made their way on to the release are:

01 Horror Business
02 Teenagers From Mars
03 Children In Heat

Only 2000 copies of the 7” were pressed on yellow vinyl. The pressing ran into problems when in June 1979, vocalist, Glenn Danzig, was told by a pressing plant in New Jersey that he did not meet their minimum order number for coloured vinyl. Further delays occurred the same month when the pressing plates were shipped to a plant on the West Coast, and still did not reach Danzig’s desired timeframe ahead of a planned show with fellow horror punks, The Damned.

While these delays were happening, Danzig had 2000 sleeves printed in anticipation of the release. The sleeves also faced issues due to colouring of the black ink used on the band photograph on the black. These were all said to be destroyed, and then had to be reprinted with the iconic sleeve used on the release.

Some copies were issued with an extra black and white insert (as well as the Fiend Club merchandise insert) that gives a fake horror story explaining the eerie noises that can be heard on the recording. It adds a nice touch to the history of the single.

Horror Business finally saw its release in August of 1979, and is the third official single from The Misfits.

Condition:

The sleeve has retained its shine, and aside from some very minor creasing to the top left corner, is in near ‘as new’ condition. Both inserts show very little sign of age, too, surviving intact for over 35 years.

The vinyl itself is, quite frankly, staggering. It appears unplayed, with clean and crisp labels. The matrix numbers (PL-1009A and PL-1009B, respectively) are hand-scratched into the run out groove, identifying this as an original pressing.

It is obvious that this is a remarkable find, and has been cared for over the years. It survived the wild days of punk, and you are unlikely to see another copy in such wonderful condition as this. This is a true piece of Misfits history, that deserves to be given pride and place in the home of any serious punk collector.

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