Grow Up

Grow Up is the debut album by the American punk rock band the Queers. Recorded in multiple sessions between 1986 and 1988, with various band members and session musicians backing singer and guitarist Joe King (aka Joe Queer), it was originally released as an LP record in 1990 by British label Shakin' Street Records. However, the label went out of business after only 1,000 copies were pressed. The Queers had more copies pressed themselves, continuing to list Shakin' Street as the record label, but when they failed to pay their bill the pressing plant destroyed all but approximately 160 copies, which the band released with a photocopied album cover. In 1993 the Queers signed to Lookout! Records, who released their second album, Love Songs for the Retarded. Lookout! reissued Grow Up the following year, altering the cover art and track order and having the album remixed by Ben Weasel of the band Screeching Weasel. After the Queers rescinded their master recordings from Lookout! in 2006, Grow Up was reissued by Asian Man Records the following year; for this edition, the cover art and track order were altered again and the album was remixed by King, former Queers guitarist JJ Rassler, and Mass Giorgini, who had engineered and produced many of the band's later records. Five demo tracks recorded in 1986 were also added to this edition. Background and recording Since forming in 1981, the Queers had gone through several lineups centered around singer and guitarist Joe King, aka Joe Queer. On their debut EP Love Me (1982), the lineup was King, bassist Scott "Tulu" Gildersleeve, and drummer Jack "Wimpy Rutherford" Hayes. On 1984's Kicked Out of the Webelos EP, Wimpy had switched to lead vocals and Tulu to drums, with King on guitar and Keith Hages (ex Berlin Brats) on bass. By 1986 drummer Hugh O'Neill had joined and Bobby Gaudreau was the band's singer, with King and bassist Kevin Kecy. This lineup recorded a demo session at Fort Apache Studios in Roxbury, Boston, with John Felice of the Real Kids as record producer. They had also asked JJ Rassler, former guitarist of DMZ and then of the Odds, to produce; The Queers had befriended Rassler through Kecy, and had played as openers for the Odds on several occasions. Rassler showed up to the recording session, but did not stay since Felice was already producing.