Big Boys
No Matter How Long The Line Is At The Cafeteria, There's Always A Seat
2014 Modern Classics

Released at the time of their split in 1985 and now reissued by Modern Classics Recordings, the group's final album, No Matter How Long the Line Is At the Cafeteria, There's Always a Seat finds Big Boys continuing to innovate, even including the sound of turntable scratching on 'Common Beat,' a sound rarely heard outside of hip-hop at the time. Songs like 'Which Way to Go' and 'Narrow View' echo their boredom and anger with the changing hardcore scene, while 'I Do Care' and 'What's the Word' illustrate the band's positive outlook for things to come. Just as the album flirts between expressions of boredom and anger and funk jams that declare 'Life is just a party' ('What's the Word'), Big Boys were a mess of contradictions. On stage, openness was key and they became famous for encouraging the audience to get involved: 'We're the band, you're the band,' they would say. But as a four-piece, their relationships began to fray as is not uncommon with many bands on long tours. After five short years and many recordings, the Big Boys went separate ways. Original album art expanded to a gatefold tip-on jacket. Interior gatefold jacket features an unpublished 1984 photo of the band's last concert by photographer Pat Blashill. Includes download card.