Face Value (1987)

After having a taste at playing with a band – with The Intellectuals – I wanted to start my own band. There was a failed attempt with P.G.S. (Parental Guidance Suggested), with Dave Jemmott, Jim Mancuso, Eric Hoffman, Steve Zielinski and myself...but that lasted just one rehearsal. Later I started talking with Jim Burns, who I knew from class – who also had a taste at playing in a band with The Intellectuals – and he invited me to his house to work on some songs. That day we wrote "All Talk, No Action" and "Watch Out!".

We needed a rhythm section so we got Steve Zielinski to play bass and Eric Hoffman – who was the go to guy – on drums. We called ourselves Face Value and we got a few jams in before Steve went to Ireland for the summer. We had all intentions at starting the band again once Steve got back, but when he returned his "political views" no longer gelled with Jim's so he quit. Hoff followed.

Below is the only known Face Value recording, which I believe was our first jam (we also recorded ourselves at Flipside Studios but that tape is long gone). We jammed in my basement and we didn't have a PA system so Jim just screamed into the boombox mic. Joe Kollar, Kevin Purcell and I think Mike Maher were there so they added some backup vocals on "All Talk, No Action" – Kevin screws up the middle section.
I particularly like Steve's intro bassline to "Watch Out!"...it's extremely sloppy but very punk...and Eric's an amazing drummer. I really think this band could've been great...if we all could've got along.




[DOWNLOAD] Face Value (1987)

1- Watch Out!
2- All Talk, No Action

Jim Burns - vocals
Frank Fusco - guitar
Steve Zielinski - bass
Eric Hoffman - drums