Joe says: " '10,000 Mile Reggae' and 'No Need to Fight' constitute my first attempt at self-produced, self-written songs [and also at playing this relatively recent music called reggae from Jamaica] in 1979. They are, frankly, awful. But for historical purposes -- and perhaps just a bit of masochism -- I am making them available. If nothing else they indicate that despite my crappy voice now I have actually progressed greatly in terms of not singing like total shit."

The session band features several regulars from the Record Garage crew, including the "Ball Brothers"- Billy West & Tim Reagan, Tony Cozzone, RG manager, a mystery drummer & Lenny Dupont's lead singer g.f. Kathy on vocals.

Joe again: "I was 19, and by way of qualificationshad written four even worse songs, 'produced' two Slow Children songs ["The Babies Go First" and "Another Girl"] in 1978 at Polytrax in Newtonville, and worked at the Record Garage, once a TV-repair-&-used record shop that had become a center for used musical instruments and underground music. The Ball Brothers were fixtures there, and Billy West ended up working there for owner Jack Griffin as well as starting the Shutdowns, a great Beach Boys cover band. That was how I discovered that in addition to playing wild guitar and doing these impressions that broke us all up when we were hanging down at the RG. Billy could sing his ass off - and he does so on 'No Need to Fight', making it perhaps the single competent feature of the recording. So does Kathy on '10,000 Mile Reggae'