The Plimsouls are an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 rock

Rock music

Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...

 band

Musical ensemble

A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...

 formed in Paramount

Paramount, California

Paramount is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. According to the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 54,098 down from 55,266 at the 2000 census...

, California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

 in 1978.

Formation

Formed by singer, guitarist and songwriter Peter Case

Peter Case

Peter Case is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist, who has had a wide-ranging career ranging from new wave music to folk rock to solo acoustic performance.-Early career:...

 (who had previously fronted power pop

Power pop

Power pop is a popular musical genre that draws its inspiration from 1960s British and American pop and rock music. It typically incorporates a combination of musical devices such as strong melodies, crisp vocal harmonies, economical arrangements, and prominent guitar riffs. Instrumental solos are...

 band The Nerves

The Nerves

The Nerves were a mid-'70s American power pop trio based in Los Angeles, featuring guitarist Jack Lee, bassist Peter Case, and drummer Paul Collins. All three members composed songs and sang. They managed an international tour in the U.S. and Canada, including dates with The Ramones, and...

), the Plimsouls began as a trio in 1978 which included Case, bassist Dave Pahoa and drummer Louie Ramírez

Louie Ramirez

Louie Ramirez was a boogaloo, salsa and latin jazz percussionist, vibraphonist, band leader and composer. He was born on February 24, 1938 in New York City. He died on June 7, 1993...

. From inception, the band quickly became a crowd favorite in the Los Angeles club scene. Long Beach promoter Stephen Zepeda

Stephen Zepeda

Stephen Zepeda is a night club promoter and alternative music entrepreneur, born April 11, 1955, Long Beach, California. He previously promoted music shows at the Nugget student bar at Calif. State University Long Beach , Bogart's Night Club , and the Foothill Club , all in the Long Beach,...

 signed the group to his Beat Records

Beat Records

Beat Records was an independent record label started by California night club promoter Stephen Zepeda . Beat Records had record releases by Gary Valentine Lachman , The Furys, and The Plimsouls . It spanned the 1978 to 1980 time period of Los Angeles rock...

 label for a five-song EP called Zero Hour. Guitarist Eddie Muñoz joined the group during the recording of the EP.

Danny Holloway produced the Zero Hour EP and managed the group. The song, "Zero Hour," received heavy airplay on KROQ-FM

KROQ-FM

KROQ-FM — branded 106.7 KROQ — is a commercial modern rock radio station licensed to Pasadena, California serving the Greater Los Angeles. The call sign is pronounced "kay rock." It is the flagship station of Loveline hosted by Dr...

, and the Plimsouls grew to be one of the top club draws in the city. Case received critical praise for his songwriting. In 1981, Planet Records (with distribution through Elektra) signed the group and released their self-titled debut album which Holloway

Holloway

-Place names:United Kingdom*Holloway, London, inner-city district in the London Borough of Islington**Holloway , originally a mixed population prison, but now a female-only prison...

 also produced. A single, "Now", received strong local airplay in LA.

Second album/Valley Girl

The band achieved national popularity in 1983 when the single release "A Million Miles Away" was included on Valley Girl

Valley Girl (film)

Valley Girl is a 1983 romantic comedy film, starring Nicolas Cage, Deborah Foreman, Elizabeth Daily, Cameron Dye, and Joyce Heiser. The film was the directorial debut of Martha Coolidge, and was the first film in which Nicolas Coppola was billed as Nicolas Cage.The American release of Valley Girl...

s motion picture soundtrack and became a minor hit. The band, which also appeared on camera in the film performing the song and parts of two others, quickly re-recorded the song for inclusion on a second album, Everywhere At Once, produced by Jeff Eyrich, but broke up shortly after. Several years later, in 1990, a then up-and-coming band named the Goo Goo Dolls

Goo Goo Dolls

The Goo Goo Dolls are a Grammy-nominated American rock band formed in 1986 in Buffalo, New York, by vocalist and guitarist John Rzeznik and vocalist and bass guitarist Robby Takac. Since the end of 1994, Mike Malinin has been the band's drummer, a position previously held by George Tutuska...

 covered "A Million Miles Away" on their Hold Me Up

Hold Me Up

Hold Me Up is the third professional album release of the Buffalo-born Goo Goo Dolls, released under Metal Blade Records in 1990. This is considered to be their true major label debut, as previous albums had been organized by the band themselves. It features their first single, "There You Are",...

 album. The song is also included on the Speed motion picture soundtrack.

Reunion

Case has continued with a solo career since the band's mid-1980s breakup. In 1996, The Plimsouls, without Ramirez, reunited for a few shows and some recording sessions, resulting in a little-heard reunion album called Kool Trash which featured an appearance by Blondie

Blondie (band)

Blondie is an American rock band, founded by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the early American New Wave and punk scenes of the mid-1970s...

 drummer Clem Burke

Clem Burke

Clem Burke is an American musician who is the drummer for the band Blondie. Recruited by Chris Stein and Debbie Harry when they were first forming Blondie, Burke remained with the band through its first stage and later returned for its late 1990s reunion and then its extensive 2009 tour.Following...

. The Plimsouls have continued to reunite occasionally since that time with drummer Bryan Head.

Discography

EPs

• Zero Hour (1980 Beat Records)

1. "Great Big World" (2:55)
2. "Zero Hour" (2:30)
3. "Hypnotized" (2:53)
4. "How Long Will it Take?" (2:49)
5. "I Can't Turn You Loose" (3:15)

LPS

• The Plimsouls (1981 Planet Records) U.S. #153

1. "Lost Time" (3:41)
2. "Now" (2:57)
3. "In This Town" (2:36)
4. "Zero Hour" (2:30)
5. "Women" (2:50)
6. "Hush, Hush" (2:34)
7. "I Want What You Got" (3:25)
8. "Nickels and Dimes" (3:05)
9. "I Want You Back" (2:33)
10. "Mini-Skirt Minnie" (2:42)
11. "Everyday Things" (2:29)
    • Everywhere at Once (1983 Geffen Records) U.S. #186
12. "Shaky City" (2:27)
13. "Magic Touch" (3:19)
14. "Oldest Story in the World" (3:19)
15. "Lie, Beg, Borrow, and Steal" (2:45)
16. "Play the Breaks" (4:17)
17. "How Long Will it Take?" (2:30)
18. "A Million Miles Away" (3:34)
19. "My Life Ain't Easy" (2:37)
20. "Inch By Inch" (2:35)
21. "I'll Get Lucky" (2:42)
22. "Everywhere at Once" (3:19)
    • Kool Trash (1998 Fuel 2000/Shaky City Records)
23. "Playing With Jack" (3:15)
24. "Feeling Strange" (3:12)
25. "Down" (4:23)
26. "Falling Awake" (4:24)
27. "Pile Up" (3:26)
28. "12 O'Clock Midnight" (5:30)
29. "Kool Trash" (3:48)
30. "Lost" (4:09)
31. "Dangerous Book" (3:29)
32. "Not of This World" (3:41)

Guest Appearances

• "He Put The Bomp in The Bomp" Tribute to Greg Shaw- COMP CD (2007)

Live Albums

• One Night in America (1988)
• Live! Beg, Borrow & Steal (2010)