T.S.O.L., an American punk rock band, has made eleven studio albums, three live albums, three compilation albums, two EPs, two video albums, three singles, and five music videos.
T.S.O.L. (True Sounds of Liberty) formed in Huntington Beach, California, in 1978 with an initial lineup of singer Jack Grisham, guitarist Ron Emory, bassist Mike Roche, and drummer Todd Barnes. Their eponymously titled debut EP was released in 1981 through Posh Boy Records and followed later that year by the full-length album Dance with Me through Frontier Records, combining hardcore punk and gothic rock styles. The Weathered Statues EP (1982) and Beneath the Shadows album (1983) followed via Alternative Tentacles, the latter adding keyboardist Greg Kuehn to the lineup. Grisham and Barnes left the band in late 1983 and were respectively replaced by Joe Wood and Mitch Dean, while Keuhn left and was not replaced.
The new lineup signed to Enigma Records and released Change Today? (1984) which began the launch of a ten-year run with Wood and Dean (who at times still play under the banner today). 1986's Revenge was another stylistic shift, this time towards hard rock. Hit and Run (1987) found them adopting a straight ahead rock sound and this was their only album to chart, reaching no. 184 on the Billboard 200. It was followed by the compilation album Thoughts of Yesterday: 1981–1982 (1987) and live album Live (1988). Emory then left the band and was eventually replaced by Marshall Rohner; This lineup released 1990's Strange Love. Roche then was quit and sold his rights to the name to Wood and Dean as did Emory later on leaving the band with no remaining original members. The compilation Hell and Back Together: 1984–1990 was released in 1992.
Meanwhile, the original T.S.O.L. lineup of Grisham, Emory, Roche, and Barnes re-formed and released Live '91. In the wake of the 1990s punk rock revival, Epitaph Records re-released Dance with Me in 1996 and Nitro Records re-released the T.S.O.L. and Weathered Statues EPs as a single compilation. In 1999 the original members regained legal rights to the band's name from Joe Wood, though Barnes died of a brain aneurysm that December and was replaced by Jay O'Brien. T.S.O.L. signed to Nitro, who reissued Beneath the Shadows. A new studio album, Disappear, was released in 2001 and found the band returning to their hardcore punk roots. Live from O.C., a video album recorded in 1991, was released in 2002. O'Brien was replaced by Billy Blaze for 2003's Divided We Stand, which also featured the return of keyboardist Greg Kuehn. In 2005, with new drummer Anthony "Tiny" Buisu, the band released the video album Live in Hawaii and the retrospective album Who's Screwin' Who?, the latter consisting of songs from T.S.O.L., Dance with Me, Weathered Statues, Beneath the Shadows, Disappear, and Divided We Stand re-recorded by the 2005 lineup (originally released through Anarchy Music, it was later re-released by Cleopatra Records under the titles F#*k You Tough Guy: The Collection and Code Blue). T.S.O.L. went on hiatus in 2006, and Nitro reissued Dance with Me the following year.
The hiatus was short, as T.S.O.L. began performing again in 2007. 2008 brought The Early Years Live video and the live album Live from Long Beach, recorded at their next to last show before the hiatus and released through Cider City Records. The band's tenth studio album, Life, Liberty & the Pursuit of Free Downloads, was released in 2009; It was given away as a free music download through a sponsorship from Hurley International. T.S.O.L.'s most recent studio album, The Trigger Complex, was released in January 2017 through Rise Records, with Buisu replaced by new drummer Chip Hanna. The Current Drummer of T.S.O.L. (2017–present) is Antonio Val Hernandez.
Studio albums YearAlbum detailsPeak chart positionsUS1981Dance with Me Released: June 1981 Label: Frontier (1004) Formats: LP, CD —1983Beneath the Shadows Released: 1983 Label: Alternative Tentacles Formats: LP, CD —1984Change Today? Released: 1984 Label: Enigma Formats: LP, CD —1986Revenge Released: 1986 Label: Enigma (73211) Formats: LP, CD —1987Hit and Run Released: July 11, 1987 Label: Enigma (73263) Formats: LP, CD 1841990Strange Love Released: 1990 Label: Enigma Formats: LP, CD —2001Disappear Released: June 26, 2001 Label: Nitro (15838) Formats: CD —2003Divided We Stand Released: September 9, 2003 Label: Nitro Formats: CD —2005Who's Screwin' Who? Released: January 25, 2005 Label: Anarchy Music Formats: CD —2009Life, Liberty & the Pursuit of Free Downloads Released: January 8, 2009 Label: Hurley Formats: download, LP —2017The Trigger Complex Released: January 27, 2017 Label: Rise Formats: LP, CD, download —2024A-Side Graffiti Released: Label: Formats: LP, CD, download — "—" denotes releases that did not chart. 2024
I Who's Screwin' Who? was re-released by Cleopatra Records in 2008 as F#*k You Tough Guy: The Collection and in 2011 as Code Blue.
Live albums YearAlbum details1988Live Released: 1988 Label: Enigma, Restless Format: LP, CD1991Live '91 Released: 1991 Label: Triple X Format: CD2008Live from Long Beach Released: October 13, 2008 Label: Cider City Format: CD2018"Live At The Observatory" Hardline Enterprises Format: LP
Compilation albums YearAlbum details1987Thoughts of Yesterday: 1981–1982 Released: 1987 Label: Posh Boy (PBS 150) Format: LP, CD1992Hell and Back Together: 1984–1990 Released: March 31, 1992 Label: Enigma, Restless Format: CD1997T.S.O.L. / Weathered Statues Released: October 7, 1997 Label: Nitro (15814) Format: LP, CS, CD
Extended plays YearEP details1981T.S.O.L. Released: 1981 Label: Posh Boy (PBS 1013) Format: EP1982Weathered Statues Released: 1982 Label: Alternative Tentacles (VIRUS 10) Format: EP2013"You Don't Have To Die" Label: TKO Records Format EP 800 copies on black vinyl
Video albums YearAlbum details2002Live from O.C. Released: May 21, 2002 Label: Screen Edge Format: VHS, DVD2005Live in Hawaii Released: January 18, 2005 Label: Hawaiian Express, Stuntdog Format: DVD2008The Early Years Live Released: April 15, 2008 Label: Audiovisual Format: DVD
Singles YearSingleAlbum1990"Man and Machine"Thoughts of Yesterday: 1981–19822001"Anticop"Disappear2007"Code Blue"Who's Screwin' Who?2014"Songs From Suburbia" not on a label2018"Low Low Low" Dink Records2019"1 Thing" Hardline Entertainment2019"Ghost Train" Slope Records2020"What A Wonderful World?" Last Hurrah Records2022"Sweet Transvestite" Last Hurrah Records
Music videos Year Song Director Album 1986 "Colors (Take Me Away)" Tony KunewalderRevenge 1986 "Nothin' for You" 1986 "Revenge" 2001 "Pyro" Disappear 2017 "I Wanted to See You" The Trigger Complex
Other appearances The following T.S.O.L. songs were released on compilation albums. This is not an exhaustive list; songs that were first released on the band's albums, EPs, or singles are not included.
YearRelease detailsTrack(s)1983Posh Hits Vol. 1 Released: 1983 Label: Posh Boy (PBS 8138) Format:LP"Peace Thru' Power"1984Suburbia soundtrackReleased: 1984 Label: Restless (71093) Format:CD | "Wash Away" "Darker My Love" |- |Flipside Vinyl Fanzine Volume 1 Released: 1984 Label: Flipside Format: LP"Suppose They Give a War and No One Comes"Blazing Wheels and Barking Trucks: Skate Rock Vol. 2 Released: 1984 Label: Thrasher Format: LP"Otherside"1985The Enigma Variations Released: 1985 Label: Enigma (72001) Format: 2xLP"Flowers by the Door"1987Scream: The Compilation Released: 1987 Label: Geffen (24177) Format: LP"All Along the Watchtower"The Enigma Variations 2 Released: 1987 Label: Enigma (73247) Format: 2xLP"Best Friends"1998Deep Thoughts Released: August 8, 1998 Label: Nitro (15820) Format: CD"Superficial Love" "You Don't Have to Die" (demo)2001Plea for Peace / Take Action Released: August 7, 2001 Label: Sub City (SC020) Format: CD"Sold"
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