This three-track 7″ has a troubled production history, which led to its appearance in various permutations – as a result, it has become a seriously rare and desirable find for punk aficionados.
Recorded in January 1979 at CI Recordings in New York, this release was intended to be a five-track EP: the band couldn’t afford to release a 12″, so it was trimmed to three tracks for a 7″ release. As well as the title track, the release includes Teenagers From Mars and Children In Heat. While a 12″ acetate was produced for the EP, the remaining two tracks, Who Killed Marilyn? and Where Eagles Dare, would not see an official release until the 1985 compilation, Legacy Of Brutality. Only 2,000 copies of the 7″ were pressed on yellow vinyl – the pressing ran into problems when, in June 1979, vocalist Glenn Danzig was told by a pressing plant in New Jersey that it didn’t meet their minimum-order number for coloured vinyl.
While this and other delays were happening, 2,000 sleeves were printed for the release. The sleeves also faced issues due to the colouring of the black ink on the photo on the back. These are all said to have been destroyed, then reprinted with the iconic sleeve used on the release. Some copies were issued with a Fiend Club merch insert and an extra black and white insert telling a horror story explaining the eerie noises on the recording.
Horror Business finally saw release in August of 1979 and is the band’s third official single. This is a true piece of Misfits history, deserving pride of place in the home of any punk collector.