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The Hitmen's second album,
Torn Together (1981), is a big step forward from the first. The songwriting is more distinctive, the arrangements are more imaginative, and the production is a lot punchier (courtesy of Rhett Davies this time). The album's best song, the opener "Bates Motel," was actually written by the drummer, Mike Gaffey, one of three songs that he wrote or co-wrote. There's an excellent fan review of
Torn Together here. This would be the last release from The Hitmen; get it
here or
here. Ben Watkins would appear as a guest vocalist on guitarist Pete Glenister's next project,
Gates by the studio concoction "New Asia" (1982). That postpunk masterpiece is available on
Mutant Sounds.