Second place in Derby #418: Fake Band Tees with 288 Votes!

The Floppy Discs started as a ska-heavy garage band called Punchcards! formed by Pfleumer and Taushek, focusing primarily on the magnetic drum sound. Punchcards! had a small Top 100 hit but showed no real future. The addition of Williams added a retro-electric tube-based feel and the band changed their name to the European-sounding Selectron. Three albums later, Pfleumer and Taushek moved to production, leaving Williams as the only remaining member.

A small tour as Ferrite Core and the Magnetic Rings played with the glam resurgence, but was only of interest to collectors. A chance meeting with Phillips led to the soothing harmonies of Williams-Phillips (available on audio cassette) but their output was mostly limited to backing vocals on other people's records. Rejoining with Pfleumer and Taushek, the foursome became Twistor, then formed a sort of prog-rock super-group by fusing with Bobek's Bubble, but ultimately had to face the fact that the public at large simply didn't care about their decisions.

It was a chance meeting with guitarist Allan Shugart that led to the late night jam session that was to become The Floppy Discs. The eight-song demo showcased the years of struggle and pain the band had endured, and was shared by industry insiders. Soon the tracks were reduced to five tracks (and a quarter of an instrumental) and then further reduced to be three and a half hard-hitting tracks that the band believed had staying power. The Floppy Disks had finally made it!

And then, someone put out the first hip hop CD.

Today, The Floppy Discs continue to ride the wave of nostalgia by making appearances at graphic design festivals and state fairs. Their work is mostly available in shoeboxes at the back of your closet that you still intend to find an emulator for at some point. Rating: B-

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