Minimum Wage Rock & Roll

Hey the guy from this band came to my school this afternoon to talk to performing arts about music careers. He is CRAZY GOOD on the piano and vocals. Blew me away without even having a microphone. This guy's got some talent!

Saw them on a little known comedy show called "Fridays" , and was blown away!!!!!!

I was just a R&B and Rap fan until I heard the Busboys. Since then, I have been a Busboys fanatic. This ablum began it all. My friend heard this album and invited them to play at Chapman University (then Chapman College). Not only did they accept the invitation, they rocked the house!!! It was awesome. They are one of the best live bands I've ever seen (even to this date). This CD is just off the hook!!! From "Did You See Me" (just try and stay still while it plays) to "We Stand United" they are just so diverse. They were a shock group that just never got the love they deserved!!! Sort of like Fishbone but better. They recorded "Heart and Soul" a year before Huey Lewis and the News but they got no air time whatsoever. Huey gets love like he created air; go figure. iTunes, instead of listing "Money Don't Make No Man" as unknown, list it under "The Busboys" and free it up in America. Let America hear the genius of THE BOYS!!!!!

I-Tunes My hats of to you ! I wrote eariler about not having "Did you see Me" , and you came through wow I'm Impressed ! send me more notices when you update you catalog ! Cheeba!

When this album was first released back around 1980, I saw the BusBoys for the first time — on "American Bandstand"! They performed "Did You See Me" (complete with the whole "I just LOOOOOVE to shine your shoes" intro) and I totally flipped out. After some banter with Dick Clark, they followed up with "Johnny Soul'd Out" and I made it my mission to acquire their album ASAP! I've enjoyed having it in my collection ever since. "Did You See Me" is an absolute must-have classic track. "Anggie" is an awesome rocker with a PHENOMENAL middle section that especially showcases their amazing guitar work and drumming. "Dr. Doctor", "Johnny Soul'd Out", and the noticeably Devo-esque closer "Respect" are all standouts as well. No true fan of '80s music or the "new wave" era should overlook this classic album of the time — one that still grooves me today, now via the iPod.

Can't even aptly describe it- Take the Who then throw in the Stones then add some Sly Stone and George Clinton, put it all in a pot and this is what you get folks... Don't know about you but that's about as ill a combo and sound as I can imagine and this album is no dissapointment, not by a long stretch... Tracks 2-5, 7-9 are my favorites but I never skip any- not an average song to be found anywhere on the album.

Great album. I saw them on tour a couple times. They are a great live band. But where is American Workers??

I remember seeing this band at the Whiskey in Hollywood back in the eighties. Great energy! They were local kids to me. This is a very solid album, not all the works are gems, but a fine first effort with some real quality here. The sound is indicative of the "new wave" synthesized era. They scored a soundtrack hit with Eddie Murphy's "48 Hours", but seemed to fade after that. Sometimes a band has only one really good album in them, but they were a fine live act as well. The release date on my vinyl is 1980 on the Arista label.

I bought this on vinyl when it first came out and saw them live (the first time) in a little club in 1980. Love this band. They infuse the "New Wave" with a litle rhythm & blues.

In "KKK," the Bus Boys sing "Gonna join the Ku Klux Klan, and play in a rock & roll band." No statement could have been more true for the early 1980's music industry. Until Michael Jackson brought diversity to then-lily white MTV, African-American music artists recorded disco, R&B, or nothing at all. Unfortunately for the Bus Boys, they released Minimum Wage Rock & Roll - their finest album - during this timeframe. The Bus Boys' problem was that their musical roots were fairly firmly planted in early '80s new wave soil rather than R&B (or, as the Bus Boys termed it in their punch line for Did You See Me "You think it was hot in the shade, I bet you never heard music like this by spades"). And so, most of the world missed out on one of the highlights of 1980s new wave pop music. The first track on the album, and the Bus Boys' first single, is "Dr. Doctor." It is an absolute crime that this brilliant pop tune, with its catchy riff and driving beat, did not skyrocket to the top of the pop music charts and stay there for weeks. By midway through the catchy second song, "Minimum Wage," the listener is completely drawn in to this album. The NFL Network ripped off "Did You See Me" for a recent ad campaign (circa 2006), but the Bus Boys version is superior musically, and of course, lyrically. Other strong songs include "There Goes the Neighborhood" ("...the whites are moving in, they'll bring their next of kin"), "Johnny Soul'd Out," "KKK," "Anggie," and "Tell the Coach" (which is not about sports). The remaining three songs were okay in their day, but they really have not aged well. All said and done, eight terrific songs on an 11 track album is a pretty fair success rate. It is a shame that this album is so very difficult to find online or in stores. It is far superior to anything else recorded by this fine group, to include their memorable hit, "The Boys are Back in Town." If you are looking to discover a real hidden treasure trove of great music, then look no further!