The Blasters

Less focused on rockabilly revivalism, Dave Alvin had become the band's chief cook and songwriter. Berlin had since left the fold to join Los Lobos. Hard Line in 1985 was even more polished and featured the work of Ry Cooder and John Mellencamp; the latter's song "Colored Lights" was written and produced by him especially with the band in mind. The band called it a day after that, though several years later Phil Alvin reformed the group as a live act without Dave. After joining X for a brief spell, Dave launched a career as a prolific solo recording artist; Phil released one solo album before heading back to school to pursue post-graduate work in mathematics. Taylor is also a solo recording artist. In spring 2002 the original Blasters lineup -- the Dave and Phil Alvin, Bazz, Bateman, and Taylor -- reunited for a series of six reunions shows in California. A live album resulted, Trouble Bound, which featured recordings from the group's two performances at House of Blues in Hollywood. Another round of reunion shows produced a second live set, The Blasters Live: Going Home, and a home video of the same show was released concurrently. With the group back in the public eye, in 2005 Phil Alvin's edition of the Blasters -- featuring Phil, John Bazz on bass, Keith Wyatt on guitar, and Jerry Angel on drums -- finally released a long-promised studio album, 4-11-44. Fun on a Saturday Night, this time featuring Phil Alvin, Bazz, Bateman, and Taylor, but with Keith Wyatt on guitar instead of Dave Alvin, appeared from Rip Cat Records seven years later in 2012.