The Individuals formed in 1979 in the New York City metro area through a Village Voice ad that brought guitarist Glenn Morrow and drummer John Klett together with bassist Janet Wygal and lead guitarist Jon Klages. When John Klett left the band in 1980, he was replaced by Janet’s brother Doug Wygal. With Gene Holder of the dB’s producing, this lineup recorded the EP Aquamarine, the album Fields, and one single, “Dancing with My Eighty Wives.†Fields was the first full-length album recorded at Mitch Easter’s Drive- In Studio in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. (At the same time, R.E.M. were working on their first EP at Mitch’s.)
An early Individuals bio ended with the line “In one of the worst years in the music business, the Individuals’ album is a bright spot.†That era saw the end of disco, and this current rerelease occurs at a similar time of flux, as the music industry once again attempts to figure out where it stands in the world of pop music. And still the Individuals’ music shines.
