The A's

History

The A's built a local following through energetic live shows and signed with Arista Records. Their self-titled debut album, produced by Rick Chertoff and released in 1979, was compared by Trouser Press to the Boomtown Rats' A Tonic for the Troops for combining wit, street savvy, and intricate hard-pop arrangements. Allmusic's Gary Hill noted the band's fusion of punk irreverence with humor. Two singles, "After Last Night" and "Parasite," did not achieve commercial success. The second album, A Woman's Got the Power (1981), also produced by Chertoff, entered the U.S. Billboard charts; its title track reached number 18 on the Top Rock Tracks chart and number 26 in Canada. Clarence Clemons & the Red Bank Rockers covered the title track on their 1983 album Rescue. Philadelphia Weekly ranked the album on its "100 Best Philly Albums of all Time" in 2004. Despite a more commercial sound, the A's were dropped by Arista. They self-released an EP, Four Dances, in 1982 before disbanding. Richard Bush later formed The Peace Creeps. Rick DiFonzo worked as a session musician for Bob Dylan, Cyndi Lauper, Roger Waters, and Joan Osborne. Rocco Notte died of pancreatic cancer on July 26, 2025, at age 72.