Their first release was a self-titled EP on California label Posh Boy Records in 1981.
"Manzanar", a track from that EP, was played heavily by UK disc jockey John Peel.
[2] In 1982, Jack DeBaun become their new drummer[2] and their release Fear of Life was retitled I’ve Got A Gun in the UK with some differences in the track-listing.
Jay Lansford, a former member of The Simpletones, Stepmothers, and The Wigglers who produced CH3's two Posh Boy albums, joined the band in 1984.
Their 1985 album for Enigma Records (with Dusty Watson on drums), Last Time I Drank... revealed that the band had navigated the transition to a more straightforward rock format.