[2][3] By 1991 King was co-owner of a café and bar in Exeter, New Hampshire called Joe's Place, where O'Neill and Barnard worked as dishwashers.

[1][2][3] "The songs were irresistibly melodic;" Livermore recalled in his 2015 memoir, "a couple of the slower numbers, heavily influenced by doo-wop and the Beach Boys, were almost heartbreakingly beautiful.

[3] The Queers signed to Lookout!, and recorded their 1993 album Love Songs for the Retarded at Sonic Iguana Studio in Lafayette, Indiana with audio engineer Mass Giorgini, produced by Weasel and with Livermore present for the sessions.

In the liner notes for Later Days and Better Lays, King opined that the material on the demo tape was better in some respects because the band had been more relaxed and not as rushed as they were during the album session.

[5][6] A version recorded in January 1993 with original member Wimpy Rutherford (real name Jack Hayes) on lead vocals was released on the 1994 EP Look Ma No Flannel!

[5][6] Three other songs from the demo tape ("Too Many Twinkies", "Half Shitfaced", and "I Live This Life") were re-recorded for the band's second album for Lookout!, 1994's Beat Off.

The recordings of "Nobody Likes Me", "Too Many Twinkies", "Half Shitfaced", and "I Live This Life" from the 1991 demo were included on the 1996 compilation A Day Late and a Dollar Short.

[10] The success of Don't Back Down attracted the attention of Epitaph Records head Brett Gurewitz, who offered to sign the band.

[11] O'Neill, who had been with the band since 1986 (minus a forced leave of absence in 1993–1994 to deal with heroin addiction), completed drug rehabilitation but was diagnosed with a brain tumor and died in early 1999.

'"[10] Mike DaRonco of AllMusic rated it 21⁄2 stars out of 5, remarking that "The snotty, 12-year old Ramones mentality is still there, but the sound quality and production isn't; they are demos, after all.