Winter 1981/1982: The Units are forced to look for another drummer. After holding auditions, they find Seth Miller to replace Brad Saunders. The Units also wanted to hire another synthsizer player to replace the sequencer parts during live performances.

Scott: "I loved writing with a sequencer but it was a real pain in the ass to use it live. I had to program it before every show... If it got unplugged everything was erased. It was a nightmare! If our drummer couldn't hear the beat of the sequencer for a second and got off the pattern it suddenly became every man (or woman) for himself."

Through Seth, the Units enlist Jon Parker, a synthesist and percussionist.

Scott: "Seth just happened to have a friend named Jon Parker who not only played synth but also percussion. When he came to audition with a synth and his own timpani and vibes among other percussion items, I think we just said 'You're hired.'"

Around Christmas, Bill Nelson flies to America.

After arriving in San Francisco, he takes up residence on the couch of Scott Ryser's and Rachel Webber's one bedroom apartment.

At year's end, the Units go to the Automatt (a studio owned by Bill Graham) to record "Animals They Dream About." It is mixed and mastered in the subsequent months.

In March, the Units tour as support for OMD. OMD are distributed in America through Epic, the company that is now courting 415 Records due to the success of 415's Romeo Void.

March 82: OMD's American tour.

Scott: "It was a great tour. Big venues with great sound systems. Dressing rooms with vegetable platters and "imported" beer. A nice change from Dirk Dirksen's wisecracks at the Mabuhay and the other little shitholes we were accustomed to. We all felt like we had hit the jackpot. I was upset that we were not allowed to show our films but it was fun anyway.

Andy and Paul of O.M.D. were very nice. They had tons of equipment... synthesizers, mellotrons, pianos, on and on. It was fun to check it out. "

Spring 1982: The Units continue the OMD tour.

The Units, Bill Nelson and 415 Records fail come to agreement regarding the "Animals They Dream About" album.

In June, on the verge of completing a deal, 415 revised their offer, presenting the Units with a new contract.

Scott: "We were about to sign when Howie came up with a new 30 page contract in which he wanted half our publishing plus control for seven years with no advance. Even though the total recording costs were only $30,000., including producer fees, album jacket design, etc., we would have to sell 150,000 records before we would start getting 12 cents per album sold. There was no point. CBS was buying 415 and we knew that they would bury us for 7 years. Nobody from CBS ever spoke to us. We'd be better off putting off putting out the album ourselves and promoting it."

Keystone, Berkeley, CA (May 6 82)
The Units open for Sparks.

Stone, SF, CA (May 7 82)
The Units open for Sparks.

Stone, Palo Alto, CA (May 8 82)
The Units open for Sparks.

Kabuki Nightclub, SF, CA (June 8 82)
The Units open for Bow Wow Wow.



Summer 1982: The Units leave 415 Records. They are also dropped from their booking agency.

Scott: "Howie, who was affiliated with Bill Graham Productions, used his Bill Graham monopoly connections to blacklist us from playing at any major clubs in S.F. We just happened to get a phone call from our West Coast booking agency in L.A. the very next morning in which we were dropped from that agency too."

Fall 1982: Despite this setback, the Units complete two studio sessions during the second half of 1982.

The first is a soundtrack for Jurgen Lehl's fall fashion show in Tokyo.

Scott: "We had met (Lehl) at a party for the writer Edward Albee in the East Bay. We spent several months working on that soundtrack..."

The 45 minute instrumental is recorded at Harbor Sound and is engineered by engineer Karen Kirsch, who also did live sound occasionally for the Units.

The second is a dance single. The Units go to Different Fur Recording in San Francisco to record "The Right Man." Michael Cotton of the Tubes is the producer and Stacy Baird the engineer.

The Units release their "The Right Man" single on New York's uprOAr records.

Late 1982: "The Right Man" is released on uprOAr records, Up101. Besides the title track, there is "The Right Mix," a remix by Ivan Ivan (Men Without Hats). The cover intially featured Bela Lugosi, but was changed to Scott (w/ black hair dye) and Rachel for the second pressing to avoid possible legal conflict.
Read advertisements and reviews.

Winter 1982/1983: "The Right Man" enters the Billboard Disco Top 80 chart at #60 in the first week of January. It enjoys and uninterrupted rise until it peaks at #18 during the last week of February. It stays at #18 for two weeks and remains on the chart for the rest of the winter.

Jon Parker and Seth Miller leave the Units around March.

Wolfgangs (Jan 20 83)
The Units play with the Looters.