Some fans of the Beastie Boys dig through crates looking for vinyl records. Other fans dig through album liner notes looking for insight and information. Both groups of fans have historically been puzzled over a particular name credited both on the Polly Wog Stew Ep and also on the Some Old Bullshit release: Dave ID.

It turns out that the Dave ID was actually David Hahn, who although now deceased lives on in Punk/Hardcore infamy for his many contributions to the scene. As a musician, Hahn played drums for the “shock performance” punk band The Mad. This group formed in 1978 and was fronted by Screaming Mad George, who went on to become famous for his movie and music video special effects company.

In addition to lending back up vocals on the Polly Wog Stew EP, David Hahn also sang back up on the Bad Brains’ 1989 album Quickness. Hahn had previously played a larger role as the Bad Brains’ manager and production coordinator. In fact it was Hahn who reportedly convinced the ROIR label to put out New York Thrash Compilation in 1982. The New York Thrash Compilation’s significance is often overlooked by collectors of the Beastie Boys. It features two songs by the band: “Beastie Boys” and “Riot Fight.”

The ROIR compilation album came out just before Ratcage Records released Polly Wog Stew, so in the baseball card collecting world it would be viewed as the Beastie Boys’ true rookie card. Original copies of the New York Thrash Compilation are bought and sold fairly often through online auctions. However if you would like to own a little bit of Hahn’s handiwork without going broke, compact discs of the album can be purchased through ROIR’s website. In addition to the Beastie Boys, the album features songs by the Bad Brains, Even Worse, and Hahn’s band The Mad.