Officer! was founded by Londoner Mick Hobbs. His roots were in the Rock In Opposition scene of the late 70s and early 80s. Initially he worked as guitarist in The Work, subsequently he became closely associated with This Heat and their Cold Storage Studio in Brixton, working with artists like Family Fodder, Catherine Jauniaux or Zeena Parkins. The band's first album "8 New Songs By Mick Hobbs" came out in 1982 on casette only. It was followed by the second album, "Ossification". The third album, "Cough" was recorded and released in France in 1985. 

It is often overlooked in the band's discography, a fate that many cassette releases share. "8 New Songs By Mick Hobbs" and "Cough" have been collected to form the CD "Earlier Music", which was also made available again by Klanggalerie. Bandagen was originally released as a cassette in 1989 by Swiss label No Records. Half of the music was written for a stage play called Bandagen by Grazia Pergoletti, the other half was originally released as music by Mick Hobbs. This first CD edition has been remastered by Martin Bowes.