In 1980, the Muff Bros. changed their name to the muffs, signed a recording contract with Earthtone Records, and recorded a self-titled album at C.C.S. in Cincinnati, produced by Sonny Flaharty. The record, released in 1981, was well received and got quite a bit of airplay. It dominated the Central Ohio radio market for months after its release, and even received airplay on jazz stations with the instrumental rendition of The Way We Were. This opened the door for extensive touring throughout the Midwest. The band featured mostly original power-pop material at this point. In November 1981, Richard Bradburn left the band. The muffs continued to play for a couple of months as a 3-piece with a front man. Neil Andrews joined in January 1982 as the new keyboard player. Shortly after Neil joined, the band began recording the second muffs album at Cleveland Recording, which was engineered by Dale Peters (James Gang). Steve Sines left the band during the recording in July 1982 and the album was not completed. These previously unreleased songs are now available on the muffs Rainbow Collection CD from the band website (www.moneymuffs.com).