This is a new Tyranna LP, but it contains the band's collective recordings over their year and a half existence. Johnny Buibblegum was telling me that the first side was recorded at the band's second practise. Pretty incredible, that a band could write four songs in two practises. These songs were recorded on the guitarist four track at their Wade Studio practise space, which as a prcatise space has it's own stories. More like a big warehouse room with dividers. And I passby it everyday at Lansdowne subway station. I look at those buldings trying to figure out where the Wade Studio Artist Collective building was. The songs recorded there include these from the album: 1. Shockface 2. Unfaithful 3. Divorce 1 4. Johnny 5. Where the Boys Are 6. Test Tibe Babies 7. Unfaithful - Divorce (take 2) 8. Toranna Boys
Tyranna were a punk band from 1978 through until 1980. The band was fronted by a girl named Rabies. Her idea was to have a band that looked like a gang and she would be the female leader. That's where the name comes from too. I female version of the word tyrant. And I thought it was a clever re-name of the city. I was wrong.
Rave Up has done a retrospectuive collection of another little known punk band from Canada. Paolo, came across the band after the 2007 release of five songs that came out on Boppa Do Down. These songs are found on here, which includes the "No Pedestrain" comp song "Back Off Baby", which has become the band's hit song. But there are a lot of other great little numbers not heard before. Songs like "Sex Ray Eyes" and "Test Tibe Babies". The band also does a cover of Wire's "1 2 X U" and there re-make of "London Girls" called "Toranna Boys".
The other studio recording was done at a $5.00 an hour studio in Hamilton that was used by the Forgotten Rebels, which is how Tryanna found out about it. Those songs are:
9. Sex Ray Eyes 10. Neighbour 11. Test Tube Babies 12. Revenge 13. Back Off Baby
There are three live songs that fill out side B. This too has an interesting story. Tyranna played a last minute show with Jayne County at the Edge. Jayne was recorded a live record for Attic and it was a show on December 31st, 1979. The idea was that the record would be the first album for 1980. Well Tyranna was able to take advantage of the recoprding equipmnent and record their opening set. Jayne was pissed off and took away the good recording mics. But Gary Topp found some mics that could be used. It is better than a soundboard tape. If Jayne recorded the first album of 1980, Tyranna recorded the last album of 1979. That's way cooler in hindsight. These live songs are: 14. Suzi's Back 15. Dying in the Suburbs 16. Neighbour
The artwork was designed by Don Pyle who was the band's unofficial band photographer and number one fan. Don just put out a book of photos of shows in Toronto and quite a few of them had Tyranna in them. Don was best friend's with Rabies' younger sister Roger. He took loads of photos of the band. He made the Tyranna logo on the cover out of signage letters and is actually a piece of art that has been made into the band logo on the cover. I want to see this is real life if it still exits. Every bit of this record is incredible, with exception of the missing liner notes. Hopefully those get included in re-presses.
click for download NEWTOWN NEUROTICS – Kick Out the Tories (Captain Oi!) KNUCKLEHEAD - Interview (CIUT)
KNUCKLEHEAD - End in Sight (Stumble)
KNUCKLEHEAD - Interview (CIUT) KNUCKLEHEAD - Restless Heart (Stumble) KNUCKLEHEAD - Interview (CIUT) KNUCKLEHEAD - Bigger Bombs for a Better Tomorrow (Stumble) KNUCKLEHEAD - Interview (CIUT) KNUCKLEHEAD - Sense In Politics KNUCKLEHEAD - Interview (CIUT) KNUCKLEHEAD - Rock, Rhythm and Boots (Stumble) KNUCKLEHEAD - Interview (CIUT) KNUCKLEHEAD - North of The 54 (Stumble)
THE SEEDS - Out of the Question (Beat Beat)
THE RENEGADES - Thirteen Women (Norton)
SPIDER FEVER - Watcha Gonna Do? (Hozac)
WOMEN IN PRISON - Strange Waves (Hozac)
SONS OF ISHMAEL - The Hallowe'en Party (Sell Out Activities)
PISSED JEANS - False Jesii, Part 2 (Sub Pop)
SICK PLEASURE - I Wanna Burn My Parents (Subterranean)
DOUBLE NEGATIVE - Emergency Room (Sorry State)
POISON PLANET - Undermine (Third Party)
OMEGAS - Slam Skank (Deranged)
SCHOOL JERKS - 4-F (Deranged)
CLOCKED IN - Compensation (Self-Released)
BAD INFLUENCE - I Don't Care (Who Cares?)
This is an incredible coffee table book on the Toronto punk scene through the excitement of the eyes of a fourteen year old first going to shows. Shot originally as keep sakes or momentos, these photos capture a new time in music for Toronto, which was Toronto’s first wave of punk. The book begins with some photos of the RAMONES first show in Toronto on September 24th, 1976 at the New Yorker. A botched attempt at filming the RAMONES leads to Don saving up to buy a 35 mm camera. Don also joins the yearbook club at Runnymede Collegiate, which gives him access to a darkroom, chemicals for developing film and the how to on DIY photographs. At one part of the book Don recalls that he bought “black and white film by the foot and he would wind his own canisters so that he could squeeze in more shots per roll. At times this would cause the sprockets to disengage.” This description captures the frugal nature of punk in describing the lack of resources but the determination to make these keepsakes nonetheless. The DIY practises as applied to photography out of necessity are captured. This kind of insight goes a long way and in some ways captures the essence of punk. That and the stories about the context behind the photos of these shows that took place in Toronto between 1976 and 1980. Don recounts these stories with incredible detail as only a music fan could.
“One afternoon I was flipping through the delete bins in the back of a Yonge Street record shop when this music came on over the stereo. In a wave of goose bump rush I hurried to the front to confirm what I already instinctively knew – it was the first Ramones album.”
Don also captures what it is like as an underage teen when going to shows.
"The first “bar” show I went to was the Crash ‘n Burn where my worries about being asked for ID disappeared as the door person took my money without question or a second notice.”
Nobody I know captures that nervousness, but most of us experienced it. This also describes the difference between bar show and those bigger concert hall shows that were all ages. The story of the Toronto punk scene begins with some old movie houses, namely the Roxy and then the New Yorker, which housed the first shows when not screening John Waters or Alejandro Jodowsky films. Don also adds to the punk rock archeology going on about the Toronto punk scene with a band called the HATE.
“The Hate performed one of the most memorable gigs I witnessed at the Turning Point as the singer Angie Ignorant stormed the stage with his cock impaling a photo of Pierre Trudeau, urine spraying the audience from what looked like Pierre’s mouth.”
Trouble in the Camera Club has some of the most accurate descrptions of the early Toronto punk scene releases. Here is Don’s review of the first VILETONES ep.
“Screamin’ Fist”, the first song on the first single by the Viletones is perfection in it’s goose bump inducing heaviness – the bass playing sixteenths on one note, then one big chord, a furious drum roll and then the whole band pounding one dirty chord. The record’s dynamic production and intensity were never matched again.
Don goes on to write about TEENAGE HEAD, the CURSE, the UGLY, the CARDBOARD BRAINS, the POLES, and the DEMICS with critical ear as only a music fan could. The accuracy of the description makes me think that Don missed his calling as a music reviewer, but this would just be one of his many talents.
“So many people have a desire to be given a finite defintion of punk, but so much is left out of the true story. Imagine a thousand embers sparking at once but all separate from each other, it became a movement, the thing that got called punk.”
Some of the early punk bands that Don got to see included XTC, the SLITS, the UNDERTONES, GANG OF FOUR, and BILLY FURY. Some photos that made it in the book include the CLASH, the RAMONES, BLONDIE, IGGY POP, and the DEAD BOYS.
Don also pays tribute to the flyer.
“Posters stapled to wooden telephone poles and handbills put up in the couple of used clothing shops were coded transmissions that could only be comprehended by those tuned to the same frequency. Cheap photocopies were the new thing.”
There are a lot of flyers used in the layout. Lots I have never seen before giving another added layer of historical relevance to this book. Photos, flyers and ticket stubs along with the stories make for the best scrapbook I have ever seen on the Toronto punk scene. In this Don’s reflections are more than mere artifact. He provides analysis. Sometimes it is favourable as in the VILETONES review already expressed and other times critical.
“In retrospect, I see aspects of how conservative punk was. Long hair and wide pants were not allowed, women were rarely equal and “faggots” were often reviled even though the origins of the scene were in gay discos and with homo art cliques. In so many cases, the new gestures and poses playing out were still firmly rooted in traditional images of rock stardom and bad seed mythology, despite the cleansing effect we dreamed punk would have on the old vision.”
Don pulls no punches making this a trusted account of the times. It is one of the most accurate records I have read of the period and it is easy to read because Don is so excited by his discoveries in music, which happened to coincide with punk. I couldn’t put it down and although the photos are spectacular don’t cheat yourself out of the insight provided by Don’s recounting of the times. This appealed to the historical musicologist in me.
I also noticed that the price is the same in Canadian as it is in American prices reflecting the strength of the Canadian dollar. We are on par with the Americans. Subtle but reflective of the unintended case made about our punk scene. (www.ecwpress.com)
1. RATZ “looking for a Fight” ep (Kink/That Lux Good) 2. SOCIAL UNREST “Songs for Sinners” ep (Dr. Strange) 3. AMSTERDAMNED ep (Gummopunx) 4. V/A “Buffalo Brutality” ep (Warm Bath) 5. RIDE AT DAWN “Chrome Pillars” ep (Schizophrenic) 6. TANTRUM “L’Azione Stupida Che None Mai Finita” dbl ep (Narm Discos) 7. H100s “Recorded Live 1995 Cleveland” LP (SYG Records) 8. SHOCK VALUE “Yellow Peril” ep (No Patience) 9. BROKEN NECK “Third World Media” ep (Art Fraud) 10. BLOODCLOT FAGGOTS “Big in Adelaide” ep (No Patience)
Labels: * Kind Records – www.kink-records.de // That Lux Good – www.myspace.com/thatluxgoodrecords * Dr. Strange Records – P.O. Box 1058 / Alta Loma, CA / 91701 / USA / www.rarepunk.com * Gummopunx – M. Schilpzand / Lizzy Ansinghstraat 75 / 1072 RE Amsterdam / Netherlands / gummopunx@chello.nl * Warm Bath Label – P.O. Box 652 / Buffalo, NY / 14215 / USA / www.myspace.com/warmbathlabel * Schizophrenic Records – 17 West 4th Street / Hamilton, ON / L9C 3M2 / Canada / www.schizophrenicrex.com * Narm Discos – 1-34-4-101 Daizawa / Setagaya, Tokyo 155-0032 / Japan / www.narmdiscos.com * SYG Records / P.O. Box 10455 / Pheonix, AZ / 85064 / USA / www.sygrecords.com * No Patience – P.O.B. 39 / Hindmarsh / South Australia / 5007 Australia / www.nopatience.org * Art Fraud – artfraudrecords.bigcartel.com
BROKEN - React (Magilla Guerilla) Interview with Jim Martin THE PIST - Slogans (Elevator) Interview with Jim Martin BROKEN - College Town (Blind Destruction) Interview with Jim Martin VIOLENT CHILDREN - Culture Sucks (Self-Released) Interview with Jim Martin BROKEN - Uncontrollable (Elevator) Interview with Jim Martin WARZONE - Always - A Friend for Life (Revelation) Interview with Jim Martin FEARLES IRANIANS FROM HELL - Simple Life (Boner) Interview with Jim Martin BROKEN - Under the heels of Jack Booted Thugs (Feralette) Interview with Jim Martin BROKEN - Revenge (Cold Front) Interview with Jim Martin THE RESTARTS - Skint (Magilla Guerilla) Interview with Jim Martin BROKEN - At the Border (Vex) Interview with Jim Martin NAUSEA - Fallout of our Being (Revelation) Interview with Jim Martin
Steve Ignorant will be doing a talk and book signing at Hits and Misses between 6:00 and 7:00pm before the show. Hits and Misses is located at 799 Queen Street West.
Broadcasting on CIUT 89.5FM since May 1999, ExD is dedicated to playing underground punk, hardcore, and garage from around the world. Tune in Sunday nights from 10pm to Midnight EST - live streaming audio available at www.ciut.fm Bands/labels: send us your stuff! We're looking for records and CDs to play on our show. Contact Equalizing-X-Distort by e-mail at equalizingxdistort@gmail.com.
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