Dillinger – Don’t Lie to the Band. 1976. D: 11. If Styx were from Toronto instead of Chicago, they’d go by the moniker of Dillinger. At least based on the merits of this sophomore effort. So in laymen terms, that means a more concentrated effort on the proggy bits and less attention paid to the radio. After a really dubious start (who’s BAD IDEA was it to do a funk version of the Beatles’ “Taxman†anyway?) , this finds its sea-legs by track 4 and goes into extended prog rock territory ala Yes and Starcastle (who themselves were also just rolling in 1976) for the remainder. Also a real thrill for you analog keyboard heads, as they throw them all out there! If your idea of a great time was seeing a band at “The Agora†on Wet T-Shirt night and getting tanked on Molson, then Dillinger are for you. Especially if the Molson beer made you see God during the “heady proggy†parts. Far out…. Â
Amulet – s/t. 1980. 10=10. If you’re looking for the real deal when talking the late 70s American underground hard rock guitar scene, then Amulet is for you. You can’t fake this. There’s nothing flashy, slick, pretentious or commercial about this release. Just a bunch of guys who gave you an honest dollar’s performance, because they knew their audience didn’t have much of it. Straight from the mines to the tavern for some Iron City Beer. Amulet was the featured band. And if the groupie girls were there – well, then, the night was to be remembered forever….