Superb release by RaveUp Records and this is one more obscure nugget from the golden age of Punkrock. Volume 63 was dedicated to the Canadian band Tyranna (feminine equivalent for Tyrant) from Toronto and who didn't in their short lifespan (1978-1979) made it onto vinyl. Vera Skye (a.k.a. Rabies) gathered all the musicians and wrote all the lyrics. Through a rotating cast of musicians, Vera Rabies was the one constant. Other members included John Ziegler and Dave Porter on guitars and drums, respectively in 1978; guitarist Ron Partridge, Gerry Smith on bass, and drummer Cleave Anderson who had just left the Battered Wives. Whenever Toronto’s Punk scene of the late 70s is discussed, it’s usually the Diodes and the Infamous Viletones that get name-checked, while other important bands of the era are overlooked. In some cases, there are good reasons why groups that regularly played the main Punk venues of the era like the Turning Point, Larry’s Hideaway and the Crash'N'Burn are now largely forgotten. Tyranna’s best work wasn’t released on singles at the time, and they rarely ventured outside the city during their brief run in 1978 & 1979. This explains why the energetic PopPunk crew led by the snarly Vera “Rabies” Skye, who split bills with Iggy Pop, Jane County, the Members and the Dils, isn’t better known today. They also appeared on My Girlfriend Was A Punk! Compilation with the track 'Back Off Baby'. It may be thirty years too late, but Tyranna’s long-rumoured early demos, finally being released on this nice record.
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