DMZ were Jeff 'Monoman' Conolly's band before The Lyres. They are a solid part of punk rock history, and one of the first pack of bands signed by Sire records, the label which became synonymous with NY punk.

Problem was, DMZ were not from NY, and their record was released with a lousy mix and a bad sleeve - no one bought it.

Now for the first time we can listen to the record with a better mix, and without the mock heavy metal logo the label cooked up for the record without the band's knowledge.

'DMZ' was produced by Flo & Eddie (which is great) but was recorded in Syosset, Long Island NY (which wasn't). The drummer broke his hand while recording one of the finest moments on the disc (Cinderella). DMZ got dealt fewer and fewer cards as flashier bands came into the scene, eventually losing their guitar player prior to breaking up.

DMZ differed from other punk bands by their love of freakbeat, Northwest garage bands like The Sonics and The Troggs, and Jeff Conolly's organ.

All the songs are Jeff Conolly originals except a Troggs cover and a Wailers cover.

This record is a burner, and came as a pleasant surprise to me, having only heard their Bomp EP back in the day when it first came out.

1. Mighty Idy
   Kind of reminds me of the harder edged stuff recorded for The Banana Splits. Instead of hearing "Mighty Idy" I keep thinking I am hearing "Mata Hari" ( the female sidekick in Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp).
2. Bad Attitude
   Sounds like a speeded up version of The Stooges TV Eye.
3. Watch For Me Girl
   The organ is up front here more than in any other song. The song is fast, and sounds like the Northwest bands DMZ professed to loving.
4. Cinderella
   Everything comes together perfectly in this track. The vocals remind me of Steve Marriott and the music rocks just right, with the killer drum part and all the pieces meshing together just so. Supposedly, the 2 smashes at the end of the track are the drummer breaking his hand, - one of the first fateful events Monoman chronicles in this new liner notes for the disc.
5. Don't Jump Me Mother
   The vocals remind me of The Stooges song Down on the Streets. The chugga chugga sound can't be beat here.
6. Destroyer
   Flo & Eddie do background vocals a million miles from their hit Happy Together.
7. Baby Boom
   This song reminds me a bit of the sound of another boston band, The Real Kids.
8. Out Of Our Tree
   This song is a fave of mine because of the killer drum part. It is so solid! The track is a cover of the Northwest band The Wailers.
9. Border Line
   The bass line is the same that Billy Idol used in his hit White Wedding years later. The song is an instrumental kind of like Pipeline.
10. Do Not Enter
    An almost rockabilly sound on this track.
11. From Home
    A Troggs cover. The rave-up break in the song was ripped off as the basic riff for The Romantics hit That's What I Like About You.

Faves: 4,8