DMZ - When I Get Off (1976 Early Punk/Garage from Boston)

Before Jeff "Monoman" Connolly formed Boston's seminal garage rock terrorists the Lyres, he was in a late-'70s prototype known as DMZ. With the exception of a few musicians, DMZ and the Lyres were essentially same-sounding bands; DMZ just played with a little more speed and punk verve. Oddly enough, during the late-'70s signing frenzy of any band even remotely associated with the punk scenes in Boston and New York City, DMZ got a shot with Sire Records. The label, exhibiting near-total artistic myopia, teamed the band up with goofball has-beens Flo and Eddie as producers. While the resulting record was panned, it's far from a disaster, due mainly to DMZ's ferocity and trashy ebullience. Fans of mid-'60s rock such as the Seeds, ? and the Mysterians, and the Kinks, and who have an unending jones for speedy trash-rock and whiny Farfisa organs, will love DMZ.

DMZ was a first-wave American punk rock band from Boston, Massachusetts, strongly influenced by 1960s garage rock. DMZ came together initially with Peter Greenberg, Mike Lewis and Adam Schwartz all hailing from Ohio and ending up in Boston for college MIT, Emerson and BU respectively. Mike "drums" Lewis was recruited at Emerson College. JJ Rassler was recruited by Greenberg when they met at the radio station WBCN. In early 1976, Jeff Conolly (sometimes credited as J. Connally, Mono Mann, Monoman, etc.) stole the lead vocalist position in the nascent band by out-performing their singer at one of the band's practices. Along with his vocals he brought two things the band lacked: keyboards (an electric piano) and original songs. Just over one year later, in April 1977, the band went into the recording studio with Craig Leon (who had produced the Ramones first album). Four songs from that session were released by Bomp! on a 7" vinyl EP. DMZ was signed by Sire Records and went to New York to record their debut album, produced by Flo & Eddie. It was released in 1978 without much success and by the end of the year the group had splintered. Guitarists J. J. Rassler and Preston Wayne left to start the Odds, and Conolly, bassist Rick Coraccio and drummer Paul Murphy formed Lyres.

DMZ has re-formed periodically; a 1993 set appears on the Live at the Rat album.

Early drummer David Robinson (who had previously been in The Modern Lovers) left DMZ to join The Cars.

1. "Busy Man"
2. "You're Gonna Miss Me"
3. "When I Get Off"
4. "Lift Up Your Hood"
5. "Comin' After Me" (orig. recorded by The Flamin' Groovies)
6. "Bloody Englishmen"
7. "First Time"
8. "Oedipus Show"
9. "Rosalyn" (orig. recorded by The Pretty Things)
10. "Mighty Idy"
11. "From Home"
12. "Are You Gonna Be There" (orig. recorded by The Chocolate Watchband)
13. "Pretty Girl"