VERY RARE LP RECORD PROGRESSIVE PSYCHEDELIC ROCK ALBUM

( The Spirit of )

Christmas 

" LIES TO LIVE BY "

(Daffodil 10047) 1974 R2

Christmas, that's what this next Canadian - Oshawa, Ontario band was called,Christmas features ex-members of another great '60s band Reign Ghost ( formerly of The Christopher Columbus Discovery of New Lands Band )

The Spirit of Christmas :
Christmas (Spirit Of) - " Lies To Live By " LP 33.1/3 rpm Vinyl Record Stereo on Daffodil records (DAF 10047)matrix machine printed [ DAF 10 047 A 1/B 1] 1974 - R2 - looks like this is one of the counterfeited on vinyl in Europe!!?? in the eighties!! 80's ?? still as rare as the original which i never seen one till now !!!! The Spirit of Christmas is really excellent which they are the same band as Christmas !!

Long forgotten progressive / psychedelic masterpiece from Canada, that was originally released in 1974, is really the third album by Christmas and features Reign Ghost guitarist Bob Bryden. A majestic concept album, that still sounds contemporary and vibrant with some excellent musicianship and lyrical ideas..

Condition:

Vinyl Record: NM- [ clean shine with some couple usuel light surface hairlines scuffs marks].

Sleeve Cover Jacket: EX- [ nice solid mat cover with some storaging wear/light starting ring wear/heavy top left corner wear and some light edges wear,but the amazing art work will cover all that].including 4 colour photos looks like taken from the cd sleeve release!

"Lies To Live By" is essentially the 3rd album release by the Canadian band Christmas. After the release of the Heritage album, Christmas was beset with management and label problems over the direction of the band's next album. The music scene in Canada was in disarray and bands such as April Wine, The Guess Who, BTO and Chilliwack had hits with commercial hard rock songs!!

Very strong psychedelic taste with prog musicianship, haunting vocal and a touch of metallic guitars. Unique and occasionally unpredictable. The first three tracks are nothing but psychedelic efforts, average tunes, but still quirky. Gets heavier into fourth “War Story”, still in the vein of psychedelic. The fifth “The Factory” is a heavy prog rock attack with manic guitar and fluid bassline, as you can hear guitar that you probably ever heard in 80s heavy metal band, but the second part of its is tedious. Closed by “Beyond the Fields We Know”, a four-part song, is perhaps an early fusion metal breakout, a combination of Rush and Planet X. In deed, “Beyond…” is the highlight. The album comprises 6 tracks in 40 minutes.
Christmas had other ideas about where there music was heading. In 1973 a new album was recorded that was a radical change from the hard rock sound of Heritage. The album ended up being tied up in legal wrangles and was not released until 1975!? when the band decided on a name change to The Spirit of Christmas to avoid legal complications associated with the "Christmas" name and to release the album!!

This time out (The Spirit of) Christmas went totally towards a guitar fronted progressive sound complete with mellotron, a chamber orchestra , special effects, intricate piano work and lush backing choruses. In the similar vein of such acts as Genesis, Gentle Giant, and Yes, "Lies To Live By" was a total departure in sound from anything recorded by a Canadian band to date. The six songs on the album are broken into conceptual chapters each with a different theme that intertwines through out the song while half of the songs clock in at close to nine minutes or more. "

Christmas "Lies To Live By" was an instant hit with critics and progressive music fans world wide!

Despite the critical acclaim of the album, Daffodil Records was in trouble and the album did not receive the promotion and support it deserved. Soon after release of the album, the label folded and with it the hopes of (The Spirit of) Christmas . Now left without a label the band also decided to call it a day and broke up also.
In the late 80's and 90's the "Lies To Live By"album became a highly sought after collector's item with originals changing hands for hundreds of dollars. As a direct result of the interest in the band's early albums, Christmas reformed in the mid 1980's for a couple of local concerts. Still regarded as one of the best progressive rock albums to come out of Canada!!

Christmas (Spirit Of Christmas)
Personnel:
BOB BRYDEN gtr, vcls, keyb'ds A B
ROBERT BULGER lead gtr A B
TYLER RAIZENNE bs A B
RICH RICHTER drms A
HELGE RICHTER drms B
PRESTON WYNNE lead vcls

Track Title
SIDE ONE: 1. All The Wrong Roads
2. Stay Dead Lazarus
3. Voice In The Wilderness
4. War Story
SIDE TWO: 1. The Factory
2. Beyond The Fields We Know

Bob Bryden (vcls,gtr), Robert Bulger (ld gtr), Tyler Raizenne (bs), Helge Rich Richter (drms), Preston Wynn (vcls, clvs,gtr)

Led by Bob Bryden,who aslo produced the Forgotten Rebels first 3 lps, who had earlier played in the Toronto, Ontario-based Reign Ghost, Christmas played in Oshawa, Ontario, between 1970-74. In the later years they were known as Spirit Of Christmas. When they formed on Christmas Day in 1969 their average age was just 17.

Christmas is best described as a progressive underground band. They were originally known as Black Christmas.Some say they  were not originally known as Black Christmas, it was a songtitle.Reign Ghost were from the Oshawa area too!!

Christmas "Lies To Live By" is really their finest moment and arguably one of the best albums to come out of Canada in the 1970s. Very imaginative progressive rock. Almost every track is excellent and this album is strongly recommended!! 

 KEYWORDS: psych rock kraut cosmic space electronic prog psychedelic jam garage nuggets fuzz acid flowers hippy hippie pokora

Records are graded visually.

More interesting , obscure and rare original Records of the past ( Psych-Kraut-Electronic-U.K. / US-Progressive-Psychedelic, Garage, Acid-Folk & Classic Rock Originals as well as Jazz & Blues,Metal...) you can see in my other auctions....      

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