TROYEN – Syrian Lady – Anthology Part 1 (1981-1982) (Silver Vinyl)

High Roller Records, silver vinyl, ltd 150, 8 page booklet, Original studio reel transfer by Eroc. Mastering and audio restoration by Patrick W. Engel at TEMPLE OF DISHARMONY in February 2020. The Troyen story starts rather unusually, when drummer Jeff Baddley and bassist Dave Strathearn decided they wanted to be form a band together. After seeing Steve McGuire and Nick Mannion’s group perform locally, the drummer made contact and suggested to the two guitarist/vocalists that he and Stratheran were better musicians than their current rhythm section. Before long the four of them were playing together in Troyen. Originally called Trojan, but changing their name to avoid conflict with another similarly-named act of the time, Troyen recorded their only commercial demo, featuring the four tracks ‘Dreams Never Lie’, ‘Futures Friend’, ‘Don’t Send Me To War’ and ‘Crazy Lady’, in August 1981, over three days. Priced at £1.00, Baddley reckons they sold around five or six hundred copies at their gigs. The engineer on the session was Gil Norton, who went on to become a renowned producer on the alternative scene; Troyen were one of his first projects. A six-week European tour with Nightwing tightened the band considerably, and on their return to the UK they recorded ‘Free Wheelin’’, and possibly ‘Syrian Lady’ at the same time. By this time they had a frontman, Neal Treanor, ex-Graf Spee, but were back to a four-piece, having lost Mannion along the way. Fun though it was, they realised that the band wasn’t making enough money to allow them to live their lives, and unfortunately Troyen disbanded in early 1983.