Zoom
Sweet Desperation
Inspired by such pre-punk touchstones as the Velvet Underground, Roxy Music, Bowie and Sparks, Chris Haight and John Hamilton formed ZOOM in 1976 and soon got caught up in the world of punk. An obscure but seminal 45 -arguably Toronto's first punk record- was their sole release (1977) before Haight joined the Viletones and Hamilton began drumming for the Diodes. Despite their duties in two of Canada's leading punk bands, the pair didn't want great, unissued songs like 'Schoolgirl Hitch Hiker', 'My Baby's Got No Brains' and 'They Only Come Out At Night' to go undocumented, so they entered the studio in 1978 to get this stuff on tape. With musical contributions from members of The Ugly, The B-Girls and The Curse, the session captured a pretty special time in Toronto's music history. This essential compilation LP includes a full insert featuring liner notes and unseen pictures.