Vancouver guitarist John Murray met singer-writer John Lyle in 1970. Murray had recently left one of Vancouver’s top bands Papa Bear’s Medicine Show. Lyle had been in two lesser known bands, The Gordian Knot and The Western Country Band. These groups disbanded as bands do. Lyle then recruited Murray to help him record the album Bootleg Powerhead. They gigged together for a short while with Murray and bassist Derek Stephenson accompanying Lyle as Lost John Lyle and The Lonesome Ornery Polecats. This group disbanded as bands do. Murray went on the road with a group called Weather while Lyle and Stephenson carried on in Vancouver until Stephenson was offered a better paying job with Paul Hann in Toronto. Lyle to this day has abandonment issues. Lyle went to Toronto, formed a duo with Stephenson and then reconnected with Murray who was there with Weather. (Are you really following this? Get a life.) Murray had written a brilliant song called Unrequited Love’s A #*#*ing Drag, which for some unknown reason he was reluctant to perform. Lyle’s song doctor skills convinced Murray of the song’s viability. A songwriting partnership was born! They went on to write many songs together, a few of which were regional hits. For copywrite reasons, The Lovetrain Express released as a single by Vancouver r&b artist Aaron MacNeil and Mrs. Santa Misses Santa, an 80’s Hallowe’en single by Lyle & Murray are not included in this collection. Skateboard Fever is here though! And not the sanitized version which was the hit on Lynn Stones’ 80’s A&M childrens’ record Bananas In His Eyebrows. This is the full-blown rebel without a pause cover your mother’s ears essential Lyle and Murray demo. John Murray moved on to take the lead guitar chair for one of the most popular bands in Canadian history The Poppy Family. He played those high guitar parts on Seasons In The Sun, Canada’s biggest selling record. After The Poppy Family divorced, Murray reunited with Lyle to appear on the network CBC radio programs The Great Canadian Gold Rush and Dr. Bundolo's Pandemonium Medicine Show. Lyle quit performing but never stopped writing and recording, releasing nine albums on his own label. These albums are available here at CDBABY, as is John Murray's fine instrumental collection Midnight Walk. Murray continues to perform, delighting cruise audiences with his impeccable musicianSHIP. Lyle & Murray write together to this day. They've included a recently recorded bonus track; a modern anti-capital punishment protest song called ‘The Bible Strikes Again.’ Old guys rock!