For Christmas 2025, Sybil had a Christmas gift to share and it's the James Ray remaster of their debut album, "Every Parent's Dream"! It was released on Fervor Records and is available on streaming platforms and also as a limited-edition CD.
I'll describe a Sybil show to you. It was complete and utter mayhem. They were known for being the most outrageously fun band in the mid-1980s San Francisco glam/pop/punk scene. They delivered this complete and utter mayhem at every show.
They were five boys who wore ladies' lingerie and make-up, occasionally fell off the stage and even threw dog food at audience members.
It was easy to focus on the chaos, but there was an incredible pop sensibility in Sybil's music. They could be called a sleazy Cheap Trick. Their self-penned tunes, "She Said", "Too Much Punch For Judy", "I've Been Dreamin'" and "Murder on my Mind" were songs with big hooks and clever wordplay.
This isn't shocking because James Ray, the former guitarist of Head On, and it's rumored that he left a promising career with Hollywood Rose to join Sybil.
There was supposed to be an anticipated debut album by Sybil which was never issued. The only music that was available was their three-song demo tape.
It turns out there was a master tape. The album was titled "Every Parent's Dream". It was being worked on for a long time. It was recorded at Avid Studios in San Mateo. The delay was caused by the band not having enough money to do anything with the master tape.
The band broke up in 1987, and it was shelved. It was collecting dust for two decades before it received a low-key release in 2007. After 18 years its initial low-key release, it is back and it is remastered!
Sybil is signed to the Arizona based Fervor Records. They specialize in new music and rare back catalog reissues. The label backs the album 100%.
The original master tapes have been trimmed down from nine tracks to eight tracks. Their snotty cover of the Stiv Bators/Frank Secich classic "I Wanna Forget You Just The Way You Are" was issued as a download.
James is excited about the improved sound quality. He feels that the band and the songs always stood out, but the audio files were hard for him to listen to. Now that he's into sound, he's learned how to improve the sound quality of the files. He's finally discovered the sound he's been looking for.
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