Christmas (Spirit of) - Lies to Live By

Tracks

Side 1

		Track Name	Length
	1	All The Wrong Roads	03:19
	2	Stay Dead Lazarus	04:07
	3	Voice in the Wilderness	04:19

Side 2

		Track Name	Length
	1	War Story	09:09
	2	Factory	08:50
	3	Beyond The Fields We Know	11:13

Photos

Videos

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Information/Write-up

By the time Lies to Live By finally reached listeners in 1975, it already felt like an artifact from another dimension. Originally recorded between 1973 and 1974 by a young but fiercely ambitious band from Oshawa, Ontario, the album was delayed for nearly two years by label troubles, legal wrangling, and a last-minute name change. The group once known simply as Christmas had evolved, matured, and, through no small amount of struggle, transformed into The Spirit of Christmas—a name far more fitting for the haunting, searching music they had committed to tape.

What emerged wasn’t just a third album—it was a reinvention. Where their previous records had wandered between acid jams and heavy riffing, Lies to Live By abandoned the trappings of hard rock altogether in favor of something far more layered, introspective, and sonically expansive. This was progressive rock in the most sincere and searching sense. Drawing on British influences like Genesis, Gentle Giant, and King Crimson, the album nevertheless maintained a uniquely Canadian voice—raw, reflective, and unusually intimate for such an ambitious work.

Across its six tracks, the band dives deep into conceptual terrain, with songs unfolding more like movements in a symphony than traditional rock pieces. The arrangements are dense but never overwrought: Mellotron swells rise up beside chamber orchestrations, eerie sound effects drift through mixes, and Preston Wynn’s rich vocals offer both storytelling weight and emotional fragility. Bob Bryden, always the spiritual heart of the group, contributes guitars, keyboards, and a sense of compositional vision far beyond his years.

Highlights are hard to isolate, because Lies to Live By works best as a whole, but certain moments still manage to pierce through: the whispered paranoia of “Factory,” the tragic build-up of “War Story,” and the sweeping final chapter, “Beyond the Fields We Know,” all offer a glimpse into a band operating at its creative peak. Even in its quieter passages, the album never loses its edge—it’s contemplative, yes, but never soft.

What makes Lies to Live By so compelling, even today, is how fully committed it is. This is not music chasing trends or chart positions—it’s music made out of necessity. And in a Canadian rock landscape increasingly dominated in the 1970s by barroom boogie and radio-friendly hooks, that commitment came at a price. The album received glowing praise in progressive circles but little mainstream support. Daffodil Records folded not long after its release, and with no label or clear path forward, the band dissolved soon after.

But time has been kind to Lies to Live By. What once seemed out of step now feels prescient. The album has become a cult favorite among collectors and prog-rock devotees, its original vinyl fetching high prices and its mystique only deepening with age. More than just a lost gem, it stands as one of Canada’s most fearless progressive rock records—a deeply personal, genre-blending journey from a band that refused to compromise.

In the end, Lies to Live By isn’t just a record. It’s a statement. A last stand. A map of where Christmas might have gone if the stars—and the suits—had aligned. That it exists at all is something close to a miracle. That it still resonates is proof that some music, no matter how buried, continues to live.
-Robert Williston

Bob Bryden: guitar, vocals, keyboards
Robert Bulger: lead guitar
Tyler Raizenne: bass
Helge Richter: drums
Preston Wynne: lead vocals

Cover design and art by Gary Gatti (The Wizard)

Liner notes:
Christmas gratefully acknowledge the presence of John Donabie, Wayne Bryant, Marty Melhuish, Deane Cameron, Pete Woods, Peter Rochon, Bill Brownell, Joann and McQuade Music (Bob Clarke), Kalua Music, Janet and Diana of Manta.

Photo from “2001” courtesy Stanley Kubrick and M.G.M.
Organisation of additional funds: Wild Bill Ballard and Myron Wolfe
Group photos and inside layout – Joe Bloe Photo

To all of these people, and the others, a citation of merit for patience above and beyond the fields we know.

Christmas is from Oshawa
Mastering by Robert Ludwig, Sterling Sound, NY, USA
Recorded at Manta Sound Studios, Toronto, Ontario, circa 1973-1974

May the world be a better place.
for Meghan
All the best to you and yours

Happy Snails to You
A Production of Love
Francis W.H. Davies

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