A CANADIAN GEM / FIRST TIME ON CD - EXTENSIVE BOOKLET / FULLY REMASTERED. Strike Force (originally called Toys) was founded in 1981 by drummer Pete Paillé, bassist Mario LeBlanc, guitarist Ray Doucet and the singer Stephane Moïse. When Ray and Stephane decided to leave the band for personal reasons, Pete and Mario went all around the bars near Montreal, trying to find their missing prospect, a guitar player. Mario had decided at the time, that he would be able to keep the singer mic hot. Eventually they saw a young blond guy named Romy Belanger and knew right away that they had their man. He was not only good on the fret board, but he could sing too. The power trio didn’t last long, because they decided to add keyboard/rhythm guitarist Mike Pitre in early '83 to fill out their sound. The Band played covers in bars and clubs throughout the province of Quebec, travelling in their own school bus. Mario and Romy started writing together, and "Step over the line" was their very first collaboration. They recorded a demo of that song straight from the mixing board. That demo got them a record deal with Globe Records. they also gave a cassette copy to a guy at the local radio station, and that thing played so often everybody knew the lyrics! So, they pretty much toured all the time, going from town to town and writing more songs. These songs were recorded and by exceptional luck, their demo had been given to renowned Quebec producer Ben Kaye, and he wanted to meet and see the band live. Once they had enough material, they went to Detroit, Michigan to record, in what was once the original Motown Studios, The Sound Suite Studio. The sessions were held in early October of '83. They played their asses off for months on end, but Pete the drummer’s health was deteriorating. Pete had been diagnosed with leukaemia at 17 and he passed away a few days before his comeback from pneumonia and complications brought on by the leukaemia. Sylvain LaTendresse came aboard during this time and the replacement drummer became a full-time member. The road is tough, but the scene in '84 was also tough on bands. Tensions were building within the band as well. Mario and Mike wanted to play a heavier style of music and they were thinking about hiring a singer. Romy, who didn’t really like the idea, and who’d just got married, decided that it was time for him to change his style of living and quit the band for good a few weeks later.
