Gary Reichel (Cinecyde, vocalist): They basically hired the bands and marched them down to one of the Birmingham salons to get the punk rock haircuts. They had a slick flyer to give to club owners. “And we’ll handle everything. The three bands will all tour. We’ll use the same equipment. You don’t have to worry about time between bands.” That’s how they were selling it. And they had bigger aspirations than that. They wanted to get them signed.

Detroit has been the site of several musical generations of punk; Cinecyde emerged on the local scene there in the late ’70s, gigging and releasing records (by several bands as well as compilations) on their own label. Following a sneery pair of rudimentary 7-inch EPs and some singles, I Left My Heart unleashes enough raw power to stun, but a superior sense of song structure, the group’s skilled musicianship and non-topical lyrics prevent it from falling into the stylistic clutches of simple hardcore or heavy metal.

Keeping the rock’n’roll faith (not to mention the first album’s lineup!), Cinecyde issued a long-come second album in early 1989. Now more inclined to play loud power-pop than tuneful punk, Cinecyde has tempered the pace, but not the spirit or electricity of its music. Who Goes There? is a welcome return from these talented and sturdy Midwest musicians. (The LP doesn’t include a subsequent sign-of-the-times 45, “Burn the Crack House Down.”