I'd like to ramble a bit today about some Canadian rock bands of the 70's. Why? Because many of them are still grinding away at it, playing county fairs and other small gigs, some supporting or even headlining on large venue tours. A lot of these artists' careers stalled somewhere along the way (often the 80's), only to fade from the public eye, but they all re-emerged for a few special appearances or a few comeback tours decades later. In other words, when the money ran out. But I still marvel at the longevity of the many bands who have truly made a career out of their music.
Triumph comes to mind first. I used to love those guys back when they wrote catchy, heavy tunes that rocked the airwaves. Their best albums were released in the 70's, with a couple of pretty good efforts in the early 80's. But they fizzled out by the early 90's, unable to compete with the youngsters. The band sort of limped along for a while, minus the guitar and voice of Rik Emmett, and though the Triumph of old is still highly regarded by their peers, it seems the original line-up will never reassemble. Emmett continues to tour and record, though he concentrates on acoustic music now. I witnessed the magic power of Triumph live back in the 80's... read more here.
Saga, masters of progressive rock, did their best work in the late 70's and early 80's, but forged on, recording and touring over the decades. They are one hard-working band, they've still got the chops to knock your socks off with multiple keyboard solos, and I've had the pleasure to see Saga live a couple of times over the years.
Bachman-Turner-Overdrive (aka BTO) were a major force for much of the 70's with their distinctly Canadian hard rock, but they barely lasted a decade. The boys reunited for a few special appearances in more recent years, including the 2010 halftime show at the CFL Grey Cup. Still takin' care of business.
BTO in all their glory
Rush, of course, can't be forgotten in this discussion. This prog-rock trio continued to dominate the music scene in many respects ever since their first album in '74. Though Rush's best work remains in the 70's and 80's, and following slight lulls in quality since then, the band has proven again and again that they can still flex their creative muscles. All three of them are still highly regarded as world class musicians. Working men, through and through. Browse the site for more Rush stories.
Max Webster, too, earned their stripes in that decade of choice. Led by Kim Mitchell (who'd later embark on a successful solo career), Max Webster churned out a gloriously weird concoction of heavy and light and progressive rock. Their small handful of albums are classics, every one of them, and 'ought to be required listening for every Canadian citizen. Max called it quits in 1981 for various muddy reasons, but their legacy lives on. Kim Mitchell, after several hit solo albums, called the Max band back together now and then for nostalgic tours. I was lucky enough to see Max Webster play at my high school in the 70's, then a few more times in night clubs during the 90's. More details are here.
April Wine was a favourite group of mine during the 70's and 80's. The Wine sputtered during the late 80's and only a few studio efforts came our way after that. But they have been pretty active on the county fair circuit over the years since their heyday. I saw them back somewhere in the early to mid-90's, and though the band was greyer on top and thicker around their middles, they could still rock harder and faster than you'd expect.
Prism was an act that I only had a little exposure to, yet my memories of some of their songs linger. Spaceship Superstar was particularly cool for a singalong, wasn't it? These guys were in their prime for about seven years, re-formed a little while later for touring, and even popped out a few albums, mostly greatest hits rehashes.... 'cuz they didn't exactly have a whole lot of hits anyway, did they? But.... some of their members went on to illustrious careers in record producing and songwriting. Look 'em up... you'll be surprised.
Chilliwack recorded a lot more albums than I ever knew about until now... just about an album per year during the 70's. Quite the output, though since I heard very little of it, I can't really comment on the consistency of the music. These guys wrote radio-friendly songs in the pop/rock vein, most notably My Girl and Whatcha Gonna Do, but I never knew more than the selection of tracks on their greatest hits package. Chilliwack never really stopped touring in at least some incarnation, and played a 2005 Mattawa festival with a horde of other Canadian artists.
Though Neil Young got his start with some hippy stuff in the 60's, he pretty much owned the Canadian music scene in the 70's. His critically acclaimed folk-rock garnered him praise from all corners back then... and now, though during the 80's and beyond, Neil experimented with other musical styles that sometimes shocked fans and critics alike. He certainly must be lauded for his songwriting ability, even if his singing leaves some folks cringing. Sort of like that Bob Dylan guy, you know? Hey, I was never a huge fan of either one of them, though I have always admired a large handful of Young's songs and I don't think his singing is half bad. He's still an active force in the music scene, recording and touring and whatnot. Especially the whatnot. Look it up.
Nobody takes Neil seriously unless he looks uncomfortable
FM were a jazz-rock fusion band that gave new meaning to "progressive music". I don't think it was common knowledge that Canada had such gifted musicians playing in their backyard - then or now. But when I noticed a friend's FM album way back when, I was intrigued... and when I heard it, I knew I'd tapped into something special. That album was Black Noise, and man, I still love that disc! Often dissonant and chaotic, Black Noise sounds like a soundtrack for a futuristic world or even universe. I mean, songs like Phasors on Stun and Slaughter in Robot Village give you a fair idea of where these guys' minds were at.... but add in the highly technical mix of traditional rock instruments with a whole of electronics, plus weird stuff like the mandolin. These guys hung in there from '76 to '96, though I only really knew their 70's and (vaguely) their 80's music. After that, they split and re-formed often, never really gelling again. I believe one original member fronts a new FM, but who knows what planet they are playing on now?
That'll do it for today. I think I've covered the Canadian bands that meant the most to me back in the 70's. And it's interesting to see these legendary rockers show such stamina as they keep on doing their rock'n'roll duty. Salut!
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