Remembering Jon Lord
Deep Purple (Photo credit: daniconil)
July 16, saw the passing of rock keyboard innovator, Jon Lord. He was 71. Best known as one of the founding members of 70′s icons, Deep Purple, he also played with Whitesnake. He played on the classic song by The Kinks, “You Really Got Me“. He was on albums by David Gilmour and George Harrison. He virtually created the riffs used to this day by keyboardists in all types of popular music.
In my life, Deep Purple was one of the bands that formed my musical tastes. Machine Head is still an album that makes me perk up and listen. I will never forget Smoke On The Water or Highway Star, which are very much a part of the soundtrack of my life. The band in heaven just got a bit better.
Highway Star
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Smoke On The Water
Canada’s Best Music – 5 Songs At A Time – Part 29
A mix of old and new, from Gowan to Plaskett, a good set.
1. Barenaked Ladies
“Jane”
Barenaked Ladies (Photo credit: Houston Marsh)
The Barenaked Ladies are a major Canadian success story. Their cheeky style and interesting lyrics set them apart from most contemporaries. This is their first entry on the best music list, the first of many.
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2. Gowan
“Strange Animal”
Lawrence Gowan (Photo credit: OpalMirror)
A classic tune from a well-travelled artist. He is the current lead singer for Styx.
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3. Gandharvas
“Downtime”
Cover art for the album Sold for a Smile by The Gandharvas (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Great song from the early 90′s. Kick back and enjoy.
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4. Chalk Circle
“NIMBY”
The Best of Chalk Circle (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Some classic 80′s rock, a bit mellow and not my favourite song by the band.
5. Joel Plaskett Emergency
“Natural Disaster”
Joel Plaskett Emergency Playing the Aliant Stage (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Love this band. Prolific and good, a deadly combination.
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- Canada’s Best Music – 5 Songs At A Time – Part 28 (therealcanadianmusicblog.wordpress.com)
Remembering Bob Welch
Cover of French Kiss
June 7, 2012 saw the passing of former Fleetwood Mac guitarist, Bob Welch. Another great one lost. He committed suicide at the age of 66. In addition to his time with the band, he had a successful solo career. Here are a couple of those solo hits in his honor.
Sentimental Lady
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Ebony Eyes
Canada’s Best Music – 5 Songs At A Time – Part 28
Heavy on the classic stuff again. Canada did have a thriving cottage industry in music during the 70′s and 80′s. There is also another trivia answer in here somewhere.
1. Five Man Electrical Band
“I’m a Stranger Here”
Five Man Electrical Band (Photo credit: tab2space)
Another song from the group that brought us “Signs”.
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2. Idle Eyes
“Tokyo Rose”
Another 80′s group that enjoyed moderate success in Canada, especially with this tune. They won a Juno for most promising new group in 1985.
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3. Indio
“Big Hard Sun”
![[there’s a big] a big hard sun](http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3128/2809990274_177c9415a8_m.jpg "[there’s a big] a big hard sun")
[there’s a big] a big hard sun (Photo credit: [noone])
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4. Crash Vegas
Pocahontas
Red Earth (Crash Vegas album) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Kind of a depressing song from a very good band. This song was released in 1994.
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5. Ron Hynes
“Sonny’s Dream“
Ron Hynes at the Rose (Photo credit: Kent Barrett)
Canadian folk singer Ron Hynes hit gold in 1976 with the Sonny’s Dream. The song has become a standard and has been recorded by a multitude of artists around the world, The version here is a live duet with Alan Doyle of the group Great Big Sea.
Song Of The Day – Spanish Train – Chris De Burgh
Chris de Burgh in concert in Cork city. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Back home and figured this was an appropriate segue to getting back into things. A classic song from a great story-teller. Chris De Burgh released this song a long, long time ago and now that I have experienced the Spanish train system firsthand……it is fitting.
Spanish Train
Canada’s Best Music – 5 Songs At A Time – Part 27
An interesting set, heavy on the Guess Who and alumni, all classic rock with a trivia question in waiting, so pay attention.
1. Guess Who
“Shakin’ All Over”
Cover via Amazon
This is the trivia question. The Guess Who’s singer at the outset was not Burton Cummings, it was Chad Allan. This cover, released in the USA and Canada in 1965, by a band called The Guess Who? (yes a question mark). This was an attempt to disguise the real band and maybe to make it look like a British Invasion band. The band’s name at the time was Chad Allan and the Expressions. After the success of this song and the album it was on, the band was renamed permanently as the Guess Who. Chad had some throat issues and was replaced by Burton Cummings (a Peter Best moment) and the rest is history. Chad actually had 2 Peter Best moments as he was also part of a band with Randy Bachman called Brave Belt. After he left the band, it became Bachman Turner Overdrive, and the rest is, once again, history.
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2. Chilliwack
“Crazy Talk”
English: Bill Henderson (lead singer and guitarist for Chilliwack) taken in Merritt, BC, Canada (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
A bit of gibberish from one of Canada’s best classic rock bands.
3. Harlequin
“Thinking of You”
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Continuing on a very Winnipeg based set, we have a band I used to see regularly in bars all over Winnipeg. Come to think of it, Winnipeg in the 70′s and 80′s was a crazy great place for live music.
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4. BTO
“Roll On Down the Highway”
Bachman–Turner Overdrive Gold (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
And some more Winnipeg. The kings of classic rock with a live version of another anthem.
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5. Burton Cummings
“My Own Way to Rock”
Burton Cummings of The Guess Who (Photo credit: Protest Photos1)
And a final Winnipeg connection. The smooth voice of Burton Cummings with another anthem from the 80′s.
Related articles
- Canada’s Best Music – 5 Songs At A Time – Part 26 (therealcanadianmusicblog.wordpress.com)
- Canada’s Best Music – 5 Songs At A Time – Part 25 (therealcanadianmusicblog.wordpress.com)
Music Trivia Question for the Day
I am trying to create an official award logo for this series. I am having a blast finding these, then finding the videos to go with the answers. Having said that, I don’t want to wear out the fun so will be changing up a bit on the presentation. How?? I have no flipping idea. I’m sure I’ll have an epiphany at some point.
Anyway on to the answers and a new question.
The previous question was:
Who did the original version of Soft Cell‘s classic “Tainted Love“. Yes. it is a cover. For bonus points, who wrote it.
First the cover version. I kind of shudder when I hear this song as all I can think of is hair, lots of hair, and really goofy pants.
Tainted Love – Soft Cell
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And now the winner. Rebecca2000 guessed correctly that it was Gloria Jones. She receives 17 bajillion points cause she is new to the blog and I kind of like her. I will be emailing you the prize catalogue from which you can choose to spend your points. You need only pay shipping and handling.
English: This is Gloria Jones performing with T.Rex in March 1976 in Glasgow! (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
No one guessed that it was written by Ed Cobb so no bonus points awarded.
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Gloria Jones – The Original
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And now a new question for you to ponder. This question is very subjective, and there might be more than one right answer. Who is (or might be) the most disgusting act in music today. This one is for no points and no prizes, just curious to see if you find anything more ridiculous than the one I have chosen.
Related articles
- Song of the day: Gloria Jones – Tainted Love (thefword.org.uk)
Song Of The Day – Remembering Peter Jones
WikiProject Crowded House (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Peter Jones, drummer with Crowded House from 1994 to 1996, passed away on May 18. He was 49. He also played with Harem Scarem, Tinpan Orange and Deadstar.
In My Command – Crowded House
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He was with Harem Scarem from 1985 to 1989. Here is a song from them.
Miracle Mile
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He joined Deathstar after his stint with Crowded House.
Don’t It Get You Down
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Canada’s Best Music – 5 Songs At A Time – Part 26
Today’s collection includes some country rock, some classic staples, some music from my favourite city and some really sappy 70′s pop.
1. Murray McLauchlan
“Try Walking Away”
Murray McLauchlan (album) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Murray had a strong career in the 70′s and 80′s, writing and recording many current staples on Canadian classic radio. Unfortunately, he never hit mainstream elsewhere.
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2. The Poppy Family
“Where Evil Grows”
- Terry Jacks Guests on OTR (Photo credit: Stephen Dyrgas)
Smaltzy Canadian pop at its’ best (worst?). The Poppy Family had a string of North American hits in the late 60′s and early 70′s. The group was made up of Susan and Terry Jacks.
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4. Northern Pikes
“She Aint Pretty”
- Live (Northern Pikes album) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Hello Saskatoon, Canada‘s greatest city.
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5. Bachman Turner Overdrive
“Blue Collar”
Cover of BTO (1984)
BTO’s very first release, very different from everything they did afterwards. My favourite song by them by a country mile. This clip is of Randy Bachman only, but it is live and is at a great venue in Vancouver called the Commodore Ballroom. Great groove.
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- Canada’s Best Music – 5 Songs At A Time – Part 24 (joebeans2002.wordpress.com)
- Canada’s Best Music – 5 Songs At A Time – Part 25 (therealcanadianmusicblog.wordpress.com)
Song Of The Day – Sly and The Family Stone – “If You Want Me To Stay”
The Original Family Stone live, 2006. Jerry Martini, Rose Stone, and Cynthia Robinson (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Cleaning out my tags on Shazam and came across this one. Sly and The Family Stone is one great band with a super bass player.
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If You Want Me To Stay
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Trivia Question of the Day
Who was the first British musician to have a #1 single in the USA.
The last Question answered
Q. Who was the first African-American recording artist?
A: Willie “The Lion” Smith. He played piano on Mamie Smith’s “Crazy Blues” in 1920
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- Sly and the Family Stone (greatamericanthings.net)
- A Sly Tribute (gigismeanderings.com)
Canada’s Best Music – 5 Songs At A Time – Part 25
I have not done one of these for a while, so it’s time to pick up where I left off and continue the series. I think we all might have needed a break. Only 380 songs to go. This set is heavy on the classic rock and features an icon of my generation, one of the founders of The Band, Robbie Robertson. Also included is one of the judges for Canadian Idol, Sass Jordan and one of the worlds greatest bands, Rush.
1. Robbie Robertson
“American Roulette”
English: Robbie Robertson during a March, 2011 radio interview. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
One of the rock era’s greatest bands, The Band, spawned several major solo careers. Robbie Robertson is one of the major talents of the era. This version is live on Letterman, supported by fellow Canadian Paul Schaffer. This is one hot version.
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2. Coney Hatch
” Hey Operator”
- Coney Hatch (album) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Coney Hatch was an 80′s rock band who created 3 albums. The band was produced by Kim Mitchell, an accomplished Canadian act in his own right. Carl Dixon, the lead, played with April Wine and the Guess Who in later years.
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3. Strange Advance
“We Run”
Another 80′s band, Strange Advance were more of a new wave style group. They won Juno’s (Canada’s Grammy) in 1982 as Most Promising Group and were 1985′s Group of the Year. “We Run”s off their 1985 album “2WO”, which won them their Juno that year.
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4. Rush
“Distant Early Warning”
Geddy Lee playing his Roland Fantom X7 during the 2010–2011 Time Machine Tour (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The best thing I can say about any Rush song is, “ENJOY”. One of the world’s finest groups.
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5. Sass Jordan
“Tell Somebody”
- Cover of Tell Somebody
Sass Jordan had a great run from the late 80′s through the 90′s. When Canada pursued their own version of American Idol, she was selected as one of the judges. This was her first hit in Canada, recorded in 1988. Don’t panic, the song starts at about 22 seconds.
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Related articles
- Canada’s Best Music – 5 Songs At A Time – Part 23 (joebeans2002.wordpress.com)
- Canada’s Best Music – 5 Songs At A Time – Part 24 (joebeans2002.wordpress.com)
Song Of The Day – Edwyn Collins – “A Girl Like You”
A Girl Like You (Edwyn Collins song) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Lets dip into the past and visit the 90′s. Always liked this one. A Girl Like You was released in 1994 by Scottish artist Edwyn Collins and had great success in both the USA and the UK, reaching #4 on Billboard. The song (and artists) are classic one hit wonder material, meaning, an extremely talented musician with many good albums to his credit, caught he world’s imagination only once. Check out his other material.
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A Girl Like You
Song Of The Day – Remembering Billy Bryans
William “Billy” Bryans passed away on April 23. He was 62. Billy played drums for many bands including Raffi and the Downchild Blues Band. He is best known as one of the founders of the Parachute Club. He was widely known as a producer, making records with the above artists and Lillian Allen. He was also a promoter and an accomplished songwriter.
Rise Up
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Canada’s Best Music – 5 Songs At A Time – Part 24
A great set if you like classic rock. Max Webster is featured with 2 songs in the grouping.
1. Max Webster
“Let Go the Line”
- The Best of Max Webster (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Max Webster was the starting point for 2 of Canada’s most brilliant songwriters, Kim Mitchell and Pye Dubois. The band formed in 1973 and had a string of hits and gold albums until 1981. The principals all went on to great solo careers.
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Let Go The Line
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2. Nickelback
“Worthy to Say”
- Chad Kroeger on stage with Nickelback in Dublin May 2006 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Nothing to say, except they are from small town Alberta. Major international stars, you either like them or you don’t.
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Worthy to Say
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3. Bachman Turner Overdrive
“Lookin Out for Number One”
Bachman-Turner Overdrive performing live in Örebro, Sweden 1991 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Great song. I always thought their early material was far superior. Kind of like the jazzy sound they had before they went straight power chords.
Looking Out For Number One
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4. Max Webster
“Night Flights”
- Kim Mitchell, Bobcaygeon Arena – 2005 (Photo credit: Steven Burke)
The second entry. Both these songs were from the same album. There will be more.
Night Flights
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5. The Band
“King Harvest”
- Bob Dylan and The Band – February 2, 1974 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The Band is likely the best band to come out of our country. Great music. This video is absolutely spectacular.
King Harvest
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Canada’s Best Music – 5 Songs At A Time – Part 23
Today’s 5 spot includes a classic female singer of the 60′s, another entry from Blue Rodeo some classic rock and folk, and a current superstar.
1. Buffy Ste. Marie
“Mister Can’t You See”
Buffy Ste. Marie is a native Canadian artist, born in Saskatchewan. Her music is a mix of history and mysticism. She is a true Canadian treasure.
This is one of her anti-war anthems.
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2. Blue Rodeo
“Till I am Myself Again”
Love these guys. Another entry from a great band. This song is off Casino, recorded in 1990.
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3. Crash Vegas
” It’s Not Funny Anymore”
Crash Vegas was a Canadian folk-rock band from the late 1980′s. It has a connection to Blue Rodeo in that Greg Keelor, the other singer and songwriter for Blue Rodeo was one of the founding members. He left the band before they had recorded anything. This song is from their 1989 record, “Red Earth”. The quality of the clip is lacking and I apologize. Could not find anything better.
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4. 54-40
“One Day in Your Life”
Another entry from a Canadian classic band.
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5. Nelly Furtado
“I’m Like a Bird”
The first entry on the list by Canadian international superstar, Nelly Furtado. Great song.
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