A collection of favorite Canadian ‘live’ albums (ok, initially I meant to stop at 10…). I do realize there’s a lot more out there (and I have), so maybe a part 2 in the future (?). Feel free to drop omissions in the comments.
SAGA – In Transit
Released in August of 1982. My first and favorite SAGA album. I have a clear memory of buying this at the Eaton’s in the Rexdale Mall, not long after it came out. The mall was a few blocks from my grandmother’s house, so I’d go there when visiting. I bought it based on the 2 songs I’d heard on the radio – “On The Loose” and “Wind Him Up”. Loved this album – “Don’t Be Late”, “Humble Stance”, “Careful Where You Step”,… In Transit marked the end of the band’s best era (IMO). Still my favorite Canadian live album. Wish there was more from the shows tho’ to make an expanded reissue.
APRIL WINE – One For The Road
One of my first concerts was APRIL WINE at the Kingswood Music Theatre, at Canada’s Wonderland, just north of Toronto. What an amazing show! Too bad this was the band’s final tour, and more so a shame that this originally came out as a single LP. The 1985 release included 11 tracks, and really the band’s best-known songs, mainly from the 1978 onward era, though it only features 1 from the band’s final studio album Animal Grace (a shame they never played more from it). But “Anything You Want” was a killer opener, followed by classics like “I Like To Rock”, “All Over Town”, “Sign Of The Gypsy Queen”, and so on, plus a medley of ballads… But, there are a few glaring omissions with the original track listing, which was largely corrected years later with 4 songs added to CD and 2 LP reissues. All classic tunes and loads of energy capping off the band’s most successful era!
TEAZE – Live At Liege
In their day TEAZE only lasted about 5-6 years, 4 studio albums and their classic Live in Japan. But the band has reformed since 2019 to play a number of shows. This recent show (just released) captures the band, now pushing into their 70s, but you’d never know it from the energy and the lead vocals (Brian Danter). A dozen great rockers and anthems here, with favorites like “Back In Action”, “Touch The Wind”, “Heartless World” and “On The Loose” (which closes the set). If you don’t know anything about this band, this live disc is the place to start.
RUSH – Different Stages
There’s lots of RUSH live albums, but this is the one I play the most (from 1998)….and then maybe Rush In Rio (released 5 years later)…. But I like the sound of this one, and the set list, which features tracks from the band’s comeback pair of 90s albums – Counterparts and Test For Echo, as well as more from the band’s 80s (despite the glaring omission of “Subdivisions”). Love the inclusion of “Analog Kid” and “Big Money”, and newer favorites like “Driven” and “Animate”, plus the full 2112. Much prefer this to A Show Of Hands. it also came with a 3rd disc (bonus), of the band at London’s Hammersmith Odeon in 1978. Originally released on CD, but I see a 4-LP version was issued last year.
GODDO – Lighve: Best Seat In The House
Those first few GODDO albums were packed full of punchy, energetic rock tracks, and this 2 LP set was a bold move after just 3 albums, but it is a ‘must hear’, featuring all the band’s favorites (which, most of remained in the set forever). With what became their standard opening of “Anacana Panacana” (intro tape) and “So Walk On” and highlighted with best known favorites like “Sweet Thing”, “O Carole (Kiss My Whip)”, “Under My Hat”, and a 7+ minute performance of “Let That Lizard loose”. Years later the band repeated with 2nd Best Seat In The House, as well as an archived live release and a 35th Anniversary live set. I saw Goddo years ago in St Catharines, it was actually the first sit-down interview I ever did. Greg Godovitz recently put together a new version of the band to play shows to celebrate the band’s 50th Anniversary.
MOXY – Live In Toronto
Released in 2014 as Live In Toronto and also included as part of the band’s 40th Anniversary 2CD/DVD 40 Years And Still Riding High) release a year later (which I have). One of those ‘better late than never’ things, and with a new line up led by guitarist Earl Johnson and featuring lead vocals from Nick Walsh (Slik Toxic). 11 tracks (including the drum solo), taken from the band’s first 3 classic albums. Walsh was a great fit for the band as they went through favorites like “Out Of The Darkness”, “Nothing Comes Easy”, “Moon Rider”, “Sail On Sail Away”, and “Ridin’ High”. Johnson has a new version of the band currently playing shows, I believe.
LOVERBOY – Live In ’82
I was a fan, mainly of those first 3 LOVERBOY albums (and then someone brought In Mutt Lange (sigh). But Live In’82, (released last summer on CD & vinyl!) captures the band at their peak, playing songs from the first 2 albums (arguably their best). So you get high energy performances of their biggest hits like “Turn Me Loose”, “The Kid Is Hot Tonight”, and “Working For The Weekend”, as well as favorites from Get Lucky – “Jump”, “Lucky Ones” and “Take Me To The Top”.
FM- Retroactive: FM Archives Volume 1
Released in 1995, and I don’t ‘get’ the stupid title (as there was no further volumes), this was taken from the band’s 1994 short reunion tour to promote the CD release of their classic Black Noise album. I saw 2 of the 5 shows in small venues. The shows were awesome and captured well here. Don’t recall how many songs they played, but this includes 10 songs, notably their hit “Phasors On Stun”, and Black Noise favorite “Journey”, as well as best known songs like “This Lonely World” and “City Of Fear”, and their versions of “Shapes Of Things” and “Baba O’Riley”. A CD release only (included a retroactive CD-ROM track, don’t think I ever watched it), but would be nice if their was more from this little tour or the FM archives to hear some more.
CONEY HATCH – Live At The El Mocambo
The first of 2 live albums from CONEY HATCH, back-to-back. This one was recorded & video’d during CoVid, with a limited number of guests allowed in to see the show at Toronto’s legendary El Mocambo. A great mix, representing the band’s 4 studio albums, and long overdue. Not too long after came Postcard From Germany, which had been recorded in 2018. Hoping there’ll be more, as there’s a few good shows from the 80s (Cleveland 1982).
STREETHEART – Live After Dark
This 2 LP set was recorded following 6 albums from Winnipeg’s STREETHEART. Although I don’t think Streetheart’s albums were heavy, but more pop produced, Live After Dark showed the band rocked harder live. This features the band’s hits like “Action”, “What Kind Of Love Is This”, “Hollywood”, plus their excellent covers of “Tin Soldier”, and 12 & a half minute closing classic take of “Under My Thumb”! The band’s original line up would reunite and record 2014’s One Night One Take, but I’ve yet to hear that one. but Live After Dark is a pretty essential Canadian album.
THE GUESS WHO – Live At The Paramount
Another essential Canadian release, and better than simply picking up a ‘best of’ IMO. Live At the Paramount, from 1972, captured THE GUESS WHO in their prime; they had a ton of hits and some pretty cool album cuts, so this isn’t just a play through of the usual numbers. Only 7 tracks though on the original single LP (why!?), but there is favorites “Running Back To Saskatoon”, “Pain Train”, and the 16+ minute performance of “American Woman”! The CD version would thankfully add 6 more tracks and fix the running order.
Canadian Live Albums I’d Still Like to see…
A Foot In Coldwater – anything, be it from the early 70s or from one of the band’s reunion gigs over the years.
Santers – there is video of the band from Toronto, around 1982 or 83(?) Would be cool to master it for release.
Headpins – Saw the Headpins open for Loverboy in ’83, surely their must be a good live recording from that period(!?)
Harlequin – something from the band’s early 80s heyday, before they brought the guy from The Fixx in to produce!
Moxy – OK, something from the late 70s w/ Buzz Shearman.
American singer Mark Huff became known to hard-rock/metal fans in 2010 when he took on the frontman’s role in a reformed Quiet Riot, following the passing of Kevin Dubrow. A difficult task, no doubt. His tenure with the band ended in 2012 with health issues, and Huff would return once healthier and sing in various projects. Last year he joined DARK MILE, a new band put together by Paul Alfery (guitar/keyboards) and former Dio guitarist Tracy G., and along with bass player Randy Oviedo put out their excellent self-titled debut album. I recently spoke with Mark about his past, his various other bands, Quiet Riot, and the Dark Mile CD, as well as what else is on the go. If you haven’t checked out this album yet, I highly recommend it!
Who were some of your favorite singers you grew up on?
Don Henley, Phil Collins, Paul Rodgers, Robert Plant, Steve Walsh.., and the list goes on.
Did you buy a lot of albums growing up? Do you still keep an album collection?
I keep a few albums, tapes etc. I still have – Eagles Hotel California, Steve Miller’s Book of Dreams, Nazareth Hair of the Dog, Kansas Point of No Return, Kiss Alive signed by Paul and Gene, and a bunch of well-worn Led Zepplin, Steppenwolf, Deep Purple Machine Head…
What other bands did you grew up on?
Beatles, Golden Earring, Bad Company, Eagles, Aerosmith, Kansas, Cheap Trick, Cars, Ted Nugent.
So when you landed in California, what were some of the first bands you got involved in?
That was OU812. That was a good friend of mine named Angel Llanos. He’s still there in San Diego. He does a tribute to Carlos Santana, and he stays real busy doing that.
0U812, 5150/ Atomic Punks, Lead Foot Overdrive,
What were some of your favorites from that Van Halen era of Sammy? Do you have any song preferences from that era?
5150, We played all the hits from the Van Hagar era and a few obscure deep cuts – “Right Now”, “Dreams”, “When It’s Love”, “Black n Blue”. With 0U812, we did ANYTHING SAMMY – Montrose, solo songs, Chicken Foot, The Wabo’s….
That’s good. I love all those albums. 5150 was a favorite of mine.
I think that my covering of the vocals of the Sammy era, live and on video, are what got me recognized and a call from Frankie Banali.
Cool, and the Deep Purple stuff you did as well?
‘Deeper Purple’, we covered songs from, I think, all three singers. That was fun to me and that was always a challenge too.
During this time prior to Quiet Riot, had you done any recording stuff or any kind of original stuff?
Prior to Quiet Riot, I did a project with a band called ‘Leadfoot Overdrive’ in San Diego and Jeff Poremba, Steve Bernstein, Greg rupp and Mikey Panone. No releases but a great project. I still have recordings.
So that stuff you did prior to Quiet Riot, some of that was original stuff?
Yes, all original songs.
And the Quiet Riot thing, you were there with Frankie and the guys had been there for a while!?
Yes. Frankie ,Chuck Wright, Alex Grossi (he’s still playing).
With Quiet Riot, I know you were there for a couple of years, did about 40 shows. I know it didn’t end well, but what were kind of the highlights while you were there?
All a learning experience through a time I wasn’t physically well. But biggest crowd was in Germany ‘Bang Your Head Festival’, maybe 30,000 + the travel and locations I will never forget. I was fortunate to be included in many shows alongside people I had to pinch myself to question the reality. It was all an honor and a privilege. Doing a show in the mountains, snowing outside, stage is outside and at that elevation, they offered oxygen tanks if you needed to take a pull on stage. Shout out to all the kind people along the way!
Was there any opportunity or talk of doing anything original while you were there?
The possibility was discussed, but I wasn’t there long enough to see it happen
Post-Quiet Riot, you’ve done some other things as well, at least one or two albums?
‘Steel Imagination’ doing covers, and ‘Endangered Species’ – all original; I have recordings of that as well
I did some music with Craig Goldy. After I was well enough and anybody locally thought that I was ready to start getting involved in music again, he was one of the people that approached me too; that was probably from seeing me play in a ‘Deeper Purple’ show at Brick by Brick.
Greg and I worked on some stuff, and he was the first initial one to kind of … ‘baptize me’ with trying to record from home. We did everything from my house, and he mastered everything at home. And that was a learning experience, and he was the one that kind of helped me feel like I could still do this. We aspired it to do other things with it, but… it was more about the politics of who I sang with…and maybe politics for him personally too, I don’t know. I did that with Craig and those things were called ’13th Floor” (live, this was Endangered Species).
And then I hadn’t done anything for a while and I went to Florida, did a show with a band called Trixie Lee Taylor (with Taylor Murphy). I was blessed that people cared about me, wanted to be involved with me and for anything that was positive that way. I got to bounce around a little bit. And then after that I got approached, by someone on the phone, from up your way there in New York. And (he) approached me about doing some music. He already had songs written. And again, he kept me active in music and stuff and that didn’t work out. So, we’re at where we are right now.
You did an album in 2017!?
It was called ‘Steel Mountain Crossing’.
What was that about?
I was contacted by someone who wanted to make some music with me. We made some recordings, originals and a few covers. None of my songs. We are on opposite coasts so it was too hard to do long distance at the time. Creative differences but we gave it a go.
You eventually met Paul Alfery and Tracy G, and they’ve started this Dark Mile project. What did you think about that when they approached you with it? I think they had a lot of the songs written before you joined, correct?
Paul Alfery contacted me via a musicians’ app called ‘Band Mix’. My profile only states that I am a professional singer looking to stay active. Paul said a project he is working on needs a vocalist to finish a song, possibly more. We get through the song as we come to know who is in this project…. Tracy G, Paul Alfery, Randy Oviedo. So out of respect to these gentlemen, I had to reluctantly let them know that I was that guy from QR. When anything on the internet about you is not very positive, the last thing you would want to do is brag about any of it. I wanted a job where I didnt have to act, look, or sound like any one or thing except me. You can always be compared to someone else, the look, the sound. I appreciate this opportunity. My vocal spot here is…,I sing.,I have not written any of these songs. I give input. We collaborate. And these guys make it super simple for me. We tweak the melody, words here and there. Come up with another verse, float it around to each member until it works.
You did all the vocals from home?
Yes I did.
And were all the lyrics done for you? Or did you have to tweak a few here and there?
Every song comes to me differently. We tackle each song differently depending on what Paul has planned. The process gets better all the time; practice makes perfect.
Do you have a favorite, any favorite tracks on there? Or are you just all, you’re happy?
I like “The Boy” and I like, “He Said, She Said”, “Maybe On A Sunday”,…”Can’t Help You” …We are proud of the efforts, it’s all my favorite!!
How far along are you guys with the second album?
Just a couple songs to finish, we just finished a ballad for #2.. We thought we should put one on there.
Will it still maintain that kind of that 80s hard rock vibe?
That’s hard for me to say without hearing mastering, but it sounds great!!
Has there been any discussion about doing any live shows at some point?
We are prepared to do live shows in support of our music if warranted. I’ve been doing my parts, I have them tattooed on my brain and I’m ready to do this live, no problem… We all are!
What else are you involved in right now?
I’m working on doing something local soon, some recording.
What’s the live scene like where you are?
My friends Jeff Mills, Lynn Sorenson are active in the scene here. It’s about time for an open mic drop. People are getting back to entertainment!
Lynn Sorenson, he was on a couple, he was on the Stuart Smith album with Heaven and Earth.
Yes, he was. Lynn lives north of me. He stays busy doing what he loves. He’s played with Bad Company for a while, Paul Rogers and stuff. He’s a string player, he plays anything with strings, but he’s a great singer as well.
Cool. Lastly, do you listen to, you’re familiar with any Canadian bands?
Kim Mitchell, Loverboy, Honeymoon Suite, BTO, Rush, April Wine, Triumph, Mahogany Rush, The Guess Who, Steppenwolf…
I used to play the club circuit from all of Washington and Oregon, and all the way to the Canadian border. And we were playing Port Angeles. We had a guy in the audience for the whole night, and it was an off night, (early in the week), but he was very appreciative, and we got talking to him and it was Randy Bachman! He was going to catch his ferry back over to Victoria. We used to cover a lot of Loverboy, “Working For The Weekend” and “Turn Me Loose”, a few songs… April Wine was one of my favorites too, as far as the 3-guitar piece band, and the vocals and everything; we did a few April Wine songs too,
Anything else you’re listening to these days?
The works of Tracy G. The Winery Dogs, Myles Kennedy and everything that still inspires me!
Well, a quick run down of some new tracks & videos worth checking out! If you got any new classic rock/hard recommendations, drop me a note or put them in the comments! As always, for more info, check out the descriptions in the videos for more info and links.
RUSS BALLARD – New York Groove
Originally of the classic band ARGENT, Russ Ballard left the band for a solo career, and is likely better known as a songwriter who’s songs have become hits for numerous acts like Rainbow, Kiss, Santana, America, and this song – which was a hit for Kiss’ Ace Frehley in 1978. The song was previously covered by British glam band ‘Hello’. And now Ballard has made a new version of the song.
HAREM.SCAREM – Reliving History
Canadian rockers HAREM SCAREM have a new single out. I picked up the band’s first 5 or 6 albums way back, and always enjoyed them. This is good, very likeable compared to the early stuff.
HOUSE OF LORDS – Cry Of The Wicked
Fronted by singer James Christian, HOL is pretty consistent with good songs and album covers! 🙂 This is from the band’s new album Full Tilt Overdrive.
ENVY OF NONE – Under The Stars
the 2nd single from the 2nd (forthcoming) album of EON, which features Alex Lifeson (Rush), and Andy Curran (Coney Hatch). Check it out. Very atmosphere track, nothing like anything you’ve heard before.
STREETLIGHT – Captured In The Night
New single from Swedish band that is influenced by 80s AOR/melodic Hard rock like Journey, Toto, Kansas… Their new (2nd?) album is titled Night Vision, due out next month.
HELLOWEEN – Future World (live)
From German power metal legends HELLOWEEN, who have a new Live At Budokan release out now.
Admittedly I am a late BADFINGER fan. I did not grow up while the band was active, but only got in to them casually years ago with a ‘Best of Badfinger‘ CD. I was so oblivious that some 20+ years ago I contacted Bob Jackson and sent him questions pertaining to his time with the David Byron Band in the early 80, (I am a huge Uriah Heep fan), and the Badfinger connection didn’t dawn on me at the time! Years later, and after the Best of CD, I started picking up Badfinger albums; I liked them, but when I picked up Wish You Were Here, and put it on – I was hooked! The previous hits were good, but this whole album I loved. In 2019 I had tickets to see Uriah Heep in Ohio for 3 nights in a row, but instead, the day before I came down with a virus and was put in the hospital for nearly a week. So, I had my wife bring in my laptop so I could write, and for a few days I researched further and wrote a retrospective on Badfinger. After that I picked up more CDs, reissues….and the 2 CD version of Head First. The songs on that 2 CD release were not the intended properly mixed album, but I enjoyed the songs! So, back to the album….
Head First was to be the follow up to the I’ll fated Wish You Were Here. A strange time for the band. Remember, back in those days many bands were expected to come up with new albums every 8 months or so, and many classic albums were recorded remarkably in short periods of time (the first Black Sabbath album for example). So, while Badfinger’s manager was stealing the band’s money from Warners, the band were thrown into a mess, with their central figure – Pete Ham, leaving. Bob Jackson (a keyboard player) was auditioned and joined. Pete Ham returned, and briefly there was a 5-man line-up. At the end of a UK tour Joey Molland left, and Badfinger was back to being a 4 piece. During this time Warners pulled Wish You Were Here from the shelves and filed lawsuit against the band (and manager) for missing money. The band’s manager (who took the money), hurried Badfinger back to the studio to record a follow up, which the band did in less than 2 weeks. But the lawsuit brought the band to a halt. In all this Pete Ham saw no way out and hung himself. The band was effectively done. Sure, there were Badfinger albums released in 1977 and 81, with a couple of originals, but it wasn’t even close without Pete Ham. Tom Evans would also kill himself. In 2000 Head First was released as a 1 and 2 CD set, featuring the songs recorded during that brief 2-week period. Since then, reissues and Pete Ham archives tapes have been released, as well as more recently a collection of Tom Evans demos.
A few months ago came the surprise news that an official version of Head First was to be released (on vinyl and CD). And well, although I’ve had access to listen to this online (to review) I really prefer a physical copy of an album to get into, and this was one I’ve been very excited to receive since it’s announcement, as I’m sure many longtime Badfinger fans have been as well. So, first off is the packaging…Head First comes in a glorious gatefold cover featuring the shot of the lion roaring on the front and the apartment pic on the back, with the track listing. The inner gatefold includes bandmember photos along with track by track performance credits on one side, and more photos of bandmembers along with pics of various correspondence, contracts, and letters pertaining to Head First. Inside (aside from the LP), there’s a 12-page colored booklet with lyrics, more photos, and more credits pertaining to this release. So, the packaging alone is first class, and one can enjoy this album old school – while looking through the jacket, booklet and reading the lyrics.
The album itself contains the same songs, albeit not exactly in the same order, as the 2000 CD release. But here, you get a proper mix, amazing sound. Maybe it’s me, but Head First, like Wish You Were Here, sound like they were ahead of their time in many ways, and for me, well beyond the band’s previous albums, like it’s hard to believe this was all recorded over 50 years ago. But Head First is the final missing piece of the Badfinger puzzle. The songs here, recorded quickly are all impressive, varied, with all 4 members contributing to the writing and lead vocals. The lead off track “Lay Me Down” is upbeat, catchy, with great harmonies throughout, a fantastic production, written and sang by Pete Ham. This (to me) would’ve been an obvious hit single! (And lo and behold this one was issued as the first video / single from this release!). Tom Evans contributed 2 cuts to what became side 1 – the more pop driven “Hey Mr Manager” and the rocking “Rock ‘N’ Roll Contract”: both songs dealing with the band’s situation at the time – “Hey Mr Manager” taking aim at the band’s corrupt manager Stan Polley. (Then) new guy Bob Jackson contributed perhaps the heaviest and most progressive tune here with “Turn Around”, featuring his lead vocals, and a cool mix of guitar and Hammond organ (if anyone’s heard the Indian Summer album from ’71, it is a heavier album, featuring plenty of Hammond organ and Bob’s vocals, a noteworthy comparison, but “Turn Around” is one of my favorites here). The first side also includes Mike Gibbins acoustic ballad “Back Again”, another gem, highlighted by the band’s harmonies, synths, and a harmonica solo from Pete Ham.
Side 2 opens with a classic Pete Ham song, “Keep Believing”, kind of a mid-tempo, almost ballad tune, with piano and slide guitar. I’ve read Ham wrote the song as a message to departed band member Joey Molland. “Moonshine” is another on the lighter side, and one of 2 that features Evans and Jackson sharing lead vocals; the other being “Passed Fast”. Both are enjoyable and memorable tunes. the latter co-written by Evans, Gibbins, and Jackson with Evans & Jackson sharing lead vocals, while the former is co-written by Evans & Jackson, and it’s another standout on here. “Rockin’ Machine” is another Mike Gibbins number that is very different, kind of a country-ish styled singalong/pub feel to it. The album ends with a re-edited mix of Pete Ham’s short instrumental “Saville Row”, which has added synths from Bob Jackson.
Overall, just a thoroughly excellent release, in so many ways. A must for any Badfinger fan (obviously), but also highly recommended to fans of classic rock. Bob Jackson deserves a lot of credit (and thanks) for his efforts to get this album done and out properly, after so many years. Well worth it!
BLUE OYSTER CULT sets the bar for how legacy bands celebrate anniversaries, release archived material, and put on important shows.
Third Night Live features the band (in it’s current line-up – Donald Roeser, Eric Bloom, Richie Castellano, Danny Miranda, and Jules Radino) performing the best (arguably) BOC album – Secret Treaties – in full, along with 2 other LPs’ worth of BOC deep cuts & classics. Those first 3 BOC albums sound pretty primitively recorded, so these live recordings offer a modern contrast, with most of the same voices. Albert Bouchard (original drummer, who also wrote and sang) is a special guest here, as is former member Kasim Sulton (on a few tracks), and keyboard player Andy Ascolese (The Band Geeks). Would’ve been nice if they’d included Joe Bouchard (original bass player), and co-writer of the epic “Astronomy”, but we can’t expect everything, I guess.
I like having things in ‘sets’ (I have all 3 Nights on vinyl) and Third Night Live completes a historical set of albums. Each of these albums’ cover art, brilliantly created by Stan W Decker (who’s done a number of recent BOC covers, as well as the stunning cover for Jon Anderson & The Band Geeks) pays homage to the original covers and stick to a neat pattern – same band name lettering, artwork in frame, dark covers, so they visibly look perfect together. LPs are in a simple straight sleeve, no gatefolds, and no inserts.
The extra material, beyond the album being played in full, offers up a few gems, and a few repeats night to night (the ‘must play’ hits, and a couple from the band’s last new recording – The Symbol Remains. But there plenty of welcomed inclusions for big BOC fans, with Third Night Live including favorites – “Black Blade” (from Cultosaurus Erectus), “Shooting Shark” (from Revolution By Night), “I Love The Night” (Spectres), and “Joan Crawford” (Fire Of Unknown Origin). It also includes “The Alchemist”, from The Symbol Remains, actually performed the previous night, but held over to be included here. A couple of other Symbol Remains cuts might’ve been cool, with 2 more of the same here that featured on the First Night, but oh well. This whole set is damn near perfect, from the added song choices, performances, recordings, and packaging, making these 3 releases ‘must haves’ for BOC fans.
Not sure what else (if any) the band might be doing as far as album anniversary shows go, but to me Spectres – in full would be the next obvious one (their 5th studio album, with so many classics!), and maybe Fire Of Unknown Origin (their highest charting album in the US & Canada).
Formed by guitarist/singer/songwriter Alan Ross, this band released 2 albums in the mid ’70s. Alan Ross was best known for playing on a few John Entwistle albums and had recorded with the band RO RO – which also included bass player Warwick Rose. ROSS also included keyboard player Bob Jackson (ex-Indian Summer), bassist Steve Emery (ex-Legs), and percussion player Reuben White and drummer Tony Fernandez. Released in early 1974 featured cover art by Patrick Woodroffe, who would later do covers for Judas Priest, The Strawbs, Budgie and others.
Ross featured 10 cuts, all written by Alan Ross, but the lead off track (and single) “Alright By Me” was a co-write with Emery & Jackson. For the most part Ross is a good set of rock with influences of R&B and funk, with Ross’ guitar playing being the main draw, along with the band’s vocal harmonies. Ross wrote plenty of different and excellent tunes, despite not having any hits here, Ross is a more obscure 70s album worth checking out. Highlights include “You’re Looking Down A Road”, “Wherever You Go” and “Help Me Understand”, which features some cool interplay between guitar and organ, a good jam. There’s also a few acoustic tracks and ballads, notably “Caroline” (this would’ve made a fine single, but was used as the B-side), “Blackbird” (which had previously been recorded & released with ‘Ro Ro’), and “Leave it All Behind You”, which ends the record.
Ross released a 2nd album later the same year, The Pit And The Pendulum, and undertook 3 US tours, their biggest as openers to Eric Clapton. Bob Jackson left the band during the band’s last US tour, which (I think) effectively ended the band. He would join Badfinger soon after. Neither Ross album is easily available on CD, and would be an interesting package for some label to consider, especially with some of the excellent live material online (Don Kirschner’s Rock Concert, 1975, see below). Alan Ross would go on to record as a solo artist, and with the band ‘STARS’ (which also included the late Ric Parnell, on drums). Sadly Alan passed away in 2019. But both Ross albums are well worth hearing, especially the first one (IMO), and the live performance shows they were even better as a live band. Check them out. I’ve also added a few articles and links below to find more on this band, and Alan Ross.
ROSS ROSS RSO SUPER 2394 127 ‘Funky’ is how composer/singer/guitarist Alan Ross describes his music and funky it is, due in no small measure to the percussion work of Tony Fernandez and Reuben White. Instrumentally this debut album has a blues -jazz influenced drive which is particularly noticeable on the up -tempo tracks such as Help Me Understand, I Need Your Love and Wherever You Go. However, the tracks do seem samey and although the guitar and keyboards complement each other the solos sound repetitive and frankly uninspired – seems I’ve heard it all before. As a lyricist Ross doesn’t seem to have a lot to say and the vocal delivery sounds thin and stereotyped. The lyrics tend to be superfluous, except perhaps as a basic framework for the backing by which they’re mostly obscured. The most striking feature of this album is the sleeve design which contains enough erotic symbolism to justify reproduction in Men House or Pent Only (or whatever it’s called). Either you love it or you hate it – unlike the disc which really doesn’t register either way. D.R (Beat Instrumental, 06-74)
Back in 2014 APRIL WINE founder Myles Goodwyn expressed his desire to retire from playing live with the band, but it would be over 8 years, in December of 2022 that Marc Parent was announced, having been chosen by Myles, to take over the band’s lead vocal and guitar duties (alongside Brian Greenway). Parent debuted with the band last April. Sadly Myles Goodwyn passed away December 3 of 2023. But choosing Parent was so that the songs (mostly written by Goodwyn) would carry on to be enjoyed by fans. April Wine has had a busy year playing live, and 2025 looks to busier and very interesting, with festival shows, as well as a UK tour as openers for Uriah Heep, followed by a Canadian tour opening for Randy Bachman’s BTO. In this interview Marc discussed his past, previous bands, influences, how he came to join April Wine, how things are working in the band, highlights, and a few surprises.
*Check out the links at the bottom of the page for more info, tour dates, etc…
Can you tell me a bit about your earlier stuff, your musical influences and some of the stuff you grew up on listening to?
I’m a total classic rock guy. first album I ever got; I traded a buddy of mine for a Playboy magazine. It was the first Boston album. He wanted the Playboy and I wanted his Boston album. So, we swapped.
So, I’m pretty much a classic rock guy; grew up listening to that and a lot of progressive rock and I got into, after Kiss, Styx and Boston, I got into Genesis and Gentle Giant and Yes.
And I was also studying to be a jazz guitar player, so I was interested in Pat Metheny, Larry Carlton, Lee Rittenour and Wes Montgomery and all those guitar gods.
In your early days what was the scene up there? Did you play in a lot of cover bands or beforehand, in the 80s and 90s?
No, actually, the first band I ever played in was like an original band out of high school. We were called ‘Sigma’. And, the first gig I ever did I was 17 years old and we were doing originals. We had an electric violinist, we had a girl on bass, we had a sax player, we did original tunes. At that point I had a music teacher, his name was Regean Gauvreau and he was very influential because he had a big band and he would work; every weekend he would book his big band at the Chateau Laurier Hotel, in Ottawa or at the Congress Center or he would do these corporate events, and he would hire me as the guitar player in this big band. So, I had to be able to read music and I had to wear a suit, and he really taught me a lot about the business of being a professional musician. This would be, like, early 80s.
So, then I was studying to be more like a jazz guitar player, and I ended up – my neighbor was going out with a bass player in a band called ‘Eight Seconds’ in Ottawa. And she would listen to me practice, in my bedroom and she said ‘You gotta come see my boyfriend’s band’. So I went to see Eight Seconds play and I said to myself ‘I could do better than that guitar player’. You know, just as a typical 20-year-old, watching the guy play with my arms crossed in front of the stage kind of deal. And, it’s very weird, at the same time I was working in a music store in Aylmer, Quebec, my hometown; and this guy walked in and gave me some business cards and said ‘I just opened up a local recording studio and if you know any musicians who want to do demos, I would appreciate it if you would hand them my card’. And I said ‘well, I’m a guitar player and I’ve never really recorded in the studio’; he said ‘well, come on over and you can play guitar on a couple of my songs’. I did that and at the same time, Eight Seconds were recording demos at his studio. And they, at the same time, decided they wanted to trade up, or change guitar players. So, this gentleman, Manfred Leidecker, said ‘well, listen to this kid I just recorded him’. And they gave me an audition and I got the gig with Eight Seconds. The band that my neighbor took me to go see, maybe a month before. Next thing I knew I was in that band, and I was 23 years old. And the first gig I ever did with them was opening up for ‘Luba’ at the Ottawa Congress Center. And they scored a number one hit in Canada with “Kiss You When It’s Dangerous”. We opened up for David Bowie and Wang Chung and Paul Young and we did a North American tour. The next thing I knew I was living the dream. From ’85 to ’87, it was unbelievable!
And how many albums did you guys do? Just a couple or…?
I was on Ottawa Rima, which is a self-produced first album. Then that generated the interest of Rupert Hine and Polygram Records. So, then we did Almacantar, which had the “Kiss You When It’s Dangerous” hit on it. And, and then they did a great album. I got the boot in ’87 and they decided to go without a guitar player. It was very support oriented, in those years. And they did another album, which is in my opinion, was their best album, which is called Big Houses. And they produced that one at Le Studio, in Morin Heights. I was not on that one, Bill Beaudoin played the guitar on that one. That was in 1990.
Were you a writer?
Yeah, I wrote some stuff on Almacantar. Not complete songs, but melodies and, certain choruses and stuff like that. I was just getting my feet wet, as the singer, guitar player, writer. That was basically my first attempt was with Eight Seconds.
Was there any other recording bands or did you, like, locally throughout the years before April Wine came along?
After Eight Seconds, I moved to Montreal in ’87 and did a bachelor’s degree in music at Concordia University, And realized that the scene in Montreal, there was a strong blues scene. A lot of clubs had bands that played blues. Three sets, four sets a night, four – 45-minute sets. So, I put together a band that still exists to this day. It’s called Wang Dang Doodle. I put that band together in 1989. And just learned the craft of playing live and singing and fronting a band, in the clubs in Quebec and Ontario. And I still play with that band once a month, just because it’s fun.
And playing the Quebec blues circuit, I met Richard Lanthier, who was playing bass in that same circuit. And I hired Richard a few times to play in my band. And he hired me to play with Carl Tremblay’s band. We basically knew each other. When Myles Goodwyn’s health issues got a little worse about eight years ago, Richard recommended me. And I auditioned for Myles on the phone. He liked what he heard and offered me the gig. And I, you know, I just had my first child, and I had a pretty good day job. Unfortunately, I had to refuse. So, I actually said no to April Wine eight years ago. And I couldn’t believe it. I was telling all my friends; I can’t believe I just said no to April Wine.
And they kept going. Myles hung in there for another eight years. Luckily for me, they didn’t find a replacement for Myles. And then Myles’ issue post-COVID, became worse. And then he said, ‘how about that Marc guy that we auditioned eight years ago?’ At that point my girls were more grown up. And I had returned to being a full-time musician. So, the timing was just right. I didn’t say no the second time around.
That’s interesting, because I remember that post going up years ago that he wanted to step back. And people flooded the April Wine groups with names and stuff and suggestions. And then there was nothing said for years.
I think a couple of guys, Myles was very, very picky in what he wanted. And I think he put a couple of guys through the ringer there, they auditioned for him, and I think it was pretty tough. I was just in the right place at the right time. Like, lucky for me, he didn’t find his guy. You know, and he liked, and he liked me. So, my voice naturally sounds like his. I don’t try to imitate Myles when I sing. I just respect the melody of the song as close as I can to the record. And I just put my own energy into it, my own vocal style. And I respect Myles’ vocal style. I try to be as close to the original as possible. But I don’t imitate. I’m not an impersonator. I don’t do that.
And he had a pretty recognizable, distinctive voice.
Absolutely! All the great singers do.
Do you remember what you were required to learn to audition with?
Well, I did “Roller” and “Gypsy Queen” for him, on the phone eight years ago. And then this time around, when I got the call the second time, I took out my iPhone and an acoustic guitar, and I just did a rough demo. And I sent it to him, and I said ‘listen, this is as rough as it gets’. It’s my friggin’ phone and an acoustic guitar. Nothing else. ‘And if you like the tone of the voice and you like what you hear, then maybe we’re onto something here.’
And he was listening to it in his studio and a friend of his called him on the phone and he asks his friend ‘What do you think of this?’, and his friend says ‘Well, what? That’s just you singing and playing guitar’. And Myles said ‘Okay. That’s the guy!’ And so, whoever that guy is, I have no idea who that guy is, but that guy got me the gig.
That’s funny.
The guy thought it was Myles.
I’ve watched the live clips on YouTube and obviously nobody can sound like Myles, but you’re close enough that the sound, the songs aren’t losing anything, you know?
Yeah. It’s all about the song, right!? It’s all about the memories that we, that the songs evoke in us. So, my, my job is to serve the song and make sure that when you come see the show, you hear that song the way you remember it and you get all those nice, warm, fuzzy feelings that you had when you were 16 years old. You know what I mean!? That’s my job.
I think for Canadians; I think April Wine is a special band because guys in our age group kind of grew up with them and they had so many hits, so many radio hits. We know all those songs, so just still getting to hear them is great.
I think so too. That’s my approach. When you come and hear the show, you want to hear the song, then we are, our mantra is to play the song as close as possible to the record. That’s what we said we were going to do and that’s what we’re doing and making sure you have a really good time. Yeah. So, you come out, you hear the songs as you remember them, you have tons of energy on stage – Brian Greenway is 72 years old, he’s still kicking ass. And Richard Lanthier and Roy Nichol have been there for like 12 and 14 years. They’re a powerhouse rhythm section. We’re a really tight band. And we’ve got great songs, great hits to play. It’s fun for us too!
It’s a huge catalog. I’m curious how familiar were you with the entire catalog before all this?
Oh, not that familiar. I was familiar with the same songs you were familiar with. I grew up listening to April Wine on the radio. So, I mean, at one point I’d learned maybe 30 songs, and then Brian comes up with the list, he says ‘Okay, here’s seven more songs, these are the American hits’. And I go ‘Excuse me?’ He goes ‘Yeah, these songs were big in the States.’ I go ‘Oh my God.’
I have the entire catalog, so like I’ve followed them since the early 80s, there’s so much to it, right? You have kind of have three phases of the band, the early band until the mid 70s, and then when Brian joined, and then the post reunion stuff. So, how much of that catalog do you guys play? Do you change it up a lot, or are you, is there a set list that you gotta keep to?
When we’re headlining, we have an hour and a half Canadian set, we have an American set, which has different songs, not all different, but there’s a few more American hit songs that are in there that are not in the Canadian set.
We have an opening act set, so, you know, we’re going to England and we’re going to be playing pretty much just the hits, because we have 45 minutes. And then we’re doing the Bachman Turner Overdrive tour in April, I believe that’s a 45 or a 60-minute set, so, again, and that’s a Canadian tour, so that’ll be just the hits, because that’s what people want to hear.
And even though I say just the hits, there’s a couple of deep tracks in there as well. Just so, you know, for the connoisseurs, there are some deep tracks in there as well. But when you have 45 minutes and you have as many hits as April Wine has, you got to pick and choose. It’s a good problem to have.
Now that you’ve been in the band for a while, have you had a chance to go back through the catalog, and listen to everything and kind of put in ideas that may be things you want to try or things that aren’t in the setlist?
Oh, yeah. Absolutely. Brian came up with a bunch of songs the other day and sometimes he brings out tunes and I go ‘Man, I haven’t heard that one yet!’ It’s such a huge catalog. I’ll go back and listen to the albums, listen to a bunch of stuff and I’ll come up with a suggestion, and he might say ‘That one didn’t really stick with the public…’, and he knows; he’s been there since ’77, so he knows what was popular, and what wasn’t.
When Myles was still with you guys, you guys had gone into the studio at one point. Was there anything finished or kind of any plans to finish any of that stuff?
I had the honor of writing a song with Myles. He had this song lying around and he and I worked on it and then when he did his last show in Nova Scotia, he brought the guys in and they recorded it and I put some vocals on it, played some guitar. So, there’s a song out there. It’ll probably end up on a live album.
There’s a live recording of Myles’ last show. So that’s in the works right now. I can’t say more because I don’t know where we’re at in that process. Where the powers that be are at in the process. But I’m pretty sure that we’re going to have a bonus track on that album and it’ll be, you know, Myles’ last song.
And you’re on it!?
Yeah.
Have you done any recordings with you in the band? Taped any live shows or anything or any live video professionally that can be used for promotion or for release?
If you go on the website, there’s a video that hits you as soon as you open the website. That’s a promo video that was professionally done. They just took a clip of “Roller” and put it on there as an audio track. So that video, we’re really proud of it. It gives you an idea of the energy of the show live. But there’s no audio yet. There’s no audio that I know of anyways, no professional live recording.
I think that would be a cool idea kind of to reintroduce the band that this is what we sound like now.
Totally agree. I think that even when Myles’ last live show, you could have a package in there where there’s some live songs of us now, so you get a bit of everything. I think that’s what they’re working on. Maybe that’s why it’s not out yet.
Has there been any discussion of eventually recording some new material?
Well, that’s a tricky situation because I think Myles was the main songwriter and Kim, who is Myles’ widow, her job is to really preserve Myles’ legacy.
So, to bring out new songs, they would have to be things that Myles has had a hand in. And he’s got a bunch of snippets on his phone. So, I think one of these days we’re going to have to go through all those snippets and see if there’s good ideas in there, which I’m sure there are, that we could potentially turn into songs.
The other option is, I know when the Thin Lizzy guys wanted to record without Phil Lynott, they ended up finding a new name. Not that you guys need to find a new name, but even… alter the name a bit or ‘featuring’…. But it’d be cool to hear the band, something live and in the studio, as is.
I totally agree.
We’ll have to see. Right now, there’s a lot happening right now just for us, playing live. So, it’d be nice. We’re going to be touring a lot, so it’d be nice to set something up where we could record the shows. We always want to be better musicians. We always want to get better and make the show better. So, there’s nothing like recording video and audio to listen to yourself and to watch yourself. That’s the best way to critique and get better.
It’s interesting because Myles, for years, was very dead set against people recording at shows and taking pictures. So there was a scarcity of stuff out there for a long time.
I think he was a little… I didn’t know the man as well as the other guys. I didn’t get to spend much time with him, unfortunately. But I think he was a little resistant of the new technology until he wrapped his head around it, then he really embraced it. You know!? Even just GPS. I mean, he still liked using maps until he understood it more and then he loved it. Maybe that’s why he didn’t like people taking pictures and shooting video because he was afraid, they would use it in a context that he didn’t approve of.
Do you have any favorite albums in the catalog now that you’ve gone through it all?
Harder, Faster – for sure. Live stuff is always great. There’s great energy. I love the ’81 show in London, they’re really firing on all cylinders. There’s so much out there. Now that I get to sing it, it’s like I like them all. I like them all and I hear them in a different way now.
Do you have any other plans to do anything… Recording-wise – outside of the band?
I had to keep busy during COVID. So, I did like 50 videos of other people’s material. It’s started out as just an I-Phone and a guitar and ended up being productions that would take 3-4 months. it was really fun. So, I’m always interested in recording and getting back to that. I’m always coming up with ideas and putting them on my phone. I just have to take the time to elaborate on them, writing songs. Now that I’m going to be touring a bit more, I have 2 young daughters, so me to take time off, I have to spend as much time with them as I can, so right now I’m more in to ‘papa’ mode because I know I’m going to be leaving soon. So, I’m taking care of my daughters, and spending as much as time as I can with them before I take off.
To answer your question, there’s always songs in my head, and I’m always interested in recording and putting ideas down. I can’t wait to get back to that. I was really into it during COVID when I had more time on my hands. But now, it’s really fun to concentrate on making the April Wine show as good as possible and making it the best people have ever seen. April Wine were a powerhouse in the 70s when there were 5 people in it, and a lot of people were blown away by that show, and our idea is to bring it in to today and still give it that great energy, playing those great songs.
Has there been any talk over time about adding a 3rd guitarist back?
At first, Myles’ idea was to do exactly that. And what happened was, logistically, nowadays it costs so much to be on the road, so expensive to fly to a gig, and fly equipment around, stuff like that. So, it just turned out that was easier logistically for 4 guys (instead of 5) in terms of transportation, in terms of everybody flying out of Montreal. Gary Borden, who is Sass Jordan’s guitar player, had the gig, and at the last minute we had to pull the plug on Gary, unfortunately. And it had nothing to do with him or his playing, anything like that – he’s great! It’s just that it didn’t make sense to bring in a guy from Niagara Falls compared to guys flying out of Montreal. So that’s why it’s a 4 piece, because it’s just too damn expensive to be on the road today, and bring a show to people, and keep shows at a reasonable price. So, maybe one day we’ll get back to that idea of the 5 piece like the early 80s.
That’d be cool! have you had a chance to meet any of the band alumni, like Gary Moffett, Jerry Mercer, and some of those guys?
Well not Gary Moffett, not yet – but I can’t wait! But Jerry Mercer came and kicked our ass in Montreal. He’s 84 years old. Have you seen the video of him playing with us? (Yes). And he said ‘I want to play “Roller”‘, and I thought ‘oh boy it’s going to be like geriatric Roller tempo or something. and Holy Shit (!), man, he came out and kicked our ass! Wow! i want to be like Jerry Mercer at 84, I want to have that energy. He was just amazing!
I saw them in ’84 on the farewell tour, and then a number times in the ’90s when they came back. And Jerry’s solo was always a highlight of the show. It wasn’t like any other drum solo (where you might run to the bathroom), it was pretty intense, and you stuck around and watched it.
Well, if you’re a drum solo fan, you’re going to love Roy Nichols’ solo, it’s really cool; it’s very original. It’s one of the highlights of the show. There might not be time for it when we’re the opening act, but when we’re the headliner we have a drum solo and a bass solo, and we stretch out a little more, which is fun.
Roy sings as well!?
Oh, Roy’s a great singer, a great producer. He’s got his own studio. He’s a super-talented guy!
I’ve seen clips of him online doing Journey.
Yeah, he’s got a Journey tribute band. And Richard Lanthier has a Harmonium tribute band, and a Deep Purple tribute band. I had a Steely Dan tribute band before getting this gig. As musicians we have to have a lot of projects on the go to stay busy; and that’s the nature of the beast (haha).
Do you listen to a lot of music, whether on Spotify or buy anything?
I tend to listen to a lot of blues-oriented stuff, a lot of new stuff – Spotify’s throwing stuff at me all the time. I have all kinds of different tastes – Kasey Musgraves, and I like Blackberry Smoke, and Joe Bonamassa’s band with Glenn Hughes (Black Country Communion). I like Slash’s stuff. I like all kinds of new stuff too. Kasey Musgraves is a great singer-songwriter, who I listen to all the time with my daughters. And my daughters like all kinds of new stuff, so they’re keeping me hip to newer stuff. (lol) And every so often I’ll get sick of it and say ‘OK, sit down, these are The Beatles, these are the Stones, and this is Led Zeppelin.’
Did you have a big record collection, growing up?
Yeah. I had a good vinyl collection, and then it turned into cassettes, because we would do these cassette recording blitzes because we could listen to cassettes in our cars. We would get together on Sundays and spend the whole day just recording albums on to cassettes.
American artist LON GODDARD drew a number of album covers in the 70s and 80s,, one of which was the lone LP by the BYRON BAND ‘On The Rocks’, from 1981. this was the band lead by original URIAH HEEP singer David Byron (RIP) and featured a young guitarist and co-writer – Robin George (RIP), as well as former BADFINGER keyboard player Bob Jackson, bassist Roger Flavell (ex CHRISTIE), drummer John Shearer (Steve Hackett), and (sax player) Mel Collins . The album’s cover features a drawing of David, and came with a posted that featured a drawing of the band. On The Rocks didn’t fare so well, nor was it given a North American release. It is much loved by many fans of David Byron and robin George, however. The album has most recently been reissued as ‘On The Rocks…Again‘ via Cherry Red Records, as part of a 3 CD package, and featuring Goddard’s artwork again. Below Lon Goddard details his early days relocating to England, creating album covers, working at the record Mirror, and designing the Byron Band album cover.
How did you get in to a career as an illustrator and wind up in the UK for a good part of your career (Influences, jobs that took you there….)
• Left States at 17 in 1966, with a guitar on a whim, to accompany high school pal who had arranged a Drama course at Manchester University as a visiting student, intended to remain only for that summer and search for Donovan records. His music primarily inspired me to learn folk finger-picking Met him several times much later). Also enrolled in Manchester University studying English & American Literature. We hopped over to Paris for a month before school opening, as pal had been an exchange student and maintained friends in France.
Returning, became bored with University and hitched to London, went to address of Roy Harper, given to me by busker in Paris who said Harper put people up. He was right. Stayed, became friends with Roy, who first took me to Cousins, drew SOPHISTICATED BEGGAR art (always fair at cartoon caricature, via posters, helped many high school candidates achieve student offices) and played 2nd guitar on OCTOBER 12th and GOLDFISH. Picked up by Judith Piepe (who had helped Paul Simon kick-start) at Cousins, dossed at her Shadwell flat, but though she was very helpful, disagreed with her suggested plans for me to run a new folk club being started by a gay priest in St Martin’s In the Crypt. Instead, saw Melody Maker had cartoonist (the great Scots artist Jimmy Thompson, whom I later met) and took caricatures round to NME, RM, FAB 208, etc.. Record Mirror’s Peter Jones hired me as weekly cartoonist, followed by staff position as layout man (mentored by Norman Jopling), then became staff writer. With art examples, Peter and Norman accompanied me to the Home Office, where I was granted permanent Residency in UK. Denied dual citizenship by USA.
After 7-years, left RM in ’72 after being recommended for CBS Press Office by departing PR Mike O’Mahoney. From ’66 through to ’77, was RM staffer, Head of Press for CBS Records, editor of DISC, Head of Press for Phonogram Records.
When heady days of pop music began to wane, took previous cartoons round to art agents and was accepted by Andrew Archer Associates, becoming a commercial illustrator. Left Archer’s for Folio Artists & Illustrators Agents, remained there till stupidly emigrating to Aussie in ’83. After a year Down Under and failed attempts at residency, wondered where the Hell I was, returned to USA. Had been gone 25-years.
You worked at Record Mirror for some years. What all did that entail?
• Interviewing music artists, drawing artists, laying out pages, babying weekly paper through printers in Banbury, attending endless stream of concerts domestic and abroad, receptions, gatherings, etc.. An endless party.
How to you come to the task of creating the cover art for The Byron Band LP in 1981? (Connections at Creole, David Byron, etc…).
• Interviewed Byron for RM. He asked me to do the ROCKS cover art.
I still have the LP. Frankly, I thought it was a pretty good concept done very crudely by me.
Were you familiar with and/or have any past assignments involving David Byron (with Uriah Heep)?
• Only through RM interviews.
How did you approach the cover for On The Rocks? Was there any/much input from David, the band or management? Any inspirations?
• Figured ON THE ROCKS suggested ice, so submitted the idea of ‘freezing’ the band. Byron liked it. Sketched ideas, he watched and had input as ideas became visible. We set up a studio photo shoot (probablywith either John McKenzie or Alan Messer (from official RM photographer Dezo Hoffmann’s office), posed band in required positions, created airbrush illustrations at home art studio in St. Margarets.
Were you privy to hear the music ahead of time or hang with the band members while creating the cover-art or was it more so done with the help of photos to go from?
• Yes. In many cases, including this one, audio previews provided valuable mental pictures & ideas. However, as a music journalist, I had also accumulated extensive knowledge of most bands and singers, plus a giant record collection.
What exactly is happening on the front cover (with David appearing to punch through glass)?
• Busting through a freezer chamber window with his fist.
What was your art technique in creating the covers + poster (how was this all put on to canvas or paper?)
• Referenced metallic textures, sketched metal sections to LP size enlarged for later reduction to achieve finer detail; best to always work larger), posed band and Byron in photog’s studio, at home utilized projector to size photos of Byron & band into sketches on illustrator art board, rendered with inks by hand brush and airbrush.
Recall the poster that was included?
Yes indeed, the centerfold. The idea was to put them on ice. I was not good enough at airbrushing to achieve that effect.
You’ve done a number of other covers. What would be your favorite or most recognizable covers? (Roy Harper, Hoyt Axton, Hard Meat, Musical Youth)
• Roy’s was the most memorable, becoming surprisingly iconic. I’m very proud of its place in history and it was his first. Getting a deal with a small company (Strike Records), he had asked me to draw him for the cover, having seen other sketches. Rendered on paper on his floor, where I slept with four or five other dossers, I was lucky he was pleased with it. Also did art for releases by The Dubliners, Cat Stevens, The Coasters, Killing Joke (second favorite)… maybe more.
Aside from the album covers, what else has your career entailed, and what are you up to these days?
• As a professional illustrator, I worked mostly for advertising agencies, through my agents FOLIO. Usually given a brief, the pay amount and a schedule, I turned out a great deal of work over those years. I was represented at Folio (still in business) by Richard (Dick) Jordan, with whom I am still in touch and saw only last year in Wales. Dick and I both moved from Andrew Archer to Folio and remained there for many years. He was also the manager and booker for Klook’s Kleek, so Dick had a strong musical background
These days, at age 77, I am a musician. Turned full circle from listening to folk records back in my hometown of Elk Grove, Californi(just south of Sacramento) and trying to figure out how they did finger-picking, to finally putting that ability to use. I have about a dozen gigs per month as a guitarist/vocalist.
JAZZ SABBATH has just issued their 3rd LP – The 1968 Tapes. This 8 Black Sabbath classics (including 1 ‘bonus’ track.) The LP’s back cover tells the story of the band’s hard luck of having their jazz songs stolen and made famous by a certain heavy rock band from Birmingham. Jazz Sabbath is lead by Milton Keanes (aka Adam Wakeman), who was kind enough to answer my questions about the band, the albums, and a bit more of his time outside of JS, working with Black Sabbath, Ozzy, and more recently touring the USA with Uriah Heep.
Can you tell a bit about your musical upbringing/influences, and how you got into jazz?I was taught piano from the age of 8 and took the 8 classical grades which was a great bedrock for technique and musical theory. The first artist I got really into was Jazz Blues pianist Dr. John who is still one of my favourite artists. I used to like Jazz but never really wanted to play it. I was more into rock as a kid, so it was Van Halen and bands like that that I loved.
How did the whole idea/concept (along with back story) for Jazz Sabbath come about?
I was in a hotel bar in Berlin on a Black Sabbath tour and I started playing some of the Black Sabbath set on the piano at the request of one of Ozzy’s security guards who was the only other person in the bar. From there, I went to my room and started thinking about creating the disillusioned Jazz pianist called Milton Keanes who thinks he wrote all the songs made famous by Black Sabbath. I love the mix of a comedic backstory with good music.
How have you gone about choosing the Sabbath songs for each Jazz Sabbath album, including the ‘1968 Tapes’?
I just played a few songs and whichever ones initially seemed to work, I then developed from there. Some seem to work easier than others so for example, Into the Void I knew straight away how I wanted the main theme to sound and then the solo sections I just went off on a tangent.
Can you give us an idea of how you translate a classic heavy Black Sabbath song into a jazz number, minus vocals ?
I take either the guitar part or vocal melody and adapt that rhythmically and melodically to how I think it should sound in my style of jazz/blues. I try to make it as interesting and challenging to play, which means when we come to play it live, it’s always a challenge!
What have been some you most interesting and/or challenging moments on these Jazz Sabbath records?
One of the most interesting parts has always been choosing the musicians and instruments for the solo spots within songs. The 1968 Tapes was the first time I got 2 different solos in the same track – so one release has a trumpet solo and the Record Store Day release has a Sax solo.
Might Jazz Sabbath attempt any tracks beyond the band’s 70s era w/ Ozzy,?
Not at the moment. I feel I know the Ozzy Era so well because of all the shows I have played with that original line up of Black Sabbath over the years so I feel it comes from a genuine place. I won’t say never, but it’s not something I’m planning. How are the audience’s that come to see the band – do you find there are a lot of Sabbath fans curious to hear those songs done so differently, OR do you get jazz fans who aren’t familiar with Black Sabbath?
Its a real mix and generally, it’s only a handful of hardcore metal fans. Mostly it’s music lovers who like Sabbath amongst other bands and Jazz fans that are curious. There are always people who have not been that aware of the Sabbath catalogue.
Might we see you guys in Canada sometime in the future?
Yes most definitely… Watch this space as we’re working with promoters at the moment. How has the feedback been from the Black Sabbath guys? Any of them particularly fond of what Jazz Sabbath is doing or anyone making any song suggestions?
They have all been very supportive with their comments. I certainly wouldn’t have pursued this if any of them were unhappy with it, or didn’t find the comedic back story amusing. Fortunately, they all have a great sense of humor and after 20 odd years, I’m very fortunate to still be good friends with all of the guys. I’m extremely fond of all of them.
You’ve worked with Ozzy and Sabbath for years. Can you give me any favorite tracks you’ve recorded on, or any favorite classic Ozzy / Sabbath songs to perform live?
There’s so many great songs from Ozzy & Black Sabbath’s catalogue. Live favourites for me are Mr. Crowley, Perry Mason and Into The Void. From a recording perspective, co-writing the Scream album with Ozzy was a real highlight for me. The opening track Let it Die was a real favourite.
You toured the US in the spring, playing with Uriah Heep. Can you tell me how that tour came about for you? And if you can talk a bit about the time taken and learning Heep’s setlist?
I got a call from Russ Gilbrook the drummer from Heep and although I had met them all once before, Russ I had met a few times over the years. He told me that they needed someone to cover the US leg of their tour and it fitted perfectly in between 2 other tours so I jumped at the chance. I was learning the songs whilst on a different tour so it was just grabbing a few hours here and there on a tour bus or in a hotel room. These days, the luxury of learning songs in my studio seem to be long gone as I’m on the road so much. Were you familiar with Heep (or their catalogue) prior to the tour? Any favorite tracks to perform?
I wasn’t that familiar with their entire catalogue but I knew a couple of tunes. “July Morning” was a favourite to play as was “Grazed by Heaven”. I really liked playing “Hail the Sunrise” from their new album too.
Did you enjoy the tour and might we see you on stage with Heep during their farewell tour?
I loved the tour. great music and great people. For me that’s the combination, especially when you have to spend so much time together. I don’t see me joining them on the farewell tour as Phil only needed cover for the 6 week US tour. I will try and go see a show though if our paths cross!
What sort of music do you listen to, either at home or on the road? Any favorite older artists you’re into or more current favorites?
It’s hard to relax with music if I’m honest because I’m around it with work all day long and when I’m not playing, I’m either learning songs for the next tour or arranging strings for projects, in the studio writing or recording. When I do get a chance to listen to something, it’s normally whatever is on the radio, be it pop music, classical music or some good old AC/DC. If I had to turn something on, I’d probably go rock first – back to my childhood and Guns N Roses, Led Zep, that sort of stuff.
With the upcoming release of BADFINGER’s ‘lost’ final album, titled Head First, I thought it interesting with at least a few other bands who released albums by the same title. Well, BADFINGER’s Head First is not a totally ‘lost’ album, it was initially released in 2000 CD only format (1 & 2 disc versions).
So, let’s look into 3 fine albums that share the same title and an odd connection or 2 .
THE BABYS – 1978
This English AOR band, featuring singer John Waite, released their 3rd album on Chrysalis, in December. (Heep’s Fallen Angel was released on Chrysalis a few months prior). It featured the hits “Every Time I Think Of You” (co-written by and featuring ex Doors bassist Jack Conrad), and the standout driving “Head First”, which presumably the album took it’s title from. The band at the time also included guitarist Wally Stocker (who later played with Rod Stewart) and drummer Tony Brock (ex Strider). As the band had parted ways with their keyboard player prior to (or during) this recording, session players were used as well, including John Sinclair (ex Heavy Metal Kids), on a couple of tracks. Sinclair would go on to join Uriah Heep a few years later, and Jonathan Cain (pre Journey) would join The Babys before their next album.
URIAH HEEP – 1983
Released in the spring of 1983, this would be Heep’s 2nd album with their revitalized line up that recorded the successful Abominog a year before. The band featured new singer Peter Goalby, bass player Bob Daisley, and new keyboard player John Sinclair (along with founder Mick Box, and drummer Lee Kerslake)! It featured the singles “Stay On Top” and “Lonely Nights” (Bryan Adams) – both covers. It also featured the fan favorite “The Other Side Of Midnight”. The title, according to Daisley was inspired by either the Jeff Beck track “Head For Backstage Pass”, and or a line or t-shirt with a similar phrase by the Faces,
*Interesting to note that American band THE LIZARDS, released an album of covers in 2008, titled Ar-che-ol-o-gy, which featured excellent versions of The Babys’ “Head First” and Uriah Heep’s “The Wizard”.
BADFINGER – 1975, 2000, 2024
What was to be BADFINGER’S 7th album, and 3rd for Warner Bros turned into a disaster at the time, as legal issues with Warners saw the album shelved at the time, the suicide of Pete Ham, and essentially the band ending (sure, there were other versions of the band in late 70s & early 80s, but, meh….). Anyway, initially recorded as the follow up to Wish You Were Here (the band’s best IMO), this album was recorded quickly during uncertain times as legal issues saw Wish You Were Here pulled from the shelves, and Warners refusing to release this one. A few tracks appeared on a Badfinger compilation from Rhino in 1990, and the album was released in 2000 on CD. That release was based on a rough mix made at the time 74, by the engineer Phil McDonald. Badfinger’s Head First is now set to get a proper release – properly mixed and overseen by Bob Jackson – who had replaced Joey Molland prior to the recordings. Bob joined original members Pete Ham, Tommy Evans, and Mike Gibbons. The title for this Bacfinger album, came about during the 3 weeks the band had to record, according to Bob Jackson in Dan Matovina’s book ‘The Tragic Story of Badfnger‘ – “…The idea came from Tommy. He wanted the cover to be a lion roaring. The idea was the situation we were in, how we were diving in, ‘head first.” Jackson would go on to record and play with The Dodgers (1978-79) and then The Byron Band (1980-82). the latter led by original Uriah Heep Singer David Byron. Bob also features on the Cherry Red Records new release of The Byron Band ‘On The Rocks…Again‘.
And for the curious….
GERONIMO – 1982
OK, I don’t have this one, nor do i know if it’s connected, But I am extremely interested to hear it. It was issued through a small indie label in Nashville (Brylen), and there seems to be very few copies of this online (cheap) or much info about it. The track listing includes a few familiar titles, which I understand are covers – “Shoot Shoot” (UFO), “Lady Of The 80s” (Loverboy), and “Never Been Any Reason” (Head East). There is also a track titled “Head First” (wonder if this is a Babys’ cover or an original!?) Can’t find credits or anything on Youtube, so if anyone has this – please drop me some info!
Outsider Rock 