Category Archives: Canada’s Best Music
Canada’s Best Music – 5 Songs At A Time – Part 32
We move up to number 345 in this edition of Canada’s Best Music. We have another entry from the Spoons, some classic rock, some new rock from Billy talent and a song from a Canadian staple known as The Tragically Hip, who are, well, hip. Nice set if you like rock.
345. Spoons
“Those Old Emotions”
Romantic Traffic (Photo credit: stevec77)
The Spoons were in my last post, Part 31. An 80’s hairband, they had several hits back in the day, including this one in 1983. Not a great video, but, hey, pretty lucky to find it at all, I’d say.
344. The Watchmen
“Boneyard Tree”
In the Trees (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Winnipeg band, The Watchmen had a string of hits in the mid 90’s, including this song off their 1994 album “In the Trees”. Very good band in their time.
343. Billy Talent
“Turn Your Back”
Billy Talent (Photo credit: NRK P3)
Billy Talent has been around since the early 90’s (known as the Pezz until 1999), but struck it big over the last couple of years, earning a deserved world-wide following. Turn Your Back is from Billy Talent III, released in 2009. They have been nominated for Junos every year since 2004, winning 7 times. The video is a live version. Great rocker voice.
342. 5440
“Baby Have Some Faith”
The Canadian band 54-40; from left to right: Dave Genn, Neil Osborne & Brad Merritt (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
5440 has been rocking Canadians since the 1980’s, releasing albums as recently as 2011. One of my favourite bands at one point. Still enjoy hearing them.
341. The Tragically Hip
“Three Pistols”
English: The Tragically Hip performing in Aspen, United States (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
A legend to many Canadians, The Hip consistently release quality material, time after time. This tune was released in 1991 on their Road Apples album. Great song.
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Canada’s Best Music – 5 Songs At A Time – Part 16
Another interesting set, from movie music to classic rock, some surprisingly good stuff.
1. Pukka Orchestra
“Listen to the Radio”
An interesting new wavish rock song from 1984 by the band with the sick name. They released 3 albums in the 80’s and the early 90’s and broke up in 1992.
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2. David Foster
“St. Elmo’s Fire Theme”
One of Canada’s major exports, David Foster, composed this song as the theme song from St Elmo’s Fire in 1985. The song was originally written for Rick Hansen‘s “Man in Motion” tour of the world for spinal research.
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3. Three Days Grace
“I Hate Everything About You”
Three Days Grace make another appearance in the list with their classic song “I Hate Everything About You”. They definitely let loose their angst in this one.
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4. Corey Hart
“In Your Soul”
A classic from Corey Hart. He doesn’t wear…
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Canada’s Best Music – 5 Songs At A Time – Part 31
Today’s list makes a change. Time to go to a countdown. Only 350 songs to go. The play-list includes both classic rock and a classic player. Yes, the great one, Neil Young, makes another appearance here. It also includes Skinny Puppy, which is a new one on me.
346. Skinny Puppy
“Pro-Test Song”
Skinny Puppy live! (Photo credit: Bernt Rostad)
Skinny Puppy was a Vancouver based electronic band, formed in 1982. They have recorded 15 albums, including a new one “Weapon” this year.
347. Spoons
“Romantic Traffic”
Romantic Traffic (Photo credit: stevec77)
The band, Spoons, hail out of Burlington and were your prototypical 80’s synth-pop hair band that were everywhere back then. This song was one of their bigger hits and was recorded in 1984, only hitting 55 on the Canadian Billboard chart.
348. Trooper
“Two for the Show”
Trooper have played since 1965. I have seen them on two occasions. Once sitting in the front row at a bar in Winnipeg way back in the day, the second, about 10 years ago at the Brier (Canada’s Men’s Curling Championship) in Saskatoon. Don’t really remember either performance that well. This song was recorded in 1976.
349. Corey Hart
“Never Surrender”
Singles (Corey Hart album) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Corey Hart was never my favourite, other than “I Wear My Sunglasses At Night” which was kind of cool. To me, he epitomized pretty much everything that I didn’t like about 80’s music. I am sure there will be some disagreement on that, or maybe not.
350. Neil Young
“Only Love Can Break Your Heart”
English: Neil Young in Ruisrock Festival, Turku, Finland 1996 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
And now, The Master. Enjoy!! As an added bonus, live at the Fillmore East with Crosby Stills & Nash.
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Canada’s Best Music – 5 Songs At A Time – Part 30
With this post, we have now covered the first 150 songs on this list I discovered. Only 350 to go, blogger gold. This set has some drinking songs and lots of rock and roll, some classic, some newer and some that raises hackles on some people. Enjoy.
“Unicorn Song”
Cover of Unicorn
This one is for Hotspur. It isn’t pissing rainbows, but it is purple. One of the great drinking songs, done by the Irish Rovers in 1967, it reached #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1968. Glen Campbell played guitar on the original. I think most people can sing at least a little of this one.
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2. Rush
“2112”
2112 (album) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Rush, one of the greatest bands ever. 2112 is not a song, but one side of an album, broken into 7 pieces. The total length is 20:33. One of the best albums of all time. The video here is a live 6 minute piece of the song, taped in 1976.
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3. Treble Charger
“American Psycho”
American Psycho (song) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
A little more recent is Treble Charger’s song, American Psycho. Recorded in 2000 on their album “Wide Awake Bored“, it reached number 4 on Billboard’s Canadian Alt chart.
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4. Helix
“Heavy Metal Love”
English: Canadian hard rock band Helix in concert at the Friendship Festival in Fort Erie. From left to right, Rick VanDyk, Brian Vollmer, Brent Niemi, Jim Lawson, Paul Fonseca (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Helix was popular in the late 70’s to the mid 80’s. Their sound was definitely heavy rock, a classic 80’s style.
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5. Nickelback
“Photograph”
Nickelback (Photo credit: cjmod)
Get your hate on. Nickelback, like em or leave em, are Canadian and are successful.
Related articles
- Rush Reissues Deluxe ‘2112′ With Comic Book (wzlx.cbslocal.com)
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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.
Related articles
- Canada’s Best Music – 5 Songs At A Time – Part 28 (therealcanadianmusicblog.wordpress.com)
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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](https://i1.wp.com/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.
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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)
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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.
Related articles
- 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)
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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)
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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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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 22 (joebeans2002.wordpress.com)
