Every RPM Canadian Content #1 single discussion thread 1964-2000

Alternate take of "American Woman" (plus rendition of "O Canada")



The album came out in January 1970. It was their only #1 LP in Canada, their only Top 10 in the U.S.




Israel



Taiwan



1972 Japanese Quadraphonic issue

 

And the U.S. label (from the Rockaway, NJ plant):

The tape number for "American Woman" was XPA2-6633, indicating a Chicago recording; the flip, "No Sugar Tonight," carried a tape number of XPA2-6637. The 45 edit of that was along the lines of that for Chicago's "Make Me Smile" on Columbia which, on the 45, fused the "meat and potatoes" of that song from the "Ballet For A Girl In Buchannon" suite with the coda, "Now More Than Ever" and edited that section too.

Both sides of The Guess Who's single charted in Britain, though it seems "No Sugar Tonight's" single edit in the UK differed from that of the US and Canada.

 

Live version on ABC's In Concert (March 2, 1973)


ABC's Midnight Special (1974)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_3yeQeBOAI

Live in New York City (August 5, 1970)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mrxt_11M4pA

A 27 minute version in Hutchinson, Kansas (October 10, 1970)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXvn4cgLACE

Photo taken after Randy Bachman's final concert with the group at Fillmore East, May 16 1970

 

At #7 on the CanCon chart the week of May 9 (#54 on the big chart), Sebastian with "Now That It's Over" b/w "Elaine. It would come out on Apex in Canada and Decca in the U.S.

https://soundcloud.com/mondo-p-q/sebastian-now-that-its-over
https://soundcloud.com/mondo-p-q/se...o-p-q/sets/sebastian-rays-of-the-sun-mca-1970



Sebastian was London-born Ian Sebastian who moved to Montreal as a child. His first recording came in 1966 (as Ian Russell) with the group The Westend 22, who released "The Joke's On You" b/w "You're No Longer Mine" on RCA Victor complete with picture sleeve.
https://soundcloud.com/mondo-p-q/westend-22-the-jokess-on-you-rca-1966
https://soundcloud.com/mondo-p-q/westend-22-youre-no-longer-mine-rca-1966



His first solo single came in 1968 as Sabastian doing French language versions of "Dizzy" (J'Ai Peur) and "It Hurts To Be In Love" (Ce n'est Pas Facile D'aimer).
https://soundcloud.com/mondo-p-q/01-sabastien-jai-peur-dizzy
https://soundcloud.com/mondo-p-q/02...ets/sabastien-catalogue-apex-1968-1969#t=0:00



He would release another single en Francais on Apex, "Helene" b/w "Un Petit Peu D'amour"
https://soundcloud.com/mondo-p-q/03...o-p-q/sets/sabastien-catalogue-apex-1968-1969
https://soundcloud.com/mondo-p-q/04...o-p-q/sets/sabastien-catalogue-apex-1968-1969

"Now That It's Over" would be on his first and only LP Rays Of The Sun, released in 1970:





https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89lrTnZnFZM

We'll hear more of Sebastian's adventures with his next single.

https://www.mondopq.com/4-octobre-2015-entrevue-avec-le-chanteur-ian-sebastian/

 

By the way, would you like me to refrain from posting tomorrow and Friday? I haven't missed a weekday yet, but it is Christmas after all...

 

By the way, would you like me to refrain from posting tomorrow and Friday? I haven't missed a weekday yet, but it is Christmas after all...

 

Ok, so images are working again..

 

The same week of May 9, at #12 (#76 in the Top 100), Natural Gas with "The All Powerful Men" b/w "What Do You Want From My Life". It came out on Firebird in North America.






The B-side:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFFRaiOU0Us

Both songs were on their self-titled LP:



Their take on "Eleanor Rigby"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQKXbGh1C2w

The band was Toronto's latest entry in the jazz-rock, horn-rock sweepstakes. Lead singer was George Olliver, ex of Mandala. Here he tells their story:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPG_DF-2JXQ

More about his later career here, including his 1973 single, "I May Never Get To See You Again"
George Olliver - I May Never Get to See You Again / Shine - 7"

Drummer Graham Lear would be with Santana from 1976 to 1987.

 

Also the week of May 9, at #22 (#92 the next week), Vann-Elli with "Gina Bold" b/w "Never Cry Again". "Gina Bold" isn't on Youtube, but B-side is:





As you may have guessed, Vann-Elli is connected to Gino Vannelli. Gino formed the group with brothers Joe and Ross and signed with RCA Victor when he was 17. This would be their only release, we'll hear plenty from Gino later.

 

At #29 the same week, Winnipeg's The Fifth with "You Don't Seem To Care" b/w "Tobacco Road". The record would be flipped and "Tobacco Road" would chart at #33 the week of June 27.



"Tobacco Road"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s06RHA7geLc

It would be their first release on Franklin, both sides would appear on the compilation Winnipeg



Since we had last heard The Fifth at the end of 1968, Kurt Winter had just left the group (replaced by Ralph Watts). Winter would rejoin for a few weeks in August 1969, then leave again (again replaced by Watts). By the time the single was recorded, lead singer Ron Rene had left to join the Litter (for a few days). He was replaced by George Belanger, leaving Jim Grabowski as the only original member left. The recorded one more single for Franklin, "Gotta Get Up" b/w "It Really Doesn't Matter"



The band would then change their name to Next, and release the album Dusty Shoes in 1971.




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkUq2zBEmJk

After the band broke up, Belanger would go on to fame and fortune as the lead singer of Harlequin. Before we leave The Fifth, here's a curio from 1970: "Manitoba, a song recorded for Manitoba's Centennial:
Fifth - Manitoba Centennial Song (split with Daniel MacIntyre School Choir) (picture sleeve)

 

At #4 the week of May 16, we have Ronnie Hawkins covering Gordon Lightfoot's "Bitter Green". It would peak at #36 the next week.





The B-side was a re-recording of "Forty Days"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dugkeyAOzNc

Both songs were on his latest LP (recorded at Muscle Shoals with Duane Allman, Tom Dowd, Jerry Wexler etc.), his seventh and the third titled "Ronnie Hawkins"

 

At #9 the week of May 16, (#49 on the big chart the next week), Inner City Mission with "Get Back John".





The B-side "Got So Many Songs"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXS68Ypy4qU


This is now the second song we've seen charting that dealt with John Lennon's 1969 appearance in Toronto ("Johnny Peace" by Nucleus earlier). After his December visit to Ronnie Hawkins' farm, Lennon had announced his plans for a music and peace festival to be held the next July.

50 Years Ago, John Lennon Inspired Canada's First Rap Recording

Gael and Riccio would put together a couple more Inner City Mission records, "Good Old Joe" b/w "Love The Night Away" and "Wild World" b/w "White Witch"

 

The same week of May 16, at #17 on the CanCon chart (#83 on the big chart), Montreal's Life with "Strawberry Fields Forever" b/w "Come Into Me"



B-side:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSw9Tq1hejk

The song featured Lori Zimmerman, who had left the group the previous year. Both songs were on their only LP, released in the spring of 1970.



Two more tracks from the LP, "Needing You" and "Lovon' Time" would be released as a single in July. Soon, Life would end.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hTw2ytSVPI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfTIXTdn0f8

 

At #19 the week of May 23, Anne Murray with "Bidin' My Time" (written by Gene MacLellan). It would peak at #87 in the RPM Chart, her first of many visits to the Top 100.



The B-side "I Wonder How The Old Folks Are At Home"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UoUONvYYDLk

This was the second single pulled from the LP This Way Is My Way. Capitol would decide to release one more: the rest is history.

 

Here's "Wild World", which reached #23 on the CHUM chart in April 1971 while every other station on earth was playing the Cat Stevens original:

 

The Life album has been issued on CD. No label is indicated, so it is likely 'unauthorized'. Whoever issued it must have had access to the tapes, because the sound quality is superb and it even has a bonus 'alternate version' of one of the songs.

 

I suppose this third single from that LP was the one for which, in the U.S., "Just Bidin' My Time" was the flip?

 

On the May 16, 1970, main RPM chart, Steppenwolf peaked at #18 with "Hey Lawdy Mama". The single version is almost half a minute longer than the LP version.

 

Over on the RPM country chart, in the year 1970 three different Canadian male singers with the last name Smith would have #1 songs. The first was Cabri Lake, Saskatchewan, native Merv Smith, who topped the chart for one week on May 16 with the self-penned "The Way You Play". It was issued on the Big Chief label. I will not post a scan of the 45's label, as its logo is even more troubling than the Cleveland baseball team's mascot.

 

Merv Smith was dethroned from the RPM country chart summit by Stompin' Tom Connors' "Big Joe Mufferaw", which would reign for three weeks.







The 45 label states the time as 2:10. I don't know if this is a misprint or whether the 45 and LP versions differ. (It's also possible that the above is a later re-recording.) Stompin' Tom's next single would also reach #1.

UPDATE: I can now confirm that the 45's stated run time is an error. The 45 actually runs 3:11 and is the same recording as the above clip (albeit in mono).

 

I don't intend to check back in until (Mr.) Monday.

 

And the U.S. release:

 

At #39 the same week of May 16, Marble Hall with "Marble Hall" b/w "Get Your Thing Together" on the new Aquarius label. RPM would list the A-side, but the B-side would hit the top ten on Pointe Claire's CFOX and chartin Sydney NS.





B-side
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLZveJCFKxg

The band was from Montreal, they were previously known as Brian Redmond And The Sound Box, releasing two singles on Regency in 1968:
The Sound Box - Warm Your Mind and Soul / I'm Learning - 7"


"Warm Your Mind And Soul" b/w "I'm Learning"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRpO3qJJ3-U

"I Want You" (written by Andy Kim!) b/w "Boogaloo Up Bord Du Lac"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzc9UV-SvmA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptv4IMLec00





Brian Redmond would chart, we'll hear that one later

 

At #45 the week of May 23, Beau Hannon with "Stop Me From Falling In Love" b/w "For The Last Time"






Both sides were om the 1969 Birchmount album Most Requested



The Beau Hannon story was covered earlier here:
Every RPM Canadian Content #1 single discussion thread 1964-2000

 

The songs of the Guess Who are so well known here in Canada, I am not sure, until this thread, if I was cognizant that these were double-sided hits. Just assumed they were stand alone singles.

Pretty impressive. They stand alongside comfortably with other great double-sided singles of the day, such as CCR and Sly.

 

They got an all-killer no-filler 11-track Greatest Hits album from seven singles.