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

At #47 on the bloated CanCon chart the same week of May 30, Mary Saxton with "Wander By" on Quality.



The B-side "I Don't Know"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gMbTMKxSnw

Mary Saxton was from Edmonton, she got her start on the local Pace label in 1966 with "Is It Better To Live Or To Die" b/w "Losing Control"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MebXOJQlilA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iapJsmUR0E



Then "Ask Any Girl" b/w "Do The Jerk"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDC8YfYUTIk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_X4q0HQ6Qw

In 1967, she joined the local band Daisy Hill Puppy Farm and put out "Let's Go To San Francisco" b/w Counting Cracks In The Sidewalk" on the Fountain label
Daisy Hill Puppy Farm - Let's Go to San Francisco b/w Counting Cracks in the Sidewalk

Canadian Bands.com - Daisy Hill Puppy Farm



In 1968, solo again, she released the single "Sad Eyes" b/w "Take My Heart" on Quality
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yke2ibLfYmk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qs7X8qNrsw

Mary Saxton - Sad Eyes / Take My Heart - 7"

The album Sad Eyes would come out on Birchmount in 1969, which contained six of the eight songs that came out on singles.



She woudn't record again until a second solo LP in 1978, then would hit the Top 100 for the first time in 1979 as part of the disco group Touché.

Canadian Bands.com - Mary Saxton
Georgia Eyes by Mary Saxton –

 

The week of June 6, at #2 is Tranquillity Base with "If You're Lookin'". It would spend a few weeks there, peaking at #24 in the top 40 three weeks later. It would hit #3 in their hometown of Hamilton, #27 on the CHUM chart.





The B-side "Fun"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5S696QbD1Ww

Tranquillity Base were formerly called Nora's Truck Stop, one of their members was Ian Thomas who would go on to a succesful solo career.



Their follow-up "In The Rain" b/w "Day Is Over" (both sides written by Ian Thomas) didn't chart.



The band's only other release would come in 1973 (long after Ian Thomas had left) would be "The Future And The Past" which would be Kingston Ontario's "Official Tercentenary Song"
Tranquility Base - The Future and the Past (The official Kingston Tercentennary Song) b/w The Future and the Past (instrumental) (picture sleeve)

 

At #26 the week of June 6, "The Call" by Gene MacLellan. It reached #91 in the top 100 the week of May 16 and would hit #15 on the country chart.



The B-side would be his version of "Snowbird"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEGDicF9Do4

Both songs would be on his self-titled 1970 debut



He would have one more charting single.

 

At #37 in the Top 40 the week of June 6 (#4 on the Canadian Content chart the next week), Bobby G. Griffith with "Living On A Wishbone". It was released on the MTCC label and in the U.S. on Buddha. Neither side is on Youtube.



He was covered earlier in this post. We'll be hearing more from him (hopefully literally)
Every RPM Canadian Content #1 single discussion thread 1964-2000
Canadian Bands.com - Bobby G Griffith

 

At #40 the same week of June 6 (#5 on the CanCon chart the next week), David Jensen with "You're My Life" b/w "Josephine". Neither side is on Youtube.


Both sides were written and produced by our old friend Greg Hambleton. David Jensen is not to be confused with Kelowna native David "Kid" Jensen, who became a famous DJ in the U.K. This David Jensen was also from B.C. (Victoria). He was in the Toronto band Eighth Day who released the single "Hear The Grass Grow" b/w "Bring Your Love Back" in 1969. It was the first record ever put out by GRT Canada (GR 901)







Here's his musical autobiography:

https://livevictoria.com/davejensen

 

At #48 the week of June 6 (#7 on the CanCon chart two weeks later), Illustration with ""Our Love's A Chain" b/w "Upon This Earth" (both sides charted)



Flipside:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUx-vRKzk68

Illustration were another of Canada's contributions to the world of "Horn-rock" (or "Jazz-rock, if you will). They formed in St. Jean, Quebec, in 1968, a bi-cultural mixture of Francophone and Anglophone members. Their self titled album came out in 1970 on Janus, produced by Alan Lorber.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3FYmU63p0M



Two more songs were extracted from the LP for a single ("The Road" b/w "Box Of Glass") but it came to nothing.
E.P. from Portugal:

 

Here's "You're My Life":

 

Illustration also did the soundtrack (uncredited) for the film Apres-Ski in 1971.

Various - Après Ski (Musique De La Bande Originale Du Film)

After the band dissolved, four of the members would form a new band Man Made who would put out an album in 1973 on Good Noise.
Man Made (3) - Man Made



(The bald guy may look familiar; it's Jerry Mercer of Mashmakhan/ April Wine)

A single "Country Company" b/w "Keep On Moving" would make #34 on RPM's "Pop Music Playlist" chart in April of 1974



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjdE-H3jy88

 

Here's "Living On A Wishbone":

 

At #9 the week of June 6 (#69 on the main chart), Motherlode with "Dear Old Daddy Bill" on Revolver.



The B-side "Living Life"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hoo6fOYFMq4

Both sides were from the debut LP, as the original band no longer existed. Buddah would release an album's worth on unreleased material in 1970 (in the U.S. only) called Tapped Out



A new version of Motherlode would be put together, we'll hear about that later.

 

At #20 on the Canadian Content chart the week of June 6, Ann Attenborrow with "We Will Find Love" b/w "Red Red Wine". The A-side was written by Tom Northcott, the B-side was the Neil Diamond song. It's not on Youtube.




She would have a Top 100 single with a cover of "I Shall Be Released" b/w "Go" (another Tom Northcott song). I t reached #85 the week of February 19, 1972. It's also not on Youtube. Neither is her third single for Polydor, "It's No Secret" (the Jefferson Airplane song). Another Tom Northcott song, "We Will Find Love" was the B-side.



She was from Vancouver, under her married name of Anne Lord she would be on the country charts in the 1980s.

 

At #43 the week of June 13, Martin Martin (aka Marty Hill, aka Martin Hillman) with "Wherever There's A Maurice". The B-side was a re-issue of his 1967 hit "A Little Bitta "Oh Yeah"". It would come out on Paragon and his own Trax label.



Martin Martin - A Little Bitta "Oh Yeah" b/w Wherever There's a Maurice

He would release one more single in 1972, a re-issue of 1967's "Say Shalom" b/w "Looking For A Change Of Heart" on London



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oa239Pk6Bxk

Martin Martin had moved to Israel in 1969, he would leave the music biz and get involved in Israeli politics.

 

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young peaked at #3 on the main chart on May 30 with their version of Joni Mitchell's "Woodstock". Mitchell would soon start charting with her own hits.

 

Ah, another entry in the category of "Canadian bands who chose a name that falls between the cracks of Commonwealth and American spellings". Good fun looking at their discography and counting the ever-shifting number of "L"s.

Small correction, though: it would appear the band was from Dundas, not Hamilton. A small point (and completely irrelevant now that the municipality of Hamilton is as large as some entire countries), but I do have a soft spot for the erstwhile town of Dundas, as my great-grandfather was at one time mayor.

 

The week of June 20, The Collectors with "Sometimes We're Up" at #8 (#63 on the main chart). It would be a local hit (#13 on Vancouver's CKVN) and was only released in Canada





The B-side, "Beginning-Part 2": unusually at 33 1/3 RPM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIxg98Ac2-o



Sometimes We're Up by The Collectors –

This would be the band's last recording as The Collectors. They made their first appearance as Chilliwack on June 30 in Nanaimo.





In August of 1970 Chilliwack would go to Osaka, Japan to perform at the Canadian Pavilion at the World's Fair for two weeks. There were two National Film Board productions that had been playing there since the fair opened in March. Both soundtracks were scored and recorded by the (then) Collectors.
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The Collectors
The Collectors

Canada the Land
Canada the Land

The City (Osaka) Note: there's no picture for the first two minutes
The City (Osaka)

 

At #12 the week of June 20 (#75 on the big chart), The Mercey Brothers with "Goodbye", a cover of the Paul McCartney written Mary Hopkin hit.



The flipside "My Song For You" (#2 on the Country Chart)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCZWBjCW0aY

Both songs were on the 1969 LP My Song For You



The Mercey Brothers came from Hanover ON. They started with two brothers in an Everly Brothers style. Their 1961 debut on Chateau, "Just The Snap Of Your Fingers" b/w I'm In These Arms Again" made it to #32 on the CHUM chart.
They added a third brother in 1966. Over their career they would have 24 RPM Country top tens, with six at #1. They will reach the top 100 twice more.

Some early footage
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLZeEllIywA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeKlLf32OJE

 

The same week of June 20, at #38, Pierre Lalonde with "The Girl I Left Behind Me" (written by Carol Bayer and Neil Sedaka). It's the first song on the clip:

 

Andy Kim co-wrote a top 5 Billboard R&B hit! Wilson Pickett's version of "Sugar, Sugar" reached #4 on the Billboard R&B chart. On the RPM chart, it peaked at #18 on July 4.

 

At #15 the week of June 27 (#78 on the main chart), Ed Evanko with "Let Her Go" b/w "The Face Of A Clown". It would get a picture sleeve in the U.K.



Since neither sides of the single are on Youtube, here's "The Windmills Of Your Mind" from his self-titled 1970 debut album, produced in London by Mike Leander.





Evanko was from Winnipeg, he went to London in the early 60s to study theatre at the Old Vic. He came back to Canada in 1967 to host CBC's The Ed Evanko Show. He worked on Broadway and did several acting jobs until he gave it up after the age of 60 to become a Priest in the Ukrainian Catholic Church.




Ed Evanko’s final curtain call: Singer-turned-priest passes away at age 80

 

At #24 the week of June 27, Pops Merrily (from Montreal) with "Help Me Down" on Aquarius.



The B-side "Legge's Lurk"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYHD4hdF1Yg



Their second single came on the Montor label, "Girl There's A Better Life" b/w "Turned On To Living"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtOhXpf5Nxg

There would be a final single on Columbia, "Hail To The King" b/w "Boy In Jail" in 1972. Guitarist Gary Moffet would go on to join April Wine.

 

On September 13 of that same year, a version by The Supremes (their second single without Diana Ross) reached #14. I don't know who had recorded the song first.

 

At #25 the same week, the return of the Marshmallow Soup Group, Peru's favourite Canadian rock band, with "Sing To My Lover"



The B-side "Barbie Lee"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPcNS09R-rM



This would be their last record, lead singer Tim Eaton would have a record in a couple of years that would both hit the top 40 and also be released in Peru.

 

The week of June 27, at #38, Andre Gagnon with "Format 30" b/w "Format 60".



B-side:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8O98D_VCwU

The songs were themes for a couple of Radio-Canada public affairs programs

 

At #43 the same week of of June 27, Horn with "Fat Prayer" b/w "Johnathan's Madness". Neither is on Youtube.



Horn was from Montreal, formerly called Theodore's Smokeshop. It included Billy Bryans (Jack Layton's pal, ex of M.G. and the Escorts) on drums. The band moved to Toronto and based themselves at the city's hippie enclave, Roachdale College. They released their lone album On The People's Side which would combine proggy free jazz and left wing politics (the liner notes would reprint a May 14, 1935 letter to Canadian Prime Minister R.B. Bennett)





Bill Bryans would later have great success with the Parachute Club in the 1980s

 

The same week at #44, Marie Lou Gauthier with "In The Summertime" b/w "Come Run"





Marie Lou Gauthier was from Montreal, she co-wrote the A-side with producer Tony Roman (the Quebecois Phil Spector). She would hit the charts late in the decade with the disco group Toulouse.