Made In Canada: Our Rock 'N' Roll History

I've always been a homer for Canadian rock music. With the torrent of (mostly) American and British rock 'n' roll cluttering our radio airwaves, it was still difficult to hear Canadian rock on a regular basis. And that's despite the CRTC (Canada's version of the FCC, which regulates our airwaves) and its Canadian Content Rules, which stipulate 35% Can-Con. I used to listen to a ton of Classic Rock station Q107 back in the 80s. And it would always be a pleasant surprise to hear something from a Canadian artist or group.

How Pleasantly surprised I was, to learn of this series of collections, which came out in 1990. Originally, there were 3 volumes, all released concurrently. I bought all three on cassette. A year later, a fourth volume appeared (though I don't think I ever saw it). Sadly, a few years after that, they would be gone. Today, they're very rare to find (or so it seems). Amazon lists the Volume 2 CD for a ridiculous $89.99 (down from $99.99).

But being a lucky bastard, you get it for free. Same as the other volumes. It should be noted, however, that whoever compiled these albums made a mistake with one of them: The Five Canadians was actually a garage band from San Antonio, Texas who tried to get in on the British Invasion bandwagon by alleging a name from the Commonwealth. Besides, the Five Americans was already taken.

Some of these tunes can be pretty treacly, especially the songs from the singer-songwriter 70's (you just have to laugh out loud at The Bells' "Stay Awhile"). But there are enough gems here to keep a Canuck homer happy.

Enjoy.

Made In Canada Vol. 1 (The Early Years)

1	The Beau Marks	Clap Your Hands	2:01			1960
2	Bobby Curtola	Fortune Teller	2:45			1962
3	Pat Hervey	Tears of Misery	2:06			1963
4	Jackie Shane	Any Other Way	2:34			1963
5	Ritchie Knight & The Mid-Knights	Charlena	2:29			1963
6	Shirley Matthews	Big Town Boy	2:34			1963
7	Terry Black	Unless You Care	2:03			1964
8	Robbie Lane & The Disciples	Fannie Mae	2:37			1964
9	Chad Allan & The Expressions	Shakin' All Over	2:40			1965
10	Little Caesar & The Consols	My Girl Sloopy	2:54			1965
11	Barry Allan	Lovedrops	2:24			1966
12	The Staccatos	Half Past Midnight	2:12			1967
13	The Guess Who	Flying On The Ground Is Wrong	2:39			1967
14	The Poppy Family	Which Way You Goin' Billy	3:24			1969
15	Motherlode	And When I Die	3:23			1969
16	Mashmakhan	As The Years Go By	3:05			1970
17	King Biscuit Boy w/ Crowbar	Corinna, Corinna	4:29			1970
18	Steel River	Ten Pound Note	2:58			1970

Made In Canada Vol. 2 (Into The 70s)

1	The Original Caste	One Tin Soldier	3:35			1969
2	Edward Bear	You, Me & Mexico	2:50			1970
3	R. Dean Taylor	Indiana Wants Me	3:45			1970
4	Tranquility Base	If You're Lookin'	2:38			1970
5	Joey Gregorash	Jodie	2:51			1971
6	Lighthouse	One Fine Morning	5:16			1971
7	Crowbar	Oh What A Feeling	4:39			1971
8	The Bells	Stay Awhile	3:22			1971
9	The Stampeders	Sweet City Woman	3:22			1971
10	April Wine	You Could Have Been A Lady	3:19			1972
11	A Foot In Cold Water	(Make Me Do) Anything You Want	5:09			1972
12	Dr. Music	Sun Goes By	3:51			1972
13	Keith Hampshire	The First Cut Is The Deepest	3:44			1973
14	Copperpenny	Sitting On A Poor Man's Throne	5:11			1973
15	Gary & Dave	Could You Ever Love Me Again	3:23			1973
16	Ian Thomas	Painted Ladies	3:30			1973
17	Andy Kim	Rock Me Gently	3:26			1974
18	Bill Amesbury	Virginia (Touch Me Like You Do)	2:45			1974

Made In Canada Vol. 3 (Eclectic Avenue)

1	The Paupers	If I Told My Baby	2:11			1965
2	David Clayton Thomas w/ The Bossmen	Brainwashed	3:34			1966
3	King Beezz	Gloria	2:48			1966
4	The Five Canadians	Writing On The Wall	2:15			1966
5	The Guess Who	It's My Pride	2:41			1966
6	The Stitch In Tyme	Got to Get You Into My Life	2:22			1967
7	The British Modbeats	Somebody Help Me	1:55			1967
8	Grant Smith & The Power	Keep On Running	2:57			1967
9	A Passing Fancy	I'm Losing Tonight	2:47			1967
10	The Lords of London	Cornflakes and Ice Cream	2:46			1967
11	The Ugly Ducklings	Gaslight	2:49			1967
12	Bobby Taylor & The Vancouvers	Does Your Mama Know About Me	2:51			1968
13	Nucleus	Communication	4:40			1969
14	Luke & The Apostles	You Make Me High	5:13			1970
15	Cat	We're All In This Together	4:49			1970
16	Five Man Electrical Band	Signs	4:03			1971
17	Thundermug	Africa	3:18			1972
18	Klaatu	California Jam	3:02			1974

Made In Canada Vol. 4 (More Great Stuff)

1	The Beau-Marks	Classmate	2:05			1961
2	Little Caesar & The Consols	If (I Found A New Girl)	2:01			1963
3	David Clayton Thomas (& The Shays)	Boom Boom	2:24			1964
4	The Big Town Boys	It Was I	2:21			1965
5	Ugly Ducklings	Nothin'	2:28			1966
6	The Paupers	If I Call You By Some Name	2:52			1966
7	Mandala	Opportunity	2:59			1967
8	Kensington Market	I Would Be The One	2:35			1968
9	Ocean	Put Your Hand In The Hand	2:55			1971
10	Chilliwack	Lonesome Mary	3:00			1971
11	Syrinx	Tillicum (Theme For The TV Show Here Come The Seventies)	1:51			1971
12	Terry Black & Laurel Ward	Goin' Down (On The Road To L.A.)	2:59			1972
13	Ken Tobias	I Just Want To Make Music	2:32			1973
14	Fludd	Cousin Mary	2:43			1974
15	Terry Jacks	Seasons In The Sun	3:27			1974