Bryan Adams - Bryan Adams

Bryan Adams

Bryan Adams

1980

Rock

Canada

Tracklist:

1. Hidin' From Love
2. Win Some Lose Some
3. Wait And See
4. Give Me Your Love
5. Wastin' Time
6. Don't Ya Say It
7. Remember
8. State Of Mind
9. Try To See It My Way


     Bryan Adams, (born Bryan Guy Adams, 5 November 1959) is a Canadian rock singer-songwriter, guitarist, bassist, producer, and photographer. Adams has won dozens of awards and nominations, including 20 Juno Awards among 56 nominations. He has also had 15 Grammy Award nominations including a win for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television in 1992. He has also won MTV, ASCAP, and American Music awards. In addition, he has won two Ivor Novello Awards for song composition and has been nominated for several Golden Globe Awards and three times for Academy Awards for his songwriting for films.
     Adams was awarded the Order of Canada and the Order of British Columbia for contributions to popular music and philanthropic work via his own foundation, which helps improve education for people around the world.
     Adams was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame, with the 2,435th star in March 2011 and Canada's Walk of Fame in 1998, and in April 2006 he was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame at Canada's Juno Awards. In 2008, Bryan was ranked 38 on the list of All-Time top artists by the Billboard Hot 100 50th Anniversary Charts. On 13 January 2010, he received the Allan Waters Humanitarian Award for his part in numerous charitable concerts and campaigns during his career, and on 1 May 2010 was given the Governor General's Performing Arts Award for his 30 years of contributions to the arts.

     Bryan Adams was the self-titled debut solo album by Canadian rock singer Bryan Adams released in February 1980 on A&M Records. While the album did not gain attention in the US, "Hidin' From Love" reached #64 and "Give Me Your Love" reached #91 both on Canada's RPM 100 Singles chart.
     In early 1978, Bryan Adams teamed up with Jim Vallance (formerly of Canadian band Prism) to form a song-writing duo. A&M signed the pair as songwriters and A&M signed him as an artist shortly afterwards. He worked on his debut album for the balance of 1979 with it being released in February 1980.
     The first single was "Hidin' from Love" in 1980 (#43 on the Billboard dance charts) which was followed up by "Give Me Your Love" and "Remember". Although the album never received any US notoriety on its debut, it was the door opener that led to getting radio play, tours, management, agents and the music business in general, interested in the 20 year old songwriter.
     The first tour was across Canada playing clubs and colleges. It was during this time that Adams developed the songs for the US breakthrough album You Want It You Got It (1981).


     Studio albums
Bryan Adams (1980)
You Want It You Got It (1981)
Cuts Like a Knife (1983)
Reckless (1984)
Into the Fire (1987)
Waking Up the Neighbours (1991)
18 til I Die (1996)
On a Day Like Today (1998)
Room Service (2004)
11 (2008)

     Live albums
Live! Live! Live! (1988)
MTV Unplugged (1997)
Live at the Budokan (2003)
Live in Lisbon (2005)
Bare Bones (2010)

     Compilation albums
Hits On Fire (Japan only 1988)
So Far So Good (1993)
The Best of Me (1999)
Anthology (2005)
Icon (USA only 2010)

     Soundtrack albums
Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002)
Colour Me Kubrick (2005)

Chalk Circle - The Great Lake EP

Chalk Circle

The Great Lake EP

1986

Post Punk New Wave

Canada

Tracklist:


EP
"April Fool" - 5:19
"Trains" - 5:05
"Big White Clouds" - 4:06
"Me, Myself and I" - 4:08
"The Great Lake" - 4:09
"Superman (Meets the Man of Steel)" - 5:16
CD
"April Fool" - 5:19
"Trains" - 5:05
"Big White Clouds" - 4:06
"Me, Myself and I" - 4:08
"The Great Lake" - 4:09
"Superman (Meets the Man of Steel)" - 5:16
"20th Century Boy" - 3:42 *
"Come with Me" - 3:54 *
"Believe in Something" - 3:45 *
     1988 CD reissue with three bonus tracks (tracks 8 and 9 feature as b-sides on "This Mourning" 12")

     Chalk Circle was a Canadian Post Punk, New Wave, Pop Rock band in the 1980s. The band consisted of lead singer and guitarist Chris Tait, bassist Brad Hopkins, keyboardist Tad Winklarz and drummer Derrick Murphy.
     Originally formed in Newcastle, Ontario, Hopkins and Tait were paired with Terry Miller and Stani Veselinovic in 1982 as "The Casualties". The band briefly changed its name to "The Reactors" and then to "New Edition" in 1984, and finally settled on the name Chalk Circle (taken from Bertolt Brecht's play The Caucasian Chalk Circle).
     The band recorded a demo single "The World" (b/w "Black Pit") on cassette and played the Toronto area, subsequently winning the CASBY Award for Most Promising Non-Recording Group in 1985. After signing to Duke Street Records in Toronto, their 1986 debut release was a six-song EP called The Great Lake. Produced by Chris Wardman, it was recorded at Manta Sound in Toronto and Quest Recording Studio in Oshawa. The lead single "April Fool" became a Top 10 single in Canada, along with another single "Me, Myself and I". The band produced videos for both tracks which were regularly featured on MuchMusic, and the EP went on to become Duke Street's biggest seller at that time.
     Their second release was a full length album entitled Mending Wall released in 1987, with the inspiration for the title coming from Robert Frost's famous poem. Recorded entirely on digital equipment, the crisp sounding album featured another Top 10 Canadian single "This Mourning", a blistering commentary about nuclear politics in the 'ray gun' (Reagan) era of the late 1980s. The album would later be reissued with a cover version of T-Rex's "20th Century Boy", which also became a Top 10 Canadian single.
     The band's final album was 1989's As the Crow Flies, which featured two singles, "Sons and Daughters" and "Together". Citing 'creative differences', the band broke up in 1990, and Tait went on to form the indie band Big Faith.
     In 2006, Universal Music Group released a Chalk Circle greatest hits compilation as part of its 20th Century Masters series. The release prompted the band to reconvene after 15 years and in February of that year, they began rehearsals at the Cherry Beach rehearsal studios in Toronto in anticipation of possible reunion shows.
     On June 17, 2006, Chalk Circle played a reunion gig at Lee's Palace in Toronto.


Discography

     Albums
The Great Lake (EP) - 1986
Mending Wall - 1987
As the Crow Flies - 1989
The Best of Chalk Circle - 2006

     Singles
"The World" (1985)
"April Fool" (1986) #21 CAN
"Me, Myself and I" (1986) #92 CAN
"This Mourning" (1987) #28 CAN
"20th Century Boy" (1987) #44 CAN
"N.I.M.B.Y." (1987)
"Sons and Daughters" (1989)
"Together" (1989)

BB Gabor - Girls Of The Future

BB Gabor

Girls Of The Future

1981

New Wave Post Punk

Hungary (Canada based)

Tracklist:

Keep On Dreaming
Little Thing
Fidgety Pete
Girls Of The Future
Othello
Jealous Girl
Outsider
Shake
Simulated Groove
Turn Table Turn
When You're The Only One I Love


     Born Gabor Hegedus in 1948, his family fled Hungary and the political revolution there to England when he was only 8. Music didn't become a factor in his life until moving to Toronto at age 23. Gabor became a staple of the local underground scene during the late 70's, where his industrial pop/punk sound was pretty much the 'norm'.
     His self-titled debut was released by Anthem Records in the spring of 1980. Co-produced by Terry Brown, whose work included among others Stampeders, Max Webster, Klaatu and Rush, it showed an instant sense of maturity, backed by the success of the two singles, "Metropolitan Life" and "Soviet Jewelry". Gabor made two cross-Canada tours, and enoyed the success of other hits from his debut including a remake of Joni Mitchell's "Big Yellow Taxi", "Lazer Love" and the social commentary "Hunger Poverty and Misery". Gabor's youth in the middle of a communist regime was also made known in "Soviet Drug Club".
     GIRLS OF THE FUTURE hit the stands a year later. Produced by Gene Martynec, who'd worked with such Canadian stars as Edward Bear and Rough Trade, it continued along the veins put forward by its predecessor. The first single released was "Jealous Girls", a cover of the Extras' hit, which was followed later in '81 by "Little Thing." Also on the record was some of Gabor's most tightly-written music, including the upbeat "Keep On Dreaming" and "Shake", co-written by Jimi B.

     After being cut from Anthem's roster in '83, Gabor's career came and went in spurts, but continued working in the industry the remainder of the decade. Some of his credits included production of The Extras, Ron Hedland and Jimi B, as well as doing session work with Todd Rundgren. Though he reformed a touring group in '87, he was finding the music scene had no room for his brand of pop. In 1990, Toronto police found Gabor dead in his apartment, the victim of an apparent suicide at the age of 42.
     BB Gabor's life was one marred with tragedy, from his childhood in war-torn Hungary, to his struggling just to survive in England, working as a cab driver and even dabbling as a broker in precious metals, to his humble beginnings in the Toronto music scene, to his untimely demise. Though he only recorded two records, he left his mark on the industry by working with some of the industry's best, as well as writting some of Canadian pop's most cutting-edge music.

Ohama Meets Dania - Love Only Lasts Awhile

Ohama Meets Dania

Love Only Lasts Awhile

1986

New Wave Synthpop

Canada

Tracklist:


A1 Gaslit Squares   3:54
A2 Don't Be Afraid    4:27
A3 Your Face 3:11
A4 Lola  3:09
A5 Lonely Heart Dance 6:13
B1 The Drum 3:46
B2 My Time    5:10
B3 Talking About  5:58
B4 Take Me Dancing    5:27

     Tony Walker Ohama (Ohama), Darlene George (Dania)

Boys Brigade - Boys Brigade

Boys Brigade

Boys Brigade

1983

New Wave

Canada

Tracklist:


01 The Passions Of Love
02 Melody
03 Exodus
04 Saigon
05 The Cut-Up (Breaking Glass)
06 Into The Flow
07 Africa
08 Mannequin
09 Anger (The Hunter)


BOYS BRIGADE was a Canadian New Wave band formed back in 1980 in Toronto from the ashes of punk band called ARSON. It started as a four piece band and later on became a six piece band which consisted of MALCOLM BURN (vocalist and keyboardist) , TONY LESTER (guitarist and vocalist) ,WAYNE LORENZ (bass guitar) , BILLIE BROCK (drummer/bu vocals) and DAVID PORTER and JEFF PACKER (percussionists/ bu vocals).

Lee Aaron - Metal Queen

Lee Aaron

Metal Queen

1984

Hard Rock

Canada

Tracklist:

01. Metal Queen

02. Lady of the Darkest Night

03. Head Above Water

04. Got to Be the One

05. Shake It Up

06. Deceiver

07. Steal Away Your Love

08. Hold Out

09. Breakdown

10. We Will Be Rockin'


     Lee Aaron (born Karen Lynn Greening on July 21, 1962, in Belleville, Ontario) is a Canadian rock and jazz singer. She had several hits in the 1980s and early 1990s such as "Metal Queen", "Whatcha Do to My Body", and "Sex with Love".
     Lee Aaron began singing in school musicals at the age of five. She was discovered singing in a music production when she was fifteen years old, and was asked to join a local rock group called "Lee Aaron" while still in high school in Brampton, Ontario. Aaron sang, played alto saxophone and keyboards in this first incarnation of the band.
     Two years later she signed with her first manager, Bob Connolly. Aaron was removed from playing any instruments and pulled centre stage to front the band.

     Metal Queen is the second studio album by singer Lee Aaron, released on February 24, 1984 through Attic Records. It reached #69 on the RPM Canadian Albums Chart on April 14, 1984 and held that position for two weeks.

Lee Aaron – vocals
John Albani – electric guitar, background vocals
George Bernhardt – electric guitar, background vocals
Attila Demjen – drums
Frank Russell – drums
Jack Meli – bass guitar, background vocals
Mick Walsh – engineering
Paul Gross – production

The Tenants - The Tenants

The Tenants

The Tenants

1983

New Wave

Canada

Tracklist:


Look The Other Way
Schoolgirl
I Love Romance
Sheriff
Winner
How Do You Sleep At Night?
You Don't Know What I've Been Thru
Connect The Dots
What's In It For Me?
Forget About Forgetting


     Formed in Scarborough, ON in late 1981, the band's origins started when Andy McLean, a Brit holidaying in Canada met fellow guitarist and vocalist Gary Brown. They struck a friendship and Brown soon introduced him to some friends he'd just formed a band with, drummer Derek Gassyt, bassist Lewis Mele and Fraser MacDougall on keyboards. Literally within weeks they began doing the local circuit around Toronto.
Capitalizing on the new wave sound of the day, they were noticed by manager Dave Kirby and signed with CBS Records practically overnight, having only played a couple dozen shows as a band. By the time they entered Phase One Studios the next year, Brown and McLean had collaberated on a couple dozen tunes. Produced by Paul Gross, the band's self-titled debut was released in early 1983, and contained an off-the-cuff live feel the execs thought properly represented the band, which it didn't. Feeling the pressure to keep the album to its originally intended low budget, the best of the bunch were picked.

     The album was filled with simple hooks and melodies put to even simpler lyrics, and "Sheriff" became the first single, cracking the top 40, along with an extended dance version, but it was "How Do You Sleep At Night?" that caught the attention of radio stations, and its extended dance single version that tore up the nightclubs. The album went on to sell a quarter million copies while the band toured Canada and the US for the next year and a half, even doing a handful of shows in South America.

     Following the tour, the band switched to Lars Sorensen for management direction out of Seattle, who also guested on the song "Reach Out" on saxophone, the band made their way back to Phase One in late '83 to begin work on their follow up, 1984's VISIONS OF OUR FUTURE. Mele co-wrote three of the tracks and is credited for playing bass on "Getting Closer." But shortly after the recording began, he was replaced by Michael Beer. Again the band's focus was a light-hearted, not too sophisiticated pop approach with some slick production work from Gross. The only difference was this time CBS Records didn't mind spending a few dollars on production. "Something Else" hit the airwaves that summer and again put The Tenants in the top 40. But before a tour could ensue, legal hassles with Sorensen over unused money for the album's production caused a split. Though the record sold another quarter million copies worldwide, the band was held accountable for the missing money.

     This naturally caused strife among the members, and the band officially disbanded before the year's end. Gassyt, Beer and MacDougall later formed Moving Pictures, then they all went on their separate ways a few years later. McLean and Brown turned down a number of publishing deals, and Brown decided to retire all together and opened Certain Circles Recording Studios, as well as dabbling in managing other promising Toronto acts. A few years later he recorded and shopped around some material labelled as The Tenants, although he was the only original member remaining, but got no serious offers.

Formed 1981,    Toronto, ON, Canada

Disbanded 1984

Members Lewis Mele (bass, 1981-83), Michael Beer (bass, 1983-84), Gary Brown (vocals, guitar), Derek Gassyt (drums), Fraser MacDougall (keyboards), Andy McLean (guitar)