Lisle

 

 Smile With Lisle

Lisle was the name of a Canadian band made up of a trio of young men from Simcoe County who came to prominence in the early 1970's. Bill Chambers was the guitarist and lead singer, Brian Matthias played bass and Danny Stephens was the drummer. Brian and Danny also helped out with vocals. By 1972, the group was ready to record and signed with a small Toronto label called Bronco Records, and released a couple of singles that gained some airplay on CHUM radio. The success of the singles lead to the release of their only album, “Smile With Lisle”. 

I was able to contact Bill Chambers and he very kindly agreed to speak to me about the group. He advised me that around 1967, after a period of time rehearsing in his parent’s basement the original members of the band finally managed to get their first booking. Now that they actually had a gig, they needed a name. None of the fellows could agree on anything. Danny, who had set the job up, told the venue the name of the group was “The Lisle Electric Company”. When the boys arrived to perform, the sign at the hall entrance indicated the band performing were called “The Lisle”. They were later told the original name was too long to fit on the marquee, so the venue just used the first two words.  Although the band intended to come up with something better, Bill said they never did, and eventually dropped “The” from their name, and so “Lisle” it was. Over the next three years the group stayed close to home, continuing to perform, honing their musical skills, and getting established. In 1970 the boys decided to hit the road and started playing on the circuit throughout Ontario, performing from Sarnia to Timmins to Renfrew. It was around this time the original bassist quit, and Brian Matthias from Orillia joined. Bill explained “Danny met this kid in Orillia that played bass and could sing. He was just what we needed, full of enthusiasm, fun, just full of life. Brian has an incredible musical aptitude, in a matter of three weeks he learned our repertoire and we hit the road again. That was the summer of 1971.”  

The band was playing six nights a week on the road, and were really starting gel. In the spring of 1972 the band made the acquaintance of Bud Crosgrey, who was starting the Bronco record label. Bud wanted to record the band, so he offered them a contract. The next step was decide what material would the band use in the session. Bill told me his Aunt Irma suggested they learn “Goin’ Away”, a single from the American band “The Fireballs”, and that ended up being their first single. Bud produced the recording session, which took place at Captain Audio, located in the Yorkville part of Toronto (Jim Morgan was the sound engineer). The date of the recording happened to be Bill’s birthday, the fifth of July.  It speaks to how tight the band was that during that one single session, they laid down two tracks; besides “Goin’ Away” they also cut “You’re Why Baby”. I should mention at this point that the band I’m currently with includes “Goin’ Away” in our repertoire, which is really how I became aware of the group. Our drummer (who sings it) always introduces the number as a song that a local band named “Lisle” had a hit with. 

Over the next little while, between gigs and other obligations, Lisle was able to record enough material to release their only album, “Smile With Lisle”. Included on the album was their most successful single “Shelley Made Me Smile”, which climbed to number 16 on the CHUM radio chart of singles in April 1974. It has also made it onto a number of compilations over the years, and could often be heard on Southern Ontario radio. This would turn out to be the band’s most successful period.    

Bill left Lisle in 1974, although the band would continue with other members for a few years more. Throughout the band’s tenure, Bill credits Danny as being the driving force propelling them forward. Bill has kept his hand in music, and still performs. He also advised me that the boys have kept in touch, and strong bond still exists between everyone. 

I asked Bill about his original rig. He told me that he initially started out on the road with a 1960 Fender Telecaster through a black face Fender Bassman amp. Within the first year he switched a Gibson SG (with the P 90 pickups) and a Fender Super Reverb amp. By the spring of 1973 he had settled on a Gibson ES 335 going through a Fender Twin Reverb amp. By the way, Bill told me he still has the Tele!

Lisle is a wonderful story about some high school chums who started out like so many other teenagers learning how to play in the basement of their parent’s home. They actualized their dream of performing as a band, making a record, and getting their songs on the radio, and making it very easy to “Smile With Lisle”. 

The Lincolns “Take One"

                                                                 

 If one was deciding to start a new group in Toronto in 1979, what style of music do you think would be chosen? If you guessed that it would be a soulful, funky and groove-happy form of Rhythm & Blues, I suggest you would probably be in the minority. Yet that is exactly what one of Canada’s premiere musicians, the highly renowned bassist Prakash John did. And not only was that band, “The Lincolns” a success, they also landed a record deal and cut one of this country’s best R&B albums in the process.

Prakash grew up in the Toronto of the 1960’s and was deeply involved from a young age in the music scene. He was a member of the seminal Toronto group “Bush” along with Dominic Troiano and Whitey Glan. Following that, he spent time with George Clinton before moving onto work with Lou Reed and Alice Cooper. By 1979 however, he was back in Toronto and ready to start his own group, one that played a style of music he was wanted to play. Prakash envisioned a group that had the style and professionalism of those late ’60’s Toronto rhythm and blues and soul bands that were so influential in his growth as a musician. 

When Prakash started the Lincolns, he was determined to put together a first class outfit that could perform the music he envisioned on a consistent basis in that most demanding of situations, regular club work. He understood as someone who had worked very hard on his craft and who had played with some of the best musicians in the business how important it was to have a group that set very high standards for itself, and was capable of reaching them whenever they were on stage. Fortunately for Prakash, within his group of friends there were a number of musicians who fit the bill (and it would not be long after putting the band together that the Lincolns would enter the studio). At this time, the members of the Lincolns were Prakash John as leader and bassist, Danny Weiss on guitar, Michael Fonfara on keyboards (particularly Hammond B3),  Jorn Andersen on drums and Steve Ambrose as lead vocalist. All of these players had extensive musical credentials and had performed previously with Prakash. This group was a fixture in the Toronto club scene, and could be seen on many evenings delivering their own unique versions of many soul and R&B classics. The members of the group dressed professionally (no jeans and t-shirts here) and many of the songs featured a degree of choreography from them as well. 

By 1983, the group had signed a record deal with Attic Records, a local Toronto label and cut their classic album, “Take One”. The cover picture was  a stylized version of the back of a Lincoln Continental with the the letters “P. J.” on the license plate. As would be expected, the seven cuts on the record were classic takes on standard songs from the R&B genre that were performed by the band in the their own unique fashion. The recording quality was first class, with exceptional musicianship by all concerned. Prakash produced and arranged the record, and in addition to the main band members, he brought in other musicians where required to add whatever extra instrumentation he thought was necessary in order to create his vision of the song. 

Although the album may not have been a best seller, it was a great representation of a band that would be acknowledged as Canada’s premiere R&B group. The band would become a mainstay at festivals throughout the country, as well as continuing to perform in clubs. One of their highlights would occur in 1988, when they were invited to perform at Wayne Gretzky’s wedding. They were the band selected for the reception portion of the event, and by all accounts killed it.   

Prakash John and the Lincolns are a huge part of Canada’s musical heritage. Prakash deserves a great deal of credit not only for his musicianship but for his success in bringing to fruition his musical vision of a classic R&B band, and picking other Canadian musicians to help him achieve his goal.  

Boys Brigade

“Melody"

  In the aftermath of the initial upheaval in the Canadian music scene, (especially in the Toronto area) caused by the “punk” movement, a number of groups who would be categorized as Canadian New Wave became prominent. Ironically, it was primarily these acts, rather than the punk rock musicians, who would have commercial success and who would reap the benefits of the opportunities the new music styles created. 

One of the Canadian groups that rose to prominence in this genre was a darling of the Queen Street West scene, "Boys Brigade". The group was formed in 1981 around Malcolm Burn (vocals and keyboards) and Tony Lester (vocals and guitar). Completing the lineup was bassist Wayne Lorenz, drummer Billie Brock, and David Porter and Jeff Packer as backing vocalists and percussionists. The band hooked up with an enterprising booking agent who not only was successful at getting the band into the usual clubs on Queen Street, but was also able to get them into Queen Street venues such as the Rex Hotel, places that at the time were not known for live music. The band continued working on their sound and on writing original material, and they submitted a song in a competition being held by one of Toronto’s bigger rock FM radio stations. This effort was successful, and the song “Mannequin” was included in the 1981 “Homegrown” compilation album released by Q 107. 

The band built upon their success and eventually Geddy Lee of Rush fame agreed to produce their initial self titled album, after having heard them. Interestingly, Malcolm Burn, who would later go on to work extensively with noted Canadian producer Daniel Lanois, and who himself would have great international success as a producer and engineer, said in a 2004 interview that while his wish was for Lanois to produce the band's first album, their manager of the time, along with other band members, were not interested. Of course, Lanois would go onto to working quite successfully with other Canadian New Wave acts of the time such as the Parachute Club and Martha and The Muffins. 

In 1983 the band’s self titled debut, “Boys Brigade” was released in Canada on Anthem records (and in the US on Capitol). One of the singles from the album, “Melody” enjoyed chart success, especially in the Toronto market. There was also a video created to support the song, which was great exposure for the band with advent of the MuchMusic video channel. The band would hit the road for a couple of years, but by 1985 had everyone decided to go their separate ways. 

“Melody”, with its spoken word verse and keyboard textures serves as a fitting to tribute to one of our lesser known Canadian groups form the early 1980’s. 

  

May 2, 2019

B. B. Gabor

“Soviet Jewellry”

B. B. Gabor (real name Gabor Hegedus) was an outstanding musician and singer/songwriter who was part of Toronto’s “New Wave” music scene in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. Gabor was Hungarian by birth, and his early years were indelibly affected by the trauma he and his family suffered during the 1956 revolution in Hungary, and the subsequent savage repression by the Soviet Union. The family was forced to flee their homeland, and after going through the various hardships assorted with being refugees, the family settled in London, England. In 1973, Gabor emigrated to Toronto and became involved in the local music scene. His hard work and dedication to his craft earned him a record deal in 1979 with one of Canada’s better independent labels of the period, Anthem Records. His enigmatic and irrepressible musical style was great fit with this label. His songs mixed witty, yet perceptive lyrics with great pop music sensibilities. It was music that would appeal to those on the dance floor as well as the more thoughtful types listening through their Walkman’s. 

Recorded in June of 1979 and released in 1980, B. B. Gabor’s self titled debut album was well received, with two of the singles “Metropolitan Life” and “Nyet, Nyet Soviet (Soviet Jewellry)” becoming staples on Toronto radio. B. B. Gabor received a Juno nomination and toured in support of the album. He was also a great live act, and this author has very fond memories of watching him at a club in Toronto.     

Tragically, B.B. Gabor died at a far too young age, robbing Canada (and music in general) of a very talented individual. However, his musical legacy will always be a testament to his tremendous abilities, which certainly enriched the Canadian music scene of the early 1980’s.            

Hammersmith

Western Canada has always been fertile ground when it comes to rock music. The Guess Who and Bachman Turner Overdrive automatically come to mind, but it would doing a disservice to many other bands if we didn’t acknowledge the depth and talent that was (and I am sure still is) out there on the Prairies and the Rockies. Hammersmith, from Calgary Alberta, was a prime example.

Hammersmith was a band that was formed in 1975. Most of the members had previously performed together in another group called “Painter” (that also hailed from Calgary) which had some chart success in 1973 with the song “West Coast Woman”. However, in 1975 the members decided to start afresh and decided on the name “Hammersmith”. The group was a quintet comprising of Dan Lowe (lead guitar), Doran Beattie (lead vocals), Royden Morice (bass & keys), Jeff Boyne (rhythm guitar) and Jim Llewellyn (drums). Not long after forming, they released their eponymously  titled debut album on Mercury.

The initial single from the album was a catchy number called “Late Night Lovin’ Man” (also the lead track on side one of the album).  The style of music the band performed would be best described as “hard rock”. Nowadays that term seems to have been superseded by the designation  “metal”, but it would be a mistake to assume that these types of rock and roll are the same. Hard rock meant loud guitars, but usually also meant music that had a strong beat and was danceable, and the debut single by Hammersmith was no exception. The song itself is a great example of mid 1970’s commercial rock music, a style that within a year or so of this song’s release would begin to reflect the influence first of disco, and then not long after, new wave. As someone who spent at least part of his misspent youth at high school dances (when the dances still featured live music from bands you could actually hear on the local radio station), “Late Night Lovin’ Man” is redolent of what those dances were like. 

I reached out to Hammersmith’s drummer Jim Llewellyn to find out some more about the band. he very graciously answered my questions about the band. Jim was a regular in the Calgary music scene, and as such was familiar with the musicians from Painter. When their drummer decided to leave, he auditioned and became the new drummer. Jim advised that the band had Bruce Allan as their manager, who was also Bachman Turner Overdrive’s manager at the time. With the release of their debut album, Hammersmith found themselves on the road, opening for some of the era’s top acts. Jim recalls being on the same bill as Kiss, Spirit, Styx, Rod Stewart, Kansas, Jethro Tull and others. He advised me that it was an incredible time for him, playing in front of crowds of up to 20,000 people, and standing backstage watching some the top drummers in the field ply their trade (and in the process learning a great deal about drumming). I would highly recommend visiting Jim’s great website for more details about his fascinating career. It is located at http://www.jimllewellyn.com/postersandstuff.html.

For a great example of Canadian rock from the mid 70’s, give a Hammersmith a listen. I’ll bet you won’t be disappointed.

Bill Evans - Green Dolphin Street

It has been alleged that when President Richard Nixon made his famous trip to China in 1972, he asked the Chinese premier Chou En Lai what Chou thought of the effect of the French Revolution on history. Chou's enigmatic reply is said to have been "It is too soon to tell". Although this story may in fact be an exaggeration, or nothing more than an offhand comment, one wonders if perhaps the impact of Bill Evans on jazz piano could not also be considered in the same light.

Bill Evans was never noted as a great composer or soloist, yet his influence and standing in jazz since his untimely passing in 1980 has been pervasive. Many of the younger jazz pianists recording over the last twenty years seem to have assimilated much of his style in their approach to the instrument. Not unlike John Coltrane, who also passed away at a young age, Bill Evan's musical contributions to the jazz art form are still highly regarded. Bill Evans' recordings are still being released and played, and a recent discovery of an unreleased recording from 1968 generated intense interest when it was located and subsequently released.

Which brings us to one of Bill Evan's lesser known releases, and the subject of today's post, Green Dolphin Street. Recorded in 1959, but not released until almost 20 years later, the trio tracks that make up most the album include Paul Chambers on bass and Philly Joe Jones on drums. The story goes that Bill Evans along with Paul Chamber and Philly Joe Jones were the rhythm section on a Chet Baker recording date in New York. Orrin Keepnews, the famed producer and part owner of Riverside Records, was overseeing the date, and after the sessions with Baker were over, he asked the trio to stay and record some material. It was a spontaneous date, and while the three players had been playing with Miles Davis and were familiar with each other, they did not normally work together as a trio. However, they decided to record at least six songs.  The decision was made that this would be considered a Bill Evans date, and he specifically requested that the tapes not be released until he had a chance to listen to them later.

It was not until the mid 1970's that both Bill Evans and Orrin Keepnews returned to the recording, which, as Orrin Keepenews states in the album's liner notes, miraculously had remained untouched and in storage for at least 15 years. Upon listening to it again Bill Evans agreed the session could be released, and in 1977 it was. It should be noted that Orrin Keepnews agreed completely with Bill Evan's decision.

While the session that produced the trio tracks had not been previously planned, it would be inaccurate to think of it as nothing more than a throwaway. Bill Evans had a meticulous approach to a song, and the trio decided upon songs that they were already playing with Miles Davis, as well as some mutually familiar standards. The result was a wonderful piece of music, featuring three artists familiar with each other and capable of performing at the highest levels of proficiency on their respective instruments.  There is no particular standout in my opinion, but the title track is a great extended reading with lots of room for solos.

This particular version of Green Dolphin Street is a vinyl release on Waxtime, a European label specializing in reissues.  Although there is some degree of uncertainty (or perhaps controversy) concerning the sources used to make these records, my version has a clean, pristine and warm sound. No complaints.

Bill Evans' influence on jazz will continue to be felt for many years to come. Perhaps it is too early to attempt to quantify how significant that influence will be, but it is unquestionable that it is profound

     

Dusty In Memphis

Dusty Springfield was a British singer who became popular in her home country around the same time as the Beatles started their trajectory towards becoming the greatest band in the history of popular music. While the Beatles are still well known and revered, the name Dusty Springfield does not trigger the same recognition. But she was one of the great pop music singers of her era, and has been responsible for at least one of its best records. She was blessed with a beautiful voice, and although she sang in a somewhat understated manner, she was able to convey a tremendous amount of emotional content into the songs she performed. 

She enjoyed great success in her home country in the early and mid 1960’s, as well as some significant sales in the United States. By 1968 her career had started to wane however. She decided to enter into a contract with the R&B giant Atlantic Records, and come to America to record her next album, in hopes of reclaiming her popularity. It was an inspired choice, as the powers that be at Atlantic held her in high regard and were determined to pull out all the stops when it came to making a record with her. Jerry Wexler, at that time a partner in Atlantic and their top producer, would co-produce the album with Atlantic’s top recording engineer, Tom Dowd. Jerry also had Arif Mardin write the arrangements for the record. All that was left was to pick the recording studio. Jerry originally wanted to use the Muscle Shoals studio, but it was unavailable, so they went with American Sound Studio, in Memphis, Tennessee. Atlantic was familiar with the studio, and held it and its owner in high regard. Other classic sides had been cut there, so Jerry knew that for the kind of record Dusty wanted to make, Memphis was the place to go. From the beginning, this was going to be an album with plenty of soul, and a real R&B feel. In hindsight, the studio musicians (house players at American Sound) were the perfect fit for the project. The music grooved, but the players were polished enough to ensure that they could provide whatever level of musicianship the songs needed. 

While Jerry was the ideal producer and project manager, that didn't mean that he and Dusty always agreed on how to conduct the sessions. Prior to the project, he had spent a considerable amount of time reviewing songs he felt would be suitable for her. She turned down the majority of them. Although Dusty was in Memphis for the project, she declined to put any vocal tracks down at the time. Despite Jerry’s desire to record her in Memphis, Dusty said she was too intimidated by the musicians, and the other artists that had recorded there, and felt insecure about her singing. Whether or not that’s true, she recorded the vocals for the album in New York. So although the majority of the songs were recorded in Memphis, her vocals weren’t. While overdubbing the vocals in New York, she and Jerry also clashed on how she would sing her vocal tracks. Although Jerry wanted them recorded a certain way, Dusty insisted in doing it her way. To his credit, Jerry has since said she was right, and she completed her vocal parts with “perfect intonation, every note correct, gorgeous tone production and her own trademark individual phrasing”. 

Dusty said that her favourite singer was Aretha Franklin, and I am sure that played a part in decision to come to America, and to try her hand at recording an album of the type of music that Aretha was having so much success with. Atlantic was also Aretha’s label, and they had certainly made her a superstar, which again must have been something Dusty considered. Although the album is considered today a “blue eyed soul” classic, and Dusty’s finest moment, it was not a big seller at the time. The one song that was a hit as a single, and the one that most people have heard, was “Son Of A Preacher Man”. The song has all the ingredients to be considered as a classic in the R&B genre. The tongue-in-cheek lyrics, a slinky (though funky) groove, tasty horn section and of course, the Sweet Inspirations providing backing vocals. 

As indicated earlier, the album did not sell particularly well, and was a disappointment commercially. Ironically, it has subsequently achieved legendary status and is considered a landmark recording. It has been through several re-issues on compact disc. The original Atlantic release was catalogue number SD 8214. Since the album only sold around 100,000 copies originally, and has since with the passage of time been declared a masterpiece, finding a copy (that hasn’t been played to death or just abused) can be difficult and costly. It is readily available in other formats though, and is well worth having. Dusty In Memphis is an example of an artist in her prime, with the perfect cast of supporting musicians, classic song material and excellent production.