Genre: rock
Rating: 3 stars ***
Title: Life Is a Song
Company: Evolution
Catalog: 2012
Year: 1969
Country/State: Calgary, Canada
Grade (cover/record): VG / VG+
Comments: small punch out hole top right corner
Available: 1
GEMM catalog ID: 5675
Price: $40.00
This Calgary, Alberta-based outfit originally came together in 1964 as The Skeptics. By 1966 they'd adopted a new name - The Gainsborough Gallery (named after a local art gallery that kindly agreed to collect the band's mail) and sported an expanded line up showcasing the talents of former Privilege singer Mel Deacon (aka Mel Degan), singer Jae Mack, lead guitarist Peter Marley, drummer Ray McAndrew, keyboardist Tim McHugh, former Wes Dakus' Rebels bass player Dennis Paul, and singer Dennis Small.
LP back cover left to right:
Dennis Paul - Ray McAndrew - Tim McHugh - Henry Small - Mel Degan - Peter Marley
Signed by the small Canadian Apex label, the band debuted with a pair of little heard 1968 singles:
- 'My Little Red Book' b/w 'Little By Little' (Apex catalog number 77075)
- 'If You Knew' b/w 'Sonny' (Apex catalog number 77081)
Subsequently signed to the Reo label, they traveled to Norman Petty's Clovis New Mexico studio to record their 1969 debut album "Life Is a Song". (Petty's own Evolution label released the album in the States.) Produced by Petty, the first couple of times I heard this one it really didn't make much of an impression on me. Luckily it was an album I set aside to come back to. After a couple more spins I began to appreciate it's charms. Part of that delayed appeal may have had something to do with the fact these guys didn't have an instantly recognizable sound. Musically they were quite diverse, underscored by the fact the band was blessed in the vocal department with Degan, Mack, Markely, and Small all having decent voices.
- Powered by Degan's nice blue-eyed soul voice and some tasty fuzz lead guitar from Marley, the album opened up with a great blue-eyed soul number in the form of 'House On Soul Hill'. The song was later tapped for what served as their final single.
- 'I Need Someone (The Painter)' had one of those hyper-sensitive/fey vocals that typically drive me crazy. I'm still not sure why I actually enjoy this one - it may have something to do with the insidiously catchy chorus, or the harpsichord pattern.
- With Mack handling the lead vocal (he was apparently fired before the album was actually released and isn't credited on the album), 'Thank You, Girl' had a great soul flavor and a nice lead guitar pattern. It would have made a great single.
- Opening with a trippy keyboard 'Light In the Window' was a little too pop-flavored to be labeled a psychedelic track, but it came close ...
- An ill-advised stab at country, 'Dreams In a Box Car' was one of the few missteps.
- Powered by McHugh's thundering keyboards and some killer drums from McAndrew, 'Turn Around and Love You' Sounding like a lost Uriah Heep tune ... okay a Uriah Heep track had they been a much of Canadians interested in scoring an FM radio hit. All told it was actually one of the coolest songs on the LP.
- 'Life Is a Song' was co-written by Fireballs guitarist George Tomsco and his wife Barbara. Tomsco apparently submitted the song to the band during the Clovis recording sessions and they agreed to take a stab at the song. Tapped as the leadoff single, it provided them with their first Canadian hit. Nice country-rocker with a great lead vocal from Degan.
- 'Hello L.A. -- Bye Bye Birmingham' was simply too country for my tastes. It was tapped as the flip side to the 'Life Is a Song' 45.
- Smokey Robinson covers are seldom very successful, but their up tempo, blue-eyed soul version of 'It's Growing' was actually one of the standout tracks. Imagine The Rascals covering the song and you'd get a feel for the results.
- Relegated to a 'B' side, 'If She Don't Turn Your Head' would have made a dandy single in its own right. Fantastic top-40 hook ...
- 'I Think I'll Catch the Bus (and Go Back Home)' was a sappy and forgettable ballad.
- With Degan and Mack sharing lead vocals their hyper-speed cover of 'Get Ready' wasn't half bad. The Temptations and Rare Earth versions were clearly better, but this version wasn't all that far behind.
The album also yielded their third single and first minor Canadian hit -
- 1969's 'Life Is a Song' b/w 'Hello L.A. -- Bye Bye Birmingham' (Reo catalog number 9026X)
"Life
Is a Song" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) House Of Soul Hill (R. Eddlemon - S. Turner) - 2:34
2.) I Need Someone (The Painter) (S. Pinz - Paul Leka) - 3:25
3.) Thank You, Girl (K, McCormack - T. McCormack) - 2:18
4.) Light In the Window (G. Tomsco - Barbara Tomsco) - 3:01
5.) Dreams In a Box Car (K. McCormack - T. McCormack) - 1:58
6.) Turn Around and Love You (D.T. Weiss) - 2:56
(side
2)
1.) Life Is a Song (G. Tomsco - Barbara Tomsco) - 2:40
2.) Hello L.A. -- Bye Bye Birmingham (Delaney Bramlett - Mac Davis) - 2:21
3.) It's Growing (William Robinson - W. Moore) - 2:12
4.) If She Don't Turn Your Head (K. McCormack - T. McCormack) - 1:59
5.) I Think I'll Catch the Bus (and Go Back Home) (S. Mitchell) - 2:15
6.) Get Ready (William Robinson) - 2:15
In an odd marketing move Reo released a non-LP track originally recorded by fellow Evolution act The Beast as the follow up single:
- 1970's 'Ev'ry Man Hears a Different Music' b/w 'I Think I'll Catch the Bus' (Reo catalog number 9030X)
That was followed by another single pulled from the LP:
- 1970's 'House On Soul Hill' b/w 'If She Didn't Turn Your Head' (Reo catalog number 9034)
The band slugged it out for another couple of months, finally calling it quits in 1971.