THE GUESS WHO
''THIS TIME LONG AGO, DISC ONE''
JULY 12 2001
95:13
DISC ONE
1. His Girl (Johnny Cowell) - 2:57
2. It's My Pride (Randy Bachman) - 2:49
3. If You Don't Want Me (Burton Cummings) - 3:05
4. Croyez-Moi (Randy Bachman) - 3:03
5. His Girl (Johnny Cowell) - 3:03
6. This Time Long Ago (Jimmy Stewart, Jerry Langley) - 2:26
7. Flying On The Ground Is Wrong (Neil Young) - 2:38
8. There's No Getting Away From You (Randy Bachman) - 2:53
9. Miss Felicity Grey (J. Stewart, J. Langley) - 2:19
10.Summertime Blues (Eddie Cochran, Jerry Capehart) - 3:47
11.Love Is All Around (Reg Presley) - 2:49
12.Sitar Saga (Randy Bachman) - 4:43
13.Pretty Blue Eyes (Teddy Randazzo, Robert Wilding) - 2:36
14.Pretty Blue Eyes (Alternate Take) (T. Randazzo, R. Wilding) - 2:35
15.We're Coming To Dinner (R.Bachman, B. Cummings) - 2:55
DISC TWO
1. Light My Fire (Acoustic Version) (Densmore, Krieger, Manzarek, Morrison) - 3:21
2. Light My Fire (Densmore, Krieger, Manzarek, Morrison) - 2:55
3. Shadows Cross The Shadows (Burton Cummings) - 4:15
4. These Eyes (R. Bachman, B. Cummings) - 3:42
5. Wednesday In Your Garden (Randy Bachman) - 3:23
6. When Friends Fall Out (R. Bachman, B. Cummings) - 2:57
7. Maple Fudge (R. Bachman, B. Cummings) - 1:54
8. I Found Her In A Star (Burton Cummings) - 2:09
9. 6 a.m. Or Nearer (Randy Bachman) - 3:58
10.I'm In The Mood For Love (Dorothy Fields, Jim McHugh) - 4:08
11.White Room (Pete Brown, Jack Bruce) - 4:31
12.Of A Dropping Pin (R. Bachman, B. Cummings) - 2:22
13.Friends Of Mine (Randy Bachman, Burton Cummings) - 11:00
Randy Bachman/Guitar, Vocals
Burton Cummings/Piano, Vocals
Jim Kale/Bass
Garry Peterson/Drums
REVIEW
by Richie Unterberger
In the CD era, the catalog of the pre-Wheatfield Soul Guess Who has been very hard to come by. Together with Sundazed's Shakin' All Over! (which focuses on their hardest-rocking mid-'60s cuts), this two-CD Canadian collection of rare and unreleased 1967-1968 recordings fills in the gap well. A few of these songs did appear on non-LP Canadian and/or U.K. singles, like the devastating garage punkers "It's My Pride" and "If You Don't Want Me" (which are also on the Sundazed comp); the sappy 1967 ballad "His Girl," heard here in two versions, which was actually a minor British hit; "Flying on the Ground Is Wrong," one of the first (if not the first) covers of a Neil Young song; and unbelievably awful versions of Steve Lawrence's "Pretty Blue Eyes," recorded by the band in an attempt to get their label to release them from their contract. ("Croyez-Moi," an awkward French version of their 1966 single "Believe Me," appears for the first time here.) Most of this set, however, is devoted to unreleased material, recorded in 1967 and 1968 in the studios for CBC TV shows. Some of those performances are marginalia, like the almost note-faithful cover versions of "Light My Fire," "White Room," and "Love Is All Around," and the psychedelic instrumental "Sitar Saga." Much of disc two, however, is devoted to late-'60s originals that find the band starting to arrive at their own hard pop/rock identity, including early versions of four songs apiece from Wheatfield Soul and Canned Wheat. The standouts are early versions of "These Eyes" and the Doors-ish psychedelic suite "Friends of Mine," which includes contributions from members of the Winnipeg Symphony and some free jazz sax near the end. A CBC version of the single "When Friends Fall Out" (later to appear on American Woman), which alternates between grinding riffs in the verse and contemplative balladry on the bridge, saw Burton Cummings start to fully form his tense, belting vocal style. There's a sense of a band fishing for a style throughout much of this anthology, not always successfully, but it documents an important transitional phase in the group's evolution.
BIOGRAPHY
by Steve Huey
While the Guess Who did have several hits in America, they were superstars in their home country of Canada during the 1960s and early '70s. The band grew out of vocalist/guitarist Chad Allan (born Allan Kobel) and guitarist Randy Bachman's Winnipeg-based group Chad Allan and the Expressions, originally known as first the Silvertones and then the Reflections. The remainder of the lineup featured bassist Jim Kale, pianist Bob Ashley, and drummer Garry Peterson. The Expressions recorded a cover of Johnny Kidd and the Pirates' "Shakin' All Over" in 1965, which became a surprise hit in Canada and reached the U.S. Top 40. When the Expressions recorded an entire album of the same name, its record company, Quality, listed their name as "Guess Who?" on the jacket, hoping to fool record buyers into thinking that the British Invasion-influenced music was actually by a more famous group in disguise. Ashley had been replaced by keyboardist/vocalist Burton Cummings, who became lead vocalist when Allan departed in 1966. the Guess Who embarked on an unsuccessful tour of England and returned home to record commercials and appear on the television program Let's Go, hosted by Chad Allan. However, further American success eluded the Guess Who until the 1969 Top Ten hit "These Eyes"; the recording session for the accompanying album, Wheatfield Soul, was paid for by producer Jack Richardson, who mortgaged his house to do so. Canned Wheat Packed by the Guess Who produced three Top 40 singles later that year. In 1970, the Guess Who released the cuttingly sarcastic riff-rocker "American Woman," which, given its anti-American putdowns, ironically became their only U.S. chart-topper. The album of the same name became their first U.S. Top Ten and first gold album, and the group performed for President and Mrs. Nixon and Prince Charles at the White House. (Pat Nixon requested that "American Woman" be dropped from the set list.)
Trouble was brewing on the horizon, though. Guitarist Bachman, having recently converted to Mormonism, took issue with the band's typical rock & roll lifestyle, leading to clashes with Cummings. Finding the atmosphere unbearable, Bachman left the group in July 1970 and formed Brave Belt with Chad Allan, which later evolved into Bachman-Turner Overdrive. His place in the Guess Who was taken by Kurt Winter and Greg Leskiw, and the title track from their next album, "Share the Land," climbed into the Top Ten later that year, and several more singles charted afterwards. The group returned to the Top Ten one last time in 1974 with the novelty single "Clap for the Wolfman," featuring dialogue by deejay Wolfman Jack. Burdened by shifting personnel and loss of direction, Cummings broke up the band in 1975 and tried a solo career. The lineup from the Guess Who's glory years reunited in 1983, and a version of the group with constantly shifting musicians (occasionally original members) continues to tour.
''THIS TIME LONG AGO, DISC ONE''
JULY 12 2001
95:13
DISC ONE
1. His Girl (Johnny Cowell) - 2:57
2. It's My Pride (Randy Bachman) - 2:49
3. If You Don't Want Me (Burton Cummings) - 3:05
4. Croyez-Moi (Randy Bachman) - 3:03
5. His Girl (Johnny Cowell) - 3:03
6. This Time Long Ago (Jimmy Stewart, Jerry Langley) - 2:26
7. Flying On The Ground Is Wrong (Neil Young) - 2:38
8. There's No Getting Away From You (Randy Bachman) - 2:53
9. Miss Felicity Grey (J. Stewart, J. Langley) - 2:19
10.Summertime Blues (Eddie Cochran, Jerry Capehart) - 3:47
11.Love Is All Around (Reg Presley) - 2:49
12.Sitar Saga (Randy Bachman) - 4:43
13.Pretty Blue Eyes (Teddy Randazzo, Robert Wilding) - 2:36
14.Pretty Blue Eyes (Alternate Take) (T. Randazzo, R. Wilding) - 2:35
15.We're Coming To Dinner (R.Bachman, B. Cummings) - 2:55
DISC TWO
1. Light My Fire (Acoustic Version) (Densmore, Krieger, Manzarek, Morrison) - 3:21
2. Light My Fire (Densmore, Krieger, Manzarek, Morrison) - 2:55
3. Shadows Cross The Shadows (Burton Cummings) - 4:15
4. These Eyes (R. Bachman, B. Cummings) - 3:42
5. Wednesday In Your Garden (Randy Bachman) - 3:23
6. When Friends Fall Out (R. Bachman, B. Cummings) - 2:57
7. Maple Fudge (R. Bachman, B. Cummings) - 1:54
8. I Found Her In A Star (Burton Cummings) - 2:09
9. 6 a.m. Or Nearer (Randy Bachman) - 3:58
10.I'm In The Mood For Love (Dorothy Fields, Jim McHugh) - 4:08
11.White Room (Pete Brown, Jack Bruce) - 4:31
12.Of A Dropping Pin (R. Bachman, B. Cummings) - 2:22
13.Friends Of Mine (Randy Bachman, Burton Cummings) - 11:00
Randy Bachman/Guitar, Vocals
Burton Cummings/Piano, Vocals
Jim Kale/Bass
Garry Peterson/Drums
REVIEW
by Richie Unterberger
In the CD era, the catalog of the pre-Wheatfield Soul Guess Who has been very hard to come by. Together with Sundazed's Shakin' All Over! (which focuses on their hardest-rocking mid-'60s cuts), this two-CD Canadian collection of rare and unreleased 1967-1968 recordings fills in the gap well. A few of these songs did appear on non-LP Canadian and/or U.K. singles, like the devastating garage punkers "It's My Pride" and "If You Don't Want Me" (which are also on the Sundazed comp); the sappy 1967 ballad "His Girl," heard here in two versions, which was actually a minor British hit; "Flying on the Ground Is Wrong," one of the first (if not the first) covers of a Neil Young song; and unbelievably awful versions of Steve Lawrence's "Pretty Blue Eyes," recorded by the band in an attempt to get their label to release them from their contract. ("Croyez-Moi," an awkward French version of their 1966 single "Believe Me," appears for the first time here.) Most of this set, however, is devoted to unreleased material, recorded in 1967 and 1968 in the studios for CBC TV shows. Some of those performances are marginalia, like the almost note-faithful cover versions of "Light My Fire," "White Room," and "Love Is All Around," and the psychedelic instrumental "Sitar Saga." Much of disc two, however, is devoted to late-'60s originals that find the band starting to arrive at their own hard pop/rock identity, including early versions of four songs apiece from Wheatfield Soul and Canned Wheat. The standouts are early versions of "These Eyes" and the Doors-ish psychedelic suite "Friends of Mine," which includes contributions from members of the Winnipeg Symphony and some free jazz sax near the end. A CBC version of the single "When Friends Fall Out" (later to appear on American Woman), which alternates between grinding riffs in the verse and contemplative balladry on the bridge, saw Burton Cummings start to fully form his tense, belting vocal style. There's a sense of a band fishing for a style throughout much of this anthology, not always successfully, but it documents an important transitional phase in the group's evolution.
BIOGRAPHY
by Steve Huey
While the Guess Who did have several hits in America, they were superstars in their home country of Canada during the 1960s and early '70s. The band grew out of vocalist/guitarist Chad Allan (born Allan Kobel) and guitarist Randy Bachman's Winnipeg-based group Chad Allan and the Expressions, originally known as first the Silvertones and then the Reflections. The remainder of the lineup featured bassist Jim Kale, pianist Bob Ashley, and drummer Garry Peterson. The Expressions recorded a cover of Johnny Kidd and the Pirates' "Shakin' All Over" in 1965, which became a surprise hit in Canada and reached the U.S. Top 40. When the Expressions recorded an entire album of the same name, its record company, Quality, listed their name as "Guess Who?" on the jacket, hoping to fool record buyers into thinking that the British Invasion-influenced music was actually by a more famous group in disguise. Ashley had been replaced by keyboardist/vocalist Burton Cummings, who became lead vocalist when Allan departed in 1966. the Guess Who embarked on an unsuccessful tour of England and returned home to record commercials and appear on the television program Let's Go, hosted by Chad Allan. However, further American success eluded the Guess Who until the 1969 Top Ten hit "These Eyes"; the recording session for the accompanying album, Wheatfield Soul, was paid for by producer Jack Richardson, who mortgaged his house to do so. Canned Wheat Packed by the Guess Who produced three Top 40 singles later that year. In 1970, the Guess Who released the cuttingly sarcastic riff-rocker "American Woman," which, given its anti-American putdowns, ironically became their only U.S. chart-topper. The album of the same name became their first U.S. Top Ten and first gold album, and the group performed for President and Mrs. Nixon and Prince Charles at the White House. (Pat Nixon requested that "American Woman" be dropped from the set list.)
Trouble was brewing on the horizon, though. Guitarist Bachman, having recently converted to Mormonism, took issue with the band's typical rock & roll lifestyle, leading to clashes with Cummings. Finding the atmosphere unbearable, Bachman left the group in July 1970 and formed Brave Belt with Chad Allan, which later evolved into Bachman-Turner Overdrive. His place in the Guess Who was taken by Kurt Winter and Greg Leskiw, and the title track from their next album, "Share the Land," climbed into the Top Ten later that year, and several more singles charted afterwards. The group returned to the Top Ten one last time in 1974 with the novelty single "Clap for the Wolfman," featuring dialogue by deejay Wolfman Jack. Burdened by shifting personnel and loss of direction, Cummings broke up the band in 1975 and tried a solo career. The lineup from the Guess Who's glory years reunited in 1983, and a version of the group with constantly shifting musicians (occasionally original members) continues to tour.
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