THE GUESS WHO
''RUNNING BACK THRU CANADA, DISC ONE''
MAY 1 2001
115:49
********************
DISC ONE (62:27)
1 Runnin' Back To Saskatoon 07:07
2 Guns Guns Guns 05:05
3 These Eyes 04:12
4 Rain Dance 03:12
5 Glamour Boy 06:28
6 Lookin' Out For # 1 05:19
7 Sour Suite 04:19
8 No Sugar Tonight / New Mother Nature 05:34
9 Talisman 06:14
10 Let It Ride 04:17
11 Undun 05:03
12 Follow Your Daughter Home 05:31
**********
DISC TWO (53:22)
1 American Woman 13:30
2 Albert Flasher 03:09
3 Hand Me Down World 04:11
4 Orly 03:24
5 Takin Care Of Business 06:15
6 Laughing 03:24
7 Clap For The Wolfman 05:14
8 Bus Rider 03:05
9 No Time 05:34
10 Share The Land 05:32
********************
Bass Guitar, Vocals – Bill Wallace
Drums, Percussion, Vocals – Gary Peterson
Guitar, Vocals – Don McDougall, Randy Bachman
Vocals, Piano, Harmonica, Flute, Guitar – Burton Cummings
********************
REVIEW/AMG
Brian O'Neill
Unlike many of the band's contemporaries who trudge out on the road decades removed from hit-making relevance with stand-in scabs replacing former members, Running Back Thru Canada is a fairly authentic version of the Guess Who. Joining classic members Burton Cummings, Randy Bachman, and Garry Peterson is guitarist Donnie McDougall and bassist Bill Wallace, both of whom can chart their involvement in the group way back to 1972, when they replaced Greg Leskiw and Jim Kale, respectively. This lineup is far from an insult to the band's integrity and their fans' intelligence, a refreshing change from dubious cash-ins such as The Spirit Lives On: Greatest Hits Live (with only Peterson and a currently-erstwhile Jim Kale as noteworthy performers) and a dozen or so best-of compilations. Running Back Thru Canada commemorates, as the title suggests, the Guess Who's reunion run through the Great White North (and a few U.S. dates) in the summer of Y2K. The liner notes affirm what the listeners ears will suspect: that the live tracks are culled from several shows and not a single performance, giving it a professional feel to separate from a bootleg, but also a slightly (but not unpleasantly so) disjointed feel in the track transitions. This double-disc isn't Live at the Paramount and doesn't profess to be. But it does a nice job of displaying a good chunk of Guess Who hits, a few surprises, such as the blues run-through of "Albert Flasher" and, most notably, an string of acoustic tracks at the end of the first disc dubbed "The Coffee House" according to the liner notes. Some fans might feel put-off by the likes of "No Sugar Tonight" and "Let It Ride" done in this manner, but the crowd response shows they are probably in the minority. It's still not a substitute for the classic Guess Who experience, but it does nothing to tarnish the reputation of one of Canada's greatest rock & roll acts, which is not nearly as damning praise as it sounds since it's no mean feat.
********************
BIOGRAPHY/AMG
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.
********************
BIO/WIKIPEDIA
********************
TO THE TOP
********************
''RUNNING BACK THRU CANADA, DISC ONE''
MAY 1 2001
115:49
********************
DISC ONE (62:27)
1 Runnin' Back To Saskatoon 07:07
2 Guns Guns Guns 05:05
3 These Eyes 04:12
4 Rain Dance 03:12
5 Glamour Boy 06:28
6 Lookin' Out For # 1 05:19
7 Sour Suite 04:19
8 No Sugar Tonight / New Mother Nature 05:34
9 Talisman 06:14
10 Let It Ride 04:17
11 Undun 05:03
12 Follow Your Daughter Home 05:31
**********
DISC TWO (53:22)
1 American Woman 13:30
2 Albert Flasher 03:09
3 Hand Me Down World 04:11
4 Orly 03:24
5 Takin Care Of Business 06:15
6 Laughing 03:24
7 Clap For The Wolfman 05:14
8 Bus Rider 03:05
9 No Time 05:34
10 Share The Land 05:32
********************
Bass Guitar, Vocals – Bill Wallace
Drums, Percussion, Vocals – Gary Peterson
Guitar, Vocals – Don McDougall, Randy Bachman
Vocals, Piano, Harmonica, Flute, Guitar – Burton Cummings
********************
REVIEW/AMG
Brian O'Neill
Unlike many of the band's contemporaries who trudge out on the road decades removed from hit-making relevance with stand-in scabs replacing former members, Running Back Thru Canada is a fairly authentic version of the Guess Who. Joining classic members Burton Cummings, Randy Bachman, and Garry Peterson is guitarist Donnie McDougall and bassist Bill Wallace, both of whom can chart their involvement in the group way back to 1972, when they replaced Greg Leskiw and Jim Kale, respectively. This lineup is far from an insult to the band's integrity and their fans' intelligence, a refreshing change from dubious cash-ins such as The Spirit Lives On: Greatest Hits Live (with only Peterson and a currently-erstwhile Jim Kale as noteworthy performers) and a dozen or so best-of compilations. Running Back Thru Canada commemorates, as the title suggests, the Guess Who's reunion run through the Great White North (and a few U.S. dates) in the summer of Y2K. The liner notes affirm what the listeners ears will suspect: that the live tracks are culled from several shows and not a single performance, giving it a professional feel to separate from a bootleg, but also a slightly (but not unpleasantly so) disjointed feel in the track transitions. This double-disc isn't Live at the Paramount and doesn't profess to be. But it does a nice job of displaying a good chunk of Guess Who hits, a few surprises, such as the blues run-through of "Albert Flasher" and, most notably, an string of acoustic tracks at the end of the first disc dubbed "The Coffee House" according to the liner notes. Some fans might feel put-off by the likes of "No Sugar Tonight" and "Let It Ride" done in this manner, but the crowd response shows they are probably in the minority. It's still not a substitute for the classic Guess Who experience, but it does nothing to tarnish the reputation of one of Canada's greatest rock & roll acts, which is not nearly as damning praise as it sounds since it's no mean feat.
********************
BIOGRAPHY/AMG
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.
********************
BIO/WIKIPEDIA
********************
TO THE TOP
********************
