CHAD ALLAN & THE EXPRESSIONS
''HEY HO (WHAT YOU DO TO ME!): GUESS WHO?''
1965
25:02
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1 Hey Ho 02:09 (Ashford, Simpson, Jo Armstead)
2 I Should Have Realized 02:04 (Chad Allan, Linda Timmins)
3 Hurting Each Other 02:15 (Gary Geld, Peter Udell)
4 Made In England 03:00 (Randy Bachman)
5 I'll Keep Comin' Back 01:52 (Eddie Silvers, Gerry Robinson, Mitch Murray, Neil Levenson)
6 Stop Teasing Me 02:34 (Randy Bachman)
7 Could This Be Love 02:07 (Helen Miller, Rose Marie McCoy, Tony Powers)
8 Theme From A Music Box 02:12 (Randy Bachman)
9 Don't Be Scared 02:11 (Bruce Johnston)
10 Inside Out 02:04 (Chad Allan)
11 Goodnight Goodnight 02:30 (Randy Bachman)
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Alan Kobel (Chad Allan)/Rhythm Guitar, Lead Vocals, Piano, Harmonica
Randy Bachman/Lead Guitar, Vocals
Gary Petersen/Drums
Bob Ashley/Keyboards, Backing Vocals
Jim Kale/Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals
********************
REVIEW/AMG
Richie Unterberger
The Guess Who's second Canadian LP of 1965 emphasized, if only in retrospect, how apt a name "Guess Who" was for a band that took quite a while to find its identity. Unlike many such bands, they made some pretty good tracks in the process of doing so, even if the influences behind them might be pretty obvious. On this record alone, there are British Invasion-lite originals that sound a little like Gerry & the Pacemakers with more oomph; mild blue-eyed soul (the title track being an early effort in which Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson were co-writers); "Don't Be Scared," which recalls the Beach Boys' callowest Four Freshmen-influenced harmony ballads; and, most incongruously of all, a very good Randy Bachman-penned instrumental, "Made in England," that's a dead ringer for the Shadows. That and the best British Invasion soundalike, "Stop Teasing Me" (a superior and more forceful re-recording of a track that appeared on the American LP Shakin' All Over), are the best songs on an album that showed more promise than fulfillment. Also if only in retrospect, what it's obviously missing is a better lead vocalist, who would soon be on his way when Burton Cummings joined in time for their next Canadian album, It's Time.
********************
BIOGRAPHY/AMG
Steve Huey
Wheatfield Soul
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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TO THE TOP
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''HEY HO (WHAT YOU DO TO ME!): GUESS WHO?''
1965
25:02
********************
1 Hey Ho 02:09 (Ashford, Simpson, Jo Armstead)
2 I Should Have Realized 02:04 (Chad Allan, Linda Timmins)
3 Hurting Each Other 02:15 (Gary Geld, Peter Udell)
4 Made In England 03:00 (Randy Bachman)
5 I'll Keep Comin' Back 01:52 (Eddie Silvers, Gerry Robinson, Mitch Murray, Neil Levenson)
6 Stop Teasing Me 02:34 (Randy Bachman)
7 Could This Be Love 02:07 (Helen Miller, Rose Marie McCoy, Tony Powers)
8 Theme From A Music Box 02:12 (Randy Bachman)
9 Don't Be Scared 02:11 (Bruce Johnston)
10 Inside Out 02:04 (Chad Allan)
11 Goodnight Goodnight 02:30 (Randy Bachman)
********************
Alan Kobel (Chad Allan)/Rhythm Guitar, Lead Vocals, Piano, Harmonica
Randy Bachman/Lead Guitar, Vocals
Gary Petersen/Drums
Bob Ashley/Keyboards, Backing Vocals
Jim Kale/Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals
********************
REVIEW/AMG
Richie Unterberger
The Guess Who's second Canadian LP of 1965 emphasized, if only in retrospect, how apt a name "Guess Who" was for a band that took quite a while to find its identity. Unlike many such bands, they made some pretty good tracks in the process of doing so, even if the influences behind them might be pretty obvious. On this record alone, there are British Invasion-lite originals that sound a little like Gerry & the Pacemakers with more oomph; mild blue-eyed soul (the title track being an early effort in which Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson were co-writers); "Don't Be Scared," which recalls the Beach Boys' callowest Four Freshmen-influenced harmony ballads; and, most incongruously of all, a very good Randy Bachman-penned instrumental, "Made in England," that's a dead ringer for the Shadows. That and the best British Invasion soundalike, "Stop Teasing Me" (a superior and more forceful re-recording of a track that appeared on the American LP Shakin' All Over), are the best songs on an album that showed more promise than fulfillment. Also if only in retrospect, what it's obviously missing is a better lead vocalist, who would soon be on his way when Burton Cummings joined in time for their next Canadian album, It's Time.
********************
BIOGRAPHY/AMG
Steve Huey
Wheatfield Soul
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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TO THE TOP
**********
