CanCon Top 10 Lists

[Dr. Drum]

11. Guns - The Rheostatics w/ Neil Peart

[Ryosuke]

Rileydog said:

Rush w. Aimee Mann

What the...? Where can I find tis song? I don't have to like, actually buy a Rush album, do I?

[riley]

Not sure there are any other options Ryo, except maybe downloading the single track.

It's called "Time Stand Still" and it's on Hold Your Fire.

Wouldn't hurt you to own a Rush album and that's not an entirely bad one to own.

[Dr. Drum]

Well, now that you mention it, Ryosuke, I'm thinking of making one of your – promise – soon to be mailed discs an unconventional history of Lee, Lifeson and Peart entitled "Rush We Hardly Knew Ye". Think you’re up for it??

[Ryosuke]

Dr. said:

Well, now that you mention it, Ryosuke, I'm thinking of making one of your promise soon to be mailed discs an unconventional history of Lee, Lifeson and Peart entitled "Rush We Hardly Knew Ye". Think you’re up for it??

All I have to say in response to that is that there are shitloads of horrid Japanese music out there that will make you wish you were never born, and that I know your address

I guess I wouldn't mind hearing the Aimee Mann song though, Rush or no Rush (not to say that this should make you feel compelled to include it in your mix). In case you haven't guess, I'm a fan. Aimee Mann that is, not Rush...

[luke]

Hey, speaking of Rush, WWE's Summerslam ppv was Sunday. It was in Toronto, and the "theme song" of it was Rush's cover of "Summertime Blues." I dunno, something about that struck me as really hilarious.

Usually the WWE has some buttrock song by some nu-metal and/or Creed wannabe band.

[riley]

That is the strangest wrestling music selection choice I've ever heard of. Well unless they used something like "Paranoid Android". I guess that would be even more strange.

[riley]

10 Canadian bands I need to spend way more energy listening to or pursuing more agressively:

10. The Burdocks (Halifax)
9. The Hiden Cameras (Toronto)
8. Stars (Montreal)
7. Wintersleep (Halifax)
6. Feist (Toronto)
5. Julie Doiron (Moncton)
4. The Heavy Blinkers (Halifax)
3. The Organ (Vancouver)
2. Death From Above 1979 (Toronto)
1. The Arcade Fire (Montreal)

[riley]

10 (12 actually) cool Montreal based, originated or transplanted acts:

12. Tricky Woo
11. Sam Roberts
10. Aldo Nova
9. Bionic
8. Rufus Wainwright
7. Local Rabbits
6. The Arcade Fire
5. The Doughboys
4. The Dears
3. April Wine
2. The Stills
1. Godspeed You! Black Emperor

[riley]

10 not so cool Montreal based, originated or transplanted acts:

10. Sass Jordan
9. The Box
8. Mitsou
7. Gino Vanelli
6. Simple Plan
5. David Wilcox
4. Bootsauce
3. Men Without Hats
2. Andy Kim
1. Corey Hart

[riley]

10 Montreal based, originated or transplanted acts I feel ill equipped to call cool or shitty, including some who clearly command respect even if I'm not a fan per se:

10.
9.
8.
7. Soft Canyon
6. Bran Van 3000
5. Melissa Auf Der Maur
4. Stars
3. The Unicorns
2. Oscar Peterson
1. Leonard Cohen

[Dr. Drum]

Men Without Hats ruled, man.

[tuneschick]

You bastard, do you not even remember how cool The Safety Dance was?



(and FWIW, Cohen would probably be at the top of my Montreal list... but then again, I haven't heard about 8 of the 10 artists on your 'favourite' list.)

[riley]

Dr. said:

Men Without Hats ruled, man.

I don't know that we have enough time before tomorrow night's gig for you to convince me on this.

[Dr. Drum]

Well, you know, 'bastard' may have been a bit harsh but I'm definitely with tunes on "The Safety Dance". An absolutely classic piece of new wave dance pop.

I'll just have to reason with you before the show, Riley. ;D In the meantime, how's this for a start:

After the 1980 independent release of Folk of the '80s, Men Without Hats started attracting attention in a typically Canadian manner. No one in Canada was interested in signing the band, but they caught the interest of a couple of international labels. One was the U.S. affiliate of the UK punk label Stiff Records (The Damned, Elvis Costello) who offered to re-release the EP. Subsequently, Men Without Hats became one of the few acts to score a UK deal before a Canadian deal, when Statik Records (The Chameleons) offered to release the group’s first proper album. The band would soon sign a U.S. deal with Sire.

The full-length debut, 1982’s Rhythm of Youth was recorded in Old Montréal’s Listen Audio Studios with manager Marc Durand, and is the quintessential Men Without Hats album. It’s the finest example of early electro-pop music recorded in Canada, as every song’s distinctive melody is coupled with the raw energy of a young punk band. Buoyed by Ivan’s charismatic vocal delivery and the instrumental prowess of the four musicians, half the songs on Rhythm of Youth were released as singles: "The Safety Dance", "I Like", "I Got the Message", "Living in China" and on the U.S. release, a remix of "Antarctica" from the first EP.

Have Not Been the Same: The CanRock Renaissance – "Folk of the Eighties: Montreal", pp. 131