Tom Cochrane and Red Rider

[zill]

For my 1,000th post, I decided I would review a fantastic Canadian album some of you may not be familiar with.

Red Rider is one of the numerous Canadian bands that just couldn't break the American market, despite having tremendous success at home. Their first album, "Don't Fight It", released in 1980, contained the excellent single "White Hot" (which peaked at #48 in the US Hot 100) and the follow up album, "As Far As Siam", yielded a stellar track about the radical right wing entitled "Lunatic Fringe". Red Rider's 1983 effort, "Neruda", was their masterpiece, with fantastic hard-edged new wave songs like "Human Race". "Neruda" was supposed to be the album that broke Red Rider in America...but it just didn't happen. A highly disappointing effort "Breaking Curfew" followed in 1984, with the band seemingly beaten down by their lack of commercial success in the world's largest market. Then things went quiet.

Re-branded as "Tom Cochrane and Red Rider", the band was back in 1986 with a 10-track album of the same name. Although I know this album like the back of my hand, I hadn't listened to it in about 15 years. Then one day recently it caught my eye in a stack of CD's and shortly after popping it in and pressing play I was smiling from ear to ear. This album transitioned Tom and the boys away from new wave to a harder rock sound, and quite successfully I might add. With new wave essentially dead or at least commercialized into a coma, this album seemed fresh and different at the time – bear in mind that Glass Tiger was making us all barf with "Don't Forget Me" the very same year.

The album opens with the lead single "Boy Inside the Man" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXY9wANQIsY), an upbeat rock number delivered perfectly with Tom's slightly gritty, honest voice. The synths are kept light and compliment the other instruments rather than taking center stage, as they do throughout the album. The band tends to steer away from some of the more popular – and therefore time stamping – synth noises of the day. The single reached #27 in the Canadian charts. “Now I just turned thirty-one / I have lost and I have won / Still I've kept my dreams alive / 'Cause the boy will never die”.

Next is "Love Under Fire". Listen to the bass and guitar work and tell me this doesn't sound like early U2. The difference is that the engineer doesn't let them dominate the song, instead making the vocals slightly more prominent. The bass work is fabulous and keeps the song pumping along. The guitar work at the ending is stellar. Tom delivers this one with confidence, and although it wasn't released as a single, it is a favourite from the album for many of my “Hoser” friends.

The third track is "Untouchable One" (music only at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kumKHWnJGC8), the second single from the album. Jangly guitars lead into a melodic, uplifting chorus. This is an ear-pleasing rock song with solid guitars, and superb, raucous vocals. Surprisingly, the single only reached #70 in the Canadian charts…I guess we were all too enamoured with Alan Frew and Glass Tiger.

“Lasting Song” opens softly and beautifully, but then the chorus comes, and the song simply erupts with power and melody. Again the synths are kept in the background adding to a slightly dark mood but never dominating. The guitar work is fantastic and the song easily transitions from slow to fast and back again. I love the way the song plays out softly to the end.

“Citizen Cane” closes the “A-Side” of the album with a strong burst of energy, thanks to the pumping bass and drums. This song was not released as a single but it is a full on, romping rock and roll number. With an easy sing-along chorus, I love hearing this song performed live. It is my personal favourite off the whole record. “You might own all the locks in the whole damn town but there ain’t no chains on me.”

“Ashes to Diamonds” leads off the “B-Side”. Wow, listen to the edgy guitar, bass and drums in the intro…by the time Tom starts singing, I think I’m listening to the Alarm. It reminds me a lot of an Alarm song, though I’m not sure which one. Power, energy, coarse vocals. I love the sound of the guitar in the brief solo.

I interpret the lyrics of the “Loading” to be about sending a young man off to war, but I could be wrong. Maybe because of the lyrical content I again liken this song to the Alarm. There’s an aggressive bass and again the guitars have an edge to them. The bridge is somewhat reflective and poetic, and there’s a fittingly sad vibe to the song, even though it’s up tempo.

“Ocean Blues” was the fourth single released, reaching #88 in the Canadian charts. The song starts with a stark, sombre verse before transitioning into a more melodic, fully orchestrated chorus. The short instrumental break featuring the guitar is my favourite part of the song. “I read your letter / It must have been a hundred times / Before the words fell from the page / It's almost D-Day / A crowd gathers in the square / But I have no flag to wave”.

Track nine is called “River of Stone”. This is another hard hitting rock number with a driving beat and bass line. The lyrics are dark and yet the music itself provides a sense of hope and lifts one’s spirits, even though “you cannot drink from a river of stone”. Tom’s vocals are perfect…he really belted out every track on this album. The song plays out somewhat unconventionally, making it that much more interesting.

“One More Time” was released as a single as well, but is probably my least favourite song here. It peaked at #85 on the Canadian charts. If any song on the album can be dated as mid-80’s, this would be it, with some fairly weak lyrics and the dreaded saxophone. Not the greatest closer for such a fantastic album, but hey, it’s still catchy. This is the kind of song you’d shyly ask someone to dance to in high school.

The album earned two Juno Awards (Canadian music awards) - Cochrane for “composer of the year” and Red Rider for “group of the year”.

Lead singer Tom Cochrane eventually broke south of the border as a solo artist with the single "Life Is A Highway" in 1991 (and recently revived in the Disney/Pixar movie “Cars”), selling millions copies of the album “Mad Mad World”. Tom Cochrane and Red Rider continue to perform live from time to time and are still much loved in their native Great White North.

Go buy this album! Almost every track is a winner!

[SallyLightfoot]

Thanks for that nice write-up. I remember Red Rider from their early MTV days (and who can forget "Lunatic Fringe" in the Matthew Modine movie VisionQuest)? I usually like to start out with a band's earlier output, so would you recommend starting with "Neruda" or just skipping right to "Tom Cochrane and Red Rider"?

It's nice that Tom had such a smash hit with "Life is a Highway." I'm sure that recording has helped pay off a long career of paying dues.

[zill]

[quote][i]Originally posted by SallyLightfoot[/i]
<br>Thanks for that nice write-up. I remember Red Rider from their early MTV days (and who can forget "Lunatic Fringe" in the Matthew Modine movie VisionQuest)? I usually like to start out with a band's earlier output, so would you recommend starting with "Neruda" or just skipping right to "Tom Cochrane and Red Rider"?

It's nice that Tom had such a smash hit with "Life is a Highway." I'm sure that recording has helped pay off a long career of paying dues.
[/quote]

I would recommend starting with Neruda instead of working backwards. Neruda is great! There's also a Red Rider compilation CD out there somewhere that has all the best from the first four albums - a great way to catch up and sort through any potential album filler!

[soundstory]

[quote][i]Originally posted by zill[/i]
<br>[quote][i]Originally posted by SallyLightfoot[/i]
<br>Thanks for that nice write-up. I remember Red Rider from their early MTV days (and who can forget "Lunatic Fringe" in the Matthew Modine movie VisionQuest)? I usually like to start out with a band's earlier output, so would you recommend starting with "Neruda" or just skipping right to "Tom Cochrane and Red Rider"?

It's nice that Tom had such a smash hit with "Life is a Highway." I'm sure that recording has helped pay off a long career of paying dues.
[/quote]

I would recommend starting with Neruda instead of working backwards. Neruda is great! There's also a Red Rider compilation CD out there somewhere that has all the best from the first four albums - a great way to catch up and sort through any potential album filler!
[/quote]

Is that catching Up With?

[zill]

[quote][i]Originally posted by soundstory[/i]
<br>[quote][i]Originally posted by zill[/i]
<br>[quote][i]Originally posted by SallyLightfoot[/i]
<br>Thanks for that nice write-up. I remember Red Rider from their early MTV days (and who can forget "Lunatic Fringe" in the Matthew Modine movie VisionQuest)? I usually like to start out with a band's earlier output, so would you recommend starting with "Neruda" or just skipping right to "Tom Cochrane and Red Rider"?

It's nice that Tom had such a smash hit with "Life is a Highway." I'm sure that recording has helped pay off a long career of paying dues.
[/quote]

I would recommend starting with Neruda instead of working backwards. Neruda is great! There's also a Red Rider compilation CD out there somewhere that has all the best from the first four albums - a great way to catch up and sort through any potential album filler!
[/quote]

Is that catching Up With?
[/quote]

Yes, that's right! [;)]