Adventures In Paradise - It's Just A Matter Of Time (1985)

We're closing out 2021 with a tape from Adventures in Paradise for two reasons: first, it just sort of ended up that way. But really, it's to say thanks to both Rob Bartlett and Doug Wong for sharing their rich collections and bodies of work with us. It's been amazing to have access to these archives and be able to in turn share them with you, Dear Readers. It's also give us at the CCPS a greater appreciation for the wide breadth of recordings our city has put out.

Including this one! We've featured four singles from this electro pop outfit, so it just feels right to have the full-length that spawned them. Plus, it's a nice tie-in to the Qwest tape we posted yesterday; looks like both releases were part of Quality's big push into their 35th year of operations:

That clipping from RPM magazine (via the amazing 3345.ca) is a pretty good window into our country's music industry in the mid-80's. 

As is this tape!

Qwest - Dream Zone (1984)

While we're in AOR mode, we might as well hop over to this tape, which was the second full-length from local rockers Qwest. On Quality Records! The Big Time! The good folks at CanadianBands.com have the scoop on these guys; their first record was supposed to be produced by Dan Lowe, but they ended up going with Mel Shaw (who put out their first record on his Music World Creations label). The went back to Lowe for this record, though. Listening to it, we ended up falling into a wormhole of 80's hard rock CanCon - this sits nicely alongside bands like Haywire and the like.

Start your Qwest here!  

Worrall Brothers Project - The Worrall Brothers Project (1989)

We've featured released by Steve Worrall and Rick Worrall on their own, and now we have a tape that brings the brothers together - in a delicious blend of late-80's AOR. If you've been following their releases, this tape is far more in the vein of the Steve Worrall tape that was put out on Doug Wong Music, following the path cleared by Loverboy and other CanCon greats. The brothers Worrall clearly had their eyes on the prize with this release and their work leading up to it:

This tape led to a record deal a couple of years later with an A&M Records imprint, under the name Worrall. And a video for "In The Heat Of The Night," which is also on this tape!

Phew! That's a lot of hair. Get the Worrall Brothers Project tape here.

Oscar Lopez - Hola (1989)

If we had bothered to check wikipedia about a year ago when we posted Oscar Lopez' Sueños tape, we would have saved ourselves the gaffe of referring to its as his debut release. Today's tape, Hola, was the Chilean-born guitarist and singer's first - and it's one of those releases that shows how incredibly talented he was from the get-go. Sure, his collaborations with James Keelaghan and others helped to stretch his sound and palette. but we enjoy the purity of this tape's latin sounds.

Get it here!

Alien Rebels - Strange Feelings (1996)

It's been a long time since we heard from roots rockers the Alien Rebels, so we were super exciting to find this tape in the boxes from Doug Wong. This is a really fun listen - this band never took themselves too seriously, but they played seriously well. 

We went digging for more info on the band and almost missed the article below because, well, we got distracted by all the skate rock in the headline:

This second tape includes a few songs from their first, but if you like songs about falling in love at the laundromat, houndstooth jackets, and fillings that receive alien transmissions, this is the thing for you.

Miss Molly - Miss Molly & Ho! Ho! Ho! (1988), Penny Candy (1995)

 

As you and yours get settled in this Christmas Eve, we at the CCPS have a double dose of Miss Molly for you - and one of them is a Christmas tape! Such joy! A true holiday miracle! What's even more miraculous is that today's Christmas tape has a completely different set of tracks from the one we posted earlier this year (when it was nowhere near Christmas, we might add). We suspect that our copy of the tape was a re-press, since the j-card references the two tapes that came after it. Either that, or Miss Molly has also mastered time travel. Which, if she has, we would like to talk to her to go back in time to undo some regretful decisions (and potentially create massive issues with the fabric of space and time).

Anyways, we're posting her first Christmas tape along with what we would assume is her fourth, Penny Candy. The highlight of that tape, for us, is her cover of the Calgary classic, "Sixteen Chickens and a Tambourine."

Get Miss Molly's Christmas and/or Penny Candy.

Monika With A "K" - Monika With A "K"s Best (1993)

We're headed back into all the tapes we got from Doug Wong, many of which were produced at Canada Cassette. Today's is the second tape we've seen from Monika Vetter (the first was from Rob Bartlett's collection, almost a year ago). This tape - whose artwork isn't as fancy the first's - basically repeats the first tape's track listing, but appends three covers. And it's the last, her version of "Silent Night," which is why we're posting it today. We figure we should try to post seasonal material at the right time of year at least part of the time. 

Right?

Smokin' Joes - Smokin' Joes (1993)

Thanks to Eddie at Melodiya for keeping an eye out for weird stuff for us... this is a tape he pulled out of Hot Wax a few weeks ago, and we didn't have high hopes for it - until we noticed it's on Metanoia Records! The home of the Anxious Poets and Agony Pipe! I Care! Ramada Gods! And... Smokin' Joes???

Okay, this a band that we can't quite reconcile with the rest of the Metanoia roster. Instead of the usual alt.rock fare that label specialized in, Smokin' Joes are middle-of-the-road bar-circuit rock. Sure, it's well-executed, but it's, well, bar-circuit rock. And we can't find anything about the band to help fill in the gaps.

But the download is here.

Fear Of Flight - Fear Of Flight (1990)

Okay, we're pretty excited about today's tape - for purely nostalgic reasons. We probably could have asked more directly and found a copy years ago, but we stumbled across a copy at the flea market yesterday and squealed with all the teenage excitement that our old man bodies could muster. 

If you've been following us for a while, you might remember a post from 12 years ago, featuring the Soft Tips.  We were huge fans of that band, even before we realized that the band was related to Fear of Flight - who we clearly remember from back in our teen years at Western Canada High School. Fear of Flight played a battle of the bands thing on afternoon, with a set of tight late-80's college rock (and maybe a cover of the Cult's "She Sells Sanctuary"? That's where the memory gets fuzzy).

So, we've finally got the tape, and it's pretty reasonable - but we're comparing it to the Soft Tips, and that's a lofty bar. There are a handful of covers tacked on at the end of the tape, and it's their last, 54-40's "I Go Blind" that's probably the best hint to their sound (definitely more so that their slightly anemic cover of the Clash's "Should I Stay Or Should I Go").

Relive our high school days here!

Poltergiest - Yesterday Fades (2020)

Another great thing about live music being back is that we get to discover new things; we spotted Poltergeist's name on the poster for the annual Alpha House fundraiser at the Palomino, and decided to check out their tape in advance. We're glad we did - this tape is a one-person show featuring Kalen Baker's forays into dark wave, traditional metal, and shoegaze. It's a pretty compelling mix that gets us in all the right places - dark, sweeping pads and chiming Jazzmasters give way to heavy riffage at just the right time. We're really looking forward to seeing the band live next weekend.

It looks like the tape is sold out, but you can grab the download from the Poltergeist bandcamp. 

Ron Lorenz - The Calgary To Banff Auto Tour On The Trans Canada Highway (1993)

Well, this is a weird one. Thanks (?) to Recordland for getting it into our hands. This is the type of tape you would have found on the counter at a gas station on the western edge of the city - on it, former newscaster Ron Lorenz narrates the drive from Calgary to the Banff townsite, starting at Canada Olympic Park. Lorenz relates the history of the region (well, the history of the settlers in the region, at least - as befits the year in which this was made, there's not a lot of attention paid to our Indigenous peoples). 

To accommodate those who either don't drive to Banff with a lead foot, Lorenz asks the listener to pause the tape ad then restart when landmarks are reached, which makes it a bit of a weird thing to listen to without the drive. We wish there was a follow-up to this tape with the drive home, and Lorenz cursing the usual Sunday afternoon traffic jam.

Road trip!

Johnny Juke and the Fat Cats - Johnny Juke and the Fat Cats (1997)

This is another tape that was passed our way by the good folks at Recordland. Johnny Juke and the Fat Cats played their swinging blues around Calgary in the late 90's - the one big question we have about the band is if Johnny Juke handled vocals, harmonica, AND drums in a live setting. There's a polished, easy flow to these tracks - if he was pulling triple duty, we are impressed.

Get it here!  

Math - Sometimes Sweet Susan (1999)

Thanks to the good folks at Recordland for keeping an eye out for weird local stuff coming into the shop and passing them our way. This is the first of a trio of new-to-us tapes and, well, we can't tell you anything about it. This tape sounds like the product of the late 90's that it is - Math play sludgy alt rock riffs spiced up with some interesting electronica touches. Too bad their name is completely google-proof (and their cassette is titled after an adult movie - another tip that this was recorded in the 90's).

Get it here!

Forbidden Dimension - Mars is Heaven (2021), Shivs & Shrouds/Our Martian Heritage (2021)

Happy Halloween! Here's something we know some of you are going to be excited about - and quite possibly already have in your tight little clutches. The good folks at Medicine Hat's Wasted Wax Records have re-issued a pair of early Forbidden Dimension tapes - including our favourite FD recording, Our Martian Heritage (which happened to be the second tape we ever posted on this here thing). This means that rather than suffering through the crappy rips we've posted, you can get freshly remastered versions of these drum machine-driven classics - and they do sound mighty, mighty fine. Oh, and Mars is Heaven even got a vinyl release from Wasted Wax.

Get these re-animated marvels via Wasted Wax.

Circa Records & Tapes: Seanna (1982), Geoff Edmunds (1982), Bruce Thompson (1982)

Today's trio of singles come to us via Circa Records & Tapes, a label that was the brainchild of Bruce Thompson and Edward L. King. The label was originally started in Vancouver in 1971, and made the move to Calgary at some point in the late 70's/early 80's. 

At some point the label made another move - we've seen a 1988 release on Circa which has an address in Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan. But these three singles were all recorded in Calgary - and, oddly, all released in the same year. We weren't able to find out anything about any of the artists - which is another thing we're pretty much getting used to.

Stratus Singers - 1875-1975 Centennial Calgary/Sleepy Wonder Book (1975)

Here's another new Westmount single in our collection, one we wish we'd had back in the summer when we were celebrating our city's centennial songs. Stratus Singers were a folk/pop trio who were active in the 1970's and into the 80's. In the mid-70's they formed an expanded performing/touring group called the Straus Faction. As in, we assume, "we can't get no Stratus Faction."

Sorry for the terrible pun above. The Stratus Singers' centennial tribute is a suitably celebratory track, while the B side  is - as the title suggests - a nice little lullaby.

Get it here!

Westmount Records: Dave Liske, Denny Eddy (1975), Bob Hoy and the Badlanders

It's taking us so long to get through these boxes of Calgary singles that we're... well, adding more singles into the collection as we go. And so have to catch up on a few new Westmount Records releases that we want to catch up on.

This is another mixed bag - there's some easy listening pop from Bob Hoy and the Badlanders (honestly, we were really hoping this one would be straight up garage rock with that name), another single from country singer Denny Eddy (trigger warning on the A side of that one - it maybe hasn't aged well), and a bit more country from Dave Liske. The Liske record is pretty decent - although the A side of our copy is a bit rough.

But you're probably getting used to that with these singles.

Peter Lougheed/Ron Ghitter - NOW! (1971)

 

Well, here's a super oddball record in observance of election day. Both sides of this record are spoken word pieces by Albertan politicians, former Premier Peter Lougheed and Calgary-Buffalo MLA Ron Ghitter. This is a pretty fascinating piece - this must have been produced to support the PC party's run in the 1971 election. A few pieces jump out as a stark contrast to our current provincial government - most notably Lougheed's interest in listening to the people of the province. But was this record effective in drumming up support for Ghitter and the conservatives? 

Maybe?

Chris Kay - Alberta (1983), Ed Preston - A Song For Alberta

We have no idea how or why we keep missing records in our collection. Somehow we missed these two Alberta-themed country records back when we were in our Alberta song phase. We can't tell you anything about either of these artists. Ed Preston apparently hails from Claresholm, and the Chris Kay record has addresses in both Calgary (on the first side) and Reno, Nevada (on, well, the other first side). 

But you can get them here. 

Triple Threat - Official Bootleg (Limited Edition) (1992)

We're still in the habit of trawling through the thrift stores, and this recent score is a good example of why. Triple Threat brought together local blues legends Johnny V and Tim Williams, along with harmonica player Bo Travis. It's a pretty great match of talents.

Get their debut (bootleg!?) tape here.

Wooden Crib - Demo

Here's a tape without a j-card that comes to us courtesy of Marc Donnelly, former drummer with Wooden Crib. Donnelly couldn't pin down the exact year of this tape, but we're putting our money on 1995, as that's the year the band played at Max Café for the annual Garage Wars.

Once we got past that line up (so many favourites!) we scratched our heads for a bit - we're not sure that we remember any of the band members playing in other projects other than Ed Tiegs, who went on to play both bass with Zuckerbaby.

Get the Wooden Crib demo here!

Manhattan Jump Blues Revue - The BBQ Sessions (1994)

We're going to take a bit of a break from the 7" singles and get back to our original raison d'être with a few tapes that have shown up here at the CCPS in recent months. First up is one that we were super excited to get - huge thanks to Mike Fischer for passing this our way.

The Mantattan Jump Blue Revue was the precursor to local fixtures The Dino Martinis (we heard Don McSwiney dishing the goods on the band on the CBC morning show just last week!). We knew the Manhattans made an appearance on the very excellent Play compilation, but we didn't know they had released a full cassette - until Mike graciously ripped his copy for us. This is pretty great stuff, and what we really remember the early days of the Dino Martinis for - high-energy, super fun, er, jump blues. We're usually a bit wary of bands who state their genre in their name, which is maybe why they changed their name very shortly after the release of this tape.

Fix yourself a good cocktail and grab the download!

Randy Andrus and Cal Kellett - Red Hot (1987)

MORE HOCKEY STUFF! And this is one we've really had a hard time sitting on since we pulled it out of the OH&S nightmare that is the Recordland 7" room. A few years ago, we were reminded of a terrible video from the mid-80's that featured members of the Calgary Flames badly lip synching to a tune celebrating their team:

 

Apparently this was part of a fundraiser for the Canadian Hemophilia Society - there are VHS tapes out there somewhere. 

We're guessing this record was sent out to radio stations and wasn't part of the fundraiser (at least not directly?). But we have it in our collection, and that's all that matters. 

R. Harlan Smith & The Royalty Singers - Go, Go Calgary/Fan The Flames (1981)

The newscaster tells us that it's almost hockey time again, which means it's a good time to post this record from R. Harlan Smith, the founder of Edmonton's Royalty Records. What's amazing about this record's two sides is they basically the same song - we're pretty sure that's the same bed track, just with different vocals, each track celebrating the Calgary Flames (although the B side is, despite the title, slightly more generic). 

We have a very important question about this, though - noting that Smith put out a single in the same year titled "Go Gretzky Go," did they manage to recycle the same music and bed track for FOUR songs? 

You can hear at least half of them here!

Keen Kraft - Cardboard Lathe

Here's something pretty random, but we're already down this rabbit hole, so let's keep going. This is a - we assume - one-off cardboard lathe that we stumbled across in our travels. Keen Kraft was a local (Albertan?) music shop from the 1950's through to the 1980's when they were bought out by Long & McQuade. We're mostly posting this because of the ad that was nestled in a clipping from an article a few days ago:

Keen Kraft moved around (or had multiple locations? one of the two) over its history - looking at the address in that ad, we're pretty sure that space eventually became Coconut Joe's. And after a quick fact-check (why did we fact-check the location of Coconut Joe's vs all the band details we've glossed over? PARALYZERS.), we can confirm this to be true:

Oh, right. The record for today. As a cardboard lathe, this thing is pretty rough - it sounds like an accordion (or chord organ?) lesson, with the student running through "Mary Had a Little Lamb" and another piece we don't recognize. 

It's maybe not as interesting as, say, reminiscing about Electric Avenue, but... it's what you get today.