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The History of Canadian Rock 'n' Roll
Rock and roll was born in the United States during the 1950s. Its popularity rapidly grew, spreading across the Atlantic to England. The Brits transformed rock, bringing it back to the States in a new form with the British Invasion. Since that time, the two countries have dominated headlines and histories, in terms of rock music.
What's often forgotten in these histories is the evolution of Canadian rock and roll during the same period. Over the years, a huge contingent of Canadian artists has made invaluable contributions to rock and roll. The list of innovative Canadian artists is quite Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Paul Anka, Arcade Fire, The Band, Bryan Adams, Rush, Leonard Cohen, Celine Dion, Diana Krall, Gordon Lightfoot, Sarah McLachlan, Alanis Morissette, Tegan and Sara, Feist, Nickelback, and many others, not to mention the all-star producers, such as Daniel Lanois (U2, Bob Dylan, Peter Gabriel), Bob Rock (Metallica, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi), Bob Ezrin (Pink Floyd, Alice Cooper, Kiss), and David Foster (Michael Jackson, Celine Dion).
The history of Canadian rock and roll is a lively, entertaining, and largely untold tale. Bob Mersereau presents a streamlined, informative trip through the country's rich history and depth of talent, from the 1950s to today, covering such topics Toronto's club scene, the folk rock and psychedelic rock of the 1960s, Canadian artists who hit major stardom in the United States, the challenges and reform of the Canadian broadcasting system, the huge hits of the 1970s, Canadian artists' presence all over the pop charts in the 1990s, and Canada's indie-rock renaissance of the 2000s.
What's often forgotten in these histories is the evolution of Canadian rock and roll during the same period. Over the years, a huge contingent of Canadian artists has made invaluable contributions to rock and roll. The list of innovative Canadian artists is quite Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Paul Anka, Arcade Fire, The Band, Bryan Adams, Rush, Leonard Cohen, Celine Dion, Diana Krall, Gordon Lightfoot, Sarah McLachlan, Alanis Morissette, Tegan and Sara, Feist, Nickelback, and many others, not to mention the all-star producers, such as Daniel Lanois (U2, Bob Dylan, Peter Gabriel), Bob Rock (Metallica, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi), Bob Ezrin (Pink Floyd, Alice Cooper, Kiss), and David Foster (Michael Jackson, Celine Dion).
The history of Canadian rock and roll is a lively, entertaining, and largely untold tale. Bob Mersereau presents a streamlined, informative trip through the country's rich history and depth of talent, from the 1950s to today, covering such topics Toronto's club scene, the folk rock and psychedelic rock of the 1960s, Canadian artists who hit major stardom in the United States, the challenges and reform of the Canadian broadcasting system, the huge hits of the 1970s, Canadian artists' presence all over the pop charts in the 1990s, and Canada's indie-rock renaissance of the 2000s.
320 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 4, 2015
The History of Canadian Rock-n-Roll by Bob Mersereau is a 2015 Backbeat Books publication. I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
When we think back on the history of Rock-n-Roll, I think it is probably fair to say that most people think of America and Britain as the primary source from which this music came to us. I confess that I was familiar with many of the artist featured within these pages, but Canada's influence on rock music is much more powerful than I had ever thought, however, the American public, in my opinion, is largely unaware of it on a conscious level. So, while the widespread praise and respect for these musicians is not ignored exactly, it has been rather muted in many cases.
Like any book of this caliber, we start with the history of rock music in the region which more or less begins with a group called “The Four Lads” who got their main recognition in the early 1950's. ( their career lasted through the sixties and into the early 70's)
The 1950's also brought us Paul Anka, a teen idol, who is still influential today. During the sixties and seventies country, blues, and folk influences allowed rock-n-roll to penetrate Canada. Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and The Guess Who were probably the most recognizable names here in the US, but there were many others such as Anne Murray and Gordon Lightfoot who enjoyed massive success, not only in Canada but in other countries as well.
One of the biggest issues facing Canadian rock and pop musicians was the lack of interest by the radio stations in promoting them locally, which prompted an exodus to the states where they found a lot more support.
“Canadian bands were leaving because record companies and radio were not interested in them. And things went from bad to worse in 1968, as that year saw only seven Canadian songs reach the national top 40 the entire year, including Steppenwolf's two US – fueled number ones. 'Born to be Wild' and ' Magic Carpet Ride' and a pair by popular TV folk act, The Irish Rovers, 'Whiskey on Sunday' and 'The Unicorn Song'.
Clearly somebody had to have a little faith in Canadian talent”
Once someone caught on that Canadian artist needed local support the doors blew off the hinges. Canada's contributions began to gain support from music studios and radio stations feeding the starving fans who were practically rabid for local talent.
From that point on Canadian's gained more and more traction musically and have made monumental contributions to the rock and pop genres. While I recognized many names because these artist were every bit as popular here as they were at home, there were quite a few names I didn't recognize. I was furiously typing in names on Google and You Tube looking up these bands or artist. So, this book has led me to the discovery of some awesome talent I never would have encountered otherwise.
This book sticks to rock music, but opens the door for pure pop or in some cases “crossover” hits and touches on 'New Wave' a little later in the book. The author takes us through events chronologically, spending a little time with each artist mentioned, some more than others, and also gave credit to the many people behind the scenes that helped Canadian musicians garner success and long over due respect and recognition.
The amount of talent touched on here will blow your mind and the author most certainly knows Canadian rock history. The book is very informative and interesting, moved along at a comfortable clip, not sticking to one artist or era too long, nor going into too much boring minutia. While that is a good thing with performance arts or musical history books, it can also be a bad thing. I do think the pace, at times, was little harried and felt rushed. There was a lot of ground to cover there and the author managed to cram it into less than 300 pages, if that tells you anything.
The truth is, I knew little or nothing of Canadian rock-n-roll history, so this book peaked my interest in a way many other books about rock history has, which is why I wish it had been just a bit more meatier.
Notable names were:
Neil Young,
Joni Mitchell
Anne Murray
The Guess Who
Bachman Turner Overdrive
Ian & Sylvia
The Tragically Hip
Gordon Lightfoot
Tom Cochrane
Rush
Bryan Adams
The Band
This list in just an example. There are many more you will know, others not so much. It was the ore obscure names I found interesting, but there are stories told here about big name acts I had never heard before, so that was also very enlightening.
The history of this country's musical roots, influences and major contributions to rock and pop music is a fascinating journey. I think this book is important, as it remind us that Canada has the talent to challenge the US and Britain with their star power and influences, they just haven't always been given the respect and praise they deserve. Overall this one gets 4 stars.
When we think back on the history of Rock-n-Roll, I think it is probably fair to say that most people think of America and Britain as the primary source from which this music came to us. I confess that I was familiar with many of the artist featured within these pages, but Canada's influence on rock music is much more powerful than I had ever thought, however, the American public, in my opinion, is largely unaware of it on a conscious level. So, while the widespread praise and respect for these musicians is not ignored exactly, it has been rather muted in many cases.
Like any book of this caliber, we start with the history of rock music in the region which more or less begins with a group called “The Four Lads” who got their main recognition in the early 1950's. ( their career lasted through the sixties and into the early 70's)
The 1950's also brought us Paul Anka, a teen idol, who is still influential today. During the sixties and seventies country, blues, and folk influences allowed rock-n-roll to penetrate Canada. Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and The Guess Who were probably the most recognizable names here in the US, but there were many others such as Anne Murray and Gordon Lightfoot who enjoyed massive success, not only in Canada but in other countries as well.
One of the biggest issues facing Canadian rock and pop musicians was the lack of interest by the radio stations in promoting them locally, which prompted an exodus to the states where they found a lot more support.
“Canadian bands were leaving because record companies and radio were not interested in them. And things went from bad to worse in 1968, as that year saw only seven Canadian songs reach the national top 40 the entire year, including Steppenwolf's two US – fueled number ones. 'Born to be Wild' and ' Magic Carpet Ride' and a pair by popular TV folk act, The Irish Rovers, 'Whiskey on Sunday' and 'The Unicorn Song'.
Clearly somebody had to have a little faith in Canadian talent”
Once someone caught on that Canadian artist needed local support the doors blew off the hinges. Canada's contributions began to gain support from music studios and radio stations feeding the starving fans who were practically rabid for local talent.
From that point on Canadian's gained more and more traction musically and have made monumental contributions to the rock and pop genres. While I recognized many names because these artist were every bit as popular here as they were at home, there were quite a few names I didn't recognize. I was furiously typing in names on Google and You Tube looking up these bands or artist. So, this book has led me to the discovery of some awesome talent I never would have encountered otherwise.
This book sticks to rock music, but opens the door for pure pop or in some cases “crossover” hits and touches on 'New Wave' a little later in the book. The author takes us through events chronologically, spending a little time with each artist mentioned, some more than others, and also gave credit to the many people behind the scenes that helped Canadian musicians garner success and long over due respect and recognition.
The amount of talent touched on here will blow your mind and the author most certainly knows Canadian rock history. The book is very informative and interesting, moved along at a comfortable clip, not sticking to one artist or era too long, nor going into too much boring minutia. While that is a good thing with performance arts or musical history books, it can also be a bad thing. I do think the pace, at times, was little harried and felt rushed. There was a lot of ground to cover there and the author managed to cram it into less than 300 pages, if that tells you anything.
The truth is, I knew little or nothing of Canadian rock-n-roll history, so this book peaked my interest in a way many other books about rock history has, which is why I wish it had been just a bit more meatier.
Notable names were:
Neil Young,
Joni Mitchell
Anne Murray
The Guess Who
Bachman Turner Overdrive
Ian & Sylvia
The Tragically Hip
Gordon Lightfoot
Tom Cochrane
Rush
Bryan Adams
The Band
This list in just an example. There are many more you will know, others not so much. It was the ore obscure names I found interesting, but there are stories told here about big name acts I had never heard before, so that was also very enlightening.
The history of this country's musical roots, influences and major contributions to rock and pop music is a fascinating journey. I think this book is important, as it remind us that Canada has the talent to challenge the US and Britain with their star power and influences, they just haven't always been given the respect and praise they deserve. Overall this one gets 4 stars.
April 11, 2022
Took me this whole term to read this, but I'm glad I did. Since I was already very familiar with the more popular Canadian artists like Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Bryan Adams, Rush and a lot of artists from this century, information about these artists were more like fact checks for me. I learnt a great deal about better kept Canadian secrets (to a non-Canadian individual such as myself, at least), and these artists spanned multiple genres (and the francophone side of things as well), not just rock n roll. There was a lot of anecdotal knowledge that made the book seem more like a deep conversation of knowledge transfer that I have always wanted with a Canadian native, so this was satisfying in a very genuine way. The connection of The Guess Who's 'American Woman' to Kitchener was the most personal perhaps, having lived in KW for almost four years now.
I would say that had the author stuck purely to rock, he might have spoken about a lot more indie/local bands that have shaped the sounds of rock around the country. But as I say this I realize that rock hasn't ever just been rock, has it? It's always been entwined with at least one of something else; blues, folk, country, pop, etc. It would be stupid to try and describe the trajectory of a single, pure strand of rock, because that probably doesn't exist. This is also what makes this genre as embellished and worthy as it is of being admired and revelled in. Reading this gave me a newfound appreciation for the umbrella genre.
I like that the book spoke about the overall development of Rock and roll in the country, the push-and-pull entanglement of artists with the music industry (or the lack of one, hence the migration of artists to the US), and how Canadian artists shaped the pop-culture landscape of the country and the world. Coming back to my original thought about wanting more mentions of local artists, I wish there was a supplemental book (books) that spoke only of these because I strongly believe that no matter how crappy the production of a lot of these bands can be, they're the true sound of a particular location and accurately reflect the deeper collective thought of that community. Of all the books recommended for extra reading at the end of this book, I think Before The Gold Rush might provide some answers to my question, in the Yorkville region at least.
All the recommended albums at the end are definitely on my deep-dive list, however, and I think it's a great list of recommendations to kick me off on deeper quests. There were definitely a lot of bands that got brief mentions in the book itself that I'll have to go back and add to my growing spotify playlist. It's going to be a great summer this year as I explore the vast heap of sonic knowledge that this book has provided me :)
I would say that had the author stuck purely to rock, he might have spoken about a lot more indie/local bands that have shaped the sounds of rock around the country. But as I say this I realize that rock hasn't ever just been rock, has it? It's always been entwined with at least one of something else; blues, folk, country, pop, etc. It would be stupid to try and describe the trajectory of a single, pure strand of rock, because that probably doesn't exist. This is also what makes this genre as embellished and worthy as it is of being admired and revelled in. Reading this gave me a newfound appreciation for the umbrella genre.
I like that the book spoke about the overall development of Rock and roll in the country, the push-and-pull entanglement of artists with the music industry (or the lack of one, hence the migration of artists to the US), and how Canadian artists shaped the pop-culture landscape of the country and the world. Coming back to my original thought about wanting more mentions of local artists, I wish there was a supplemental book (books) that spoke only of these because I strongly believe that no matter how crappy the production of a lot of these bands can be, they're the true sound of a particular location and accurately reflect the deeper collective thought of that community. Of all the books recommended for extra reading at the end of this book, I think Before The Gold Rush might provide some answers to my question, in the Yorkville region at least.
All the recommended albums at the end are definitely on my deep-dive list, however, and I think it's a great list of recommendations to kick me off on deeper quests. There were definitely a lot of bands that got brief mentions in the book itself that I'll have to go back and add to my growing spotify playlist. It's going to be a great summer this year as I explore the vast heap of sonic knowledge that this book has provided me :)
September 19, 2015
(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)
Rock and roll was born in the United States during the 1950s. Its popularity rapidly grew, spreading across the Atlantic to England. The Brits transformed rock, bringing it back to the States in a new form with the British Invasion. Since that time, the two countries have dominated headlines and histories, in terms of rock music.
What's often forgotten in these histories is the evolution of Canadian rock and roll during the same period. Over the years, a huge contingent of Canadian artists has made invaluable contributions to rock and roll. The list of innovative Canadian artists is quite impressive: Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Paul Anka, Arcade Fire, The Band, Bryan Adams, Rush, Leonard Cohen, Celine Dion, Diana Krall, Gordon Lightfoot, Sarah McLachlan, Alanis Morissette, Tegan and Sara, Feist, Nickelback, and many others, not to mention the all-star producers, such as Daniel Lanois (U2, Bob Dylan, Peter Gabriel), Bob Rock (Metallica, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi), Bob Ezrin (Pink Floyd, Alice Cooper, Kiss), and David Foster (Michael Jackson, Celine Dion).
The history of Canadian rock and roll is a lively, entertaining, and largely untold tale. Bob Mersereau presents a streamlined, informative trip through the country's rich history and depth of talent, from the 1950s to today, covering such topics as: Toronto's club scene, the folk rock and psychedelic rock of the 1960s, Canadian artists who hit major stardom in the United States, the challenges and reform of the Canadian broadcasting system, the huge hits of the 1970s, Canadian artists' presence all over the pop charts in the 1990s, and Canada's indie-rock renaissance of the 2000s.
This was quite an enjoyable book. The history of Rock'n'Roll is usually based in the US but this book proves that some of the biggest names have come from Canada - Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Gordon Lightfoot, Rush, Loverboy, Alanis Morissette, Shania Twain and Nickelback to name just a few.
A lot of the big names came from the Yorkville scene in Toronto, which seems to have been the breeding ground for some class acts but due to the lack of a "real" music industry etc in Canada, a lot of these artists had to travel to either New York or California to break through. That was a sad state of affairs. It was interesting to see the way Canada finally got up to speed with top-class recording studios and true touring opportunities.
If you have an interest in the history of music from the 60s to the current time, this is a great book for you.
Paul
ARH
Rock and roll was born in the United States during the 1950s. Its popularity rapidly grew, spreading across the Atlantic to England. The Brits transformed rock, bringing it back to the States in a new form with the British Invasion. Since that time, the two countries have dominated headlines and histories, in terms of rock music.
What's often forgotten in these histories is the evolution of Canadian rock and roll during the same period. Over the years, a huge contingent of Canadian artists has made invaluable contributions to rock and roll. The list of innovative Canadian artists is quite impressive: Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Paul Anka, Arcade Fire, The Band, Bryan Adams, Rush, Leonard Cohen, Celine Dion, Diana Krall, Gordon Lightfoot, Sarah McLachlan, Alanis Morissette, Tegan and Sara, Feist, Nickelback, and many others, not to mention the all-star producers, such as Daniel Lanois (U2, Bob Dylan, Peter Gabriel), Bob Rock (Metallica, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi), Bob Ezrin (Pink Floyd, Alice Cooper, Kiss), and David Foster (Michael Jackson, Celine Dion).
The history of Canadian rock and roll is a lively, entertaining, and largely untold tale. Bob Mersereau presents a streamlined, informative trip through the country's rich history and depth of talent, from the 1950s to today, covering such topics as: Toronto's club scene, the folk rock and psychedelic rock of the 1960s, Canadian artists who hit major stardom in the United States, the challenges and reform of the Canadian broadcasting system, the huge hits of the 1970s, Canadian artists' presence all over the pop charts in the 1990s, and Canada's indie-rock renaissance of the 2000s.
This was quite an enjoyable book. The history of Rock'n'Roll is usually based in the US but this book proves that some of the biggest names have come from Canada - Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Gordon Lightfoot, Rush, Loverboy, Alanis Morissette, Shania Twain and Nickelback to name just a few.
A lot of the big names came from the Yorkville scene in Toronto, which seems to have been the breeding ground for some class acts but due to the lack of a "real" music industry etc in Canada, a lot of these artists had to travel to either New York or California to break through. That was a sad state of affairs. It was interesting to see the way Canada finally got up to speed with top-class recording studios and true touring opportunities.
If you have an interest in the history of music from the 60s to the current time, this is a great book for you.
Paul
ARH
May 8, 2015
I'm a fan of music and Canada. I've read and enjoyed two other books by this author.
The book starts with a quiz ... not surprisingly the answers all have a Canadian connection.
The first group mentioned in the book are Toronto's The Four Lads (they scored back-to-back hits in 1955 with Moments to Remember and No Not Much). From there, the history of rock 'n roll in Canada is revealed.
The contents include:
* Moments to remember - Canada's first rock 'n roll hits
* Four strong winds - Canada blows into folk and rock worlds in the early 60s
* Shakin' all over - the whole country joins in the rock 'n roll scene of the mid-60s
* Ugly ducklings - Yorkville Village booms and Canada's future rock stars congregate
* Urge for going - Canadian talent makes an exodus to the U.S.
* Helpless - Canadian musicians feel unloved at home in the late 60s
* Signs - Canada's hit-making machines revs up in the early 70s
* Not fragile - Canada's rockers in the 70s
* Rockin' in the free world - new wave, CanRock and the video era
* Canadiana - Canadian group lead the roots revival
* You oughta know - Canadian's set world records in the 90s
* Hallelujah - a feisty new crop of talent for the 2000s
There were some bands I like, some I haven't heard about in a long time and some I've never heard of, The book talked about their beginnings in Toronto, Vancouver, Winnipeg and the east coast, and how many had to head to the U.S. to get their big breaks.
If you are a fan of Canadian bands and singers such as Barenaked Ladies, Drake, Arcade Fire, Justin Bieber, Rush, Anvil, Bachman-Turner Overdrive, Loverboy, Celine Dion, Shania Twain, Crowbar, Lighthouse, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Guess Who, The Band, Anne Murray, Chilliwack and many more, you should read this book!
Blog review post: http://www.teenaintoronto.com/2015/05...
The book starts with a quiz ... not surprisingly the answers all have a Canadian connection.
The first group mentioned in the book are Toronto's The Four Lads (they scored back-to-back hits in 1955 with Moments to Remember and No Not Much). From there, the history of rock 'n roll in Canada is revealed.
The contents include:
* Moments to remember - Canada's first rock 'n roll hits
* Four strong winds - Canada blows into folk and rock worlds in the early 60s
* Shakin' all over - the whole country joins in the rock 'n roll scene of the mid-60s
* Ugly ducklings - Yorkville Village booms and Canada's future rock stars congregate
* Urge for going - Canadian talent makes an exodus to the U.S.
* Helpless - Canadian musicians feel unloved at home in the late 60s
* Signs - Canada's hit-making machines revs up in the early 70s
* Not fragile - Canada's rockers in the 70s
* Rockin' in the free world - new wave, CanRock and the video era
* Canadiana - Canadian group lead the roots revival
* You oughta know - Canadian's set world records in the 90s
* Hallelujah - a feisty new crop of talent for the 2000s
There were some bands I like, some I haven't heard about in a long time and some I've never heard of, The book talked about their beginnings in Toronto, Vancouver, Winnipeg and the east coast, and how many had to head to the U.S. to get their big breaks.
If you are a fan of Canadian bands and singers such as Barenaked Ladies, Drake, Arcade Fire, Justin Bieber, Rush, Anvil, Bachman-Turner Overdrive, Loverboy, Celine Dion, Shania Twain, Crowbar, Lighthouse, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Guess Who, The Band, Anne Murray, Chilliwack and many more, you should read this book!
Blog review post: http://www.teenaintoronto.com/2015/05...
January 20, 2016
A moderately entertaining overview of the history of pop and rock music in Canada. Many acts are dealt with in rather summary fashion while a lot of attention goes to big names like the Guess Who, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, etc. I would have liked to see more on barely-mentioned acts like Rush, Triumph, and especially Max Webster/Kim Mitchell. The book could have been twice as long and still been just as entertaining.
Also, and I'm sure this criticism can be echoed by most regions of the country, a number of West Coast acts were omitted entirely, like 54-40, Art Bergmann (and related acts like Pointed Sticks, the K-Tels, the Young Canadians), DOA, and Spirit of the West. Ontario-based acts seem to have been over-represented (although, to be fair, I didn't see the Headstones, TPOH, or the Leslie Spit Treeo, for instance).
Also, and I'm sure this criticism can be echoed by most regions of the country, a number of West Coast acts were omitted entirely, like 54-40, Art Bergmann (and related acts like Pointed Sticks, the K-Tels, the Young Canadians), DOA, and Spirit of the West. Ontario-based acts seem to have been over-represented (although, to be fair, I didn't see the Headstones, TPOH, or the Leslie Spit Treeo, for instance).
January 31, 2017
Very good as far as it goes, but really too succinct to properly deal with such a sprawling subject. I'd look forward to an expanded second edition.
May 7, 2015
useful overview, but certainly not as much fun as Bob's previous 2 books.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews