Page 26 - June Issue 2021

Lost Canadian Classics
Joe Madigan presenter at Radiodowntown.ca
Canadian bands produced some great records back in the 1960s, and some of them became big hits in the United States. Somehow, there are many that never made it south of the border, and these records certainly deserve a second chance. Let’s take a look at some of these records.
49th Parallel: Laborer
Released on RCA Victor in Canada, this Alberta group scored a #1 hit on
CKXL in Calgary in the summer of 1967, even beating out an album cut from The Beatles (“A Day In The Life”). The record was also a hit on stations in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, but it never charted nationally. With the exception of appearing on Orlando’s WLOF Funderful 40 for one week, the record never made it south of the border.
Five Man Electrical Band: Private Train
Upon changing their name from The Staccatos, The Five Man Electrical Band released “It Never Rains on Maple Street” on Capitol Records. However, it’s the flipside, “Private Train,” that got spun on 1050 CHUM in Toronto reaching #27 on the CHUM Chart. Both sides of the record reached #11
on CJKL in Kirkland Lakes, Ontario and the B-side hit #37 nationally in Canada.
Featuring psychedelic vocal harmonics, the record wasn’t heard outside of Ontario, and soon went into oblivion. If it wasn’t for a February 1969 recording of the Jack Armstrong Show on 1050 CHUM, the record might still be lost and long forgotten about, but today it’s on display down in the
basement.
Though not a breakthrough hit, the Five Man Electrical Band would eventually find success across
Canada and the United States in 1971 with “Signs.” The follow-up did almost as well (“Absolutely Right”).
Chessmen: Love Didn’t Die
Released on Mercury Records in late 1965, “Love Didn’t Die” was a hit in
Vancouver reaching #6 on CFUN. Somehow, this great record never made it outside of British Columbia. The song was written and sung by Terry Jacks, who would later find fame with The Poppy Family.
The Poppy Family: Which Way You Going, Billy? This song was a huge hit in both Canada and the U.S., but has since been lost in time. Released
in September of 1969, The Poppy Family’s “Which Way You Going, Billy?” quickly hit number 1 on radio stations all across Canada. The record eventually made its way onto the CKLW Big 30 in early 1970.
Thanks to their powerful daytime signal, CKLW was heard crystal clear in Cleveland, Toledo, most of Michigan, and northern Indiana. With that kind of reach, it would be a matter of time before the song got requested on Chicago’s WLS, where it reached #3 in March of 1970. The song was also a big hit on Cleveland’s WIXY 1260. The song just missed the #1 spot in the United States, but was a slam dunk #1 in Canada.
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