Jim Angus - Dare To Dream/Memories Of You (1983)

 

We get puzzled by how so many of these singles mix soft rock and country music. And how so many of them elude any information whatsoever. We're sorry, Jim Angus - but everything we tried to find about you took us to information on cows instead.

Insert herd/heard joke here.

Jack & Anne - All I Really Want/Say You Lied

 

You're probably getting tired of this... but we're not! We love 7" singles, even if we don't know anything about them. This single is one side of soft rock, another side of two-steppin' fun. But still, we know nothing about Jack & Anne, thanks in part to a Google-proof band name.

Still, there's some fine pickin' on the b side that you should check out.

J.T. Taylor - Georgia Pines For You/Miss Rodeo

 

Well, thankfully the sleeve of this next Sundae Sound single saves us from our losing streak of bands we know nothing about. Yep, you can read all about singer J.T. Taylor on the back! 

Phew! Saved!

Gaylene Kennedy MacLean - Remember Christmas/Old Fashioned Christmas (1985)

 

Well, since we're posting these Sundae Sound singles in pretty much random order, it doesn't matter much that we have another out-of-season Christmas post. This one comes from Gayle Kennedy MacLean - all we know about her is that she was a staple of the church circuit in the mid-80's:

Still, better than nothing!

Frank Liddy - BC Baby/Endless River (1987)

 

Unfortunately, here's another Sundae Sound single we can't tell you anything about. Other than that Frank Liddy has chosen to play with our OCD and label this record as having an A Side and a Side One.

The nerve!

Donald John - Don't Look Away (1987)

 

Well, here's a nice change. First, not all 45s have picture sleeves. And of those, very few have artist bios! Thank you, Donald John! You've made up for your Google-proof stage name!

We won't look away!

Dawn Hanson - But He Could Waltz/Just A Little Lovin'

This next Sundae Sound single ALSO has very little information accompanying it. We wonder if this release from Dawn Hanson had some tie in to a contest from local country radio station CKRY, based on the catalogue number. All we were able to find was this listing for the 1991 Alberta Country Music Awards - pay attention to the names of all of the performers, if you haven't seen releases here from them already, they're likely in the queue!

Get it here!

Copperfield-Skye - Lost Time/Book Of Tricks (1988)

We're back into the 80's pop/rock with this next Sundae Sound seven inch. And all we can tell you about this one is that if you wanted to ring in 1988 in style at the Chateau Airport, you would have done so to the strains of this fine band:

Happy new year!!

Charles Blanchard Band - The Ride (1988)

Today's single from Rob Bartlett's Sundae Sound collection is one that we haven't been able to find any info on. SO instead, we're going to ruminate on why artists do double A side singles. You've got two sides of vinyl, why not put a different song on each? Maybe the Charles Blanchard Band figured one good country song twice is better than two so-so country songs? 

We'll never know.

Brent McAthey - Dreamer/I'm In Love (1989), I'm In Love (1989), Here I Go Again (1990)

  

 

Here's a pair of country singles from the Sundae Sound vaults, along with one from our own collection. We saw a tape from Brent McAthey earlier this year, and you probably won't be surprised to find out these songs all appear on said tape. 

Well, except for the b-side of "I'm In Love," which is an amazing artifact of the pre-digital age - a bunch of pre-recorded promos, PSAs, and a interview responses from McAthey. It's weird and wonderful.

And you can get it here!

Bob Kitella - Somebody Else

We can't tell you much about this single on Doug Wong Music sub-label Best Records. Bob Kitella's "Somebody Else" is kind of a bitter take on Billy Joel's "Just The Way You Are," and the glossy 80's production is in full effect. 

Get it here!

 

Bill Blayney - Fifty Thousand Pounds of Steel (1990), Sounds of a Honky Tonk Bar (1990)

 

Here's another Sundae Sound 45 that we're augmenting with another from our collection. AND another that we can't tell you a lot about. Or anything. BUT it does give us a chance to introduce Access To The Industry, a label that was active in the late 80's to early 90's. Rob Bartlett tells us this was basically a one-person operation, a guy who was doing this out of a love of the music and trying to help bands make a break. These two singles are a good intro to the type of stuff they put out - country songwriters like Bill Blayney with a handful of good songs looking for audiences. We quite like the solid two-step of "Sounds of a Honky Tonk Bar" - sorry our copy isn't in great shape.

Get access here!

Alta Blues - Cherry Red, Buffalo Shuffle (1983)

 

Okay, this one from the Sundae Sound stash is one we know nothing about; the name Alta Blues is remarkably Google-proof. And, not surprisingly, they play the blues. 

Unfortunately, that's all we have. Well, that and the download! Edit: AND a second single by the band!

Aaron James - It Ain't Fair/Big World (1987)

As with the treasure trove of tapes that Rob Bartlett lent us, there are some 45s in this batch that we don't have a lot of back story on. Rob tells us that artists would book studio time, and sometimes Sundae Sound's own version of the wrecking crew would help back said artist up - which is what it looks like happened here. Aaron James' solid roots rock songs channel a bit of John Cougar Mellencamp, and the backing by Ron Matrsalla, Dan Patton, and Frank Lockwood is top notch. This is pretty great - and clearly was good enough to win James some form of award:

 Tune in for the simulcast!

Adventure In Paradise - You'll Never Know (1983), You'll Never Know (1984), Somewhere Far Away (1985), I Don't Want Anybody Else But You (1985)

 

Next up on the list from Sundae Sound is a pair of singles from Doug Wong-produced pop duo Adventures in Paradise. Rob Bartlett called them Calgary's answer to Abba, which is maybe overstating their sound: they're not anywhere near as bombastic and Eurovision-y as the Swedish quartet, but they're still quality, female-voiced 80's pop. And the band did have a reasonable degree of success; they put out three singles and an LP on Quality Records. 

Get it here! (Update: we've added two more Adventures In Paradise singles to the download, including the Quality release of You'll Never Know!)

Sailcats - Bad Luck/Living In A Movie (1983), It's A Beautiful Day (A Summer Song) (1985), Make It On Our Own (1987), Sensation/Face The Music (1987)

 

 

 

A big part of what we're going to be doing with the records that Rob Bartlett lent us is augmenting them with others from the CCPS collection. In this case, we've got not one but TWO  THREE more 45s from local yacht rockers Sailcats, spanning five years. These records also give us a chance to reflect on the two record manufacturers that enabled a pile of Calgary bands to get their stuff out - local legend Doug Wong's Doug Wong Music imprint, and the Toronto-based World Records.

Unlike yesterday's Justin Curtis Single, it looks like James Muretich approved of the upbeat pop of "It's a Beautiful Day": 

Sail on!

Justin Curtis - Tell Me Why (1986)

 

Here's a little surprise from Rob Bartlett's stash of Sundae Sound recordings - we didn't know Justin Curtis had been active in the 80's. But you'll be pleased to know that there's not much of a surprise, if you're familiar with Curtis via our prior posts of his work - this is straight-ahead, rockabilly-influenced country. Yup, the good stuff. AND an excellent cover again!

Too bad James Muretich didn't seem to have approved of this single's stripped-down sound:

Get shaking here!