The Canadian Invasion 3 – The Brave Belt connection
Brave Belt??
Guitarist Randy Bachman left the Guess Who in 1970, about the time his first solo album, Axe, was released. I think I heard one song from that album on the radio (Canadian, of course), but other than that, the album seemed largely ignored. Shortly after leaving the GW, Bachman reunited with the founder of the Guess Who, Chad Allan, and along with his brother Robbie Bachman on drums, formed a country-rock band, Brave Belt. They released an album that year, Brave Belt, and had a top-40 hit in Canada with Crazy Arms, Crazy Eyes. According to Wikipedia, Keith Emerson (later of Emerson, Lake & Palmer fame) was in the original lineup, but dropped out due to illness.
At the suggestion of none other than fellow Canadian Neil Young, Bachman invited a husky guitarist/vocalist named Charles Frederick (“Fred”) Turner to join the band. In 1971 they released the very creatively-named album Brave Belt II. “II” was a very decent album, although it didn’t make a dent in the States. A number of songs from that album made their way onto Canadian radio, my favorite (and the reason I bought the album) being Dunrobin’s Gone, a catchy little song featuring Allan’s vocals.
Turner’s presence was definitely heard on this album, adding a heavier element to the band. Two of the songs that got airplay were very Turner-influenced, and gave an indication of what was to come. Never Comin’ Home was more edgy than anything they had released in the past and featured Turner’s gruff vocals. Another Way Out was another song to find its way onto Canadian radio, which again featured the more rocky, edgy side of the band. I actually still have the album on vinyl, and thinking about it makes me want to get my turntable fixed…
Allan, who had gone back to school after leaving The Guess Who to get psychology and teaching degrees, had been a school counselor off and on, as well as hosted occasional TV shows, left the band after that album. He was replaced by another Bachman brother, Tim, and the band changed their name to Bachman-Turner Overdrive. The rest, as they say, is history.
BTO was never one of my favorite bands; they were a bit to “plodding” for my taste, although I didn’t mind a few of their songs, especially You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet, which didn’t take itself completely seriously.
I understand that there were some hard feelings between Burton Cummings and Randy Bachman for some time (in part due to Bachman having become a Mormon while in the Guess Who), and while BTO went on to success, they still weren’t speaking to each other. I’m not sure what motivated Cummings to include a cover of You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet on his first solo album, especially the style in which he did the song. Cummings took a fast-paced, driving rock song and turned it into a slow, smoky, nightclub tune, complete with the stutter. It’s amazing; while I like a lot of Cummings solo work, this remains one of my favorites. I wish I could legally include an mp3 here for you to listen to, but the best I can do is link to Amazon, where you can scroll down to listen to a 30 second clip of the song (and buy the album, it’s really good).
Bachman’s son, Tal, also a musician, had a hit in 1999 with She’s So High. Both Tal and Randy have left the Mormon Church, and Tal has been quite vocal about the issues that caused him to leave the church. Chad Allan is semi-retired; he blew his voice out years ago, but still performs occasionally, and has taught song-writing at a college in Surrey, B.C.
Both Cummings and Bachman have recorded a number of solo albums, and have recently put out a joint project covering a number of golden oldies. They tour together, doing a mix of GW, BTO and solo material. Bachman also hosts a radio show called Vinyl Tap.
I set out with my father in the beginning of ‘74 to find the perfect sound. We of course were in the process of buying my first set of speakers. I had heard alot of fine audiophile sound, having been introduced to it all by my Dad. Bozak, Klipshorn, JBL, Harmon-Kardon, Bose, Altec-Lansing, etc., you get the picture.
After about a two-month ordeal of landing on a sound, borrowing the speakers to listen in my own room, and negotiating the purchase price; I landed on a newcomer to the scene. They were a pair of ADS Brauns’. If they are still manufactured today they are just ADS. They were “cutting edge” technology. Great sound! Pretty cabinets. The whole nine.
And what music did I use to determine this decision you might ask? Well, if I was to use my ol’ mans’ stuff it would’ve been Enoch Light, Dave Brubeck, or Montovani. All fine choices, but at my Dad’s request, not because he really liked any of my choices in music, he suggested I have a “few things” to listen to.
My choices were as follows:
1. Not Fragile – Bachman-Turner Overdrive – loud & hard.
2. The Captain & Me – The Doobie Brothers – instrumentally clean.
3. Dark Side Of The Moon – Pink Floyd – sound effects galore.
They all passed muster on my ADS’s, and still do. I still have those albums, and the speakers. Thanks Dad!
I’m jealous… I could never afford the really expensive speakers, though I did build a pair of ported speakers that sounded pretty great at the time. I still remember how amazed I was at how real the drums (especially the high-hat) sounded. I still have mine, too, but sitting in my garage as my wife won’t let me bring them in the house. It took a while to get used to the little bookshelf Bose things I replaced them with. I’ve never been a Bose fan, but for bookshelf speakers, they work okay.
But, now I mainly listen to music on my computer speakers anyway, or on headphones.
[...] including LaGrave Field, Fort Worth and Bachman Lake, Dallas, 817-759-7908 or …www.dallasnews.comThe Canadian Invasion 3 – The Brave Belt connection Brave Belt?? Guitarist Randy Bachman left the Guess Who in 1970, about the time his first solo [...]
tal bachman said this on March 5, 2008 at 5:53 am |