Maple Deep Cuts 1983
Hanging out at the bottom of the singles chart
If I had my way, these cuts would be even deeper. But the RPM chart is holding me back, as it did not expand to 100 tracks until the summer of 1984 [aka the Summer of Much].
Still found a nice mix of obscurities and some more familiar artists with tunes you may not have heard as much.
So let’s go!
Surrender - Start Again - peaked #38
The troubled EP project from Alfie Zappacosta and his band Surrender. The record company was not impressed, sent them to LA to record a follow-up record on their terms, then shelved the finished product.
Alfie kept the group together, but now the re-recorded tracks formed the basis of his first solo album.
Teenage Head - Tornado - peaked #39
Taking their name from The Flamin’ Groovies LP, Hamilton’s Teenage Head have long been an influence on the Canadian scene.
Their high-energy tunes straddled many genres, and this tune finds them feeling a little bit rockabilly and maybe a little bit Detroit garage.
The group had multiple gold records and a number of Top 40 singles, but this one was their last.
Strange Advance - Worlds Away - peaked #46
Vancouver’s Strange Advance emerged from the West Coast scene in the early 80s with their album ‘Worlds Away’.
This album was dark and synthy, very much one for your headphones.
I’d say it’s pretty gutsy to drop a seven-minute track as your first single, but it did somehow crack the top 50.
The group would strip down to a duo for future records and did hit the top 40 with a couple of their future efforts.
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Chilliwack - Don’t Stop - peaked #46
Bill Henderson’s Chilliwack are no strangers to our charts, with no fewer than 19 hits and four Top 10s since 1970.
They are deserved members of the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.
Ironic that a track called ‘Don’t Stop’ was their last single. You’re likely to have heard this one.
Henderson continues to tour under the Chilliwack name and has held many leadership roles in our industry.
The Bat Boys - OK Blue Jays - peaked #47
Recorded in 1983 and for years the seventh-inning stretch song of the Toronto Blue Jays, this little number is a chart oddity.
The single eventually went gold, powered by 1985’s on-field success and has been a franchise staple for more than 40 years now.
The Bat Boys were a studio concoction of session players led by Keith Hampshire on vocals. His only gold record apparently holds a place of distinction in his home - yup, the bathroom.
Fans of Hamilton’s Arkells no doubt spotted Jays super-fan and lead singer Max Kerman picking out his own version of the tune during last season’s World Series run.
Hope you enjoyed these not so big hits, drop a comment below!
Is there no limit to the wonderful tunes to discover? 😂 Although I did know some of them, like Strange Advance. It seems I have a few of their twelve-inch versions in my collection, and Chilliwack isn’t completely unknown to me either because of “My Girl.”
But keep up the good work, Ken!
Worlds Away is part of what I call the Canadian tendency to go prog in New Wave, either because the folks in the bands that made new wave music had been in prog bands or were fans of them, like Spoons. The Chilliwack single is interesting in that it's Bill and a bunch of studio musicians, one of whom was a member of Oingo Boingo.