The Top Canadian Acts of all Time By: Shane Christensen

Visit Swanktrendz

As in the case of my previous Top Ten Album article, I felt it was necessary to follow my Top Ten Rock Acts choices with a Top Ten Canadian Rock Acts submission. This country of ours has produced an enormous amount of the world’s top musical entertainers, and it’s only fair to give them the acknowledgement they truly deserve.

The criteria to make this list will be as follows:

1.) Their popularity was truly phenomenal
2.) Their success had staying power- no flavour of the month
3.) Trailblazers for the Canadian music scene
4.) Reached an inclusion

As with my previous article, trailblazers in the industry are held in high regard, and that is reflected in this list. I’d also like to note that album sales do factor in, which results in the exclusion of some groups (most notably The Band) which were critically acclaimed, yet only enjoyed moderate commercial success compared to the other acts on this list.

My choices for the Top Ten Canadian Rock Acts of all time are:

1.) Neil Young

There could be no possible excuse not to have Neil as my top choice, and the reasons are plentiful and have been listed before. But simply, he has been one of the most creative and authentically original acts in the world, and still maintains his Canadian demeanour. And that is so typical of this truly amazing performer that embodies all of our national character and ideals, and has had a career that is as diverse and successful as any of the top rock acts in history.

2.) Rush

Rush has always been one of those bands that you either love or hate. But enough people love them to the extent that they are the top selling rock band to come out of Canada, with over 40 million albums sold. Their career is still going strong after 34 years, with no sign of it disappearing anytime soon, and includes a handful of albums that are hard rock classics and which showcase the individual musicianship of the three members that put them in a league of their own.

3.) Bryan Adams

I was surprised in doing the research for this article just how successful Mr. Adams actually was, as he is currently second on the list of top selling Canadian acts, with only Celine Dion placing above his impressive tally of 75 million sales. But when you consider how many hit singles the guy has had throughout the years, it definitely makes sense as he had a great run of hits through the ‘80s and ‘90s, including his biggest hit Everything I Do (I Do It For You). A class act all the way, and he still maintains his nice guy personality regardless of his accomplishments

4.)Tragically Hip

The Hip is unique in Canadian music as they are undeniably one of our top rock acts, yet they have never realized any substantial international acclaim. And in some respects, that makes them even sweeter to a great number of their homegrown fan base because they still seem like they’re the same guys they were twenty years ago when they were just starting out. They have the distinction of being the top selling Canadian artist for sales in Canada, with over 25 million albums sold domestically, and they’re still going strong as they continue to release new material and remain one of the top concert draws in the country.

5.) The Guess Who

This band is definitely one of the trailblazers for the Canadian music industry as they were the first band out of the Great White North to have a number one hit in the U.S. with American Woman in 1970, and had an impressive number of top hits within their ten year run including six top ten songs. They single-handedly proved to the world that this country possessed world class talent that could compete with the successful international acts of the day from Britain and the U.S., and by doing so opened the door for all the Canadian artists that would follow in their footsteps.

6.) Shania Twain

Although Shania started off as a country act, she had undeniably crossed over into mainstream pop by the time her third album was released and started to chart impressively on the pop as well as country charts. Come On Over is the top selling album released by a female artist, and is the ninth best selling album of all time in the entire world. Twain is also one of the top selling Canadian artists of all time thanks to the success of three hugely received albums: The Woman In Me, Come On Over, and Up. Her producer/ collaborator/ husband, Robert “Mutt” Lange was already one of the most successful producers before he began to transform Shania, and their professional union would propel both of them to staggering heights that will probably never be duplicated again.

7.) Bachman Turner Overdrive

Randy Bachman would strike gold twice in his musical career after BTO caught on big time in ’74 with the success of two hit singles. Takin’ Care of Business was a top ten hit that is famous for being fanatically loved by Elvis, and You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet became their first number 1 hit in the U.S. and in most other countries around the world.

The band would chart three top ten albums in less than two years, and have a number of hits in Canada and internationally which would cement their status as one of the top Canadian bands ever.

8.) Joni Mitchell

Definitely an artist whose influence spreads throughout the musical world and transcends all genres, Joni would be an inspiration to many young women (including Madonna) who dreamed of one day performing themselves. She had a string of eight hit albums from ’69 to ’76, which is pretty well unheard of in today’s era, in any genre. She still remains one of the most influential performers in history, and recently won a Grammy for Best Instrumental Pop Performance for the song One Week Last Summer from her latest Starbuck’s offering, Shine.

9.) Gordon Lightfoot

Another performer who crosses musical genres successfully and has maintained a strong and loyal fan base, especially at home. Gord has written some of the most beautiful songs to ever have been recorded anytime/anywhere, and even had such notables as Bob Dylan refer to him as “Canada’s greatest natural resource.”
He is a very well respected member of Canada’s music royalty, and has the rare distinction of being made a Companion for The Order of Canada in 1993.

10.) Nickelback

I was flirting with the idea of not including this band on the list, basically because of the abuse I suffer at the hands of musical “associates” who bristle at my affection for them. But again, in doing the research for this article, there was no way I couldn’t include them. They’ve already sold more records than the Hip, but in less time, and their latest album is still on a record breaking charting course nearly three years after its release. They’ve had three top five albums within a five year period, and a number of top singles to boot. They’ve also won a number of awards both at home and internationally, so their success is a real and substantial one that deserves recognition and support…especially from home where it is lacking a lot of the times.

Top ten Canadian Albums of all Time by Shane Christensen

Read More of Shane’s Article Here.

Recently, I compiled my choices for the Top Ten Best Rock Albums of all Time, Article can be read here , and unfortunately there were no Canadian artists present. Being the true patriot that I am, I decided that that just wasn’t going to work, and felt I should do a follow up piece which would profile my top ten Canadian Rock albums of all time.

In my earliest childhood recollections, music played a pivotal part in my upbringing and would truly define my very being. And a good part of this music was homegrown, because this country has produced a great abundance of local musical talent.

Some of my earliest musical memories included artists like: Gordon Lightfoot, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, and of course the Guess Who, as these acts were frequently played on my favourite radio station of legendary status in Toronto, 1050 CHUM. And it wasn’t fan appreciated because of Canadian Content Regulations either, as all of these acts enjoyed huge international success, especially south of the border.

And the one thing I found while writing this article, is that this list was a lot harder to compile than my previous one, and I think the reason is because I do feel a deep attachment/loyalty to our homegrown acts. I am unashamedly proud of the following artists along with those who have furthered followed in their predecessor’s footsteps, and have proven to the entire world that my Canada cradles an abundance of creativity and talent.

As in my previous article (see link above), the criterion remains the same for an album to make my Swanktrendz list.

And this is as follows:

1.) Album must have been critically and/or commercially successful

2.) Must have innovative qualities that changed the production/approach of popular music

3.) Muscian and technical work is so good, it can not possibly be denied as being exceptional

But the difference in this list is that I’m going to add a fourth criteria, as follows:

4.) Noted album must have had a profound impact on the Canadian music industry

My choices for the top ten Canadian albums of all time are:

1.) Harvest Neil Young



Neil had already achieved notable success in the U.S. with Buffalo Springfield and CSNY, but this album was an enormous critical and commercial success that put him on the map as a solo artist, and as being uniquely Canadian, at that. I always felt that our music is a reflection of our national conscience, heart, and soul. Neil embodies all of that - and so throughly, he continues this Canadiana embodiment right through to the present day. He is our national treasure of whom we are all proud.


2.) Court and Spark Joni Mitchell



Many fans and critics would have picked the album Blue, but I’ve always preferred this offering. With smash hits such as Help Me and Free Man In Paris, this work firmly entrenched Joni as one of the greatest musical acts of the day. Even Jimi Page and Robert Plant were huge fans, and their classic song Going To California is believed to be penned for or about her. Not bad for a beautiful lady from Saskatchewan. Her innovation and originality, as well as the fact that she was a great inspiration to a whole generation of young women, provides more than enough reason to place this album so high on my list.
(Editor’s note - I agree! Same for Town & Country)
3.) Moving Pictures Rush

Although they had achieved a fair amount of international success, it wasn’t until this album came out that Rush was looked at with the level of respect that they truly deserved. Musically, they took it to a whole new level with songs like Tom Sawyer and Red Barchetta which propelled the band’s sales to dizzying heights, especially south of the border. Without a doubt, these guys are the best technical musicians this country has ever produced, and the work on Moving Pictures was second to none.

4.) Road Apples Tragically Hip


I can still remember the first time I heard a couple of tunes off this album in a Belleville, Ontario, bar; waiting to go on with the band I was in at the time. During the intro tunes, I rushed over to the deejay to inquire, “Who the hell is that?”, then immediately went out and bought the disc the following morning. I didn’t stop listening to it for months, and it’s still in regular rotation in my house and car. Quite simply, a great album from start to finish.

5.) Self Titled Tom Cochrane and Red Rider



The first song I heard from this album was Ocean Blue, and it immediately blew me away. But shortly after hearing The Untouchable One and Boy Inside The Man, I was again off to the record store and was thrilled to find out that this was indeed one of those special albums. One of the ironies of life is that while this very strong album did well, his ’91 release Mad Mad World would garner unprecedented critical and commercial success due to the popularity of the lead single, Life Is A Highway. And it couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy. Of special note is Ken Greer’s contribution both to this band and Canadian music in general with his help in launching that band out of Kingston way back in ‘87.

6.) Fully Completely The Tragically Hip



The Hip had achieved a fair amount of success by the time their third full length album was released in ’92, and Fully Completely would propel them to their present status as probably THE number one Canadian band of all time, although many Rush fans would obviously disagree. But the Hip did what Rush never could, and that was to place itself firmly in the Canadian psyche of an unprecedented number of fans, so much so that they have undoubtedly become indelibly connected with all things Canadian.



And on Fully Completely , songs like Wheat Kings and Fifty Mission Cap brought the music production industry to a whole new level, and there it has stayed since this album’s release.

7.) American Woman The Guess Who


Driven by the huge commercial success of the title track, this album solidified The Guess Who’s position as the top Canadian band of the time. In many respects this also marked the pinnacle for the band, as although they still enjoyed commercial success after Randy Bachman’s departure, the critical and commercial level of success was never duplicated to the level they attained upon the release of this, their third album. But these guys were definitely trailblazers for Canadian music, as they paved the way for all the other Canadian acts who followed in their footsteps.

8.) Reckless Bryan Adams

Mr. Adams became a household name in Canada after the release and phenomenal success of this album back in ’84. It spawned a total of six hit singles, and included the raunchy It’s Only Love duet with the best legs on the planet, Tina Turner. He would go on to have more record breaking success in the early ‘90s with one of the biggest singles of all time, (Everything I Do) I Do It For You , which spent an astounding 4 months at #1 on the UK record charts. And he’s still maintained his nice guy personality through all the fame and fortune, which just makes it extra sweet. I guess nice guys can finish first after all. Way to go Bryan! You da man!

9.) Come On Over Shania Twain

I know some of you are immediately asking yourselves, “Isn’t this suppose to be the top Canuck rock albums list?” And that is one of the reasons for this albums placing in the top ten. Sure it’s sold over 35 million copies worldwide, and that qualifies as the biggest seller album ever by a member of the fairer sex. But when you look at the track listing, you have to really question how much of this record is country at all. Like a lot of great artists, Shania is capable of bridging and fusing musical styles and genres from song to song, and that’s a major reason for her massive appeal and success. If I ever come across a genie in a bottle, my only wish is that I should be turned into Robert “Mutt” Lange immediately. The luckiest guy on the whole planet!

10.) All The Right Reasons Nickelback

I know there is a lunatic fringe that exists that hates anything or anyone that is super-successful, regardless of whether they deserve this success or not. And Nickelback seems to be one of those bands that just doesn’t get the critical respect they deserve.

Case in point; This album has sold over 6.5 million copies in the U.S. alone, and has never been below #30 on the Billboard Top 200 for over 103 weeks. Only Shania’s Come On Over has a longer run that high on the charts, as it stayed over 123 weeks in the top 30. And it’s kind of funny that both artists get slagged or disrespected by some because of…what? I don’t understand it, ‘cause in my mind they are both great artists that have produced top quality music that millions of people enjoy. And I’m sure they both take great pleasure in that fact, and it helps to drown out the sounds of the naysayers who take ‘offense’ from their enormous accomplishments.

I happen to be very proud of what Nickelback has done as they’ve proven to Canada and rest of the world that great things come from the smallest of places…even Hanna, Alberta (population 2500). Well Done!

Top 100 Canadian Albums written by Bob Mersereau - Book Review By: Janessa Lowrey

Searching for an Album of Gold

Visit Swanktrendz

Canadians are by nature, an agreeable, outwardly polite, and generally apathetic group except when it comes to their music. As soon as I saw the premise behind the book Top 100 Canadian Albums by Bob Mersereau (released earlier this week.)

I knew I had to read it to see if my ‘personal’ musical selections had acknowledged amongst the top hundred. Save for a couple of squeezed-in mentions, my choices were not acknowledged in Bob Mersereau’s compilation of Canada’s top 100 albums.

Normally, I would shrug my shoulders and assume the Canadian ‘Mweh’ acceptance stance, but for some reason these omissions were NOT acceptable and I needed to read on and learn why truly great (if not great, then good) albums were excluded. It’s not like Canada has millions of hit albums floating about for assessment - if anything, we have enough solid LPs (to use an old term which appears appropriate given many of the outdated selections) to adequately fill the top hundred with room to spare.

No, this is not a time to be my usual flippant self, both in my writing and in my response and attitude.

My first ‘Aha, this explains everything’ moment was when I became aware of the Borda Count which Bob Mersereau relied on when determining his book’s reigning Top Canadian One Hundred Albums. (For some reason, the Borda Count seems to parallel American politics. Along with a couple of problems with the Borda Count is the mathematical one i.e., it is possible for the majority favourite to fail to win when the Borda Count is employed. Much akin to the american voting system)

According to Wikipedia (this site is becoming my secondary all-seeing third eye, and I hope its information is routinely double and triple checked as I have neither the time nor money to do either). As explained, The Borda Count is a system: in which voters rank candidates in order of preference. The Borda count determines the winner of an election by giving each candidate a certain number of points corresponding to the position in which he or she is ranked by each voter. Once all votes have been counted the candidate with the most points is the winner.

There are many flaws to this form of ranking, but by having Mersereau explain how he arrived at his controversial and arguable outcome made one’s knee jerk reaction less violent. Therefore, the decision to include relatively unknown albums on Mersereau’s list does not fall squarely on the author’s shoulders (although his decision for utilizing such a ranking system, does.)

Here’s is Mersereau's top hundred list for anyone who may have missed it:

1. Harvest, Neil Young (1972)

2. Blue, Joni Mitchell (1970)

3. After the Gold Rush, Neil Young (1970)

4. Music From Big Pink, The Band (1968)

5. Fully Completely, The Tragically Hip (1992 )

6. Jagged Little Pill, Alanis Morissette (1995)

7. The Band, The Band (1969)

8. Funeral, Arcade Fire (2004)

9. Moving Pictures, Rush (1981)

10. American Woman, The Guess Who (1970)

11. Songs of Leonard Cohen, Leonard Cohen (1967)

12. Reckless, Bryan Adams (1984)

13. Five Days in July, Blue Rodeo (1993)

14. Twice Removed, Sloan (1994)

15. Up to Here, The Tragically Hip (1989)

16. Everybody Knows This is Nowhere, Neil Young with Crazy Horse (1969)

17. 2112, Rush (1976)

18. Court and Spark, Joni Mitchell (1974)

19. Whale Music, Rheostatics (1992)

20. Acadie, Daniel Lanois (1989)

21. Day for Night, The Tragically Hip (1994)

22. Rust Never Sleeps, Neil Young & Crazy Horse (1979)

23. Gord's Gold, Gordon Lightfoot (1975)

24. You Were Here, Sarah Harmer (2000)

25. Fumbling Towards Ecstasy, Sarah McLachlan (1993)

26. Road Apples, The Tragically Hip (1991)

27. Gordon, Barenaked Ladies (1992)

28. You Forgot it in People, Broken Social Scene (2002)

29. I'm Your Man, Leonard Cohen (1988)

30. Tonight's the Night, Neil Young (1975)

31. Decade, Neil Young (1977)

32. Miss America, Mary Margaret O'Hara (1988)

33. Surfacing, Sarah McLachlan (1997)

34. One Chord to Another, Sloan (1996)

35. Songs of Love and Hate, Leonard Cohen (1971)

36. Cyborgs Revisited, Simply Saucer (1989)

37. Ingenue, k.d. lang (1992)

38. Melville, Rheostatics (1991)

39. Love Tara, Eric's Trip (1993)

40. On the Beach, Neil Young (1974)

41. Not Fragile, Bachman-Turner Overdrive (1974)

42. The Best of the Guess Who, The Guess Who (1971)

43. Let it Die, Feist (2004)

44. The Last Waltz, The Band (1978)

45. Night Train, The Oscar Petersen Trio (1963)

46. Down at the Khyber, The Joel Plaskett Emergency (2001)

47. Harvest Moon, Neil Young (1992)

48. Cuts Like a Knife, Bryan Adams (1983)

49. L'heptade, Harmonium (1976)

50. Teenage Head, Teenage Head (1979)

51. High Class in Borrowed Shoes, Max Webster (1977)

52. Hejira, Joni Mitchell (1976)

53. The Goldberg Variations, Glenn Gould (1955 and 1982)

54. Forgarty's Cove, Stan Rogers (1977)

55. Wheatfield Soul, The Guess Who (1968)

56. Si on avait besoin d'une cinquieme saison, Harmonium (1974)

57. Dancing in the Dragon's Jaw, Bruce Cockburn (1979)

58. Frantic City, Teenage Head (1980)

59. Hymns of the 49th Parallel, k.d. lang (2004)

60. Hot Shots, Trooper (1979)

61. Robbie Robertson, Robbie Robertson (1987)

62. The Trinity Session, Cowboy Junkies (1988)

63. Ron Sexsmith, Ron Sexsmith (1995)

64. Nothingface, Voivod (1989)

65. Come on Over, Shania Twain (1997)

66. Everything I Long For, Hayden (1995)

67. Outskirts, Blue Rodeo (1987)

68. Joyful Rebellion, k-os (2004)

69. Sit Down Young Stranger/If You Could Read My Mind, Gordon Lightfoot (1970)

70. Love Junk, The Pursuit of Happiness (1988)

71. Jaune, Jean-Pierre Ferland (1970)

72. Somewhere Outside, The Ugly Ducklings (1966)

73. Electric Jewels, April Wine (1973)

74. Sundown, Gordon Lightfoot (1973)

75. Left and Leaving, The Weakerthans (2000)

76. Clumsy, Our Lady Peace (1997)

77. Harmonium, Harmonium (1974)

78. Share the Land, the Guess Who (1970)

79. Greatest Hits!, Ian & Sylvia (1970)

80. Steppenwolf, Steppenwolf (1968)

81. Ladies of the Canyon, Joni Mitchell (1970)

82. Bud the Spud and Other

Favourites, Stompin' Tom Connors (1969)

83. Shine a Light, Constantines (2003)

84. Shakespeare My Butt, The Lowest of the Low (1991)

85. Clayton Park, Thrush Hermit (1998)

86. Smeared, Sloan (1992)

87. Living Under June, Jann Arden(1994)

88. The Hissing of Summer Lawns, Joni Mitchell (1975)

89. Bad Manors, Crowbar (1971)

90. Official Music, King Biscuit Boy With Crowbar (1970)

91. Lightfoot!, Gordon Lightfoot (1966)

92. Mad Mad World, Tom Cochrane (1991)

93. Rufus Wainwright, Rufus Wainwright (1998)

94. Face to the Gale, Ron Hynes (1997)

96. Hobo's Taunt, Willie P. Bennett (1977)

97. Cowboyography, Ian Tyson (1986)

98. Favourite Colours, The Sadies (2004)

99. The Way I Feel, Gordon Lightfoot (1967)

100. A Farewell to Kings, Rush (1977)

My first concern (in the general housekeeping section) was - why couldn’t the list makers just plug the artists’ names on the list rather than record each of the artist’s albums worthy of mention. Yes, I know this is the top 100 albums of Canadian rock, but presently some singers have filled at least five slots - four of which could go go to equally talented artists. (In other words, shouldn’t there be a quota?)

Another concern - (more to do with the overall selection process involved when choosing an artist’s album) - was each artist involved given a list of names to choose/narrow the selection from, or was each judge/voter invited to submit his/her own top ten artists?

As with many other book reviewers, I feel the need to ask some trivial questions

a) Where is the index?

b) Why are the chosen albums generally decades old? Certainly we have albums from as late as 2006 (insert exaggerated gasp here)?

c) Was there a year/date deadline so some of the currently popular bands were unable to be amongst the choices presented?

 d) Did the chosen album have to sell well (quantity of units versus quality of units) in order to be considered?

e) Should an artist’s ‘greatest hits’ be considered an album?

f) Who the hell were the 600 or so people chosen to fill out the survey? Were they all members of the I-hate-Nickelback-and-have-nothing-better-to-do-club?I realize the book states they were music journalists, retailers, musicians and DJs, of various ages, from across the country, but I question their credentials (and are they really pretentious as they appear to come across?)

and g) Is there going to be a sequel - aptly entitled. Canadian bands unfortunately overlooked during the first book but now available as a viable option for the second book...

 Here comes Janessa’s official whine so slice up the cheese.

Assume for an instant that artists whom made the top hundred list do not have to include every variation of an album they’ve made? With subsequent space created, could the following artists be included?:

Bif Naked

Art Bergmann

Sons Of Freedom

Payolas

Prism

Meryn Cadell

Men Without Hats

The Odds

The New Pornographers(COME ON!!!? Surely they warrant a mention??)

Neko Case

The Spoons - (our major album selling darlings of the ‘80s)

Rough Trade - Hello? Carol Pope?

Sam Roberts - COME ON!!

Loverboy

Bootsauce

Sara Craig - Alanis-type angst well before Alanis’s jagged little pill release

A Foot in Cold Water

Chilliwack

Toronto

Marianas Trench - yes they are new... but they belong here.

Boy - Again, they are new, but they are incredible

Prairie Oyster

Hot Hot Heat,

The Rankin Family,

Canadian well-known singer Rita MacNeil

Nickelback - Hello!? Is anyone awake back there?

The Headpins

- (While Bryan Adams released his first album. Darby Mills and company were neck in neck for radio airplay with them

Martha and the Muffins

Kate & Anna McGarrigle - Rufus makes it on but...?

Great Sugar

The Grapes of Wrath

Rascalz

54-40

Anne Murray- She won every award possible yet...?

Spirit of the West

Chantal Kreviazuk

and I could go on but I will not...

I totally appreciate and welcome the inclusion of such artists as: Joni Mitchell, The Tragically Hip, Gordon Lightfoot,The Constantines, Our Lady Peace, The Guess Who, Barenaked Ladies. April Wine, Leonard Cohen, Bryan Adams, The weakerthans, Rush and even Canadian legend Stompin’ Tom.

I will be kind here and acknowledge that when one is asked one’s top ten Canadian albums, it is easy to forget bands. It is easy to fall prey to the Oh-yeah-I-forgot-about-that-one. What as I thinking? However, it is never too late to call or write in your change in band priority.

I am not sure what Mersereau was hoping to attain when he released this water-cooler debate book. Perhaps he was hoping for a argumentative discourse, thus increasing the profile of the book which in turn would increase sales. If this was not his intent, let me be the first in line to learn what he hoped to gain from releasing such an annoying list?

Overall my rating would be 9/10 for latching on to a very good (albeit already done) idea and introducing a tallying system which is both unpredictable and annoying - YET - gets Canadians to discuss our music scene which we are notorious for overlooking. He also receives a 6/10 for using an idea that has been used an indeterminate amount of times before. Be original, think of a way to stimulate Canadian music conversation without resorting to tired methods.

Buy This Book