Label: RCA Victor Records (UK), SF 8269 (LSP 4602)
Style: Rock
Country: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada (1962–present)
Time: 38:24
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 228 Mb
Early years:
In the late 1950s, lead singer Allan formed the Silvertones with fellow Winnipeg teenagers Kale, a bassist; Bachman, a guitarist; and pianist Bob Ashley. With the addition of drummer Peterson, they became Chad Allan & the Reflections and by 1965 were Chad Allan & the Expressions. Heavily influenced by the British Invasion, the group developed a loyal following in Winnipeg, but its recordings suffered from the refusal by most radio stations in Canada to play Canadian groups. In 1965 their cover of Johnny Kidd and the Pirates’ "Shakin’ All Over" was released to radio stations under the moniker "Guess Who?" in the hope that disc jockeys would be more inclined to play a song by a mysterious new British band. Whether this marketing ploy had anything to do with the song’s success is debatable, but it was a chart-topping hit in Canada and reached No. 22 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. Later that year keyboardist Cummings joined the group and took over as vocalist and frontman when Allan left in 1966. After a disappointing tour of the United Kingdom in 1967, the group served for two years as the house band on the CBC TV music-variety program Let’s Go, hosted by Allan. From 1966 to 1968, when the question mark was dropped from its name, the Guess Who landed a number of singles in the Canadian Top 40 but its albums sold poorly.
International success:
After acquiring the band’s contract from Quality Records for $1,000, producer Jack Richardson placed a second mortgage on his house to finance the album Wheatfield Soul (1969), which yielded the million-selling "These Eyes," a Top 10 hit in both Canada and the U.S. Canned Wheat (1969) followed and included double-sided hit singles "Laughing" and "Undun." It was the next album, American Woman (1970), however, that made the Guess Who stars. Its title track, the first recording by a Canadian rock group to hit No. 1 in the United States on the Billboard Hot 100, had serendipitous origins, beginning as a riff improvised by Bachman while tuning his guitar after breaking a string during a concert and was spontaneously augmented by the rest of the group, including Cummings, who added the memorable lyrics "American woman stay away from me." "No Sugar Tonight," the B-side for "American Woman," also was a hit in both Canada and the U.S. "No Time," which was originally included on Canned Wheat, was re-recorded for American Woman and became its third hit single. American Woman reached No. 9 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart, making it the only Guess Who album to reach the Top 10.
Post-Bachman years:
Wearied of the conflict between his religious beliefs and the band’s rock-and-roll lifestyle, Bachman, who had converted to Mormonism in 1966, left the Guess Who in 1970. He later reteamed with Allan to form Brave Belt, which evolved into Bachman-Turner Overdrive. Two guitarists, Winter—who became Cummings’s primary songwriting partner—and Leskiw, replaced Bachman. The first album with this new lineup, Share the Land (1970), featured several hits, including Winter’s "Hand Me Down World" and "Bus Rider," along with Cummings’s title track and the Cummings-Winter collaboration "Hang On to Your Life." So Long, Bannatyne (1971) followed a year later and included the popular singles "Rain Dance" and "Sour Suite." A concert album, Live at the Paramount (1972), yielded the Canadian hit "Runnin’ Back to Saskatoon" and led renowned rock critic Lester Bangs to declare "The Guess Who is God."
(www.britannica.com, Written By: Steve McLean)
01. A1 Heartbroken Bopper (04:54)
02. A2 Get Your Ribbons On (02:38)
03. A3 Smoke Big Factory (03:59)
04. A4 Arrivederci Girl (02:32)
05. A5 Guns, Guns, Guns (04:59)
06. B1 Running Bear (02:22)
07. B2 Back to the City (03:38)
08. B3 Your Nashville Sneakers (02:56)
09. B4 Herbert's a Loser (03:34)
10. B5 Hi Rockers (06:47)
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