Barney Bentall and the Legendary Hearts (album)

Last updated
Barney Bentall and the Legendary Hearts
Barney Bentall and the Legendary Hearts, album cover.jpg
Studio album by
Released1988 (1988)
RecordedDecember 1987 – March 1988
StudioMushroom Studios
Length50:17
Label Epic
Producer David Tickle
Barney Bentall and the Legendary Hearts chronology
Barney Bentall and the Legendary Hearts
(1988)
Lonely Avenue
(1990)

Barney Bentall and the Legendary Hearts is the eponymous debut album by the Canadian band Barney Bentall and the Legendary Hearts. It became a platinum record in Canada. [1] The album was recorded at Mushroom Studios in Vancouver, British Columbia between December 1987 and March 1988, and was published by Epic Records and CBS Records in 1988. [2] The song "Something to Live For" became a number one hit in Canada, the band's first top-ten single. [1] [3] Two other songs, "House of Love (is Haunted)" and "Come Back to Me", also charted in Canada, and the band became a "pop radio fixture" in Canada. [4]

Contents

Gary Fraser, a friend of Barney Bentall, wrote all the album's lyrics. [5] He began writing lyrics for Bentall in 1978, when he sent Bentall poems. [6] Bentall and Fraser prepared a demo tape, produced by Bob Rock. [7] The band hired film students to record a music video for "Something to Live For", which drew the attention of managers at MuchMusic, who broadcast the video frequently. [1] The video was described by media critic Peter Goddard of the Toronto Star as "simplicity itself". [8]

The success of the album resulted in the band receiving the 1989 Juno Award for Most Promising Group of the Year. [9] [7] The band was considered a favourite to win the award against other nominees 54-40, The Jitters, The Northern Pikes, and The Pursuit of Happiness. [10] They were also nominated for Canadian Entertainer of the Year, which was ultimately awarded to Glass Tiger. [9] [11]

The band signed a recording contract with CBS Records and signed a management contract with Bernie Finkelstein. [7] Finklestein would include a quotation of lyrics from "Something to Live for" in his 2012 autobiography True North. [12]

Track listing

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [13]

All lyrics are written by Gary Fraser; all music is composed by Barney Bentall

No.TitleLength
1."Something to Live for"4:38
2."House of Love (Is Haunted)"3:31
3."Jelly Roll" (composed by Barney Bentall, Barry Muir and Colin Nairne)4:08
4."She's My Inspiration"4:21
5."Black Clouds"7:04
6."Come Back to Me"3:44
7."I Want Her"5:04
8."Pale Blue Eyes"4:31
9."Carry on"4:25
10."Somewhere There's an Angel"4:02
11."Josephine" (composed by Barney Bentall, Barry Muir and Colin Nairne)4:49

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 Kent 1999.
  2. Quill & June 1988, p. F1.
  3. Penticton Western News 2015.
  4. Bloomquist 1989.
  5. Quill & August 1988, p. E11.
  6. Dafoe 1990, p. C1.
  7. 1 2 3 Harrison 2013.
  8. Goddard 1987, p. E1.
  9. 1 2 Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.
  10. MacInnis 1989, p. F1.
  11. Toronto Star 1988, p. E27.
  12. Finklestein 2012, p. 26.
  13. AllMusic.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spirit of the West</span> Canadian rock band

Spirit of the West were a Canadian folk rock band from North Vancouver, active from 1983 to 2016. They were popular on the Canadian folk music scene in the 1980s before evolving a blend of hard rock, Britpop, and Celtic folk influences which made them one of Canada's most successful alternative rock acts in the 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geoffrey Kelly</span> Canadian rock musician (born 1956)

Geoffrey Kelly is a Canadian rock musician. He played guitars, flutes and bodhrán for the folk rock band Spirit of the West, for whom he was also the lead vocalist on some songs: Geoffrey Kelly and John Mann were the band's primary songwriters and founders. They were often referred to as the "Glummer Twins". Their partnership endured through the years until the final 3 SOTW shows at the beloved Commodore Ballroom in April 2016. The Spirit of Canada shows took place at the Commodore the following year with an all star cast of Canada's finest.

Mae Moore is a Canadian singer-songwriter. Her music is a blend of pop, folk and jazz. Her most successful album, 1992's Bohemia, was an international hit, although her other albums have been successful mainly in Canada. Over the course of her career, Moore achieved nine top 40 singles in Canada, as well as two JUNO nominations, two Canadian Folk Music Awards nominations, and won two SOCAN Awards. Moore's second album, Bohemia, drew critical acclaim and was released internationally. Her biggest hit, "Genuine", became a top 10 hit in June 1995 and was one of Canada's ten most-performed compositions of the year.

Sharon "Shari" Ulrich is a Canadian/American musician and songwriter. She has also worked as a television host, actress, film composer, and educator. A multi-instrumentalist, she plays Violin, Mandolin, guitar, piano, and Dulcimer.

<i>Show Me</i> (54-40 album) 1987 studio album by 54-40

Show Me is an album by the Canadian alternative rock band 54-40, released in 1987. The album contains the singles "One Day in Your Life" and "One Gun", both of which were hits in Canada. Neil Osborne has stated that Show Me is his least favourite record.

<i>Fight for Love</i> (54-40 album) 1989 studio album by 54-40

Fight for Love is the fourth album by the Canadian band 54-40, released in 1989. The band supported the album with a Canadian tour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barney Bentall</span> Canadian singer and songwriter (born 1956)

Barnard Franklin "Barney" Bentall is a Canadian pop/rock singer-songwriter who is most well known for his 1990s-era band, Barney Bentall and the Legendary Hearts. Their most successful Canadian singles included "Something to Live For", "Life Could Be Worse", "Crime Against Love" and "Come Back to Me". He has also recorded under the pseudonym Brandon Wolf.

The Juno Awards of 1989, representing Canadian music industry achievements of the previous year, were awarded on 12 March 1989 in Toronto at a ceremony in the O'Keefe Centre. André-Philippe Gagnon was the host for the ceremonies, which were broadcast on CBC Television.

<i>American Boyfriends</i> 1989 Canadian film

American Boyfriends is a 1989 Canadian comedy-drama film written and directed by Sandy Wilson and starring Margaret Langrick, John Wildman, Jason Blicker, Liisa Repo-Martell, and Delia Breit. It is the sequel to My American Cousin (1985). Langrick and Wildman reprise their roles as Sandy Wilcox and Butch Walker respectively.

<i>Diamond Sun</i> 1988 studio album by Glass Tiger

Diamond Sun is the second album by Canadian band Glass Tiger. It was released by EMI Manhattan Records on April 13, 1988. The album was certified triple platinum in Canada and featured the single "I'm Still Searching", which peaked at No. 2 in Canada. The album was produced by Jim Vallance.

Barney Bentall and the Legendary Hearts are a Canadian rock band, based out of Vancouver, British Columbia, that formed in 1980. The band's name was taken from the title of Lou Reed's 1983 album.

<i>Mending Wall</i> (album) 1987 studio album by Chalk Circle

Mending Wall is the first album by the Canadian band Chalk Circle, released in 1987 on Duke Street Records. The band supported the album by touring with Crowded House. Mending Wall sold more than 50,000 copies before the end of 1987.

<i>Nice Place to Visit</i> 1988 studio album by Frōzen Ghōst

Nice Place to Visit is the second album by the Canadian band Frōzen Ghōst, released in 1988. It had sold more than 50,000 copies before the end of the year.

The Romaniacs was a Canadian rock band based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Their music combined Eastern European, Gypsy jazz, and pop. They made extensive use of costumes and props, including a large map, during their live shows.

The Razorbacks were a Canadian rockabilly band that attained moderate national popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The band was known for its lively stage show, and made regular appearances on The Tommy Hunter Show on CBC.

<i>Contact</i> (Platinum Blonde album) 1987 studio album by Platinum Blonde

Contact is the third studio album by the Canadian band Platinum Blonde, released in 1987. It sold more than 150,000 copies in its first year of release. The album reached a high of 25 for 3 weeks on the Canadian charts. The first single was the title track; its video was shot at Lamport Stadium. Another music video was filmed for the second track, "Connect Me".

Gregory Raymond Quill was an Australian-born musician, singer-songwriter and journalist. He lived in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, and was an entertainment columnist at the Toronto Star newspaper from the mid-1980s until his death in May 2013. In Australia he came to popular fame as a singer-songwriter for the country rock band Country Radio (1970–73). Their biggest hit, "Gypsy Queen", co-written by Quill with bandmate Kerryn Tolhurst, was released in August 1972 and peaked at No. 12 on the Go-Set National Top 40. After getting an arts grant, Quill travelled to Toronto in 1974 and by the mid-1980s had become a journalist with the Toronto Star. By 1983 he was married to Ellen Davidson, a public relations executive. Greg Quill died on 5 May 2013, at the age of 66, from "complications due to pneumonia".

The High Bar Gang is a Canadian bluegrass band, based in Vancouver.

<i>Humour Me</i> 1988 studio album by Jesse Winchester

Humour Me is an album by the American-Canadian musician Jesse Winchester, released in 1988. It was his first album in seven years. Humour Me was nominated for a Juno Award, in the "Best Roots or Traditional Album" category. "Well-a-Wiggy" had been a minor hit for the Weather Girls.

Curtis Wehrfritz is a Canadian film and music video director and artist. He is most noted as the winner of the Juno Award for Video of the Year at the Juno Awards of 1993, for his video for Leonard Cohen's "Closing Time".

References