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.
"The Skye Boat Song" is a late 19th-century Scottish song adaptation of a Gaelic song composed c.1782 by William Ross, entitled Cuachag nan Craobh. In the original song, the composer laments to a cuckoo that his unrequited love, Lady Marion Ross, is rejecting him. The 19th century English lyrics instead evoked the journey of Prince Charles Edward Stuart from Benbecula to the Isle of Skye as he evaded capture by government soldiers after his defeat at the Battle of Culloden in 1746.
Linda McRae is a Canadian folk-roots-Americana musician. A multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter, she is a former member of Spirit of the West. She has released five albums, Flying Jenny, Cryin’ Out Loud,Carve It to the Heart,Rough Edges and Ragged Hearts and her most recent release, a career retrospective entitled 50 Shades of Red.
Vince Richard Ditrich is a Canadian rock musician, best known as the drummer and manager of the band Spirit of the West. Ditrich is also the author of three novels featuring fictional musician Tony Vicar.
Weights and Measures is a 1997 album by Spirit of the West. It was their final album of new material for Warner Music Canada.
Open Heart Symphony is a 1996 album by Spirit of the West, in collaboration with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.
Faithlift is a 1993 album by Canadian band Spirit of the West.
Go Figure is the fifth studio album by Canadian folk rock group Spirit of the West, released on June 25, 1991 by Warner Music Canada. It was the band's first rock album, and their first with drummer Vince Ditrich.
Save This House is the fourth studio album by Canadian folk rock band Spirit of the West, released on February 20, 1990, by Warner Music Canada.
The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (VSO) is a Canadian orchestra based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The VSO performs at the Orpheum, which has been the orchestra's permanent home since 1977. With an annual operating budget of $16 million, it is the third largest symphony orchestra in Canada and the largest performing arts organization in Western Canada. It performs 140 concerts per season. The VSO broadcasts annually on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The orchestra is affiliated with the VSO School of Music, which was established in September 2011. Chamber music concerts by VSO musicians take place at Pyatt Hall on the VSO School of Music campus.
In a Coma: 1995-2005 is the title of the Matthew Good compilation album, featuring both his solo work and work from the Matthew Good Band.
Rita Chiarelli is a Canadian blues singer. She was called "the goddess of Canadian blues" by Shelagh Rogers at CBC Radio One.
Images in Vogue is a Canadian new wave group formed in 1981 in Vancouver. It originally consisted of vocalist Dale Martindale, guitarist Don Gordon, synth players Joe Vizvary and Glen Nelson, bassist Gary Smith, and percussionist Kevin Crompton. The band's manager was Kim Clarke Champniss, who later became a MuchMusic VJ.
"Home for a Rest" is a song by Canadian folk rock band Spirit of the West from their fourth studio album Save This House, released in 1990. It is the band's signature song and is considered a classic of Canadian music.
"Political" is a song written by John Mann and recorded by Canadian folk rock group Spirit of the West. One of the band's most famous songs, it originally released in 1988 as the lead single from their second studio album Labour Day. While it failed to chart as a single in 1988, it was re-recorded and released in October 1991 as the second single from their fifth studio album Go Figure, peaking at number 70 in Canada in November 1991.
Philip Sayce is a Welsh-born-American-Canadian guitarist, singer, songwriter, performer, and producer.
RCA Camden was a budget record label of RCA Victor, originally created in 1953 to reissue recordings from earlier 78rpm releases. The label was named "Camden", after Camden, New Jersey where the offices, factories and studios of RCA Victor and its predecessor, the Victor Talking Machine Company had been located since 1901.
"And if Venice Is Sinking" is a song written by John Mann and Geoffrey Kelly for the Canadian folk-rock band Spirit of the West. Spirit of the West recorded the song on their studio album Faithlift. It also appeared on their greatest hits album Hit Parade, both in the original studio single and as a live recording with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.
3's a Crowd was a folk rock band from Vancouver who existed from 1964 to 1969, spending most of that time in Toronto and Ottawa. The group had some Canadian chart success, but is particularly notable for the caliber of Canadian musicians who passed through its ranks and would later establish successful careers of their own, including Bruce Cockburn, Colleen Peterson, David Wiffen, Trevor Veitch, and Brent Titcomb. 3's a Crowd is also remembered for its association with Cass Elliott, who co-produced the group's only album.
Spirituality 1983–2008: The Consummate Compendium is a greatest hits album by Spirit of the West, released by Rhino Records on July 15, 2008.
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