Max Webster was a Canadian hard rock band formed in Toronto in 1972. The band was relatively successful in Canada, with several best-selling albums, and had some minor success in the UK, before dissolving in 1981. The band's founder, Kim Mitchell, subsequently enjoyed a long and successful solo career in his native Canada. In 2023, the band was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame.
Initially a trio for their first gigs in December 1972, the original members were guitarist and vocalist Kim Mitchell, bassist Mike Tilka, and drummer Phil Trudell. The band were briefly called Stinky, then Special Delivery. They settled on Max Webster by early 1973, a name concocted by Tilka while playing with Daryl Stuermer in a Milwaukee band called Family at Mac's (Stuermer had written a song inspired by Ben Webster called "Song for Webster").[1]
The lineup was augmented to a quartet in early 1973 with Jim Bruton being added on keyboards. Paul Kersey replaced Trudell in April 1973, and Terry Watkinson replaced Bruton in February 1974. Max Webster were signed by SRO Management in 1975,[2] and a year later their self-titled debut album, co-produced by Terry Brown, was released. The band quickly gained a reputation on the Toronto bar scene for their humour, stage antics, and repertoire including Jethro Tull and Frank Zappa covers as well as their compositions spanning a wide range of genres. The Mitchell/Tilka/Kersey/Watkinson lineup was the longest-lasting in the band's history, and by 1976 they had over 50 original songs in their catalog.[3]
After a Canadian tour opening for Rush, Kersey left the band and was replaced by Gary McCracken. After recording and touring for their second album, High Class in Borrowed Shoes (1977), Tilka would follow suit and leave the band, being replaced by Dave Myles (although Billy Sheehan was Mitchell's first choice, who did pre-production for their next album while Tilka remained playing gigs[4]). Myles had played with both Mitchell and McCracken in a series of pre-Max Webster bands, all based in their hometown of Sarnia, Ontario.
Mitchell and lyricist Pye Dubois wrote the majority of their material, with their collaboration beginning in Greece in 1972.[5] Watkinson wrote one to three songs per album, and McCracken and Myles would eventually contribute material as well.
Their third album, Mutiny Up My Sleeve (1978), was produced by the band and Terry Brown and their now ex-bassist Mike Tilka (who was now working in the Anthem/SRO office and was called in to finish the album after Brown quit[7]). The Mitchell/Watkinson/McCracken/Myles lineup would last through their fourth album, A Million Vacations, and a subsequent live album, Live Magnetic Air, both of which were issued in 1979 (Brown reunited with the band for the latter).
Though their albums had become FM radio staples in Canada, A Million Vacations was the first Max Webster album to generate hit singles that appeared in the Canadian top 100. The group's first hit was "Let Go the Line," written and sung by Terry Watkinson, and peaked at No.41 on the Canadian charts. Follow-up single "A Million Vacations" was written by McCracken/Dubois, sung by McCracken, and peaked at No.80 in Canada. The album's third and final single, "Paradise Skies" was a Mitchell/Dubois composition sung by Mitchell, and was a minor hit in both Canada (number 21) and the UK Singles Chart (number 43).[8]
With some international recognition having arrived, Max Webster then toured the UK and Europe backing Rush in 1979 and played successful dates of their own at the famed Marquee Club in London. However, their career momentum was stalled when the band's American label Capitol Records refused to finance a follow-up headlining European tour. The band returned to the UK over a year later, but poor ticket sales from a lack of promotion led to their shows being cancelled, and only two dates supporting Black Sabbath were fulfilled.
Prior to the recording of the band's fifth and final studio album, Universal Juveniles (1980), Watkinson exited, leaving Max Webster a trio of Mitchell, McCracken, and Myles. Universal Juveniles was recorded with the assistance of session musicians David Stone (who also briefly toured with the band) and Doug Riley. The song "Battle Scar" was recorded live with all three members of Rush playing alongside Max Webster (Watkinson returned just for this session).
Myles left the band immediately after the album was recorded, leaving Mitchell and McCracken as the only serving members. Mitchell soon assembled a new touring lineup with Mike Gingrich on bass, Greg Chadd on keyboards, and Steve McMurray on second guitar. Watkinson eventually rejoined in December 1980 as a salaried touring member, but Mitchell nonetheless decided to dissolve the band after a gig supporting Rush in Memphis, Tennessee on April 16, 1981, primarily citing exhaustion and a lack of label support.[9]
Legacy and reunions
Founding member, vocalist and guitarist Kim Mitchell
Max Webster were close friends of fellow Canadian musicians Rush. In a 1978 interview, Rush bassist and vocalist Geddy Lee commented that he enjoyed their music, insisting "they're quite hard to describe, but they have amazing musicianship and very interesting lyrics."[10]
Although successful in Canada, Max Webster failed to achieve much success elsewhere. "Paradise Skies" was a minor UK hit, reaching No.43 on the singles chart there. They also appeared on Top of the Pops in 1979, playing to a pre-recorded track that was recorded at Abbey Road Studios. Kim Mitchell's subsequent solo career, however, reached a much broader audience and he achieved popularity beyond Canada during the 1980s.
Among the highlights of the band's career were their New Year's Eve shows at Toronto's Maple Leaf Gardens. Geddy Lee joined the band onstage to sing and play his Teardrop bass guitar for "Battle Scar" on December 31, 1980.
The band reunited in 1990 for a gig at the Toronto Music Awards, with the High Class in Borrowed Shoes lineup of Kim Mitchell, Terry Watkinson, Mike Tilka, and Gary McCracken. Max Webster did a proper reunion tour in 1995–96, with longtime Mitchell collaborator Peter Fredette joining the band as bassist in place of Tilka.
On May 24, 2007, The Mitchell/Watkinson/Tilka/McCracken lineup of Max Webster reunited for a one-off gig as part of the Q107 30th anniversary concert and live radio special at The Docks in Toronto. McCracken sang "A Million Vacations" with his tech Robert Sibony on drums, and Fredette joined the band onstage to sing Geddy Lee's part on "Battle Scar."
From April 2004 until August 2015, Kim Mitchell hosted the weekday afternoon drive slot (2 p.m.-6 p.m.) on Q107 (107.1) in Toronto, Ontario.[11]
In the 1990s Watkinson and Tilka formed the band Antlers, mostly playing Max Webster songs and classic rock covers. The band has continued on and off for more than 20 years, playing at various venues around southern Ontario.[12][13]
Gary McCracken teaches music in his hometown of Sarnia, Ontario.[14]
Rock Candy Records in England has re-released the first four Max Webster albums.
In 2017 a box set package called The Party was released by Anthem Records on vinyl, compact disc and digital formats. The release featured remastered versions of all the band's previously released material (with the exception of Hot Spots and Overnight Sensation, which had appeared on Diamonds Diamonds), unreleased live and studio songs, and Kim Mitchell's long out-of-print solo EP. The vinyl set includes a booklet, a poster and a sticker.
Paul Gilbert cites Mitchell's playing on Universal Juveniles to have been a great influence on his guitar style.[15] Music critic and biographer Martin Popoff cites Max Webster as his favourite band.
On September 28, 2023, Max Webster was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame at the Canada's Rock of Fame induction ceremony at Massey Hall in Toronto.[16] All of the longest serving members of the band attended (Mitchell, Tilka, Kersey, Watkinson, McCracken and Myles).
Band members
Kim Mitchell– guitar, vocals (1972–1981, 1990, 1995–1996, 2007)
Terry Watkinson– keyboards, synthesizer, vocals (1974–1980, 1980–1981, 1990, 1995–1996, 2007)
Mike Tilka– bass, synthesizer, vocals (1972–1977, 1990, 2007)
Gary McCracken– drums, percussion, vocals (1976–1981, 1990, 1995–1996, 2007)
A United Kingdom only release called "Magnetic Air" was released in 1979 by Capitol-EMI Records to showcase the band to a wider audience. It features live tracks from the Live Magnetic Air album as well as songs from the first two albums, Max Webster and High Class in Borrowed Shoes, as they were not released in the UK.
Joseph Kim Mitchell is a Canadian rock musician. He was the lead singer and guitarist for the band Max Webster before going on to a solo career. His 1984 single, "Go for Soda", was his only charted song on the US Billboard Hot 100, reaching number 86. Several other singles such as "Patio Lanterns", "Rock and Roll Duty", and "Rockland Wonderland", reached the top 20 in Canada.
Klaatu was a Canadian rock group formed in 1973 by the duo of John Woloschuk and Dee Long. They named themselves after an ambassador, Klaatu, from an extraterrestrial confederation who visits Earth with his companion robot Gort in the film The Day the Earth Stood Still. After recording two non-charting singles, the band added drummer Terry Draper to the line-up; this trio constituted Klaatu throughout the rest of the band's recording career.
All the World's a Stage is a double live album by Canadian rock band Rush, released in September 1976 by Mercury Records. The album was recorded at Massey Hall in Toronto on June 11–13, 1976, during the band's breakthrough 2112 tour. The title of the album alludes to William Shakespeare's play As You Like It, and would again be referenced by Rush in the 1981 song "Limelight".
Honeymoon Suite is a Canadian rock band formed in 1981 in Niagara Falls, Ontario. The band's name was a nod to the fact that Niagara Falls is the unofficial honeymoon capital of the world.
April Wine is a Canadian rock band formed in 1969 and based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Led by singer-guitarist-songwriter Myles Goodwyn from its inception in 1969 until his death in 2023, April Wine first experienced success with their second album, On Record (1972), which reached the top 40 in Canada and yielded two hit singles: a cover of Elton John's "Bad Side of the Moon", a top 20 hit in Canada; and a cover of Hot Chocolate's "You Could Have Been a Lady", a number 2 song in Canada.
Moving Pictures is the eighth studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released on February 12, 1981, by Anthem Records. After touring to support their previous album, Permanent Waves (1980), the band started to write and record new material in August 1980 with longtime co-producer Terry Brown. They continued to write songs with a more radio-friendly sound, featuring tighter and shorter song structures compared to their earlier albums.
The Pursuit of Happiness (TPOH) are a Canadian rock and power pop band best known for their song "I'm an Adult Now".
Idle Eyes is a Canadian rock and roll band from Vancouver, British Columbia. They are best known for the Canadian hit single "Tokyo Rose", which peaked at #16 on RPM's Canadian singles chart in June 1985. There is also a Hardcore band from Australia with the same name.
High Class in Borrowed Shoes is the second album by Canadian rock band Max Webster. The album was released in 1977 and has been certified gold by the Canadian Recording Industry Association.
Max Webster was the first record released by Canadian rock band Max Webster. The record was released in 1976 on Taurus Records, a short-lived label created by Rush manager Ray Danniels. The album was re-issued in January 1977 by Anthem Records in Canada and on Mercury Records in the US, with the title Hangover and different artwork.
Mutiny Up My Sleeve was the third album by Canadian rock band Max Webster. The record was released in 1978 in Canada by Anthem Records and in the United States and Europe by Capitol Records. The album was certified gold by the Canadian Recording Industry Association.
A Million Vacations is the fourth album by Canadian rock band Max Webster. The record was released in 1979 in Canada by Anthem Records and in the United States and Europe by Capitol Records. The hit songs "A Million Vacations", "Let Go the Line", and "Paradise Skies" remain as Canadian Classic rock radio station staples. The lead track "Paradise Skies" was released by Capitol-EMI Records Britain as a picture disc single that featured "The Party" from their previous album Mutiny Up My Sleeve.
Streetheart is a Canadian rock band, originally from Regina, Saskatchewan and later based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Their best known songs include "Here Comes the Night", "What Kind of Love is This", and their cover of the Rolling Stones' "Under My Thumb".
Boys Brigade was a Canadian new wave band formed in 1980 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The band consisted of vocalist and keyboardist Malcolm Burn, guitarist and vocalist Tony Lester, bass guitarist Wayne Lorenz, drummer Billie Brock and percussionists David Porter and Jeff Packer. One critic noted, "What made Boys Brigade stand out was their strong use of percussionists in a standard rock/new wave format."
Universal Juveniles was Max Webster's fifth and last studio album, released in 1980 in Canada by Anthem Records. It was released internationally on the Mercury Records label outside of Canada. The album was produced by Jack Richardson who was best known for producing The Guess Who's biggest hit records. It features a guest appearance by friends and fellow Canadian rockers Rush on the song "Battle Scar", recorded live in studio on July 28, 1980. It is also the only Max Webster album to not feature Terry Watkinson as a member, though he makes a guest appearance on "Battle Scar".
Live Magnetic Air is a live album by Canadian rock band Max Webster. It was recorded on 13 September 1979 at the Lyric Theatre in Kitchener and 14 September 1979 at War Memorial Hall in Guelph, with two shows played at each venue each night. The album was released on 22 October 1979 in Canada by Anthem Records and has been certified gold by the Canadian Recording Industry Association.
Diamonds, Diamonds is a "Greatest Hits" album by the Canadian rock band Max Webster. It was released in 1981 after the band had broken up, and features two new tracks: "Hot Spots" and "Overnight Sensation", which were recorded in 1975 during the debut album sessions. No songs from the band's fifth album, Universal Juveniles, are included on this album. An alternate version of "On the Road" from the High Class in Borrowed Shoes sessions was slated for release but pulled at the eleventh hour.
Kim Mitchell is the first solo effort from Canadian singer and guitarist Kim Mitchell. Mitchell was the former lead singer and guitarist for Max Webster. This extended play was recorded and released right after the band's break-up.
The Hunt was a Canadian rock band, mostly made up of musicians who had been members of another Canadian rock band, Dillinger.
Gary McCracken is a Canadian musician. He was the drummer for the band Max Webster from 1976 to 1981, when the band dissolved. As a member of Max Webster, McCracken played on four studio albums and was co-writer and lead vocalist for the band's hit 1979 single, "A Million Vacations". He also collaborated on "Battle Scar" with Rush and drummer Neil Peart in 1980. McCracken has also played with bands including Triumph, Wrabit, Klaatu, and released a solo album, Audioscapes, in 2000.
References
↑ "Ask Daryl". Archived from the original on March 23, 2010. Retrieved March 16, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
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