The Great White North (album)

Last updated
The Great White North
Bob and Doug.jpg
Studio album by
Released1981
Recorded1980–1981
Genre Comedy
Length44:20
Label Anthem Records (Canada)
Mercury Records (U.S.)
Bob and Doug McKenzie chronology
The Great White North
(1981)
Strange Brew
(1983)

The Great White North is a Canadian comedy album by the fictional television characters Bob and Doug McKenzie (portrayed by actors Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas), released in 1981 by Anthem Records (ANR-1-1036) and distributed in the United States by Mercury Records (SRM-1-4034). [1] The title is a nickname for Canada, also used as the title of a Second City Television (SCTV) sketch featuring Bob and Doug. This album's release tied in with SCTV at the height of the characters' popularity, and a still from the show is on its cover. In its sleeve is a newspaper parody called The Daily Hoser.

Contents

The complete story of how Anthem Records' Perry Goldberg fought to get the Great White North album made is at Billboard Canada: https://ca.billboard.com/fyi/how-gut-feeling-made-million-bob-doug-mckenzie

Sales

At least one million copies of the album were sold in North America, 350,000 of these in Canada alone, which earned a triple-platinum certification from the Canadian Recording Industry Association. [2] [3]

The Great White North entered the RPM Canadian album charts at #3 on 12 December 1981 [4] and rose to the #1 position the following week where it remained until 23 January 1982. [5] [6] Overall, RPM ranked the album #40 of albums released in Canada during 1981. [7] It peaked at number 8 on the American Billboard 200 album chart in 1982. [8]

"Take Off"

The song "Take Off" (identified on the album as "the hit single section"), features guest vocalist Geddy Lee of Rush, an elementary schoolmate of Moranis. In it he utters the line, “Yeah, um, I, you know, ten bucks is ten bucks”, after a reminder of his deal with the brothers' lawyer. [9] It was a hit, peaking at number 16 on the Billboard 100 singles chart in March 1982, five spots higher than Rush's most popular U.S. song, "New World Man", released a year later. [10] It reached #14 on the Cash Box chart and #5 on WLS-AM in Chicago. [11] On Canada's CHUM Charts it was No. 1 for 2 weeks. [12]

Awards

In 1982, this album received the Juno Award for Comedy Album of the Year.

In 1983, it was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album, but lost to Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip .

Track listing

Side 1

  1. "This is our album, eh?" - 3:40
  2. "The Beerhunter" - 2:23 This sketch is a beer-drinking game based on The Deer Hunter : Russian Roulette with beer cans.
  3. "School Announcements" - 1:52 This sketch features Doug (Thomas) as a school vice-principal who encourages his charges to "have a beer and talk" at his office.
  4. "The Miracle of Music" - 0:41 Doug plays the Great White North theme by blowing across beer bottles containing varying levels of liquid.
  5. "Peter's Donuts" - 3:02 Bob and Doug sit inside a donut shop as their vehicle gets towed, due to being parked on the street because the shop has very few parking spaces.
  6. "Gimme A Smoke" - 2:00
  7. "Take Off" - 4:46 This track features singing by guest vocalist Geddy Lee of Rush [13]
  8. "Coffee Sandwich" - 2:26

Side 2

  1. "Welcome to Side Two" - 0:58
  2. "Doug's Mouth" - 3:33
  3. "Elron McKenzie" - 2:28 A clergyman gives a sermon on the evils of killing "bugs".
  4. "Black Holes" - 2:06 There is a backwards message on this track.
  5. "You Are Our Guest" - 2:14 The duo's exaggerated accents pronounce "are" and "our" as homophones for comedic effect. Listeners play the "guest" by reading the enclosed script.
  6. "Ernie's Mom" - 1:54
  7. "The Twelve Days of Christmas" - 4:46 A comedic rewrite of the popular Christmas carol; the duo only makes it as far as Day 8 before deciding the song has run long enough.
  8. "Ralph The Dog" - 3:11
  9. "Okay, This is the End, eh?" - 1:57
  10. "Honest" - 0:31

Side 2 of the original vinyl album also includes a very brief unlabeled track of Bob McKenzie (Moranis) saying the two words "black hole" and then laughing just before the "You Are Our Guest" segment. This is a callback to the fourth track on side 2 called "Black Holes", in which Bob insists the spaces between tracks of a vinyl album are black holes.

Reviews

Liam Lacey's review of the album in The Globe and Mail concluded on a negative sentiment, noting the production was "entertaining listening - about twice. Other hosers are going to find it extremely confusing." [14]

Track #7, "Take Off" is featured in The Simpsons Season 13 episode, "The Bart Wants What It Wants".

"Take Off" is also featured in Ash vs. Evil Dead Season 2 episode, "DUI".

Featured among other classic artists, track #15, "The Twelve Days of Christmas" also appears on a compilation album entitled, A Rock 'n' Roll Christmas II. [15]

"The Twelve Days of Christmas" is included on Dr. Demento Presents: The Greatest Christmas Novelty CD of All Time. [16]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geddy Lee</span> Canadian musician (born 1953)

Geddy Lee Weinrib is a Canadian musician, best known as the lead vocalist, bassist, and keyboardist for the rock group Rush. Lee joined the band in September 1968 at the request of his childhood friend Alex Lifeson, replacing original bassist and frontman Jeff Jones. Lee's solo effort, My Favourite Headache, was released in 2000.

<i>Signals</i> (Rush album) 1982 studio album by Rush

Signals is the ninth studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released on September 9, 1982 by Anthem Records. After the release of their previous album, Moving Pictures, the band started to prepare material for a follow-up during soundchecks on their 1981 concert tour and during the mixing of their subsequent live album Exit...Stage Left. Signals demonstrates the group's continuing use of synthesizers, sequencers, and other electronic instrumentation. It is the last album produced by their longtime associate Terry Brown, who had worked with them since 1974.

<i>Second City Television</i> Canadian television sketch comedy show

Second City Television, commonly shortened to SCTV and later known as SCTV Network and SCTV Channel, is a Canadian television sketch comedy show that ran intermittently between 1976 and 1984. It was created as an offshoot from Toronto's Second City troupe. It is a rare example of a Canadian show that moved successfully to American television, where it aired on NBC from 1981 to 1983.

Henry Sarwer-Foner is a Canadian television director. He has won numerous Canadian Screen Awards, Gemini, DGC and Canadian Comedy Awards as the director of This Hour Has 22 Minutes, Made in Canada and Corner Gas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rick Moranis</span> Canadian actor, comedian and musician (born 1953)

Frederick Allan Moranis is a Canadian actor, comedian, musician, songwriter, writer, and producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dave Thomas (actor)</span> Canadian actor and comedian (b. 1948)

David William Thomas is a Canadian actor, comedian and television writer, known for being one half of the duo Bob and Doug McKenzie with Rick Moranis. He appeared as Doug McKenzie on SCTV, for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award out of two nominations, and in the film Strange Brew (1983), which he also co-directed. As a duo, they made two albums, The Great White North and Strange Brew, the former gaining them a Grammy Award nomination and a Juno Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob and Doug McKenzie</span> Canadian comedy duo portrayed by Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas

Bob and Doug McKenzie are a pair of fictional Canadian brothers who hosted "Great White North", a sketch which was introduced on SCTV for the show's third season when it moved to CBC Television in 1980. Bob is played by Rick Moranis and Doug is played by Dave Thomas. Although created originally as filler to both satisfy and mock network Canadian content demands, the duo became a pop culture phenomenon in both Canada and the United States. The characters became the focus of a bestselling comedy album, The Great White North, in 1981 and starred in a feature film, Strange Brew, in 1983. They were later revived for an animated series, Bob & Doug, which premiered on Global in 2009.

Great White North may refer to:

<i>Strange Brew</i> 1983 Canadian-American comedy film

Strange Brew is a 1983 Canadian-American comedy film starring the popular SCTV characters Bob and Doug McKenzie, portrayed by Dave Thomas and Rick Moranis, who also served as co-directors. Co-stars include Max von Sydow, Paul Dooley, Lynne Griffin and Angus MacInnes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hoser</span> Canadian slang term

Hoser or hose-head is a slang term originating in Canada that is used to reference or imitate Canadians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Sawyer (song)</span> 1981 song by Rush

"Tom Sawyer" is a song by Canadian rock band Rush, originally released on their 1981 album Moving Pictures as its opener. The band's lead singer, bassist, and keyboardist, Geddy Lee, has referred to the track as the band's "defining piece ... from the early '80s".

Comedy rock is rock music that is comedic in nature. It is often mixed with satire or irony.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gillan (band)</span> English rock band fronted by Ian Gillan

Gillan was an English rock band formed in 1978 by Deep Purple vocalist Ian Gillan. Gillan was one of the hard rock bands to make a significant impact and commercial success in the United Kingdom during the early 1980s, with five silver albums. They sold over 10 million LPs worldwide.

Ian Campbell Thomas is a Canadian singer, songwriter, actor and author. He is the younger brother of comedian and actor Dave Thomas. He was born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

The Juno Awards of 1982, representing Canadian music industry achievements of the previous year, were awarded on 14 April 1982 in Toronto at a ceremony hosted by Burton Cummings at the Harbour Castle Hilton Convention Centre in the Grand Metropolitan Ballroom.

Adam Ant is a British post-punk, new wave artist. He was the lead singer of Adam & the Ants until their split in early 1982, by which time they had recorded three studio albums. Ant, however, would go solo, and release an additional five studio albums throughout the 1980s and early 1990s. After a gap of nearly 18 years, his sixth released solo studio album came out in early 2013. A planned follow-up album recorded the following year currently officially remains at developmental stage.

"Test for Echo" is the title track and first single from Canadian rock band Rush's 16th studio album released in 1996. The song's lyrics were written by Neil Peart and Pye Dubois with music written by Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson. The song reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. It was the band's fourth consecutive album to yield a chart-topper on this chart, along with "Show Don't Tell" from Presto, "Dreamline" from Roll the Bones, and "Stick It Out" from Counterparts. The song also peaked at #6 on the Canadian Singles Chart, which is the band's highest position on that chart since "New World Man" peaked at #1 in 1982.

<i>Bob & Doug</i> (TV series) Canadian animated sitcom

Bob & Doug is a Canadian animated sitcom, which premiered on Global on April 19, 2009. The series is a revival of the SCTV sketch characters Bob and Doug McKenzie.

<i>Bob & Doug McKenzies Two-Four Anniversary</i> Canadian TV series or program

Bob & Doug McKenzie's Two-Four Anniversary is a one-hour Canadian entertainment special featuring the return of the popular SCTV characters, Bob and Doug McKenzie. Portrayed by Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas, the duo reunited one last time in a retrospective on the characters and their lasting impact on Canadian and American pop culture.

References

  1. Great White North Songs: Great White North MP3 Songs by Bob Online Free on Gaana.com , retrieved 2021-06-20
  2. Gatehouse, Jonathon (7 May 2007). "Take off, eh! Eh? / Bob and Doug McKenzie are back, maybe for the last time, for a 'two-four' anniversary". Maclean's . Archived from the original on 14 February 2009. Retrieved 2008-11-01.
  3. Canadian Recording Industry Association - Search Certification Database Archived May 1, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  4. "RPM 50 Albums". RPM . 12 December 1981. Retrieved 2008-10-27.
  5. "RPM 50 Albums". RPM . 19 December 1981. Retrieved 2008-10-27.
  6. "RPM 50 Albums". RPM . 30 January 1982. Retrieved 2008-10-27.
  7. "Top 100 Albums of 1981". RPM . 26 December 1981.
  8. "Billboard 200 (album chart)". Billboard . 3 April 1982. Archived from the original on 3 May 2009. Retrieved 2008-10-29.
  9. Bob & Doug McKenzie (Ft. Geddy Lee) – Take Off , retrieved 2021-06-20
  10. "Bob & Doug McKenzie, Take Off (chart listing)". Billboard . 27 March 1982. Archived from the original on July 13, 2014. Retrieved 2008-11-11.
  11. WLS Musicradio Survey, March 13, 1982
  12. "CHUM Hit Parade - December 12, 1981".
  13. Kirkland, Bruce (1 December 2007). "Bob & Doug McKenzie anniversary / 'Two-Four' DVD full of fresh material". Jam!/Sun Media. Archived from the original on July 11, 2012.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  14. Lacey, Liam (28 November 1981). "Inside the Sleeve Pop / Great White North". The Globe and Mail . p. F6.
  15. "A Rock 'n' Roll Christmas II". Amazon.
  16. Dr. Demento Presents: The Greatest Christmas Novelty CD of All Time - Dr. Demento | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic , retrieved 2020-09-24