The Top 100 Canadian Albums is a book by journalist Bob Mersereau, published in 2007 by Goose Lane Editions.
Mersereau surveyed 600 music journalists, retailers, musicians and disc jockeys of all ages, from all parts of Canada, who each submitted a list of 10 favourite Canadian albums released between 1957 and 2007.
Mersereau acknowledged that the list would cause debate among music fans across the country. "The important part is to talk about Canadian music and enjoy it," he said. "I'd be shocked if there wasn't complaints and arguments and debates."[ citation needed ]
A review from the National Post by Mark Medley identifies regional and genre biases in the book. Saying, “While any list of "Top 100" anything is sure to ignite some controversy, there are definitely some glaring omissions,” Medley lists 10 albums, four from British Columbia artists. One of these was The New Pornographers’ Mass Romantic . “To completely leave off Carl Newman, Neko Case et al. is plain wrong. I'm grouping in Stars' 2004 album Set Yourself on Fire in with this.” Medley also noted the omission of The Grapes of Wrath's album Now and Again . “This album cracked the top 50 in Chart Magazine's 1996 and 2000 top 50 Canadian albums polls.” As well, Medley noted the underrepresentation of hip hop artists, specifically Maestro Fresh Wes’ Symphony in Effect and Dream Warriors' And Now the Legacy Begins . [1]
Juan Rodriguez in the Montreal Gazette identifies a bias against Quebec artists, particularly francophone. He notes that only 8% of the artists on the list are from Quebec, a province with over 23% of the population of Canada, and that only 2% of the artists are francophone artists from Quebec, a group that comprises 80% of the population of Quebec and close to 19% of the population of Canada. Rodriquez examined Mersereau's list of contributing experts and found that only 10% of them were from Quebec, and 5% were francophones from Quebec. Rodriquez questioned the people excluded from Mersereau's list of experts: “Alain Brunet of La Presse – and dean of local French-language music critics – was not asked for his opinions. Indeed, La Presse, Le Journal de Montréal and The Gazette were shut out. Major observers of "la scène locale" like Patrick Baillargeon and Olivier Robillard Laveaux of Voir aren't there.” Rodriquez concludes that “Mersereau's inability to face all the music created in Canada in a cogent critical manner is disturbing.” [2]
Quebec comics are French language comics produced primarily in the Canadian province of Quebec, and read both within and outside Canada, particularly in French-speaking Europe.
As a cosmopolitan province, Quebec is a home to varied genres of music, ranging from folk to hip hop. Music has played an important role in Quebecer culture. In the 1920s and '30s, singer/songwriter Madam Bolduc performed comedic songs in a folk style with Irish influences. Quebec's most popular artists of the last century include Félix Leclerc (1950s), Gilles Vigneault (1960s–present), Kate and Anna McGarrigle (1970s–present) and Céline Dion (1980s–present).
Me Mom and Morgentaler were a Canadian third wave ska band based in Montreal, Quebec. The band members included Gus "Van Go" Coriandoli, Kim Bingham, John Jordan, Adam "Baltimore Bix" Berger, Kasia Hering, Sid Zanforlin, Matt Lipscombe, Noah Green, Diane White, and John "JB" Britton. They were known for their elaborate live performances, spectacles of vaudevillian-styled performance art with leftist leanings. They sang in both English and French.
Michel Armand Guy Pagliaro is a Canadian rock singer, songwriter and guitarist from Montreal, Quebec. Pagliaro was nominated for a 1975 Juno Award as male vocalist of the year. Although he writes and records predominantly in French, Pagliaro has reached international success mainly with material released in English.
Ginette Reno is a Canadian author, composer, singer, and actress. She has received nominations for the Genie and Gemini Awards and is a multi-recipient of the Juno Award. She is a gold and platinum selling Canadian musician.
Jorane Pelletier, known professionally as Jorane, is a French-Canadian singer/cellist, who performs pop and alternative music style on the cello, a typically classical instrument, while singing at the same time. She has released eight full-length studio albums to date.
Harmonium was a Quebec progressive rock band formed in 1972 in Montreal. It became one of the most well-known music bands in the province of Québec in the 1970s and continues to hold an iconic and influential status to this day.
Anti-Quebec sentiment is a form of prejudice which is expressed toward the government, culture, and/or the francophone people of Quebec. This prejudice must be distinguished from legitimate criticism of Quebec society or the Government of Quebec, though the question of what qualifies as legitimate criticism and mere prejudice is itself controversial. Some critics argue that allegations of Quebec bashing are sometimes used to deflect legitimate criticism of Quebec society, government, or public policies.
Stéphanie Lapointe is a Quebec singer, song writer, television and movie actress and humanitarian activist. She is best known as the winner of the second season of Star Académie.
Paul Baillargeon is a Canadian composer, known for his music for television shows. He contributed music to 41 episodes of Star Trek shows, and won the 2002 ASCAP Award for Enterprise, shared with the series' other regular composers.
El Motor is a French-Canadian indie-rock band formed in Montreal, Quebec, Canada in 2007. They are signed to Véga Musique.
Stanley Rimsky Salgado, known by his stage name Imposs, is a Haitian-Canadian rapper, musician, singer and songwriter based in Quebec. Before becoming a solo artist, he was part of Muzion, one of the well-known hip hop bands of Quebec. He has collaborated on many occasions with Wyclef Jean during Muzion days and also as a solo artist. He is well known for dubbing the phrase "Real City" for Montreal. He is signed to Sony.
La Patère Rose was a Canadian francophone electro-pop group formed in 2003 in Sherbrooke, Quebec. The band was composed of keyboardist Roboto, drummer Kilojules and singer-pianist Fanny Bloom.
Louis-Jean Cormier is a Canadian indie rock singer and songwriter. Formerly associated with the band Karkwa, since that band went on hiatus in 2012 he has recorded and performed as a solo artist and was a judge on the second season of the television singing competition La Voix.
Jimmy Hunt is a Canadian singer-songwriter from Quebec.
Klô Pelgag is the stage name of Chloé Pelletier-Gagnon, a Canadian singer-songwriter from Quebec.
Milk & Bone are a Canadian electropop duo based in Montreal, Quebec, consisting of Laurence Lafond-Beaulne and Camille Poliquin. Their debut album Little Mourning, released in 2015 via Bonsound, was a longlisted nominee for the 2015 Polaris Music Prize. Although both of the band members are francophones, they write and record in English.
Florence Khoriaty, known as Florence K, is a Canadian pop singer and songwriter from Quebec, who performs material in English, French, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese. She is most noted for garnering a Juno Award nomination for Breakthrough Artist of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2014.
Loud is the stage name of Simon Cliche Trudeau, a Canadian rapper from Quebec.
Les Louanges is a Canadian indie pop act from Quebec, that consists of Vincent Roberge. His debut album, La nuit est une panthère, was a shortlisted nominee for the 2019 Polaris Music Prize, and won the Juno Award for Francophone Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2020.
