 |
| Truck | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Studio album by | |
| Released | 1973 |
| Studio | Thunder Sound |
| Genre | Jazz rock |
| Label | Capitol ST 6388 |
| Producer | Dennis R. Murphy |
Truck is the debut album by Canadian jazz rock band, Truck. Consisting of original compositions, it was produced by Dennis R. Murphy of Sundog Productions. Released in early 1973 on the Capitol label, it made the Canadian charts and hung around for about a month and a half.
The possibility of Truck releasing an album was noted in an issue of RPM Weekly dated May 6, 1972. [1] At the end of June was when they were to start work on the album with producer Dennis Murphy. [2]
According to the January 6, 1973 issue of Billboard , Truck's debut album was to be released by Capitol in mid-January. [3] From early February to early March the group was taken off the road by their bosses at Magic Management to work on various aspects of their performances as well as the preparation for the heavy schedule coinciding with the release of the album. [4]
When the album was released, the line-up included Graham Lear on drums and percussion, Larry Ernewein on bass and backing vocals, Bill Usher on congas and bongos, Joey Miquelon (aka Joey Roberts [5] ) on guitar, Brian Wray on keyboards, flute and backing vocals, Michael Curtis on lead vocals, flute, acoustic guitar and percussion and James Roberts on tenor saxophone, flute and organ. [6] The opening track on the album, "Rollin's On My Mind" was co-written by Graham Lear with keyboardist Brian Wray. [7] [8] The rest of the tracks on Side A were "Rain", "People", "Can't Wait (Until Tomorrow)", "Please Don't Come Shining Your Light" and on Side B, "Sing a Song", "Get it Together", "Take a Look", "Ernie" and "Another Dream". [9] The rest of the tracks were composed by members of the group. [10]
A press party scheduled for April was organized by Capitol Records to commemorate the release of the album. [11]
The album includes the songs from the two singles, "Rain", "Get It Together" and "Can’t Wait Until Tomorrow", except for "Canada". [12] [13]
By April 7th, it had been getting airplay on Harvey MacKinnon's list at DAL Radio in Halifax, and Charlotte Baxter's list at Radio Erindale in Clarkson. [14] The following week, it was on Steve Shacher's play list at Radio Brockist in Catharines. [15] For the week of April 21, the album was still on Charlotte Baxter's list. It was also when the album made its first appearance in the charts. It entered the RPM100 Albums Chart at #100. [16] [17] The following week it was at #98. [18] By May 26, having spent six weeks in the charts it was at #85. [19]
| No. | Track | Composer | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A1 | "Rollin's On My Mind" | Brian Wray, Graham Lear | 3:02 | |
| A2 | "Rain" | Michael Curtis | 3:21 | |
| A3 | "People" | Truck | 3:32 | |
| A4 | "Can't Wait (Until Tomorrow)" | James Roberts | 3:50 | Lead vocals James Roberts |
| A5 | "Please Don't Come Shining Your Light" | Joey Miquelon, Michael Curtis | 6:00 | |
| B1 | "Sing a Song" | Brian Wray, Larry Ernewein, Michael Curtis | 3:06 | |
| B2 | "Get It Together" | Brian Wray | 2:48 | |
| B3 | "Take a Look" | Brian Wray, Michael Curtis | 7:00 | |
| B4 | "Ernie" | Larry Ernewein | 1:17 | |
| B5 | "Another Dream" | Michael Curtis | 3:50 | |
| Name | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Michael Curtis | Lead vocals, flute, acoustic guitar, percussion | |
| Larry Ernewein | Bass, backing vocals | |
| Graham Lear | Drums, percussion | |
| Joey Miquelon | Electric Guitar | |
| James Roberts | Tenor saxophone, flute, organ | |
| Bill Usher | congas, bongos | |
| Brian Wray | Keyboards, flute, backing vocals | |
| Name | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Don Dunsmore | Protography | |
| John Martin | Album cover design | (for Slic-Brothers, Canada) |
| Dennis R. Murphy | Producer | A Sundog Production |
| Phil Sheridan | Engineer | |
| Paul White | A&R | |
American vocalist Frank Sinatra recorded 59 studio albums and 297 singles in his solo career, spanning 54 years. Sinatra signed with Columbia Records in 1943; his debut album The Voice of Frank Sinatra was released in 1946. Sinatra would achieve greater success with Capitol and Reprise Records, the former of which he released his final two albums on—Duets and Duets II. Eight compilation albums under Sinatra's name were released in his lifetime, with more albums released following his death in 1998.
RPM was a Canadian music-industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.
Gwendolyn Dianne Brooks, was a soul, r&b and jazz singer from New Jersey. With the Three Playmates, Brooks recorded several songs in 1957. She moved to Toronto shortly thereafter. Her part in Canadian soul music history began when the group Diane Brooks, Eric Mercury and the Soul Searchers was formed. As a solo singer, she recorded two albums and several singles of her own. Her biggest solo hit was "Walkin' on My Mind" in 1969. She was also a prolific session singer. As a vocalist, she provided backing vocals on albums by a multitude of artists that include Anne Murray, Gino Vannelli and Richie Havens. She was also a song-writer.
Graham Lear is an English-born Canadian rock drummer, best known for his time with Gino Vannelli, Santana and REO Speedwagon. He was born in Plymouth, United Kingdom.
Motherlode was a Canadian pop rock group formed in 1969 in London, Ontario. The group scored some success in the US with their single, "When I Die", which hit #1 in Canada and #18 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1969. The group didn't have a bass guitarist. William Smith would play the bass notes on his keyboard. They did however use bass players on their studio recordings.
Truck was a 1970s Canadian rock group with a musical style similar to Natural Gas and Lighthouse. Signed to the Capitol label, they released two singles and an album. The outfit started out as Sound Spectrum in 1966 and by the early 1970s they had absorbed experienced musicians from groups Natural Gas and Motherlode. Their name had also been changed to Truck! The 1970s lineup was completely different to what it was when the group began. A busy live attraction, they did reasonably well with their album Truck which had an unbroken run for about a month-and-a-half in the charts.
Natural Gas was a Canadian rock music group featuring a horn section. Consisting of eight members, it was formed by George Olliver. They released an album and a single in 1970. They had hit that year with "All Powerful Man". Their self-titled album also made the charts.
Brian Wray was a veteran Canadian musician and musical arranger. He had been a member of three major Canadian bands, Natural Gas in the late 1960s, Motherlode and Truck in the early 1970s. He also worked with Lisa Hartt, Freedom North, Moe Koffman, David Johannesson and other artists. In later years he moved more towards the jazz genre.
Michael Curtis is a musician and composer. He was also a member of These Vizitors, Canadian group Truck, Crazy Horse and The Curtis Bros. He also co-wrote the hit "Southern Cross" which was recorded by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
Christopher Kearney is a Canadian singer and songwriter who kicked off his career after military service. He had a hit in 1970 with "Theme for Jody". He had more chart success with the single "Loosen Up".
Magic Management was a music management company that managed Canadian acts such as Jay Telfer, Truck, Christopher Kearney, Terry Dee and The Good Bros. during the 1970s. They also managed English group Hit & Run which was based in Toronto. They became involved with an exercise involving Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau to encourage young people to vote. They became one of the few music-related companies at the time who were able to incorporate management and creative requirements for their acts. Their subsidiary Slic Brothers was nominated three times for a Juno Award in the mid-1970s.
Young was a Canadian rock music group led by Roger Plomish.They released a few singles and an album during the 1970s. They had success with "Goin' to the Country" which was a hit in both Canada and the United States. Their album also spent about 14 weeks in the charts. The group may have been working on a second album prior to their break up.
Tapestry was an early 1970s Canadian musical group fronted by singers Jack Winters, Heather Woodburn and Judy Harmon aka Judi Jensen. They released several singles and had a hit with "The Music Doesn't Seem to Be Going Anywhere". Some of their other singles also charted.
Life was a late 1960s/early 1970s Canadian musical group who had success with the top 20 hit, "Hands of the Clock". They also charted with a cover of the Beatles’ "Strawberry Fields Forever".
Larry Ernewein is an active jazz musician and a pilot. During the 1970s he was a member of the Canadian jazz-rock group, Truck. He is also the owner, operator of Innerkip Aerodrome. He is also a judge and competitor in aerobatic competitions.
Freedom North was a Canadian rock group that was active in the 1970s. Recording for Aquarius Records, they had hits with "Doctor Tom" and "Losing You".
Heat Exchange was a Canadian rock band who had evolved out of a late 1960s, blues quartet. They had a hit in Canada in 1972 with "Can You Tell Me". Nearly five decades later they would finally have their album released.
Lisa Hartt is a Canadian singer and Juno Award nominee. She was the lead singer of The Lisa Hartt Band during the 1970s. They had a hit with "Old Time Movies". As a solo artist, she also had a radio hit with the single "Touch Me".
Jim Mancel was a Canadian singer, producer, composer and arranger who had several hits from the early 1970s and another in the early 1980s. He has recorded for the Polydor, Apex, and Quality labels, and Quality's subsidiary, Celebration. His hits include, "I Could Give You the World" which was a hit on the MAPL chart in 1970, and his 1975 single "Let the Phone Ring" which was also commercially successful in Canada. He hit the adult contemporary chart in 1977 with "Just Be Yourself". He was also a member of the Canadian band, Chester who had a hit in 1973 with "Make My Life a Little Bit Brighter".
Aaron Space was a Canadian rock group that had a national hit with "Keep on Movin" in 1971. They had evolved out of a band called Mudflat.