Customer Reviews

Best of/When I Die

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Like another Canadian group from the same era (Mashmakhan out of Montreal), Motherlode will forever be ensconced in that ignominious club known as the One-Hit Wonder, probably because they had to be one of the most fluid bands of that time, eventually encompassing some 19 different band members in no less than five reincarnations over the years.

Starting their careers primarily in Toronto, saxophonist/harmonica player Steve Kennedy and keyboardist William "Smitty" Smith both played in a band called The Soul Searchers which featured vocalists Eric Mercury and Diane Brooks. When that group disbanded, Kennedy and Smith drifted over to join Grant Smith & The Power, a band that also included David Clayton Thomas, before relocating to London, Ontario and linking up in 1969 with guitarist Ken Marco and drummer Wayne Stone.

In the midst of a gig at the Image Club they were noticed and signed to a recording contract with the Canadian label Revolver Records, owned by Mort Ross, and soon released When I Die b/w Hard Life on Revolver REVS 002. It received little or no air play anywhere in Canada - until, that is, Buddah Records executive Neil Bogart happened to catch their act and offered to pick up the record for distribution in the U.S. After it came out on Buddah 131 and began a steady climb to a very respectable # 18 Hot 100 late in the summer of 1969, only then did Canadian DJs realize what they had been ignoring, and the resulting increased play at home saw it peak at # 5 on the Canadian CHUM/RPM charts in September.

The follow-up single Memories Of A Broken Promise b/w What Does It Take on Revolver REVS 004 in Canada and Buddah 144 in the U.S. could only climb as high as # 25 on the Canadian charts and made no impact at all in the States, nor did two albums on Revolver, When I Die and Tapped Out (the last distributed only in the U.S.), make any impact. In January 1970 the band broke up with Kennedy, Marco and Stone becoming original members of the Toronto-based band Dr. Music.

Ross, however, owned the name Motherlode and decided to try and capitalize on their modest success in the U.S. by having Smith bring in saxophonist Doug Richardson, guitarist Anthony Shinault and drummer Philip Wilson who then released two singles in 1970, Dear Old Daddy Bill b/w Living Life" on Revolver REVS 005 and I'm So Glad You're You (And Not Me) b/w the instrumental Whipoorwill on Revolver REVS 008, which also came out in the U.S. on Buddah 185. Both flopped and this gathering soon broke up as well.

Ross then hired Gord Waszek of the band Leigh Ashford to write new material for yet another gathering under the name Motherlode, vocalist Breen Leboeuf, bass player Mike Levine, Waszek and a couple of other Leigh Ashford personnel, who recorded All That's Necessary b/w Chant (Revolver REVS 011), with the B-side being simply Hiro Smothek from the 1970 album Tapped Out under a different title. Since this gathering of artists were not available to promote the disc, a fourth gathering consisting of vocalist Wayne St. John, bass player Mike Levine, guitarist Kieran Overs and, from Leigh Ashford, drummer Wally Cameron and keyboardist Newton Garwood. When the record went nowhere this collection also disbanded.

Early in 1971 the fifth version of Motherlode was cobbled together from members of the defunct Natural Gas out of Montreal - vocalist/bass player Gerry Legault, saxophonist Dave Berman, drummer Brian Dewhurst, guitarist Joey Roberts and keyboardist Brian Wray. However, they never cut a record and would later re-organize as Truck.

Many of the sides just mentioned are in this volume, and if the sound is different to your ear, and you aren't all that familiar with the history of the band, now you know why. Of the original members, "Smitty" Smith, who had gone to become a respected studio musician on the U.S. west coast, passed away following a heart attack on December 12, 1997.

Motherlode,is a name mot familiar to many these days.They were like a huge bright comet that came into view and in too short a time was gone.The original group lasted only about a year,having been formed in London,Ontario back in /69.They were caught at the famous Image club there and signed to a record deal.They had a big sound and very tight vocals,reminiscent of groups like Lighthouse,Chicago and Blood Sweat and Tears.In fact in regards to the latter group,two the founding members previously played in a Toronto group called Grant Smith and the Power whose vocalist was a young David Clayton Thomas.When Motherlode split up in 1970 some its members went on to form another famous but short lived Canadian group called Dr Music.

On this 2008 CD we find much of Motherlode's better numbers.The song that dominates this release of course,and which belongs in everyone's collection,is "When I Die";a classic in every way,tight harmonies and instrumentation the norm throughout.This is not to be confused with another classic song of the same name by BS&Ts.

The music has been transferred onto CD well and the sound is very good.

This is a recommended CD release and a reminder of that explosive era of the Canadian music scene in the late 60s and early 70s to which Motherlode was definitely an unforgettable contributor.

I was looking for the "When I Die" album on CD. This includes all the cuts from that album and some other "Best Of" songs. The "When I Die" album cuts sound exactly like the original vinyl versions. These are not re-recordings.

I always thought that the original record had a harsh sound with a lot of "hiss" because it was on vinyl and was just poorly produced. The hiss is still on the CD for the "When I Die" cuts. I guess that's just the way it was recorded in the studio. The additional tracks sound much cleaner. It's too bad that the "When I Die" songs weren't remastered for this CD, but I did get that album on CD even if it is only as good as the original LP.

It was good to hear "When I Die" again. Haven't heard it since it first came out in 1969. Brought back a lot of good memories.