...And As Years Go By: CT50 May 29, 1971

May 1971 in Canada.  In Toronto, Ontario Place opens.  It is intended to be a tourist attraction along the lines of Montreal’s Expo 67 site, complete with man-made islands and a geodesic dome.  It even had a theme song that was released on 45.  Sadly, that wasn’t on the charts this week, but here’s some of the songs that were.

Bonus Track #1: 55 - “You’re Gonna Miss Me,” Wishbone (CanCon!)

The biggest hit for this Toronto band sounds quite a bit like the Grass Roots’ “Midnight Confessions”. Apparently, that wasn’t quite an accident, as the similarity to that band actually got them some airplay in the U.S...until the Roots put out “Sooner or Later,” at which point American programmers decided to switch to the genuine article, and the Wishbone got pulled.

Bonus Track #2: 52 - “A Country Boy Named Willie,” Spring (CanCon!)

The only hit for this Vancouver band was this folk-rocker about a happy-go-lucky rural native who goes to the city to find education and enlightenment, only to find disillusionment.  A cool little gem.  The band didn’t last, but guitarist Terry Frewer has made a very good living writing music for Canadian films and TV shows.

48 - “Light Sings,” The 5th Dimension

This track by the purveyors of “champagne soul” missed the top 40 in the States, but got to #22 here. It’s somewhat reminiscent of “Aquarius/Let the Sun Shine In,” and like it, it was taken from a stage musical; in this case, The Me Nobody Knows, a look at the lives of inner city children in New York.  I’ve never seen it, but I’d be more interested in it than Hair.

46 - “Carry Me,” The Stampeders (CanCon!)

The Calgarians’ first Top Ten was this country-rock tune about a guy wishing a war would end so he can get back to his lover in Alabama.  For some reason, between this and The Band’s “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,” there was a fascination among our popular musicians for the U.S. Civil War.  Couldn’t they have looked to the War of 1812 for inspiration?  We were in that one.

45 - “Lucky Man,” Emerson, Lake and Palmer

The debut single but the prog trio was pretty standard British rock of the time, telling the tale of a man who lived a life of privilege and pleasure until he went off to war and died.  Quite good, but not very indicative of the excesses and pretentions to come.

44 - “House at Pooh Corner,” The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

The California coruntryusing the country-rockers followed up “Mr. Bojangles” with a cover  of a song Kenny Loggins wrote using A.A.Milne’s iconic characters Winnie-the-Pooh and Christopher Robin in an allegory for a longing for childhood innocence.  It’s probably the best thing Loggins ever wrote, and this is the best version I’ve heard.

43 - “Hello Mom,” The Mercey Brothers (CanCon!)

Brothers Larry, Ray and Lloyd Mercey came from the small town of Hanover, Ontario, and were a consistent presence on Canada’s country charts from the mid-60s to the late 80s.  Their biggest pop hit was this acoustic ballad written in the form of a letter home from a son worn down by the injustice he sees in the world.  A song with a message, but one that conveys that message in a relatable way.

40 - “We Were Always Sweethearts,” Boz Scaggs

The Bay Area soul-rocker didn’t crack his home Top 40 until 1976, but he did so up here five years earlier with this bit of all-out, horn-filled R&B.  A cool little glimpse of the greatness ahead.

39 - “Tillicum,” Syrinx (CanCon!)

This Toronto progressive-jazz trio had their only hit with this instrumental that is mainly performed on saxophone and Moog Synthesizer.  It was written as the theme for Here Come the Seventies, a CTV series about the issues and advances that could be encountered in the upcoming decade.  I haven’t been able to locate footage from the body of the show, but YouTube has its opening sequence, which consists of a nude woman walking into the ocean while newsworthy images are superimposed over her.  Of course, I’m even more curious now.

38 - “Jodie,” Joey Gregorash (CanCon!)

Winnipegger Gregorash got a major label deal in 1970, after which he was sent to Stax Studios in Memphis to record an album called North Country Funk.  That LP spawned this song, which, while more folky than funky, became his first and biggest hit.  It’s your basic song about freedom and racial harmony.  Kind of like the then-hugely popular movie Billy Jack, but with less karate.

37 - “Going to the Country,” Young (CanCon!)

The second song in OMYAM history that I was unable to track down.  All I could find is that this was  written by someone named Bruce Gordon, released on Ampex Records (with “Grape Farm”on the B side), and that it peaked at this position.  Wish I could tell you more.

36 - “The Garden of Ursh,” Karen Young (CanCon!)

The biggest English hit for this Montreal singer was this folk song that seems to be about a bunch of hippies sitting around a campfire eating “a supper of onions and hamburger and butter,” and singing until the land owner kicks them out and they repeat the process somewhere else.  More Phoebe Buffay than Joni Mitchell to these ears.

32 - “Where Evil Grows,” The Poppy Family (CanCon!)

The third Top Ten for the group led by Terry and Susan Jacks was this uncharacteristically dark number about falling for a bad influence.  Probably the only song in the Jacks family catalogue that I can actually say I like.

29 - “13 Questions,” Seatrain

This Massachusetts band seemed to be in the Blood Sweat and Tears jazz-rock vein, and their biggest hit was this strange little song about being confronted by “three Earthmen” who show the singer nineteen terrors and ask a number of enigmatic questions.  Why?  What did it all mean?  What happened afterward?  No answers are given.  But this is a very good song I’ve never heard before, so that’s enough for now.

26 - “It Takes Time,” Anne Murray (CanCon!)

Annie M.’s fourth domestic hit was this ballad about being patient in life and love.  A simple showcase for a great voice, although the harmonica seems out of place.

24 - “Cry Baby,” Janis Joplin
The follow-up to her posthumous smash “Me and Bobby McGee” was this cover of a 1963 soul smash by Garnet Mimms and the Enchanters.  This plea for a former lover’s return fits her perfectly, and you can almost see her heart breaking.  The single is also notable for its flip side, the a capella “Mercedes Benz,” which I hoped would never be used in a commercial but inevitably was.

19 - “Oh What a Feeling,” Crowbar (CanCon!)

The Hamilton band’s biggest hit is this record that sounds like a jam in the middle of a house party you wish you’d been invited to. Nothing profound, just a great time.  And a definite Certified CanCon Classic.

17 - “Broken,” The Guess Who (CanCon!)

Though a B-side (to “Albert Flasher”), this midtempo rocker about owning your flaws and moving on  became a hit on its own.  And I have to say, it’s better than the catchy-yet-flimsy A.

Ten times the mapley goodness.

10 - “Sweet and Innocent,” Donny Osmond 

Young Donald’s solo debut was this Roy Orbison cover that was more upbeat than most of his future efforts. And I am sure he was right, the girl he was singing to couldn’t have handled the wild experience of a 14-year-old Mormon boy.

9 - “Hats Off (To the Stranger),” Lighthouse (CanCon!)

The first of four Top Tens for the Toronto 13-piece was this hippy-dippy tale of meeting someone on the street and learning from him to be mellow and grateful.  Not profound, but fun to sing along with.

8 - “Me and You and a Dog Named Boo,” Lobo

Roland LaVoie’s first major hit was a Triple Top Ten.  What can we give it instead of a crown?  Well, given the canine involvement in this track, I’m choosing a dog tag.

7 - “The Drum,” Bobby Sherman

This tune about romance and percussion, the last hit for teen heartthrob Sherman (who was by barely made the Top 30 at home, but here, it made the Top Ten.  Hey, we all have our bad decisions.

6 - “Chick-a-Boom (Don’t Ya Jes’ Love It),” Daddy Dewdrop 

The Daddy was most successful here with his tale of bikini weirdness, going to #2.  We ‘jes loved it.

5 - “Woodstock,” Matthews’ Southern Comfort

I aim and his band were English, but their take on this depiction of the 1969 music festival got the CanCon label because it was written by Joni Mitchell.  Too bad its the limpets and saddest.

4 - “It Don’t Come Easy,” Ringo Starr

We gave this the #1 the other two Triple Crown nations denied it.  Yay us.  Though that is appropriate for a song with this title.

3 - “Love Her Madly,” The Doors

We pushed the band’s final single during Jim Morrison’s lifetime this high, whereas at home it missed the Top Ten.  We seem to be more on the mark, in my opinion.

2 - “Brown Sugar,” The Rolling Stones

The politically incorrect lust story was a cross border #1, falling short of the Crown by one position over ‘ome.  Very surprising.

1 - “Joy to the World,” Three Dog Night
3DN’s immortal introduction of an alcoholic amphibian was another Can-Am charttopper, but only got to #24 in Britain.  I just don’t think it was weird enough.

Next time: back to the U.K.  See you there then.