A guest post from jonder!
I found Max Webster by accident, while looking for something else. It’s one of those bands that used the name of a person. Whoever Max Webster might have been, he wasn’t a member of the rock group from Sarnia, Ontario.
Max Webster - calm down, girls.
The album covers don't help. The 1976 debut is ugly, and the second LP is uglier. The picture of frontman Kim Mitchell in a skeevy yellow jumpsuit on the final LP (1980’s Universal Juveniles) reinforces the misperception that he is Max Webster. As the only remaining original member, in a sense he was Max Webster. The band broke up in 1982, and Kim started a long and successful solo career.
First album cover - ugly doesn't begin to describe it. The second album sleeve is supposed to be uglier,
but I'll take jonder's word for that. (Copyright: Taurus Records and Terry Watkinson)
The ghastly cover photo of the quartet in drag on 1977’s High Class In Borrowed Shoes made me think it was a glam band. A few listens revealed that Max Webster played hard rock with prog leanings and a strong sense of humor. Some folks compare Max Webster to Zappa, due to the musical complexity and the absurdist lyrics, most of which were written by Pye Dubois.
Pye Dubois (another invented name) was the Robert Hunter or Bernie Taupin of Max Webster – a writer who didn’t perform with the band. He also contributed lyrics to several Rush songs. “Closer To The Heart” and “Tom Sawyer” are partly his fault.
Rush and Max Webster were pals. They played about 200 shows together, and collaborated on the song “Battle Scar”. Rush reportedly tried to lure away Max Webster drummer Gary McCracken before they found Neil Peart.
Bun E. Carlos called Max Webster “the Canadian Cheap Trick”. Music journalist Martin Popoff says Max Webster was “the finest band that ever was”. Every Max Webster album went gold in Canada. A Million Vacations (1979) hit platinum; its title track and “Paradise Skies” were the band’s biggest singles.
Kim Mitchell - still rocking!
I find the albums uneven, but there are great songs on each of them. The debut is probably the most solid from start to finish. (It includes what may be the weirdest of all Max Webster songs, "Toronto Tontos".) Kim Mitchell is an extraordinary guitarist and a fine singer. Terry Watkinson (keys) is the Billy Payne of the band, playing off Mitchell's guitar leads and occasionally taking the mic to sing his own compositions. All the musicians are top notch.
I’m not a prog fan, and don’t care much for ballads. Low Class Boys In Borrowed Heels (my Max Webster mixtape) is heavy on the riffs.
jonder's mixtape can be yours - the link's in the first comment below.
Courtesy of jonder.
ReplyDeletehttps://krakenfiles.com/view/wztkvLPDPt/file.html
Thanks jonder!
DeleteNice to see some south-of-the -border love for Max , thank you for the mixtape and greetings from the Great White North !
ReplyDeleteIn the late 70s I saw Max Webster on the same bill as Rush, Cheap Trick and U.F.O. here in New York. Strange evening.
ReplyDeleteThey also got a fair amount of play on FM radio, but they just never really caught on.
Love the band - formerly new to me. Trust me, everyone needs "Toronto Tontos" in their life. And did Primus' Les Claypool ever hear it? Sure sounds like he did!
ReplyDeleteI think it's a safe bet that Mr. Claypool is a fan of Max Webster's music and Pye's lyrics.
DeleteIt's no surprise that some of the fine folks who frequent these pages are already familiar with the band. Thanks for letting me share here, Steve!
Thank *you* for your screed. It's great to hear new (new to me, at least) music, too.
DeleteWow! Very surprised to see a Max Webster write-up here. I love this band. I think they were the greatest pop-rock band ( only second band to King Crimson, but KC weren't poppy.) Been a fan since 1980. Probably the only great band that also never put out a clunker. They ended things leaving fans wanting more. Kim's solo stuff...eh!
ReplyDeleteI had never heard of Max Webster until about two weeks ago. I was thinking about listening to Kim's stuff next. He's such a great player. Am I alone in thinking that his voice sounds just a little bit like Lowell George? I hear it on "Waterline" and "Blue River Liquor Shine".
DeleteYep, I can here Lowell, too.
DeleteI can also hear Fee Waybill in there when he sings in a lower register.
DeleteCompletely unknown to me, but always open to explore, so thanks in advance!
ReplyDeleteListening to Hangover now, excellent!
DeleteYep, excellent.
DeleteThanks again, jonder!
You're very welcome. I'm so glad you are enjoying the music.
DeleteThanks Jonder! I picked up High Class somewhere along the line but probably haven't listened to it nor heard anything else so I'm looking forward to your collection!
ReplyDelete