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Terry
Watkinson from The Rock
Show of The Yeomen. They soon
recruited Mike Tilka on
bass and Paul Kersey on
drums. Before long they'd gained a reputation for
their bizarre on-stage atire and magnetic live
presence doing everything from high schools to
cheap clubs around the southern end of Ontario. In '76 they moved to
Toronto where they met up with a multi-lingual
poet/lyricist and registered psychologist named Pye
Dubois. Fuelled by Dubois' lyrics
which sometimes crossed the line of being
abstract, critics often remarked his writing was
simply words jumbled together that sometimes
happened to rhyme. But together he would form a
collaberation with the group that would span
their five studio albums. They were soon noticed
by Anthem Records and
signed to a deal, releasing their self-titled
debut later that year. From the opening riffs of "Hangover"
to the clever bridges and hooks in "Here
Among The Cats" to the
soothing melodies of "Blowing
The Blues Away", it was
quickly established that Max Webster was a unique
Canadian treasure, versatile and tight, possibly
not equalled in under-rated sheer musical
brilliance since.
The group was
signed to Mercury Records internationally
in 1977 and released HIGH CLASS IN
BORROWED SHOES with new drummer Gary
McCracken later that year. The
album would also feature the group's first time
working with producer Terry Brown,
most noted for his work with Rush.
The record featured the ballad "Diamonds
Diamonds" and "Gravity",
as well "America's Veins"
and the title track. Touring in support of the
record helped spread word of Mitchell's bizarre
on-stage antics and appearance and helped build
the group's popularity.
MUTINY
UP MY SLEEVE hit the stores a year
later and contained "The
Party", "Waterline"
and "Lip
Service". More non-stop
touring however did not gain the band the
attention enjoyed by some of Canada's other
musical exports, though their popularity soared
on their native soil. 1979 saw Max Webster's
pinnacle in A MILLION VACATIONS.
With new bassist David Myles and backed by the
classics "Paradise Skies",
"Night Flights"
and title-track, the record also spawned their
first radio single in "Let Go
The Line", written by and
featuring Watkinson on vocals. The band released LIVE
MAGNETIC AIR early the next year
and showcased their on-stage presence and the
live version of "Paradise
Skies" quickly climbed the
charts. By this time however, the constant
touring and problems with management were
beginning to cause cracks in the group's
foundations.
Watkinson and
Myles left the group before the recording of UNIVERAL
JUVENILES later that year, which
featured new keyboardist Greg Chad
and Mike Gingrich on
bass. With new producer Jack
Richardson (The Guess
Who, White Wolf,
Bob Seger, Alice
Cooper) at the helm, the disc is
considered by many to be one of the group's
finest, though it failed to live up to
expectations, something which Mitchell also
blamed in retrospect on poor management. Fuelled
by the air play given to "Check"
and "Blue River Liquor
Shine", it also contained "Chalkers"
and the duet with Rush,
"Battle Scar".
Working with Rush also led Dubois to co-writing
one of their biggest hits in "Tom
Sawyer" on the MOVING
PICTURES album. Though Mitchell
remains good friends with Rush
to this day, it was partially Anthem's
treatment of the band as Rush's
"little brother-not to be taken too
seriously" that led to Max's demise.
Ironically it was while touring with Rush
in 1981 that Mitchell told his bandmates before a
show one night it would be his last time on stage
as part of Max Webster.
Though he was quoted as simply needing a vacation
more than anything in retrospect, Mitchell would
enjoy more commercial success as a solo artist
than Max Webster ever
did. Following the subsequent tour McCracken
joined Wrabit for their
'82 release TRACKS.
Anthem released DIAMONDS
DIAMONDS in 1982, a collection of
some of the group's hits as well as two new
tracks, "Hot Spots"
and "Overnight Sensation",
but strangely enough featured nothing from UNIVERSAL
JUVENILES. The mid 80's saw
Watkinson join Wrabit and
moonlight with Klaatu,
as did McCracken for their touring schedule.
Though radio had all but forgotten Max
Webster, their fans remained loyal
and the label big-wigs again tried to capitalize
on the group's status by releasing another
compilation in 1989. More cheesy marketing ploys
included putting "Kids In
Action", taken from Mitchell's
debut ep on the record and calling the record BEST
OF MAX WEBSTER FEATURING KIM MITCHELL.
Now without a solo
deal, Mitchell got together with McCracken and
Watkinson in late '95 and their meetings resulted
in a full-fledged Max Webster
reunion with Peter Fredette
on bass, who'd worked on Mitchell's solo
material. The group has even written some new
songs, including Watkinson's "Engine
Room", which is performed
regularly live. Though some may think the
reunion's a way of cashing in on a trend, the
band simply says they wanted to get back to what
mattered most - the music.
A new record deal
is said to be in the works. Probably on the short
list for new material is "Suicide
Wings", written by Watkinson
and featured on his '95 solo album
TERATOLOGY. Disputes over royalty
payments over the years however have made any
involvement by Dubois unlikely, though Mitchell
doesn't completely rule out the possibility,
simply saying "Pye's a strange cat".
But for now, somewhere in the backwoods in a
smoke-filled bar there are four middle-aged
teenagers having the time of their lives in what Pye
Dubois once called a "tour de force
heel and toe dance". And it's most likely
rubbing off on those enjoying the show as well.
(Bio
courtesy of www.canadianbands.com)
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