Oh Canada

There has been no shortage of great rock produced by Canadian talent. Although there are many, here is my personal top five.

5. Our Lady Peace.
I got to see this band play live in their early days and although the show had some interesting moments, I wasn’t wowed. I plan on sharing this show’s experience with everyone at a later time when I write about other past concert experiences. Over the years Our Lady Peace won me over as they continued to produce good music that I started to like more and more. They have no one album that I can say is super, but they are all at very least good. I have pulled tracks from each disc and made up my own Our Lady Peace compilation. If you are new to their music, check out their greatest hits package called A Decade. It also contains a DVD featuring some great concert footage, unlike my experience.

Favorite Album: Clumsy. A great effort containing mostly all strong songs.

4. Neil Young
To be honest, I debated even putting Neil Young on this list. One may question that, but this is a list of personal favorites only. I can go months and months without even listening to Neil Young, or ever wanting to. Many people either love or hate Young’s music. But there have been periods in my life where I have listened to a lot of his music and enjoyed it thoroughly. Some nights, when sitting and relaxing on the deck on a clear and quiet summer’s evening, there is nothing else that should be played other than a Neil Young album. There is no question of his uniqueness as an artist, ability as a songwriter and influence on many other musicians. Because there were periods in my life when I thought Neil Young was the best thing to happen to music, he has to go on my list.

Favorite Album: Harvest Moon. My favorite simply because I listened to this one the most on many an evening as described above.

3. Blue Rodeo
They might not seem to fit with most of the other bands on this blog, as they do cross over into country and folk-rock. However, when listening through Blue Rodeo’s body of work you can also hear influences of Neil Young, The Band and when that organ gets going at times, it even sounds like the Doors. They are one of those bands with the ability to take you away with a haunting song, stir up some old emotions and take you back to a certain time in your life, as if a song was written just for you. Jim Cuddy and Geoff Keelor are crafty songwriters and storytellers. I have a mix CD comprised of my favorite Blue Rode songs, and when the mood is right, it’s just about the most perfect thing I can play.

Favorite Album: Five Days in May. Captures those haunting and emotional songs at their best.

2. Rush
It’s also hard to describe in words Rush’s musical style. They are often labeled as a progressive rock band, although over their thirty plus years in the business there is evidence of other styles and influences as well. I simply classify them as a great rock band, and one of Canada’s longest and most well known success stories. I first started listening to Rush in the 1980’s when Hold Your Fire was released. The track Time Stands Still on that album remains one of my favorite Rush songs to this day. Rush, of course, is also known for their famous and one of the world’s greatest drummers, Neil Peart. Rush continues to tour successfully and record and I am just waiting for them to come round these parts to see the show.

Favorite Album: Moving Pictures. Their biggest selling and I agree with the masses on this one.

1. Tragically Hip
My favorite Canadian band bar none. I own every Hip CD and they all rank from very good to awesome. There is the odd song that I could leave or take, but I can’t say this band has put out anything that deserves to be permanently shelved. The band has reached superstar and legendary status in Canada, but never found that same level of success elsewhere. Back in the mid 90’s they did appear on Saturday Night Live and were introduced by fellow Canadian, Dan Ackroyd, as the next big thing. However, it didn’t happen in the US. In Canada, despite the fact of being a much smaller market, their popularity did not wane, and they continue to thrive. If you like hard, but not heavy, alternative rock and great lyrics, you can't go wrong with The Hip.

Favorite Album: Road Apples. Although Fully Completely is regarded by many as their best, for me is a close second. Road Apples sounds more raw compared to the production value Fully Completely and all the songs are great.