Top 10 April Wine Albums

Feature Photo: Chris Harte from Toronto, Canada / CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), via Wikimedia Commons

Our selection of the Top 10 April Wine Albums pays tribute to one of Canada’s most enduring rock bands. April Wine became an international success during the late 1970s and early 1980s, combining hard-rock guitars with the melodic instincts needed to produce memorable radio singles. Decades later, the group’s strongest albums still sound powerful, direct, and unmistakably Canadian.

Longtime frontman, guitarist, songwriter, and producer Myles Goodwyn died on December 3, 2023, at age seventy-five. His songs and leadership shaped April Wine from its earliest recordings through its final studio album with him, Roughly Speaking. The band continues to perform with guitarist and vocalist Brian Greenway, bassist and vocalist Richard Lanthier, guitarist and vocalist Marc Parent, and drummer and vocalist Roy Nichol.

April Wine formed in Waverley, Nova Scotia, in 1969. Guitarist David Henman, drummer Ritchie Henman, and bassist Jim Henman recruited Goodwyn to complete the original lineup. After moving to Montreal in 1970, the group signed with Aquarius Records and began building an audience through radio play and relentless touring.

Part of April Wine’s appeal came from the band’s ability to move between melodic ballads and muscular rock songs. “Lady Run, Lady Hide,” “I’m on Fire for You Baby,” and “You Won’t Dance with Me” demonstrated the softer side of the group, while “Drop Your Guns,” “Oowatanite,” “Roller,” and “I Like to Rock” established April Wine as a formidable hard-rock act.

Jim Henman left after the debut album and was replaced by bassist and vocalist Jim Clench. During the making of 1973’s Electric Jewels, David and Ritchie Henman also departed. Guitarist Gary Moffet and drummer Jerry Mercer joined Goodwyn and Clench, creating the lineup that hardened the band’s sound and carried it through several important Canadian releases.

Steve Lang replaced Clench on bass during the middle of the decade, and Brian Greenway joined before First Glance. The resulting three-guitar lineup achieved international success with First Glance, Harder… Faster, and The Nature of the Beast. Touring with major acts and appearing at the first Monsters of Rock festival at Donington Park in 1980 helped April Wine become an international headliner.

The original run of April Wine ended after the 1985 album Walking Through Fire. Goodwyn, Greenway, Mercer, and a returning Jim Clench reactivated the band in 1992 with guitarist Steve Segal. April Wine subsequently released Attitude, Frigate, Back to the Mansion, and Roughly Speaking while maintaining a steady touring schedule.

Clench left in 2006 and died in 2010. Goodwyn retired from touring at the end of 2022 and played his final concert with April Wine on March 2, 2023. The current edition of the band carries the catalog forward under the leadership of Greenway, the longest-serving member of the lineup.

April Wine was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2010. The following list concentrates on ten outstanding releases from the band’s classic period, including two live albums that capture the force of April Wine onstage.

Top 10 April Wine Albums

# 10 – Live at the El Mocambo (1977)

April Wine built its reputation through live performances that could match or exceed the impact of the studio recordings. Live at the El Mocambo captures the band immediately before its major international breakthrough.

The album was recorded at Toronto’s El Mocambo on March 4 and 5, 1977. Ticket holders believed they were attending an April Wine show with an unknown opening act called the Cockroaches. The mysterious band was actually the Rolling Stones, who were recording material that would later appear on Love You Live.

Eddie Kramer recorded April Wine’s performances during the same engagement. The set includes forceful versions of “Oowatanite,” “You Could Have Been a Lady,” and “Gimme Love,” along with the Bob Segarini compositions “Teenage Love” and “Juvenile Delinquent.”

The album is leaner and rougher than the band’s polished studio work. It documents April Wine as a confident club band capable of holding its own during one of the most famous nights in Toronto rock history. It also preserves a pivotal chapter in the development of April Wine before the international breakthrough.

# 9 – The Whole World’s Goin’ Crazy (1976)

April Wine’s fifth studio album arrived during a transitional period. Jim Clench had left the band, and Steve Lang had taken over on bass. Clench’s forceful vocals and hard-rock songwriting were missed, but Myles Goodwyn continued developing into the group’s dominant creative voice.

“Gimme Love” opens the album with immediate energy, while “Like a Lover, Like a Song” became one of April Wine’s finest ballads. The title track and “Wings of Love” demonstrate the band’s increasing interest in polished arrangements and large melodic choruses.

The Whole World’s Goin’ Crazy achieved platinum sales in Canada and confirmed that April Wine had become one of the country’s leading rock attractions. It lacks the consistent power of the albums ranked above it, but its strongest songs remain essential.

# 8 – Power Play (1982)

Power Play followed the extraordinary run of First Glance, Harder… Faster, and The Nature of the Beast. Expectations were therefore enormous, and the album arrived at a point when April Wine was competing in an increasingly crowded arena-rock market.

“Enough Is Enough” is one of the band’s strongest power-pop singles, combining a sharp guitar riff with a highly melodic chorus. “If You See Kay” adds playful wordplay, while “Anything You Want, You Got It” and “Blood Money” keep the album rooted in hard rock.

The group also recorded a restrained version of the Beatles’ “Tell Me Why.” Although Power Play did not match the artistic or commercial impact of its predecessor, it remains a durable album with several songs that became concert favorites.

# 7 – Electric Jewels (1973)

The recording of April Wine’s third album coincided with a major lineup change. Founding members David and Ritchie Henman departed, leaving Myles Goodwyn and Jim Clench to continue with guitarist Gary Moffet and drummer Jerry Mercer.

The revised lineup gave April Wine a tighter and heavier sound. Goodwyn sings the anthemic “Just Like That” and “The Band Has Just Begun,” while “Lady Run, Lady Hide” balances melody with an environmental warning.

Jim Clench supplies some of the album’s most aggressive moments. His lead vocals drive “Weeping Widow,” “You Opened Up My Eyes,” and “Cat’s Claw.” Moffet’s guitar work and Mercer’s powerful drumming complete the transformation.

Electric Jewels is the album on which April Wine became a genuine hard-rock band. It established the musical foundation that the group would refine throughout the rest of the decade.

# 6 – April Wine Live! (1974)

Produced by former Rascals members Gene Cornish and Dino Danelli, April Wine Live! brought the group’s concert sound to vinyl for the first time. The album was recorded in Halifax and captures the Goodwyn, Clench, Moffet, and Mercer lineup in full flight.

The record does more than repeat songs from the studio catalog. “(Mama) It’s True,” “Druthers,” and “I’m on Fire for You Baby” were not included on the band’s regular studio albums. “Good Fibes” gives Jerry Mercer an extended opportunity to display the drumming that became central to April Wine’s live identity.

Performances of “Cat’s Claw,” “Just Like That,” and “Electric Jewels” emphasize the group’s heavier direction. The album documents a Canadian band learning how to control a large audience while preserving the urgency of a club performance.

# 5 – Stand Back (1975)

Stand Back retained the lineup responsible for Electric Jewels and the first live album. It became the first album by a Canadian band to sell more than 100,000 copies in Canada and established April Wine as a national institution.

Jim Clench wrote and sang the opening track, “Oowatanite.” Jerry Mercer’s drumming is reinforced by the famous fire-bell effect, creating one of the most recognizable introductions in Canadian rock.

Myles Goodwyn contributes “Don’t Push Me Around,” “Cum Hear the Band,” “I Wouldn’t Want to Lose Your Love,” and “Tonight Is a Wonderful Time to Fall in Love.” The album moves naturally between hard rock, road songs, and carefully arranged ballads.

Stand Back is one of the most balanced albums in the April Wine catalog. It captures the group before international fame while proving that its songwriting and production were already operating at a world-class level.

# 4 – On Record (1972)

On Record was April Wine’s second studio album and the first to feature Jim Clench on bass. The debut had introduced the original lineup, including drummer Ritchie Henman, but lacked a consistent musical identity. The follow-up brought stronger material, clearer production, and a more confident performance style.

David Henman contributes the rockers “Drop Your Guns” and “Refuge,” while Clench makes his first songwriting and lead-vocal appearance with “Didn’t You.” Myles Goodwyn’s growing role as the band’s principal creative force is also apparent throughout the record.

The group’s version of Hot Chocolate’s “You Could Have Been a Lady” became a major Canadian hit and also entered the American charts. April Wine similarly transformed Elton John and Bernie Taupin’s “Bad Side of the Moon” into a powerful hard-rock recording.

On Record represents the first clear statement of the band April Wine would become. Its combination of covers, originals, harmony vocals, and hard-rock guitars made it the breakthrough the debut had only suggested.

# 3 – First Glance (1978)

Brian Greenway joined April Wine before First Glance, giving the group a three-guitar lineup with Myles Goodwyn and Gary Moffet. Greenway’s presence allowed Goodwyn greater freedom as a vocalist while expanding the band’s live and studio arrangements.

“Hot on the Wheels of Love” and “Get Ready for Love” establish the album’s hard-rock direction, while “Roller” became the song that finally broke April Wine in the United States. Its riff, groove, and confident vocal remain central to the band’s identity.

The album also contains the reflective “Rock n’ Roll Is a Vicious Game,” the atmospheric “Silver Dollar,” and Greenway’s lead-vocal showcase “Right Down to It.” The variety never weakens the album’s overall power.

First Glance became April Wine’s first gold album outside Canada. It opened the door to extensive American touring and began the three-album sequence that defines the band’s international peak.

# 2 – Harder… Faster (1979)

Harder… Faster continued the momentum of First Glance while refining April Wine’s three-guitar attack. The album is heavier, more consistent, and more self-assured than its predecessor.

“I Like to Rock,” “Ladies Man,” and “Babes in Arms” push the band toward the edge of heavy metal without abandoning its melodic strengths. The cover of King Crimson’s “21st Century Schizoid Man” transforms progressive-rock complexity into a relentless guitar showcase.

“Say Hello” adds reggae-influenced rhythm and intricate vocal harmonies, while Brian Greenway’s “Before the Dawn” provides a darker contrast to Goodwyn’s smoother vocal style. The entire band sounds energized and completely committed.

Recorded at Le Studio in Morin-Heights, Quebec, Harder… Faster earned April Wine respect among both hard-rock and heavy-metal audiences. It remains the group’s most consistently aggressive studio album.

# 1 – The Nature of the Beast (1981)

The Nature of the Beast stands as April Wine’s commercial and artistic high point. Recorded at the Manor in England and co-produced by Myles Goodwyn and Mike Stone, the album captures a band operating with complete confidence.

Goodwyn’s songwriting is remarkably consistent. “All Over Town,” “Future Tense,” “Caught in the Crossfire,” and “Crash and Burn” combine layered guitars, forceful rhythms, and memorable choruses. “Wanna Rock” brings traditional rock-and-roll energy into the album’s polished early-1980s production.

“Sign of the Gypsy Queen,” written by Canadian songwriter Lorence Hud, became one of April Wine’s defining recordings. The gradual build, ominous lyric, and carefully arranged guitar parts give the song a dramatic power that has endured for decades.

“Just Between You and Me” provided the album’s emotional center and became the band’s largest international single. Its acoustic opening, restrained verses, and rising chorus demonstrated that a power ballad could preserve the identity of a hard-rock band.

The Nature of the Beast became April Wine’s first platinum album in the United States. It fulfilled the promise of the preceding records and remains one of the landmark Canadian rock albums of its era.

Don’t miss our interview with April Wine founding member Ritchie Henman.