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The top 10 Canadian rock songs of 1974 peers include a couple of hit songs from Bachman-Turner Overdrive. Since forming as a band in 1973, BTO quickly established itself as more than just one of Canada’s favorite rock groups of all time. They became global favorites. Led by frontman Randy Bachman, fans around the world will also recognize him from his heyday with The Guess Who. BTO won the 1975 Juno Awards Group of the Year category as a result of the impact this group made in 1975 as a top-notch musical act. In addition to this, Randy Bachman earned Producer of the Year. The group’s 1974 recording, Not Fragile, also won a Juno for Best Selling Album.
1974’s Big Rush
1974 witnessed the debut of an Ontario-based progressive rock band known as Rush. At the time, Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and John Rutsey were the group’s lineup as they recorded their debut album. All the drum performances came from Rutsey. Due to medical reasons, Rutsey realized he wouldn’t be able to keep up with the band’s busy schedule which would include extended tours. He would be replaced by Neil Peart who did so much more than simply serve as Rush’s drummer. He was a lyrical genius that played a huge role in Rush’s career that would turn the Canadian rock band into one of the world’s most popular acts. From the late 1970s until Peart died in 2020, Rush’s brand of progressive rock music was incomparable.
Also making an impressive debut in 1974 was Mahogany Rush. Also referred to as Frank Marino & Mahogany Rush, this group from Montreal, Quebec, was nominated at the 1975 Junos as Most Promising Rock Group of the Year. Although the win went to Rush, Marino earned his place as a legendary guitar hero that would win over a devout set of fans who closely followed his career. Like Rush, Marino and his Mahogany Rush bandmates earned a series of Juno Award nominations before Marino moved forward as a solo act. For him, the awards and accolades continued until he officially announced his retirement in 2021.
Changing Course
While newcomers such as Mahogany Rush and Rush made their mark as Canada’s newest breed of rockers, established stars such as Joni Mitchell and Neil Young were carving out new musical paths for themselves. When both of these Canadian recording artists released their respective albums in 1974, Mitchell’s Court and Spark quickly became a critical favorite. It also increased her fan base nationally and internationally. Her mix of jazz with folk-rock was a genius move on her part as a musician. After Court and Spark, she continued fusing jazz and rock together with her next four albums. The Hissing of Summer Lawns, Hejira, Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter, and Mingus each witnessed Mitchell’s jazzy musical technique before she shifted to produce pop-oriented rock with 1982’s Wild Things Run Fast.
Where Joni Mitchell instantly won over fans with Court and Spark, Neil Young’s On the Beach took some time for critics and fans to warm up to. As soon as they did, there was an agreement it was one of his best works as it revealed Neil Young’s sensitive side as a human being expressing himself as a recording artist. Today, On the Beach has been regarded as one of the best works produced by Young. It was as if he learned to let go of commercial expectations and simply be himself. From this point forward, Young focused more on making music that struck a personal chord with him instead of trying to measure up to commercial expectations. It was a path well chosen as Young’s popularity among the fans soared his recording career to new heights, forever cementing him as one of the all-time greats in rock music history.
Top 10 Canadian Rock Songs of 1974
#10 – Crazy Talk (performed by Chilliwack)
In 1974, Riding High was released in Canada as Chilliwack’s fourth studio album. “Crazy Talk” was the single released from it. On the Canadian Top Singles Chart, it became a number ten hit. When it was released in the US in 1975, it squeaked in at number ninety-eight. The song was about a woman who was notorious for her lying mumbo jumbo and it was driving narrator Bill Henderson crazy. According to the lyrics, the “Crazy Talk” of this woman was enough to be the undoing of anyone who opted to have anything to do with her.
Hailing from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, Chilliwack officially got its start in 1970. Previously, Bill Henderson’s lineup was known as The Collectors. In addition to the name change, the sound shifted from psychedelic rock to progressive rock. The group also underwent a few label changes before signing up with Goldfish Records. While with the label, singer-songwriter Terry Jacks teamed up with Chilliwack to produce “Crazy Talk.” It became Chilliwack’s biggest hit to date. Although “Lonesome Mary” charted higher in Canada and the US, it wasn’t until “Crazy Talk” Bill Henderon’s band from Vancouver finally started to make some real progress as a top-class recording artist.
#9 – Down to You (performed by Joni Mitchell)
Probably one of Joni Mitchell’s best albums ever recorded, Court and Spark was a 1974 release that witnessed the fusion of jack and folk rock. It was the Canadian singer-songwriter’s sixth studio album, as well as one of her most successful. It was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. In 2004, it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. “Down to You” was the single that won a 1975 Grammy Award for Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist.
This incredible ballad featured Mitchell opening it up with a piano solo before breaking into lyrics about making important life decisions. It was also a brilliant song of self-reflection as Mitchell expressed herself as a woman who just had a one-night stand. “Down to You” included David Crosby and Susan Webb as they sang with Mitchell before the song engaged in a wonderful orchestra of instruments. This jazzy injection, combined with Mitchell’s vocals and piano performance, ultimately turned it into a timeless classic.
#8 – On the Beach (performed by Neil Young)
When Neil Young released 1974’s On the Beach as his fifth studio album, it wasn’t something the fans and the music critics expected. Instead of sharing the same sound style as 1972’s Harvest, it was a folk rock album that had the Canadian singer-songwriter explore what seemed like a somber side to his personality. “On the Beach” was the opening track that served as a song of loneliness and reflection. Both the song and the album seemed to come across as Neil Young’s approach to a spiritual rebirth after the wild ride of success he experienced from Harvest. This was one of Young’s most emotionally charged songs as a recording artist.
At first, critics and fans weren’t quite sure what to make of On the Beach. Over time, the album earned a cult following that has since become one of the all-time favorites among Neil Young’s global fan base. What this album represented was Young’s realization he no longer had to deliver musical material to appease the entertainment industry at a corporate level. He was free to perform music however he saw fit. “On the Beach” was also a form of release by a man who reached a crossroads in his life as a person and as a professional musician.
#7 – Child of the Novelty (performed by Mahogany Rush)
Child of the Novelty was the debut album released by Mahogany Rush. The 1974 recording also featured the chilling “Child of the Novelty” song that was performed by Canada’s own guitar hero, Frank Marino. Often regarded as the Canadian equivalent to the great Jimi Hendrix, Marino admitted while on an LSD trip, he swore he had a vision from the legend to pick up the guitar and play it. Since then, Marino hasn’t looked back as he laid down the drumsticks and picked up an instrument that he had no trouble mastering.
What made “Child of the Novelty” stand out was more than Marino’s fantastic performance with the guitar and keyboard. The beauty of mixing jazz and psychedelic rock is what made this song a wonderful trip that lasted just over four minutes. The impact on fans who loved Marino’s brand of rock has since lasted a lifetime.
#6 – Roll on Down the Highway (performed by Bachman-Turner Overdrive)
Recorded and released in 1974, “Roll on Down the Highway” was BTO’s follow-up single behind the group’s biggest hit to date, “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet.” This song was originally designed as a commercial for the Ford Motor Company. The lyrics were performed by C.F. Turner in what became one of BTO’s most beloved signature songs. Affectionately referred to by the fans as “gearheads,” “Roll on Down the Highway” served as the group’s anthem. When Ford opted not to go with it, the song joined the tracklist of 1974’s Not Fragile.
On the US Billboard Hot 100, “Roll on Down the Highway” became a number fourteen hit. It was a number four hit on the Canadian Top Singles Chart. In the UK, it peaked as high as number twenty-two. The gruffness of C.F. Turner’s vocals was a stark contrast to the smoother singing performances by Randy Bachman. “Roll on Down the Highway” added a special dynamic to BTO that made them huge fan favorites, even well beyond their home nation of Canada. “Roll on Down the Highway” became a classic rock favorite, especially among motorists who revved up the moment the hard-hitting opening riffs are heard. Outside North America, it became a number eighteen hit in Germany, a number twenty hit in New Zealand, and a number eighty hit in Australia.
#5 – Working Man (performed by Rush)
As far as Rush’s Geddy Lee is concerned, “Working Man” was his personal favorite as a song he and his bandmates performed while in concert. Although it wasn’t officially released as a single in 1974 when the group’s debut album was released, “Working Man” became the all-time fan favorite that has stood the test of time. The song itself paid homage to hard-working individuals who spent much of their day at a job, trying to make ends meet. Both this song, as well as Rush, earned the three men from Ontario a 1975 Juno Award win as Most Promising Group of the Year.
Despite Rush’s incredible first impression as a new rock band bursting onto the Canadian rock music scene, the best was still yet to come by this amazing trio of musicians. “Working Man’ also defined Rush as one of the most hardworking rock groups clean through the second half of the 1970s. Even going into the 1980s, Rush remained one of the most prolific rock groups with a solid track record that rarely had them drop out of the spotlight for long. Among the population of everyday workers, “Working Man” became an anthem that continues to be a fan favorite today.
#4 – Clap for the Wolfman (performed by The Guess Who
Written by the songwriting team of Burton Cummings, Bill Wallace, and Kurt Winter, “Clap for the Wolfman” became one of The Guess Who’s biggest singles ever released. From the 1974 album, Road Food, it became a number six hit on the US Billboard Hot 100. On the Canadian Top Singles Chart, it peaked as high as number four. “Clap for the Wolfman” paid homage to the legendary DJ, Wolfman Jack. His unmistakable on-air voice can be heard in a song that has become a beloved rock classic since the day it was first released. Around the world, it became at least a top twenty hit in Belgium, Netherlands, and South Africa. In Australia, it peaked as high as number thirty-nine. “Clap for the Wolfman” became one of The Guess Who’s most popular hits that still receives steady airplay on classic rock radio stations around the world.
#3 – Help Me (performed by Joni Mitchell)
“Help Me” was a love song that came from one of Joni Mitchell’s best studio albums, Court and Spark. Released in 1974 as a single, Joni Mitchell’s vocal performance was paired up with Tom Scott’s L.A. Express jazz band in what became one of the Canadian singer-songwriter’s signature songs. It was also one of her most successful hits as it peaked as high as number seven on the US Billboard Hot 100, and at number one on the US Billboard Adult Contemporary Songs chart.
On the Canadian Top Singles Chart, “Help Me” peaked as high as number six. This was the song that earned Joni Mitchell a whole new fan base, including the legendary Prince. He referred to “Help Me” when he recorded “The Ballad of Dorothy Parker” in 1987 for his album, Sign o’ the Times. Joni Mitchell’s lyrical plea for help suggested she was a woman falling in love with a man who had no intention of settling down.
#2 – Sundown (performed by Gordon Lightfoot)
Released as a single in 1974, “Sundown” instantly became Gordon Lightfoot’s signature song. The Canadian singer-songwriter enjoyed a stellar career as a folk artist who also dabbled in the genre of rock and roll. “Sundown” became a number-one hit on the US Billboard Hot 100, as well as the Canadian Top Singles Chart. On the US Billboard Adult Contemporary Songs chart, it peaked as high as number thirteen. “Sundown” was lyrically performed as a warning against the narrator’s love interest. Believed to be directed at Cathy Smith, the song shared hints of a relationship Lightfoot had with her at the time. This is the same Cathy Smith connected to the untimely death of John Belushi on March 5, 1982. She spent fifteen months in a California prison for the fatal dose of heroin and cocaine that was injected into the beloved actor’s system.
As a song, “Sundown” has become a classic rock legend loved by fans around the world. It was at least a top twenty hit among the nations of Australia, Ireland, Netherlands, New Zealand, and South Africa. On the UK Singles Chart, it peaked as high as number thirty-three. It also made an impression on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart as it became a number thirteen hit. In 2023, “Sundown” proved its prowess as a timeless classic when it peaked as high as number eleven on the US Billboard Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart.
#1 – You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet (performed by Bachman-Turner Overdrive)
Written by BTO’s Randy Bachman, “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet” was one of the band’s signature songs that were released from its third studio album, Not Fragile. This 1974 release became a number-one hit on the US Billboard Hot 100, as well as the Canadian Top Singles Chart. It was also a number two hit on the UK Singles Chart. This was a song about a woman whose lovemaking prowess became the subject of the singer’s attention. The trademark stutter included in the lyrics was among the biggest highlights of a song that became a cult classic the moment fans around the world first heard it.
While some critics at the time regarded “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet” with disdain, the majority of the fans fell in love with the guitar riffs and the stuttering vocals almost instantaneously. Although there are similarities to The Who’s “Baba O’Riley” and “My Generation,” this was a song that was originally intended as a joke for Gary Bachman. He had a stutter, which Randy used as an approach to this rock classic. There was only one recording, which was sent to his brother with no original intent for it to sound like The Who’s music.
The song itself was inspired by Dave Mason’s “Only You Know and I Know,” which dictated the instrumental layout of “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet.” There was a recording of this song without the stutter but the BTO roster agreed the version with the stutter was better. So do the fans. In addition to becoming a big hit across North America and the United Kingdom, “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet” was at least a top ten hit among the nations of Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, South Africa, and Switzerland.
Top 10 Canadian Rock Songs Of 1974 article published on Classic RockHistory.com© 2023
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