by Richard Skelly » Wed Jan 10, 2018 3:58 am
Heartaches. The final BTO single to ever chart on Billboard (#60) from the group’s last album for Mercury Records...Rock n’ Roll Nights. And a fine vocal performance by Fred Turner.
Noted AllMusic reviewer Joe Viglione thinks another song from that album, End Of The Line, was a better track. A prophetic title, End was written and sung by Jim Clench, formerly of April Wine. As noted in my previous Can-Con 45 comment, Jim became a Mr. Fixit after exiting April Wine. When Randy Bachman left Bachman Turner Overdrive, the group renamed itself BTO and brought in Jim to sing, write and man the rhythm section with drummer Robbie Bachman. That way, Fred was able to strap on a guitar to complement Blair Thornton.
A few years later, Robbie and Blair sat out an Overdrive reunion record released on Charlie Fach’s briefly-lived Compleat label. Fach was the former Mercury bigwig who first took a chance by signing the band in 1972. Fred Turner returned, as did Randy Bachman. Randy’s former Guess Who bandmate Garry Peterson played drums. Tim Bachman, present on the first two Overdrive albums, rounded out the band. No singles charted from that reunion project.