Can-Con 45 Of The Day - September 18

Can-Con 45 Of The Day - September 18

Postby radiofan » Mon Sep 17, 2018 9:07 pm

Today's Can-Con 45 is from 1974 ... It's Songbird and their cover of Stevie Wonder's "I Believe" ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ae8ylst8Ng

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Those who danced were thought to be quite insane by those who couldn't hear the music.
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Re: Can-Con 45 Of The Day - September 18

Postby Richard Skelly » Tue Sep 18, 2018 3:03 am

In a circuitous way, studio band Songbird was a test run for future (albeit brief) Mushroom Records superstars Heart. Sadly for the Vancouver label, a botched and boneheaded ad campaign for Heart led the band to successfully sue to leave the plucky label after only two albums.

But I digress. Mushroom Records was affiliated with newly renamed Mushroom Studios. Previously called Can-Base the bunker-like facility (long known as Aragon) had been substantially upgraded with gear purchased from United Western Recorders of Los Angeles. Can-Base the company went belly up and creditors inherited a superb facility with primarily American technicians, engineers and in-house production staff. (Look closely and see that the corporate Can-Base name still popped up on the label credits of I Believe.)

One of the US expats, Mike Flicker, produced Songbird while Howard Leese did arrangements and added keyboards and backup vocals to covers of Steely Dan's Dirty Work and Stevie Wonder's I Believe. A previous project with Tom Middleton had seen that singer release through Columbia Records Canada. But the Songbird 45s came out on Mushroom Records with transplanted True North promotion rep Shelly Siegel (RIP) running things.

Songbird never released an album. But the great sound achieved on both singles proved that the studio and label simply needed a talented, charismatic and performance-ready band to make a mark.

Enter Heart. One or two of the Songbird session players, including Leese, played on tracks for Ann and guitarist-sister Nancy Wilson and lead guitarist Roger Fisher as the Seattle émigrés worked on songs for their band Heart's first album Dreamboat Annie. Leese joined the band as the record was released.
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