Max Webster: Max Webster (1976)

Here's a band that so many people (especially non-Canadians) have probably never heard of. Because of the band's name, they are often misunderstood to be a person. As I have already mentioned, the same is true of Matt Bianco, which is also a band, not a person. Even in the 21st century -- again, as I have already mentioned -- I see records for both groups misfiled in record stores, with Max Webster under W and Matt Bianco under B. In my mental list of best Canadian bands, I would include Max Webster. By the way, I would exclude The Barenaked Ladies.

Max Webster's prehistory took place in Sarnia, a small town on the Canadian side of the St Clair River, almost 300 KM west of Toronto. By 1973, they had shifted to Toronto and settled on a name. The mighty Max featured a massively underrated guitar player. Later, Kim Mitchell achieved greater fame as a solo artist, and then he started a radio career, but I think he was overlooked as a guitarist. Some have compared Max Webster to Frank Zappa, and I have read that Zappa liked the band. I can accept that comparison. Allmusic, summarized the band as follows: "Toronto's Max Webster blended metal, prog, and rock elements into a genre-defying blend that won the group a cult following in the mid- to late '70s." [source] I can accept that too, but I think using the term metal is misleading.

I was lucky enough to have seen the band when they played my high school. My school also booked Teenage Head one year, and I loved that show too. I thought that was awesome until someone told me that Rush played their high school. Rush were big Max fans, and they often shared the bill with them and even recorded a band duet on Max Webster's final LP, Universal Juveniles. The two bands were label mates on Anthem records, as well.

The first Max record contains the wacky Toronto Tontos, and I think therein lay the problem for the band. Some of the music was too strange to make any commercial impact, which is fine with me. Later, the band became a little more accessible, bust still managed to be interesting. In the USA, this debut LP carried the title Hangover, even though that song was only ever released as a b-side to the first single, Blowing the Blues Away, which is really a rather pleasant tune.

One interesting thing about the band is that it had an unofficial fifth member, Canadian poet Pye Dubois, who functioned as the band's lyricist, and he wrote some really bizarre lyrics. Of course, this should remind you of Pete Sinfield, who wrote lyrics for King Crimson between 1969 and 1971. People unfamiliar with Pye Dubois may have heard some of his lyrics without even knowing it. He co-wrote Rush's Tom Sawyer with Neal Peart.

Max Webster begins with the poignant Hangover:

Tomorrow don't be here today
Take a cruise take a holiday
Cold morning and the drums
Blue eyes in the window sun

I don't feel you but I know you're around
I can feel you cause i feel the sound
Cold morning and the drums
Blue eyes in the window sun
Alka-Seltzer, Tang and a 50
It's all over
Hangover

Some non-Canadians are probably wondering what a 50 is. "Labatt 50 is a 5% abv [alcohol by volume] ale launched in 1950 to commemorate 50 years of partnership between the grandsons of the brewer's founder. The first light-tasting ale introduced in Canada, Labatt 50 was Canada's best-selling beer until 1979 when, with the increasing popularity of lagers, it was surpassed by Labatt Blue. Labatt 50 is fermented using a special ale yeast, in use at Labatt since 1933." [source]

Yes, I have had a few bottles of Labatt's 50 over the years, but none for ages, as I can no longer drink regular beer.

"Embedding disabled by request." That's dumb, so watch this or just watch this entire broadcast of a Max Webster concert from the Roxy Theatre in Barrie. It was simulcast on CITY TV (when it was still Channel 79, I think) and CHUM FM. I watched this at the time. Ah, memories. (Hangover starts at 41:00, if you are curious, but the whole thing is interesting to see).

Here are the crazy lyrics to Toronto Tontos:

Bonjour aux amis de malheur
Nous sommes fous
Radio Moscow U.S., audio bandits
Sweden Solo, London Soho, candids

Free publicity is not free when it's public
Put down a little life from a morning cosmic

Bonjour aux amis de malheur
Nous sommes fous, c'etait plust fort que moi
Pas de chas pas de deux, nous sommes fous
Put down a little life from a morning cosmic

Toronto tontos, Vegas babies, transit
Arctic market, frantic Spanish onions

Free publicity is not free when it's public
Put down a little life from a morning cosmic

Bonjour aux amis de malheur
Nous sommes fous, c'etait plust fort que moi
Pas de chas pas de deux, nous sommes fous
Put down a little life from a morning cosmic
Bonjour aux amis de malheur
Nous sommes fous

I've got no fire on me
I got no fire on me
No cigarettes, no matches

I can't think of another song that sounds anything like this. It's truly odd and cool.

The rest of the album has some really catchy tunes, like Summer's Up, Coming off the Moon (the first of the four moon songs), Only Your Nose Knows, etc. I would rank this as one of the best records from Max Webster.

The only thing that pisses me off is that the centre label on my copy is adhered incorrectly, and so the stylus will careen across the label when it hits the run-out groove. I have to linger around the turntable when the record approaches the end. That is so irritating.

The cover image is a reference to an iconic Canadian beer store experience.