Here is my Mantra for this evening:
1970 was a particularly fruitful time for Canadian music. It was the inaugural year of the Juno Awards, named the Gold Leaf Awards and held in February, 1970 and established by RPM Magazine. The 1970 winners included Andy Kim for best male vocalist; Ginette Reno for best female vocalist; The Guess Who for best group; Tommy Hunter for best male country artist; Diane Leigh for best female country artist; The Mercey Brothers for best country group; Gordon Lightfoot for best folk artist; The Poppy Family with "Which Way You Goin' Billy" for best single and best album. Basically the disc jockeys played crappy Canadian music over the airwaves, Canadians then consumed the crappy music; and then Canadians voted for their favourite crappy Canadian music. Even Alan Thicke released an album in 1970. It was crappy. How sublime.
Some truly phenomenal albums received airplay in 1970 like Joni Mitchell's "Ladies of the Canyon" and Neil Young's "After the Goldrush".
But the radio also started playing The Guess Who's American Woman, The Five Man Electrical Band's Signs, the Original Caste's One Tin Soldier, and they have never stopped playing these songs, over and over and over again, for 40 years. With a few exceptions like CKUA here in Alberta, CBC, some campus radio, Canadian radio still largely sucks.
There were so many great Canadian albums released in 1970, none of which have been recognized by mainstream media, none of which would appear in any top 100 all time Canadian album lists; perhaps nobody who votes has ever heard any of this music. Many have been featured on this site. My jaw dropped after compiling this list this evening. There were bands like Cargo, l'Experience 9, l'Infonie-Vol 33 Mantra, Life, Greatrix Freedom Band, Heads of Our Time, Christmas, It's All Meat, Robert E Lee Brigade, Wayne McGhie & the Sounds of Joy, Bruce Haack, Hagood Hardy & the Montage, Tommy Graham and Friends, Innovation, Stephanie Taylor, The Organization, Candy Rock Fountain, Sons of Erin, Noah, Spring Fever, Reign Ghost, Souls of Inspyration, Troyka, Oliver Klaus, John Lyle, Judy Singh, Madrigal, Dianne Brooks, Happy Feeling, Fred Dixon & the Friday Afternoon, Sex, Brothers and One, Cycle, Nihilist Spasm Band, May Blitz, Marius Cultier, 25ème Regiment, Freedom North, Perth County Conspiracy, Great Jones, Marc Hamilton, La Nouvelle Frontière, Kurt & Noah, New Creation, Flying Circus, Smyle, Magic Bubble, Claire Lepage & Compagnie, TCB, Mother Tuckers Yellow Duck, Sullivan's Gypsies, Jarvis Street Revue, Chimo, Dionysos, Cat, etc.
For a complete list of the top 50 albums from 1970, go here: http://www.itcamefromcanada.com/page/Top-500-Canadian-Albums.aspx
Mantra also released their album in 1970, on the tiny French Canadian label M.M. & C. 301. This label had 20 albums and about 8 45's, all of which were country, folklore, and fiddle; except for the Mantra LP.
Mantra were a band who hailed from from Montréal, Québec. They released this lone fantastic gem of an album.
The album was accompanied by a lone 45: Stay b/w San Francisco Morning on, M.M. & C. 3604. The tracks on the albums were all by D'arcy Draper and Dick Kelder. All the Dick Kelder tracks are rather quirky instrumentals: Hopscotch (Part 1) (Dick Kelder)/ Simple Joys (D'arcy Draper)/ Stay (D'arcy Draper)/ Depend on Somebody (D'arcy Draper)/ Hopscotch (Part 2) (Dick Kelder)/ Tomorrow Without You (D'arcy Draper) // Drifter (D'arcy Draper)/ Beatrices (D'arcy Draper)/ Hopscotch (Part 3) (Dick Kelder)/ Midnight Train (D'arcy Draper)/ San Francisco Morning (D'arcy Draper)/ Dick's Song (Dick Kelder). Mantra consisted of D'arcy draper on the 12 string, 6 string and vocals; Dick Kelder on 6 string and vocals; Pierre Fauteux on bass and vocals; Graeme Lennox on piano, tambourine, and autoharp; David Walls on percussion; Larry Douglas on steel guitar; and Roger Landreville on jaw harp. The album was produced by Paul Menard. It was recorded at Champagne Studios, located at 6900 St-Denis Street, Montréal, P.Q. The album features soft folk psych with acoustic guitar, autoharp and tambourine, played lovingly from these seven talented musicians who went unrecognized. It was one of the best albums from 1970. But you wouldn't know it if you only listened to Canadian radio or watched Canadian Television.
Little wonder that the following year, in 1971, the federal government attempted to legislate airplay by instituting Can-con rules. Unfortunately, it didn't help. Instead of playing any of our hundreds and thousands of Canadian gems, Canadian radio still plays the same songs over and over and over again. Canadian radio still has no balls.
Cancon rules have been a colossal failure. They should impose stricter rules; enforce variety; emphase new Canadian music; regulate and penalize radio stations who continue to play "Signs", "One Tin Soldier" or "American Woman". Every year has it's examples.
Happy 40th Anniversary Juno Awards!
You Have to first be remembered in order to be forgotten.
Mantra-Depend on Somebody.mp3 (3.27 mb)
Mantra-Drifting.mp3 (2.48 mb)
Mantra-Beatrice.mp3 (2.99 mb)
Mantra-Hopscotch Part 3 - Midnight Train.mp3 (3.10 mb)
Any comments, please contact Robert Williston at ryder@robertwilliston.com
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