Just about every Canuck worth his or her pound of salt knows Crowbar's singular huge hit, "Oh, What A Feeling" maybe, just maybe, one of THE greatest all-time hits to come out of Canada. A timeless classic, a goodfeel tune from a goodtime boogie band that had fun playing their music and you can HEAR it between the grooves.Originating out of Hamilton, the band was led by Kelly Jay, a veritable mountain of a man with his huge mop of hair and (later) bushy beard. He could pound ONE MEAN boogie-woogie piano and had a great growl of a voice to go with it.
Let me tell you that in 1970-73 or so, CROWBAR was HUGE in Southern Ontario, playing everywhere it seemed...packing Ontario Place one night, Massey Hall the next.
Check out the flipside of the "Oh, What A Feeling" 45, "Murder In The First Degree". Better piano playing you won't hear. Or how about "In The Dancing Hold", with that opening from SOME classical piece (I don't know which one, maybe you will....) then right into the groove.
Classic slice of Canadian Rock. These guys were AWESOME.
(trivia: Josef Chirowski (piano/organ/vocal) appeared on Alice Cooper's "Welcome To My Nightmare" which Alice recorded in Toronto. My late buddy played on the sessions but didn't get his name on the LP cuz he wasn't yet a member of the Musician's Union (he was only 16!!!). Also, Kelly Jay used to be a DJ on CHUM-FM. Wild show!!!!)
CROWBAR - THE BEST OF
1. The Frenchman's Cherokee Boogie Incident
2. Let The Four Winds Blow
3. Cane On The Brazos
4. In The Dancing Hold
5. Where Are You?
6. Lay One Down
7. Oh Never Be A Dodo
8. Murder In The First Degree
9. Trilby
10. Dead Head Out Of St. John's
11. Tits Up On The Pavement
12. Oh What A Feeling
and HERE too!
6 comments:
Crowbar played my high school, Bonnie Doon High.
My band Dorsty Grimpitst opened for them.
Crowbar was really loud, I mean reeeeally loud.
I guess I was old even then because I couldn't understand that if you spent that much time becoming a high class player wouldn't you want to play at a volume where people could comprehend what it was you were playing rather then one big buzz of sound?
Colour me old I guess.
But at least the Crowbar records sounded good.
Thanks for this one.
"OH never be a dodo, as far as I'm concerned..."
What a rush! Thanks for another cool share, Chumley!
Lateboomer
Great comments re:Crowbar. These guys had "HEART". They played MY high school too. Louder than loud, although I still think A FOOT IN COLDWATER was louder still. That's saying a TON, cuz our school had everybody from Rush, Stampeders, Edward Bear, Madcats, Goddo....My ears used to ring for days afterwards (that was pretty much how we judged how "good" the band was!)
and yes, being a dodo is never a good thing......
Thank you so much for this.
Crowbar is one of the best bands that ever was. I have been listening to the very few LP's I have since the mid seventies.
As far as this being their Best Of, I think they should have called all of their recordings Greatest Hits, and just change the volume number.
Cheers man
Heard "Oh What a Feeling" on my car radio today. Blasted it and needed to hear it again.
Not the Crowbar I'm used to hearing about..the one with 2 really fat guys from New Orleans..Slow doom metal band..
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