Harlequin (band)
| Harlequin | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Winnipeg, MB, Canada |
| Genres | Rock |
| Years active | 1975–present |
| Labels | Epic |
| Website | http://www.harlequintheband.com |
| Members |
George Belanger Derrick Gottfried AJ Chabidon Paul McNair Gary Golden |
| Past members |
Nik Rivers John Hannah John White Denton Young Glen Willows David Budzak Ralph James Darren Moore |
Harlequin is a Canadian rock band that formed in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1975. The band is best known for their hit singles "I Did It For Love," "Thinking of You," "Superstitious Feeling," and "Innocence".[1]
In 2004, the band performed as Harlequin II, but in 2007 the band resurfaced under their original name and released a live album, On/Q Live, in 2009.
History
In 1975, Winnipeg bassist Ralph James formed Harlequin upon recruiting vocalist George Belanger, guitarist Glen Willows, keyboardist Gary Golden, and drummer David Budzak.[2] The band began recording demos and travelling to Toronto to perform in the local bars and clubs. It was in one of these small bars in Toronto that Harlequin were discovered by representatives of Jack Douglas, the producer of Aerosmith, John Lennon, and Patti Smith, after they tried to see another band in a larger bar downstairs, but could not gain admittance due to a sell-out crowd.[3]
Douglas helped get Harlequin signed to CBS/Epic Records records in 1979, and later that year that band released their first LP, Victim of a Song, which went Gold, and received heavy radio play, particularly in Western Canada. Douglas was listed as the record's executive producer; for the next two albums, Douglas would act as producer. The band's second release, Love Crimes (1980) yielded two hits, "Thinking of You," and "Innocence," Harlequin's biggest hit to date. Harlequin's third album One False Move (1982) contained two more hits, "Superstitious Feeling," and "I Did It for Love".
For their self-titled fourth studio album, Harlequin replaced Douglas with The Fixx bassist Alfie Agius as their producer. Harlequin (1984), produced only one single, "Take This Heart".[3] The band effectively split after this album, but in 1986, Harlequin released their Greatest Hits album with one new track "(It's) No Mystery". This track was written by David Bendeth and Tom Cochrane, produced by Bendeth, and featured Belanger on lead vocals backed entirely by session musicians. In 1986, the line-up was Belanger, John Hannah (guitar), John White (keys), and Denton Young (drums).[2] The line-up changed almost yearly through the rest of the 1980s until 1987, when the line up of Glen Willows, George Belanger, Nik Rivers, Rob Waite and M.J. Hutton toured coast to coast in Canada for several years, into 2007.
In 2004, some members of the band reformed temporarily under the name of Harlequin II, and in 2006, the band was inducted into the Western Canadian Music Hall of Fame at the Western Canadian Music Awards.[4]
In 2007 Belanger reformed Harlequin with an entirely different lineup of musicians, including guitarist Derrick Gottfried, bassist Nik Rivers, keyboardist Darren Moore, and drummer AJ Chabidon. This lineup released Waking the Jester (2007), which contained two singles, "Shine On," and "Rise." The band resumed touring and in 2009 released Harlequin's first live album, Live On/Q.[3]
The band continues to tour mostly within Canada.[5]
Discography
Studio albums
| Year | Album | Track listing |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Victim of a Song | 1 Sweet Things In Life 2 Survive 3 What's Your Name 4 Victim of a Song 5 You Are The Light 6 Who Knows (What A Love Can Do) 7 Shame Shame 8 Turn Around 9 Barely Alive |
| 1980 | Love Crimes | 1 Innocence 2 Love on the Rocks 3 Thinking of You 4 It's All Over Now 5 Heaven (Dial 999) 6 Sayin' Goodbye to the Boys 7 Wait for the Night 8 Crime of Passion 9 Can't Hold Back |
| 1982 | One False Move | 1 I Did It For Love 2 Hard Road 3 Shame If You Leave Me 4 Say Goodnight 5 Ready to Love Again 6 Fine Line 7 Heart Gone Cold 8 Heavy Talk 9 Superstitious Feeling 10 It's a Woman You Need |
| 1985 | Harlequin | 1 Take This Heart 2 Keep This Fire Alive 3 Don't Waste My Time 4 Memories 5 Can't Turn It Off 6 Calling 7 Trouble in Paradise 8 Run for Your Life 9 Love in Disguise |
| 2007 | Waking the Jester | 1 Shine On 2 Rise 3 Hell or High Water 4 40 Days in Your Car 5 Black Out the Sun 6 How Long 7 This Limbo 8 Take It or Leave It 9 Lolita 10 Inbound Train 11 Little White Lies 12 You Can't Go Back 13 Taste It |
Compilation albums
| Year | Album |
|---|---|
| 1984 | Radio Romances |
| 1986 | Harlequin's Greatest Hits |
Live albums
| Year | Album |
|---|---|
| 2009 | Live On/Q |
Singles
| Year | Song Title |
|---|---|
| 1979 | "Survive" |
| 1980 | "Sweet Things in Life" |
| 1980 | "Innocence" |
| 1981 | "Thinking of You" |
| 1982 | "Superstitious Feeling" |
| 1982 | "I Did It For Love" |
| 1984 | "Take This Heart" |
| 1986 | "It's No Mystery" |
| 2007 | "Shine On" |
| 2007 | "Rise" |
References
- ↑ http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=U1ARTU0001538
- 1 2 http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p18117
- 1 2 3 http://www.harlequintheband.com/history.html
- ↑ List of Artistic Awards, Western Canadian Music Awards, 2006; www.westerncanadianmusicawards.ca.
- ↑ http://www.harlequintheband.com/tour.html
External links
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