Queen City Kids - Queen City Kids

I was at one of my favourite haunts the other day, and I was looking for Riggs lone album, but it was not to be. I don't know why I keep looking as "Radar Rider" and "Heartbeat" are on the Heavy Metal soundtrack and I have that, but it's been on my list ever since I passed up a cassette copy back in 81. Anyway I got to talking about this and that with the owner about unheralded bands that should have been bigger. He says he has a treat for me, but he had to find it. He wouldn't tell me what it was as he wasn't sure he had it. Last time he did this, it cost me twenty bucks and I ended up with a Haircut One Hundred album, that I have to admit I did enjoy. 

After a few minutes he pulls out a Queen City Kids record. I thought it was a hair metal band that had a song featured on Peacemaker. Don't ask, I'm trying to understand my train of thought on that one too. I couldn't have been farther off the mark if I'd been blind folded, spun in circles, given a traffic cone and shoved in the direction of the dog.

The record cost me four bucks and was in decent shape but was missing the inner sleeve. I was looking forward to hearing this one. After all, there's a treasure trove of gold hidden out there just waiting to be re-discovered. Besides the back cover picture was really cool.

I start reading up on the band and Queen City Kids originally hailed from Regina, Saskatchewan where apparently they cut their teeth before moving to neighbouring Manitoba to record their debut. It's amazing how many bands actually came out of Winnipeg - it's a long list, but Harlequin is one, and another was less well known: The Pumps who released Gotta Move, that had the song "Success" on it. They would swap some members out and try again as Orphan. I'll have to dig those out at some point.

Here it was 1981, it was the 80s baby, we'd have rocket packs by the end of the decade. Chicks in plastic wrap was sure to be a thing, the future was now. I'm guessing the kids in the band were trying to get ahead of everyone by showing off their plastic wrapped model who bore more than a passing resemblance to Helena Bonham Carter, with suitably mussed hair - to be fair they were a step ahead of Robert Palmer, then again his ladies at least combed their hair. 

The band was signed to Columbia records (I'm guessing for Canadian distribution) and here I am just over forty years later hearing this for the first time. Holy shit, this is great stuff. It cleaned up okay, but there were a few more pops and clicks than I wanted, but they were mostly on the dead space between songs.

This wasn't metal, or new wave, it was just a great rock record. The guys even do their own Romeo and Juliet / Don't Fear the Reaper themed song (okay, it's really more like "Last Kiss" without the lament) with "Excitement of Love" that is really a very cool song. The whole album is solid, and I really got a kick out of intertwined vocal harmonies on "Down Again" a song that really jumped out at me. There are a lot of good songs, each time through something else jumps out, the last time through it was "Secret Smoke" man the guitar tone is smokin' (ha ha ha).

The guys would release a follow up in 1982 (that I'll be on the look out for) and then after that they packed up their toys and called it a day. The band still does the occasional reunion show, and there are a few videos on YouTube that show the guys still have their chops. They may not longer be kids, more like old goats now - but there are perks for getting older - You can order from the seniors menu at Denny's.

There's also a great time capsule they self released called 1981: Live that is worth looking for as it captures the band in their element.