Mashmakhan - Mahmakhan

Mashmakhan was one of those mysterious bands who was often referenced in articles related to April Wine. Drummer Jerry Mercer came from the band, and later incarnations would spit out guitarist Steve Lang and Brian Greenway (not at the same time), all of whom would land in April Wine and be part of the classic lineup. This just added to the mystery. What was Mashmakhan?

I found a slightly beat-up copy a while ago, and I'd finally get my answer.

The first clue should have been the hippy-dippy, trippy cover. The kaleidoscope image of the floating heads was a giveaway, but then again it was the '70s. I have friends who had family portraits with superimposed images that looked similar, so it was actually more normal than it seemed.

The second clue, and one I wasn't aware of until I started reading up on the band, was that a drug dealer in Montreal sold a variety of hash called Mashmakhan. Yeah, I'm sure the kids thought that was far out man.

From the first track, this was very different from April Wine. I don't think I was expecting hard rock. I actually don't know what I was expecting. However, it wasn't a surprise either. I just sat back and took it in.

Herbert Aronoff from The Montreal Gazette wrote, "with roots deep into the natural goodness of music like black rock and blue soul ..." I didn't hear that. What I heard was trippy and a little psychedelic, with progressive rock and jazz fusion elements. What do I know? I was seven when this came out.

Pierre Senecal, who wrote the songs, was a multi-instrumentalist who played organ, piano, flute, and saxophone, and also looked after the arrangements. The rest of the band was comprised of Rayburn Blake on guitar and vocals, Jerry Mercer on percussion and vocals, and lead vocalist and bassist Brian Edwards.

Released in 1970, this was very much a '60s-infused collection of songs, or as they're noted on the record label, bands. I don't think I've ever seen that before. I thought that was really cool. While this kind of meandering pop isn't really my thing, it was enjoyable, and boy howdy them boys could really play.

Reading up on the band, this album apparently contained a big hit, "As the Years Go By," which didn't ring any bells... until the bells started ringing when I heard it. Goodness, that was Mashmakhan?

So I checked my library, and sure enough I had the song on a CD box set called Oh What a Feeling, back when the Junos put out a few celebratory collections. They were awesome, and I remembered the song, but I'd never made the connection to the band.

Interestingly, "As the Years Go By" was a late addition to the album and was considered a silly novelty song that really wasn't like anything else on the record. Just goes to show you never know what will catch on.

The album was a fun listen, and while I'll likely not listen to it a lot, it was certainly an ambitious effort. It also answered a question that had been percolating in my brain for a few decades...

What was Mashmakhan?

This was Mashmakhan.

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