Old Enough to Forget

After the abomination that was Power Play ... oh, it wasn't that bad ... it just wasn't that good either. I waited for April Wine to release a new album, and sure enough, in '84 April Wine dropped Animal Grace . The classic lineup of Goodwyn, Moffet, Greenway, Lang and Mercer was still intact, and all was right in the world. Animal Grace marked the end of an era. Although at the time I had no idea this was it. I'd grown up with April Wine being a key contributor to the soundtrack of my life, and I just figured that was how it would be. Funny how you don't know it's the last time until you have the ability to look back and realize it was where things ended. Goodwyn and Mike Stone crafted new sonic territory for the band. This was April Wine, but this was the '80s version of April Wine. Right from the opening track "This Could Be the Right One," April Wine was changing with the times. It was familiar, but it was new. Cementing the new sound for me ...

It was 1982 and April Wine was striking while the iron was hot, or in this case platinum. The band had finally cracked the US market a year earlier with The Nature of the Beast , and at home the band had released consecutive gold or platinum albums since 1975's breakthrough Stand Back . Power Play managed to ride the band's momentum to platinum status in Canada, but despite the album cracking the top 40 on the US album charts, it didn't translate into sales. The album was produced by Mike Stone and Myles Goodwin, and the classic line up was still intact. Brian Greenway - guitar, vocals Myles Goodwyn - vocals, guitars, keyboards Gary Moffet - guitar, background vocals Steve Lang - bass, background vocals Jerry Mercer - drums Heck, the album cover was awesome. There was Myles with his three pickup Les Paul slung over his shoulder, arms splayed out, basking in the moment. I loved that guitar. Two pickups good. THREE BETTERER! Take that, Peter Frampton! The only problem was th...

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 v...

The Nature of the Beast  was the third album from the classic five-man iteration of April Wine. The triple threat on guitar: Myles Goodwin, who sang most of the songs, Brian Greenway, and Gary Moffet, backed by the ever rock-solid rhythm section of Steve Lang on bass and Jerry Mercer on drums. When I think of the band, this is the lineup that gets my motor running. By this point April Wine was well established here in Canada, with eight studio albums and two live albums under their belts. You'd think they would have started to coast and rest on their laurels a little. Nope. The band hit the height of both their commercial and creative peak with their 1981 release The Nature of the Beast . It was quite a feat, too. I loved First Glance , especially "Roller." Then the band dropped Harder...Faster and the one-two gut punch of "I Like to Rock" and "Say Hello." That three-guitar medley at the end of "I Like to Rock" just blew my mind. I mean, cou...