TheCycle (Magic Cycle)

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Origin: Toronto, Ontario, 🇨🇦
Biography:

Groovy Things - History Of The Magic Cycle

The Magic Cycle (also known as Cycle) is just one of many forgotten pre-"Can-Con" success stories that have been languishing in obscurity over the past few decades. With a revolving line-up of young talent, The Magic Cycle managed to carve out a niche for themselves in Toronto's (and Canada's) highly active music scene of the late 1960s and early 1970s. They caught the RPM magazine wave early and rode it throughout their whole career. This attention helped put their mostly original material in the country's national musical conversation of the time, helping to sell their name and music to young fans across Canada. Below is the long-awaited story of Toronto Pop/Psych-Rock legends The Magic Cycle.

The roots of The Magic Cycle start in October 1964 with the creation of The Canadian Dell-Tones. The "Canadian" in Canadian Dell-Tones was simply due to avoiding confusion with Quality Records recording artist "The Del-Tones," a short-lived Rock & Roll group who released "Rockin' Blues/Moonlight Party" in 1959 before changing their name to The Beau Marks and becoming very popular in Canada.

The Canadian Dell-Tones consisted of three Toronto musicians: Albert Santalucia (rhythm guitar/lead vocals), Stan Theriault (lead guitar/backing vocals), and Paul Clinch (drums/backing vocals). From the beginning, Paul's father, Brendan Clinch, managed the band. They performed popular R&B covers at teen clubs, high schools, and venues across Toronto's various boroughs. From the outset, the band were flush with cash. Paul's parents were quite wealthy, and with his father Brendan taking exceptional interest in the band (as manager), they were given new matching white stage suits, as well as top-of-the-line drums, guitars, and amplifiers to aid their performances. The Delltones quickly attracted the attention of legendary booker Ron Scribner.

At this time, Ron was transitioning his "Ron Scribner Agency" to a joint venture with Tom Wilson and Fred White called Bigland Agency. Originally, the Bigland name was minted by Stan Klees as his production/publishing company (also a weekly rank/review column in RPM Magazine [c. 1964] called "The Bigland Sound"), but Stan encouraged them to join forces with him under the Bigland name, merging production, booking, and publishing.

In addition to the sizeable roster of established groups that Ron Scribner brought into the aforementioned merger (Robbie Lane, Ronnie Hawkins, Pat Hervey, Little Caesar & The Consuls, Shirley Matthews, Ritchie Knight & The Mid-Knights, David Clayton Thomas, Sandy Selsie, The Guess Who, etc.), the Bigland Agency also began signing a large swathe of newer Ontario groups, and The Canadian Dell-Tones were at the top of their list.

The Canadian Dell-Tones were signed to The Bigland Agency in June of 1965. Photoshoots were done, a fan club was made (ran by Pat Stevenson), and Ron Scribner began setting the band up with higher profile, better paying gigs, extending outside the GTA (Greater Toronto Area). Though Bigland producer Stan Klees was encouraging the band to record around this time, it's currently unknown if any recordings were made under the Canadian Dell-Tones name.

During mid-1966, Ron Scribner resumed bookings for his "Ron Scribner Agency" as opposed to the previous year's merger with The Bigland Agency. Though this decision was met with ire from his Bigland associates, as well as from other agencies in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area), Ron felt he could do a better job working alone and of course receive higher compensation for his services.

With this change in booking management, The Canadian Dell-Tones found themselves in higher demand by the agency and with a new assortment of gig opportunities: colleges/universities, variety attractions, radio/television bookings, and Ron was working towards getting his acts gig opportunities in the United States. Though the latter didn't end up working out for the Dell-Tones, the former three options proved to be lucrative and within reach. Throughout the remainder of 1966, the Canadian Dell-Tones began playing regularly on the college/university circuit, the nightclub scene, and various fundraisers and private events.

The Canadian Dell-Tones' latter-1966 period is also notable due to the growing inclusion of original material in the bands' live sets. Each member began writing songs, and a lot more time was being dedicated behind the scenes towards honing these. This brought them to the attention of Bigland creator Stan Klees, who previously ran Tamarac Records solo and had begun jointly running Red Leaf Records with Art Snider, Duff Roman, and David Pears. Red Leaf was 100% dedicated to Canadian talent and prioritized bands who wrote catchy original material.

It is worth mentioning at this point in the timeline that Dell-Tones drummer Paul Clinch was a multi-instrumentalist (drums, guitar, keyboard) and singer. However, Paul didn't sing live and only played drums during the early Dell-Tones period. The band began experimenting privately with a quartet line-up of The Dell-Tones before the end of 1966, which featured Paul's brother Kevin Clinch on drums. This allowed Paul to "spread his wings" so to speak, freeing him up to practice his singing and songwriting.

After a January/early February run of shows in 1967 (which included a date at Toronto's legendary Gogue Inn [Jan 20th] as well as a pair of Winter Carnival concerts at the University of Toronto [Feb 2nd-3rd]), The Canadian Dell-Tones were no more. Through the intervention of Stan Klees, the band was convinced to rebrand as The Magic Cycle, consider signing with Red Leaf Records, and convert their repertoire into mostly original content written by the band or their Canadian contemporaries.

The band's manager (and Paul's father), Brendan Clinch, was against the deal and was suspected of the band working with Stan Klees. Aiding his feelings in the initial deliberation was band member Al Santalucia, who was also suspicious of Stan Klees. Suspicion aside, the band ultimately decided to partner with Mr. Klees and Red Leaf Records during February of 1967.

The remainder of February was dedicated to recording an album, according to RPM Magazine. Though this album never saw release, the sessions yielded four songs that did get released. Stan and the band hurriedly put out the band's debut single on March 15th, "Let's Run Away/Halfway To Heaven." The A-side is a cover by Les Emmerson of Ottawa's Staccatos (later to become Five Man Electric Band), and the B-side is a band original by Al Santalucia and Lynda Layne.

For a debut release, "Let's Run Away" managed to perform fairly well. The song entered the RPM 100 Top Singles chart at #99 on April 29th, peaked at #55 on June 3rd, and left the charts on June 24th after a #80 rating. Nine weeks on the charts was definitely no small feat for a debut single, especially during the highly competitive year that 1967 would end up being on the charts not just in Canada but across the world.

Stan Klees and The Magic Cycle were happy with the success of the debut. It afforded the band quite a few live opportunities over the spring and summer. One notable event was their outdoor gig at Musselman's Lake (north of Toronto). They were there for a private picnic, but when word got out that The Magic Cycle were performing, the neighborhood turned into a traffic jam with around 3000 attendants crashing the event.

In the midst of all the fanfare, The Magic Cycle released their second single, "Give Me The Right/It Was You," on July 15th, 1967. This time around, there were no covers; both sides were band originals. The A-side was written by Stan Theriault and Lynda Layne, and the B-side was written by Al Santalucia. This single received a print ad in RPM alongside label mates The British Modbeats, with their final release before disbanding called "Try To Understand.".

Nearing the close of August (and summer) 1967, The Magic Cycle were invited to play a massive showcase at the C.N.E. (Canadian National Exhibition) in Toronto. It was called "Teen-Age Fair '67." This was an event done in Vancouver during August of 1965 and 1966, respectively. The success both times encouraged organizers to bring it to Toronto's C.N.E. The roster was nothing short of a marvel. On the Canadian content, you had: The Staccatos, The Magic Cycle, A Passing Fancy, The Sunshine, Rock Show Of The Yeomen, The Last Words, The Big Town Boys, Three To One, Lords of London, and more! On the American side, you had: Harper's Bizarre, Bobby Hebb, Yellow Balloon, The Grass Roots, The Electric Prunes, The Turtles, and more! It was truly an astounding assemblage of talent. From all accounts, the event was a success and helped bolster the popularity of The Magic Cycle and other performers.

Regarding Magic Cycle line-ups, the trio of Al Santalucia (rhythm guitar/vocals), Stan Theriault (lead guitar/vocals), and Paul Clinch (drums/vocals) was the only variation. This was until September of 1967, when Al Santalucia left the band. Frustrated with the lack of meaningful success and wanting to focus more on his family, Al had no choice but to leave.

With this announcement, The Magic Cycle were left as a duo. They quickly enlisted the help of keyboard/organ player Pete Young (from Yorkville band Who In [The Blazes]) and guitarist/singer Ken Johnstone. Behind the scenes, the new quartet had been rehearsing and even recorded a single, which they began shopping around for new labels. This was because around this time, Red Leaf Records officially closed its doors, leaving The Magic Cycle without a record label.

After a pair of out-of-town shows at the end of October (Aurora Arena [27th] & Monctowne [28th]), The Magic Cycle were contacted by Ben McPeek regarding signing them to a record deal. Though primarily known as a bandleader, pianist, and jingle man, Ben McPeek had been making waves since the summer of 1967 with his new label, GIANT Records. Previous releases included Craddock Kids/Young Canadian Singers with their centennial album "Canada," Toronto Garage Rock bands The Ragged Edges, and The Boodly Hoo with their singles "Good Times" and "Mornington Crescent," respectively.

The Magic Cycle signed on with Ben McPeek, and their third single was ready for release. Ben quickly set about sending staff of the CBC to watch the band perform live, as he was trying to get them a spot on CBC's "Let's Go" program. The CBC scouts liked the band and invited them to tape an episode of the music show on November 24th (to be aired on Wednesday, December 13th). According to CBC staffers, it was one of the best episodes in the "Let's Go" series thus far. The episode was also the public's first opportunity to hear Magic Cycle's new single.

January 1968 saw both the re-airing of Magic Cycle's CBC "Let's Go" episode and the official release of their third single, "Doctor Lollipop/Where Were You When I Needed You." These songs featured a more Psych/Garage sound and new members Pete Young (keyboards/organ) and Ken Johnstone (guitar/vocals). They also represented Paul Clinch's first original on record ("Doctor Lollipop") as well as his first producer credit. Sessions were recorded at Art Snider's new Sound Canada Studios. "Doctor Lollipop" entered the RPM singles chart on February 24th, 1968 (#93), before peaking on March 16th (#68) and ultimately dropping off the RPM Hot 100 Singles chart by the end of the month.

Ben McPeek's GIANT label silently went defunct in the early summer of 1968; this was due to Ben's focus shifting onto his next label project, alongside Jack Richardson, Allan Macmillan, and Peter Clayton. The label was launched in March 1968 and was called Nimbus (later Nimbus 9). This left The Magic Cycle again without a record deal. Paul Clinch was frustrated with their situation, past and present. So he decided to start his own record label called YCP Records (Young Canada Productions). He hired Bill Armstrong for A&R and sought the guidance of Stan Klees regarding business decisions.

YCP Records was launched in July of 1968. An ambitious project, YCP featured Paul and a number of other studio-hungry musicians, writers, and singers: Stan Theriault, Ken Johnstone, Terry Christenson, and Jimmy Dybold. The Magic Cycle provided musical backing for all productions. The debut release for the label was supposed to be a Magic Cycle single called "Say What You Gotta Say," but it is currently unknown if this was ever released. As a matter of fact, though Ken Johnstone, The Magic Cycle, Jimmy Dybold, Paul Clinch, and Terry Christenson all received ads in RPM magazine, it appears no YCP product was ever released.

During September/October of 1968, Ken Johnstone left The Magic Cycle and was replaced by fellow YCP alumnus Terry Christenson. Terry was gaining some clout at the time for doing walk-on performances with CBC-TV. He was pursuing a solo career and decided to do double duty with The Magic Cycle. Brendan Clinch offered to manage him and Jimmy Dybold after the YCP Records fallout, so he decided to make him a main attraction of The Magic Cycle stage show due to his currently growing star power.

Around the end of 1968, The Magic Cycle got their first bass player in the band's history, Joey Rome [Joe Dinardo]. Very little valuable bio info is available about Joey other than he joined Abraham's Children in 1975.

Though Terry Christenson was never a full-time member of The Magic Cycle, he performed regularly with the band, and his presence with them was solidified on record in May of 1969. Coca-Cola came to Toronto with an idea to promote their product using the help of up-and-coming Canadian talent. They called it "The Canadian Invasion." The contracted bands featured: Nucleus, The Guess Who, Five Man Electric Band, The Magic Cycle, and Mandala. Each band wrote two original Coke-themed jingles for the album, with the exception of The Five Man Electric Band, who wrote three. Though uncredited, Terry sang backup vocals on The Magic Cycle sessions.

Upon the release of The Canadian Invasion Coca-Cola album, the featured bands' all saw an increase in their fanbases due to the constant radio exposure of the jingles. Shortly after this, Terry Christenson hired Mel Shaw as his manager, left The Magic Cycle, and began building his new band "Christopher Robin" with his brothers Ken and Peter. This band would eventually morph into Christenson.

After the departure of Terry Christenson, the band was contacted by Stan Klees, who wanted to sign the band to a recording contract. The Magic Cycle was asked to record a pair of tracks. They were called "Groovy Things" and "It's a Sunny Day." The former was written by new member Joey Rome [Joe Dinardo], and the latter was written by Paul Clinch. Before the recording of the single could take place, however, The Magic Cycle went through a lineup change. Peter Young left the band and was replaced by organist Peter Goodale.

A single was planned, and recording time was booked in the evenings at Art Snider's Sound Canada Studios. This is where they met up-and-coming producer/engineer Greg Hambleton. "I was hired by Stan Klees in the summer of 1969 to record a band he had recently signed called The Magic Cycle," says Greg. "I was impressed by their talent, and I made them a major part of my future studio band shortly after these initial recordings." At the time, Stan Klees had not yet revived Tamarac Records, so they eventually shopped the single around and garnered interest from GRT for release through their Fingerprint Records imprint.

Greg Hambleton hired The Magic Cycle during July of 1969 to record the instrumentation for a handful of albums. The four albums in question were "shadow" albums for the new Quality Records budget label Birchmount Records. "Shadow" albums are releases that labels put out to pad their lineups in the initial or valley stages of their release cycles. Greg was tasked with choosing the musicians, the "artist" name, and the material for each project. The only rule was that 50% of the material had to be well-known "current" covers, Canadian or otherwise. Greg padded the other 50% of each project with his original songs, as well as those by his brother Fergus Hambleton and friend Jay Telfer.

The Magic Cycle was a fantastic studio resource for Greg Hambleton, both during his freelance days and when he eventually launched Tuesday Records, as well as Axe Records. "I hired the band for many uncredited sessions with other artists over the years," says Greg. "The series of events that brought me The Magic Cycle also brought me Gary & Dave." At the time, Gary Weeks and Dave Becket were students at Western University in London, Ontario, and were in charge of booking Medway Hall and various pub nights for the student union there. "They booked The Magic Cycle for a show at the university," says Greg. "Gary got up on stage with the band and was a sensation. This left an impression on the band's manager, and at one session with Magic Cycle, he took me aside, gave me Gary's number, and told me to contact him."

August of 1969 saw the release of the "Groovy Things/It's A Sunny Day" single, through Stan Klees' Fingerprint label. This was the last release under the Magic Cycle name, as they would soon change their name. Excitement for the single was high and although the single didn't manage to chart on the RPM Hot 100 initially, it was a regional sleeper hit around Ontario, providing the band with consistent out-of-town gigs for the remainder of 1969. The single "Groovy Things" eventually managed to make it onto the RPM charts, where it had considerable success.

The band changed their name to The Cycle (or simply "Cycle") around this time. They also added a new member to their live lineup, Paul's brother Kevin Clinch (stage name Kevin Barry) on drums. Paul Clinch wanted to become more involved in the singing and songwriting side of the band. He also wanted to play more guitar, so the lineup was now Stan Theriault (lead guitar/vocals), Kevin Barry (drums), Joey Rome (bass/vocals), Paul Clinch (rhythm guitar/vocals), and Peter Goodale (keyboard/organ/vocals).

During brief returns to Toronto over the remainder of 1969, Greg Hambleton continued to hire The Cycle for studio sessions at Sound Canada. At one particular session, while demoing a collection of songs from his publishing catalogue, Greg brought Gary Weeks in to sing. "One of the demos was for a more rock version of Jay Telfer's "Ten Pound Note" (complete with Stan Theriault's fuzz guitar riffs)," says Greg. "From that demo version with Gary's vocals, Steel River learned the song and began recording their version with me."

The aforementioned session also yielded the first recordings for Gary & Dave. These were a pair of Greg Hambleton originals titled "Tender Woman" and "I'm A Rider." Upon Dave Becket's arrival to the recording session, he and Gary began working on lyrics/vocals for the aforementioned songs, with music recorded by The Cycle. The "Tender Woman/I'm A Rider" single saw release the following year in 1970 through Quality Records but did not achieve any chart success.

1970 was a year of reinvention and rebirth for The Cycle. The main focus was on recording new, original music. After the success of "Groovy Things," expectations were high. The band forged a solidified partnership with Stan Klees, and he revived Tamarac Records as a central hub for all future releases by the band, as well as solo recordings by its members. This was due to the reminiscent talks Stan and Paul Clinch had about the YCP Records era of the band and that whole "self-sufficient" style of music making.

The band was reinvigorated by the new plan and accommodations. They set up base in Sound Canada Studios during the spring/summer of 1970, with Stan Klees producing and Greg Hambleton engineering. They played the occasional college/university gig, but the focus was on the studio. During this fruitful period, the band recorded over forty songs, many of which went unreleased. Paul Clinch adopted the "Paul Craig" alias, both with the band and in attempts at a solo career.

The first release from this new period came as a Paul Craig solo single. "Welcome To My Daydream/Coat Of Colors" was released in late-July 1970, receiving heavy promotion from RPM Magazine and apparently shipping with a bottle of cologne. The single reached #46 on the Canadian singles chart and received heavy play from MOR stations. The B-side "Coat of Colors" received heavy play on underground stations. Both sides were written by Paul Clinch.

The Paul Craig single was quickly followed by The Cycle's debut release under their new name, "Walkin' Along/Open Your Eyes," in the first week of September 1970. Both sides were again written by Paul Clinch. The band held a release party at the Cambridge Motor Hotel in Toronto, where they were in the second week of their two-week residency. The "Walkin' Along" single received decent promotion in RPM Magazine, though not as much as its predecessor. This was due to the band preparing their debut album for release.

October 1st, 1970 was the official release date for "The Cycle," a self-titled debut album (originally titled "Saturday Afternoon Rummage Sale") of all original material, written by Paul Clinch and Joey Rome. RPM Magazine promoted the release date and the previous single, which contained album songs on both sides. Many fans of the band in the present day are familiar with this album and none of the previous singles. This is due to the song "God." Most songs on this album are really solid, but God is the true standout. The song is a seven-minute psych-rock blast, written by Paul Clinch, featuring an unexpected drum solo and hellish guitar solo. The lyrics are a warning against worshipping false idols and losing yourself to charismatic figures. Given the time of release, the lyrical themes of this song are especially poignant.

Though the album was a high musical watermark for the band, it was commercially unsuccessful. World-renowned music critic Ritchie Yorke published a rave review of the album in multiple magazines (and allowed for its inclusion in the liner notes), but this did little to boost sales. The band played a college tour as well as multiple Yorkville venues throughout the end of 1970 and early 1971, but it was of little positive consequence.

The Cycle returned to Sound Canada Studios in April of 1971 to record some new songs, this time with Paul Clinch producing instead of Stan Klees. The main song to come from these sessions was Paul's "Wait For The

Miracle." This was rush released the following month, with a neutered version of "God" as the B-side (sans guitar and drum solos). "Wait For The Miracle" managed to reach #48 on the RPM Singles chart in July of 1971, receiving airplay across the country and in pockets of the United States. This prompted a deal with Buddah Records, which distributed the single in the United States, Germany, and Japan.

All the fanfare surrounding "Wait For The Miracle" caused a follow-up single to be prepared. "Gimme Some Time/Sitting Where The Flowers Grow" was released in October of 1971 but failed to find much chart success. The lead track, "Gimme Some Time," was also issued as a dual-sided promo in the United States. These songs were more of a collaborative process, with "Gimme Some Time" co-written by Paul Clinch and engineer Greg Hambleton and "Sitting Where The Flowers Grow" co-written by Paul Clinch and Peter Goodale.

November 15th, 1971, saw the release of Fergus Hambleton's debut solo album, "All The Right Noises." This was recorded during the summer of 1971 at Sound Canada, with Greg Hambleton behind the board and members of The Cycle providing some of the musical backing. Granted, this wasn't a full-band affair, as Capitol Records paired Fergus with more "professional," stripped-down string and horn accompaniment for the recording of his debut. Stan Theriault and Paul Clinch were the only Cycle members invited to the sessions, playing bass and drums, respectively. Fergus was the main musician on the sessions, writing every song and playing piano, guitar, saxophone, and bass.

This particular session highlighted a shift in attitude for Paul Clinch. He became more involved with general session work from here on out, and as the 1970s wore on, this would continue to increase. Paul always had an attitude of help and camaraderie when it came to Canadian music and his contemporaries.

By 1972, Cycle lead guitarist Stan Theriault was growing restless. The constant touring and the ebb and flow of expectations with each release were wearing on him. He had high hopes for the band and felt shortchanged at every opportunity. Stan was a founding member and had been with the band for almost eight years, seeing every release and every lineup change. He was an integral part of the band's sound, responsible for nearly all lead guitar parts (including the famous guitar solo on "God") and some vocals. But he still decided to leave to pursue a career outside of the band.

This abrupt decision left The Cycle in a tight spot, without their main guitarist. Paul was good but he never expected to replace Stan. The Cycle briefly halted all upcoming live gigs, as well as a summer tour. They then rush released a previously recorded Paul Clinch solo single to help ease the burden and buy them some time. "Don't Take The Sun Out Of My Life/One Woman Man" (both sides written and produced by Paul Clinch) was released on February 8th, 1972, and briefly troubled the bottom of the RPM Hot 100 before dropping off completely.

Thankfully, by the time "Don't Take The Sun Out Of My Life" was released in February, The Cycle found Stan Theriault's replacement and had begun an intense rehearsal schedule to prepare for their grueling live schedule.

Who was the replacement, you may ask? None other than former Lords Of London keyboardist and Male Bagg/Spuff guitarist Sebastian Agnello. The band chose well, because "Seb" was a seasoned session player, much like the members of Cycle. Seb was the guitarist in Art Snider's Sound Canada Studios' house band. Here, Seb recorded (mostly uncredited) on album/single sessions for Art Snider's Periwinkle Records, as well as Artie Kohn's Vintage Records (where he released his debut solo album "Head Roach"), from 1971 to 1975.

Sebastian Agnello fit in well with The Cycle. He brought youthful abandon and an aggressive guitar style to the band. By the end of February, The Cycle was back on stage and was preparing to return to the studio. March of 1972 was a busy recording month for the band. They spent time at Sound Canada Studios with Greg Hambleton recording a pair of singles (all four songs written by Paul Clinch) and also spent time at various Toronto studios recording instrumentation for Gary & Dave's debut album.

Sebastian Agnello's debut recordings with The Cycle came out in May of 1972. First, The Cycle released their fourth single, "Coming Back Again/Hey There, Look At Me," which features some great lead guitar work by Seb on the B-side. Second, the sophomore single by Gary & Dave, "Here It Comes Again/My Special Place," was released, which features great acoustic guitar work by Seb, again on the B-side.

The summer of 1972 was a turbulent period for The Cycle. They planned a western Canadian tour to help grow their audience prior to the release of their fifth single, "All I Really Need Is You/Looking At Each Other," but faced oppositional audiences and radio promoters, which hampered their success. The main focus was on a series of Vancouver dates, promoting their most recent single, but the results were less than ideal.

"All I Really Need Is You/Looking At Each Other" saw release during August of 1972. The single managed to chart well in eastern and western Canada but didn't do as well on the CHUM charts in Toronto or on the RPM national charts. Talks of a U.S. release for "All I Really Need Is You" began between management and Buddah Records. There were also discussions regarding the release of a second Cycle album. The latter quandary prompted the decision to cobble together everything released from 1971 through to the present day, as well as any future releases, for this new album (originally entitled "Coming Back Again").

For The Cycle, the remainder of 1972 was a bit of a mixed bag. They were devoted to playing shows and promoting their name, hoping for that one BIG national hit, or international attention. Morale boosters like capacity shows were once the norm for the band but had since become much rarer. The elusive, meaningful chart success they sought was getting further from their grasp as the years wore on. Studio sessions in the latter months of 1972 had more tensions than those previous, and both Paul Clinch and Sebastian Agnello were being pulled away for session work more often than not.

WRITTEN & RESEARCHED BY: AARON LUSCH
AARONLUSCH@HOTMAIL.COM