Doppler Bros. - Totally Impractical

Tracks

Side 1

		Track Name	Length
	1	The Wreck of the Eaton Centre	04:27
	2	Big Time Tragedy	03:36

Side 2

		Track Name	Length
	1	Welcome to Canada	03:48
	2	I Wanna Write for the Muzak Man	03:58
	3	Leaving Home	02:21

Photos

Videos

No Video

Information/Write-up

First posted on citizenfreak.com way back in the early days of MOCM in 2010, here is a fresh transfer of this classic Canadiana new wave EP.

I can't find anything online about the satirical rock group The Doppler Brothers, but fortunately the liner notes (is that a great band photo or what?) identify the band members; Bill Bryans (drums), Bruce Barron (guitar, bass on "The Wreck of The Eaton Centre" and piano on "Leaving Home") and Gary Hynes (synthesizer, all other bass and piano). Lyrically the Dopplers were pretty punk rock, but musically the record has more in common with Stage Fright-era The Band or The Rheostatics (who didn't exist when it was released, but still).

This EP, named Totally Impractical, was recorded in 1978 at The Sounding Board in Toronto (apparently the band's personal studio) and released by Bend It Straight Music. The singers were Sean Pigot ("Leaving Home"), Les Clackett ("The Wreck of The Eaton Centre, "Welcome To Canada" and "I Wanna Write For The Muzak Man") and Simon Leblovik ("Big Time Tragedy"), with Dyan Firth, Marion Tobin and Ilene Tobin doing backup duty on "Canada" and "Muzak." "The Wreck Of The Eaton Centre" is, of course, a parody of the Gordon Lightfoot standard "The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald", while "Welcome To Canada" is a dig at the idealized vision of Canada as a haven for immigrants ("We're always glad to help somebody who's down down down on their luck/We'd surely bring the whole world over if we thought we'd make a buck"). "I Want To Write For The Muzak Man" takes on the easy-listening industry, and "Leaving Home" is a chilling satire of romantic ballads written from the viewpoint of a wife beater.
-Beau for Museum of Canadian Music, 2009

Bruce Barron: guitar, bass on "The Wreck of The Eaton Centre"; piano on "Leaving Home"
Gary Hynes: synthesizer, all other bass and piano
Bill Bryans: drums
Sean Pigot: vocals on "Leaving Home"
Les Clackett: vocals on "The Wreck of The Eaton Centre, "Welcome To Canada" and "I Wanna Write For The Muzak Man"
Simon Leblovik: vocals on "Big Time Tragedy"
Dyan Firth: backing vocals on "Welcome to Canada" and "I Wanna Write For The Muzak Man"
Marion Tobin: backing vocals on "Welcome to Canada" and "I Wanna Write For The Muzak Man"
Ilene Tobin: backing vocals on "Welcome to Canada" and "I Wanna Write For The Muzak Man"

Comments