Straight Lines

Straight Lines were a Vancouver, British Columbia pop-rock band built around the songwriting partnership of Bob Buckley and David Sinclair, two musicians already deeply rooted in the city’s studio, television, and live music communities before the group emerged. Their sound combined polished West Coast pop-rock, strong melodic writing, keyboard and saxophone colour, and clean radio-focused arrangements, placing them among the more accomplished Canadian pop acts of the early 1980s.

The roots of the band reached back into Vancouver’s late-1960s and 1970s music scene. Bob Buckley, originally from Brighton, England, moved to Vancouver as a teenager and became active as a keyboardist, horn player, arranger, and session musician. He worked on the Vancouver edition of CBC-TV’s Let’s Go and later led the group Spring, which had regional West Coast success before folding in the mid-1970s. David Sinclair, raised in Vancouver’s Kitsilano neighbourhood, began playing guitar at twelve and was already working professionally as a teenager, appearing in local bands, performing on CBC television, and later becoming associated with Sunshyne, the Vancouver group that evolved into Prism.

By the end of the 1970s, Buckley and Sinclair had built a new group first known as Dogstar, joined by Peter Clarke on bass and vocals, Peter Padden on drums, percussion, and vocals, and Daryl Burgess on drums, percussion, and marimba. The band became a strong Vancouver club act, attracted the attention of manager Bruce Allen, and signed with Epic Records, changing its name to Straight Lines before the release of its debut album.

Their self-titled debut album, Straight Lines, was released by Epic Records in April 1980. Produced by Jack Richardson and Martin Shaer, recorded at Little Mountain Sound Studios in Vancouver, and mixed primarily at Manta Sound in Toronto, the album introduced the band’s precise, melodic pop-rock style. The record included “Heads Are Gonna Roll,” “Flyin’ Blind,” “Sweet Water,” “Roanne,” “Everybody Wants to Be a Star,” and “The Things You Didn’t Do.” Songwriting drew heavily on Buckley’s music and collaborations with lyricist Howie Vickers, alongside contributions from Sinclair, Clarke, and the Buckley/Sinclair partnership. “Roanne” became the album’s most visible single, reaching the Canadian RPM chart, while “The Things You Didn’t Do” also received attention.

Straight Lines toured Canada in support of the album, including opening slots with acts such as Prism and Klaatu. After the debut, the lineup changed: Peter Padden and Daryl Burgess departed, and drummer Geoff Eyre joined Buckley, Sinclair, and Clarke for the band’s second album. Eyre was already an experienced Vancouver musician, with connections to the Hans Staymer Band, Hometown Band, and other West Coast studio and touring work.

Run for Cover followed in July 1981, again on Epic Records. Produced, engineered, and mixed by Jeffrey Lesser, the album was recorded at Mushroom Studios and Little Mountain Sound Studios in Vancouver and mixed at Record Plant in Los Angeles. The lineup for this period featured David Sinclair on guitar and vocals, Bob Buckley on keyboards, saxophone, and vocals, Peter Clarke on bass and lead vocals, and Geoff Eyre on drums and vocals. The album included “Run for Cover,” “There Are No Secrets,” “It’s Gotta Be Tonight,” “Letting Go,” “Illusions,” and “Easy to Run.”

The single “Letting Go” became Straight Lines’ defining hit. Written by Bob Buckley and David Sinclair and sung by Peter Clarke, the song reached the Canadian Top 10 in 1982 and brought the band its widest national recognition. At the 1983 Juno Awards, “Letting Go” was nominated for Single of the Year, while Buckley and Sinclair were nominated for Composer of the Year. The follow-up single “There Are No Secrets” also charted, but the band was unable to turn that momentum into a longer major-label career. After “Illusions” failed to build further traction, Epic dropped the group, and Straight Lines disbanded by the end of 1982.

After Straight Lines ended, Bob Buckley and David Sinclair continued their partnership in Body Electric, moving into a more keyboard-driven 1980s pop-rock and AOR direction. Sinclair also became one of Vancouver’s most respected guitarists, with later touring and session work that included k.d. lang, Sarah McLachlan, Valdy, Susan Jacks, Bryan Adams, Rita MacNeil, and many others. Buckley built a wide-ranging career as a composer, arranger, producer, and film and television music figure.

Although Straight Lines’ catalogue was brief, the group occupies an important place in Vancouver’s transition from 1970s club and studio rock into the polished Canadian pop-rock sound of the early 1980s. Their work connected several major strands of West Coast music history: Spring, Sunshyne, Prism, Straight Lines, Body Electric, and the later studio, touring, songwriting, and production careers of the musicians involved.

-Robert Williston