Information/Write-up
The lone LP by Calgary’s 49th Parallel remains one of the most striking documents to come out of Canada’s late-sixties rock era. Released in 1969, it reflects a band moving quickly through ideas, lineups and cities, recording whenever and wherever circumstances allowed. What emerged was not a typical studio album shaped by a single moment, but a vivid composite of who they were and who they were becoming.
The roots of the record reach back to the Shades of Blond, the group’s earlier incarnation that carried a sharper garage sensibility and a distinctly Prairie toughness. Those traces linger in several tracks, where the original lineup of Dennis Abbott, Dan Lowe, Bob Carlson, Dave Petch, Mick Woodhouse and Terry Bare play with a lean force that still feels wired and immediate. As the group evolved, new musicians stepped into the fold — Jack Velker on organ, Alf Cook on bass, and later Dennis Mundy — each one subtly shifting the band’s tone toward a more exploratory, psychedelic flavour.
Because the material was drawn from sessions spread across Hollywood, Calgary and Thunder Bay, the LP naturally carries a patchwork quality. Instead of weakening the record, that variety gives it a kind of documentary strength. You can hear the group trying on different skins: the tightness of their early garage period, the broader melodic sweep that produced “Twilight Woman” and “Now That I’m a Man,” and flashes of experimentation that hinted at where they might have gone had a second album been completed.
What binds the record together is the ambition behind it. These were young Western Canadian musicians working far from the country’s major industry centres, yet they managed to reach the national charts, play across the border, and carve out an identity that stood apart from Toronto and Montreal trends. Dan Lowe’s guitar provides a reliable centre of gravity, but the album’s real story is the ensemble itself — a collective sound shaped by constant adaptation.
Heard today, the LP reflects the promise and the turbulence of a band in motion. Some tracks feel like dispatches from the dancehalls and community stages of Alberta; others suggest a group stretching toward the psychedelic frontier just as Canadian rock was opening up. It is the only release to capture all these phases in one place, from their bar-band origins to the beginnings of the sound that would carry members into Painter, Hammersmith, and further projects.
For collectors, the album has long been a cornerstone of Western Canadian rock history, pressed in modest quantities and prized for its mix of grit and ambition. For listeners, it offers a rare snapshot of a Prairie band pushing hard against geography and circumstance. And for anyone following the throughline of Canadian music, it stands as a reminder that innovation often comes from the margins — from musicians who didn’t wait for opportunity to arrive, but went out and built their own.
-Robert Williston
Musicians
Dennis Abbott: lead vocals
Dan Lowe: guitar
Bob Carlson: guitar
Dave Petch: organ
Jack Velker: organ
Dennis Mundy: organ
Mick Woodhouse: bass
Dave Downey: bass
Alf Cook: bass
Terry Bare: drums
Writing credits
‘Now That I’m a Man’ written by Don Hockett
‘Get Away’ written by Jim Stallings
‘Eye to Eye’ written by Dennis Abbott
‘Missouri’ written by Dennis Abbott and Robert Carlson
‘Lazerander Filchy’ written by Don Hockett
‘Talk to Me’ written by Dan Lowe
‘The Magician’ written by Don Hockett
‘Twilight Woman’ written by Dennis Abbott
‘Close the Barn Door’ written by Robert Carlson, Dennis Abbott, Dan Lowe, Terry Bare, Alf Cook
‘The People’ written by Terry Bare, Jumpin' Jack Velker, Dan Lowe
Production
Produced by Chuck Williams and Don Grashey of Gaiety Productions
Arranged by Don Hockett
Engineering supervision by Jim Saunders, Master Recording Studios, Beverly Hills, California; and United Recorders, Hollywood, California, USA
Artwork
Art Direction by Ted W, Friesen
Notes
Manufactured by Venture Records, Inc
8350 Wilshire Boulevard, Beverly Hills, California, USA
Distributed by MGM Records Inc., a division of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc.
Liner notes:
You never know where superior talent will turn up. You may find it on the streets of New York, or on the beach at Waikiki. It could be in a bar in Peoria, or in a cornfield in Keokuk. It could even turn up in Calgary, Alberta.
The one thing that struck me when I moved to Calgary in January of 1966, was the fact that this city had more to offer than just oil and the Calgary Stampede. It had some of the finest musicians I'd met in 12 years of American and Canadian broadcasting.
There was that ethnic group called the Irish Rovers that was starting to make a little noise . . . and then there were the rock bands . . . over a hundred of them. Many of them seemed to have the talent to make it big. All they needed was a break.
A record was released . . . then a second, and a third, and a fourth. The fame of the 49th Parallel began to spread. Bit by bit, the appearances ranged farther afield from Calgary 'til they had covered virtually every corner of Canada and the United States.
Between trips, I saw the 49th Parallel come back to Calgary, dead-tired and often broke. I saw them laughing and happy as they sat in my rumpus room 'til 6:00 a.m. I saw them sad and discouraged as they wondered whether the handful of change in their pockets was worth all this work.
And then came the big day when things really started happening . . . the day when the popularity of the 49th Parallel justified a move from Calgary, Alberta, to Hollywood.
Today, continent-wide tours are commonplace and TV appearances happen all the time, but the folks in Calgary still think of the 49th Parallel as the home-town guys.
In Southern Alberta, they're still known as the CKXL 49th Parallel. Elsewhere in North America, they're known as just plain great. Listen carefully to this album.
Several friends of mine have put their hearts and souls into it . . . and a little of my own heart and soul has gone along with them. I'm sure this is the album that will make the 49th Parallel a household word, and when it happens, Calgary will be the home of 370,000 very proud people.
-Pace Lynn
Western Canadian Promotion Manager
Radio Station CKXL
Calgary, Alberta
This album has surpassed my expectations. Having been a follower of the 49th Parallel for some time I expected to hear a great new sound. I was surprised and pleased to hear something that was more than great.
While they were struggling in Canada's western provinces, the Parallel were a tribute to Canada and Canadian popular music scene. With this album they will spread the word that Canada has a great deal to offer in talent. They will no doubt become a part of the long list of Canadians who have made a name for themselves on the international music scene.
This album will set a trend in the new concept of the culture of today. If music is the message of this media, then this record tells it as it is....NOW!
The story of the talent of the 49th Parallel is engraved within the grooves of this record. It is a genuine sound that has a universal origin. If music that is popular today will be classical in the years to come, this album will qualify. When you listen carefully to the combination of words and music, you realize that, really, tolerance is the only thing that fails to bridge the communication gap. What is only popular today will possibly be a tradition and a folk culture of our time, someday, because of creative work the likes of which is contained in this album.
The 49th Parallel know their craft. There can be no greater compliment.
-Walt Grealis
Editor/Publisher
RPM Weekly
Toronto, Ontario
and David E. Lyman
Station CKXL
Calgary, Alberta
This is one of those surprise gems you dust off and discover. I bought the CD on the strength of the one hard rocking track, "Close the Barn Door". When I played the CD for the first time, the two opening tracks kind of disappointed me because they are both rather mild and light. But then the band really kick into gear! Many of the songs are powerful rockers with good, noisy, distorted guitars. But they also include some brass for extra punch in a couple of tracks. The vocals are mostly smooth and youthful, but occasionally we get some powerful soul with that masculine bellow. "Missouri" mixes hard-hitting psychedelia with a lighter flavour. "Lazerander Filchy" sounds so much like a Beatles track, I thought it was a cover of "I Am the Walrus" that was rearranged at first. It's a cool song about a taxidermist with mention that he might come for you or me! Horror story anyone? This album is a great blend of hard rockers and trippy tracks along with some on the lighter side but whose lyrics are quite interesting. This is one of my favourite 60's Canadian albums after the first listen and my opinion is reinforced after three more listens.