Information/Write-up
Led by smooth-as-silk guitarist Terry Frewer, this Vancouver, British Columbia quartet scored a huge local hit in 1971 with "A Country Boy Named Willy" b/w "Pressed Ham," released by London. Other group members were Bob Buckley (vocals, keyboard, sax, woodwinds), Pete McKinnon (bass), and Kat Hendrikse (drums). Spring's first recording, "Bring Yourself Down to Earth, Lovin' Blues Baby," was described by Vancouver DJ Michael Willmore as "a tasty funk-rock number." It appeared on the various-artists charity compilation Cool Aid Benefit Album (Arthfor Special Products 4001D; 1969). "As Feelings Go," the group's debut single (Coast, 1970), was felt by all concerned to be an inferior remake. (The highly regarded first master was lost when someone hit the wrong button during a replay session.) Promo copies of Spring's second 45, "It's a New Day" (Coast, 1971), went out, but the single was withdrawn due to general disinterest. A rare-as-hens'-teeth EP was cut for CBC Radio Canada, but it was "A Country Boy Named Willy" that endeared Spring to fans in the Canadian West. There is something of the Hollies' "Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress" in "Willy," with hints of the Small Faces and the countrified Byrds as well. Frewer's crisp, clean style is definitely to be admired. Progressive musicians, Spring actually performed in concert with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra; their show was entitled Son of Zonk. The wider recognition the band craved never materialized. Failing to secure a hoped-for album deal, Spring -- disenchanted with drunken audiences and harrowing winter touring conditions -- called it quits. "As Feelings Go" and "It's a New Day" resurfaced on the History of Vancouver Rock, Vol. 3 (Vancouver Record Collectors' Association, 1983), while "A Country Boy Named Willy" was reissued on the History of Vancouver Rock, Vol. 4 (Vancouver Record Collectors' Association, 1991).
-Stansted Montfichet
Pete McKinnon: bass
Terry Frewer: guitars
Bob Buckley: vocals, keyboard, sax, woodwinds
Kat Hendrikse: drums
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