Rock Archeologia

Extras - Road to Zambando (1982) 

Artist: Extras
Title: Road to Zambando
Format: Vinyl LP Album
Label: Ready Records
Catalog: LR 022
Released: 1982
Origin: Toronto, Ontario
Genre: Pop Rock, Disco
Duration: 00:39:34

• In the Spring of 1979, Denis Keldie was working in a band called Sneakers with Leon Stevenson (who had known each other from school in Mississauga, Ontario) During the same period Stevenson was working with B.B. Gabor as a songwriter on material for Gabor. His group, The Instaband, featured Paul Armstrong on drums and Tom Griffiths on bass. When Gabor signed his record deal with Anthem Records, he decided to combine Stevenson and Keldie with the members of The Instaband as his musicians for his first solo.
• Following two weeks of pre-production with Terry Brown a disastrous and very drunken performance by B.B and us at The Edge in Toronto was apparently witnessed by a label rep and the brakes were quickly put on the recordings with Gabor's backing band. Though the various members were asked to sign publishing contracts for the material they co-wrote with Gabor (Stevenson writing the lyrics to "Metropolitan Life"; Armstrong writing the lyrics to "Soviet Jewelry"; Keldie co-writing "Moscow Drug Club"), the band itself was fired from the recording sessions.
• From this fiasco was born the united Extras who signed with Ready Records and released "Bit Parts" featuring soon-to-be famous producer David Bendeth. The album spawned two hit singles: the hilarious condom conundrum "Circular Impression" and "Jealous Girl" (The Extras and BB Gabor would eventually reconcile and Gabor would record "Jealous Girl" on his sophomore album).
• The group released the unspectacular 'The Road To Zambando' in 1982 and in 1983 they released a 5 song EP called 'The Watcher' which featured the departure of Armstrong and the addition of Pat Rush (guitar) and Paul Daiter (bass). The record spawned the single of the title track.
• It was in 1984 on their fourth outing, 'Extrapolis', that the band drew any real success. The album featured the single "Can't Stand Still" which was a catchy song and had a very entertaining video -- the second animated Canadian video ever (Klaatu's "Routine Day" being the first).
• The album hit #66 on CSCR's Top LP's of 1984 and they won a CFNY-FM U-Know Award for the video to "I Can't Stand Still".
• The band struggled until the demise of Ready Records and the members embarked on other musical projects. In 1990 Leon Stevenson joined forces with guitarist Wally Matas to form Industrial Artz.

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 • Side One:
A1. Turning It Out 04:24
A2. I'll Be Wanting You 04:15
A3. Zambando 04:17
A4. Don't Put Me on Hold 02:52
A5. Sporting Life 03:50
 • Side Two:
B1. Mega Media Myth 04:47
B2. Never a Headache 03:58
B3. High Tech Promises 03:34
B4. Seeing You Again 03:40
B5. Sentimental Fool 03:53

 

Musicians:
Paul Armstrong - Drums, Percussion, Vocals
Denis Keldie - Vocals, Keyboards
Leon Stevenson - Lead Vocals, Synthesizer
Paul Daiter - Bass, 1983-present
Pat Rush - Guitar, 1983-present

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