Rock Archeologia

Ken Tobias - Siren Spell (1976) 

Artist: Ken Tobias
Album: Siren Spell
Label: Attic
Catalog#: LAT 1013
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: Canada
Released: 1976
Genre: Rock, Pop Rock
Duracion: 00:40:37

• Originally from St John, New Brunswick, Ken Tobias group up in a music-filled home and even performed on stage in several tap dancing productions. He wrote songs and played guitar as a means of escape while in school, but initially had aspirations of making a career out of being a draftsman. He worked in that field when he first finished high school in the early '60s, and formed the folk group The Ramblers with his brother Tony, with himself playing guitar, gigging around town to help pay the bills.
• By 1965, he'd moved to Halifax and become a regular performer on CBC TV's afternoon program, "Music Hop." This opened the door for him to appear a couple of years later on "Singalong Jubilee" along with Anne Murray, where he was allowed to sing his own compositions, as were fellow cast members Gene MacLellan ("Snowbird," "Put Your Hand In The Hand") and John Allan Cameron.
• He joined The Badd Cedes as their drummer, and were eventually signed to Verve Records. After recording some demos at Halifax's CBC studio, they moved to Toronto and changed their name to Chapter V to avoid confusion with another group called Bad Seeds. After he switched from drummer to vocalist, their only single, "Dolly's Magic" was released in '67 to lukewarm response. Sporadic tours throughout Ontario and the east coast followed for the next couple of years. But as the decade drew to a close, Tobias decided to go solo, and as the '70s came, also moonlighted for awhile in the Montreal based group Crystal Staircase.
• He moved to LA a couple of years later, where he wound up as a writer for Bill Medley (Righteous Brothers). Ironically, it was Medley who wrote Tobias' first solo single shortly thereafter, "You're Not Even Going To The Fair" b/w "This Kind of Feeling" on Bell Records, which boosted his market value with his first BMI Award for "Outstanding Airplay in Canada." The connections with Medley led to his songs ending up in the hands of the likes of Ricky Nelson and The Everly Brothers, Anne Murray, The Beach Boys, and The King Sisters, among others. During this period he'd also wrote his first million seller - "Stay Awhile" for The Bells, peaking at #7 on Billboard's chart and #1 in several Canadian markets. Although he initially wrote it as a country flavoured piece, the reworked version eventually sold over 2 million copies worldwide.
• His success as a songwriter earned him a solo deal with MGM/Verve. He recorded his debut album, DREAM #2 at MGM's LA studios in 1972 with producer Michael Lloyd, and the title track was followed into the Canadian top 10 by "I Just Want To Make Music" later that year. A North American tour ensued after its release, which kept him on the road for the next year. Also included were his own version of "Stay Awhile" (re-worked as a pop song), the tender "Lonely Man," and "My Lady of Harlem."
• He spent several months travelling back and forth between LA and Montreal and formed a short-lived group called Glooscap Music with his brother. But returning to a solo career, his follow-up album, 1973's THE MAGIC'S IN THE MUSIC, was recorded in London, England at George Martin's Air Studios, comprised partially of material he'd written while hanging out at Neil Young's California ranch, and included the top 20 hit "Fly Me High" (released as a single twice - with "My My" and "Clouded Blue" as the b-sides), "Good To Be Alive In The Country" (used a few years later in the TV series "The Bionic Woman" where Lindsay Wagner sang the song in an episode), and "On The Other Side."
• He moved to Toronto and also switched to Attic Records a year later. The change produced over a dozen hit singles, beginning with the four singles from the first album for his new label, EVERY BIT OF LOVE in 1975 - the top 20 title track, "Give A Little Love," "Run Away With Me," and "Lady Luck." For the record, he assembled a touring band that also appeared on the album, including co-producer John Capek and also featured Shirley Eikhard on background vocals.
• His next two albums featured his brother Tony producing - '76's SIREN SPELL, and STREET BALLET a year later, both recorded at Manta Sound and Kensington Studios in Toronto. The singles "Lovin' Fever," "Dancer," and "Siren Spell," and "New York City" and "I Don't Want To Be Alone" kept him in the top 40 for the better part of those two years.
• Looking for new challenges, he travelled to Rome in 1978 to work on the soundtrack of the spaghetti western "Sella Argento" ("Silver Saddle"), with Lucio Fulci, one of the industry's top directors of the genre. In an effort to help promote the movie, the song "Silver Saddle" was released as a European single and was also included in Attic's compilation album later that year, THE KEN TOBIAS COLLECTION - SO FAR... SO GOOD. Although the album contained hits from both his Attic and MGM catalogues, it also included a new version of his "Dream #2" single from his MGM days.

       • www.canadianbands.com 
       • www.kentobias.ca

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 • Side One:
A1. Lovin' Fever 03:10  
A2. Before The Party's Over 03:00
A3. Oh Lynda 03:10
A4. Siren Spell (Da Do) 04:56
A5. Already Gone 04:34
 • Side Two:
B1. Lovelight 03:43  
B2. Nature's Song 03:05
B3. Dancer 03:45
B4. Pirates And Kings 09:08
B5. Dream #1 01:48
 

Members:
Bill Seullion - Bass
D. Michael Mooney - Multiple, Key boards
Ken Tobias - Lead & Background Vocals, Guitars, Percussion
Elaine Overhott - Background Vocals
Davey Murrell - Electric & Acoustic Guitar
Paul Greco - Drums & Percussion

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