April Wine - First Glance/Harder Faster

Albums nine and 10 from Montreal’s finest

Dating from 1978/79, this quintet, led by Miles Goodwyn and Brian Greenway (guitars/vocals), pitched in with a pair of impressive efforts redolent of The Babys and Cheap Trick. First Glance is the superior one, its nine songs all standing up to scrutiny, from the soft-rock opener Get Ready To Love, to the closing martial tones and tubular bells of Silver Dollar. Between, the tempo is resolutely upbeat, the vocals rich and enticing, guitars incisive and the rhythms crisp and weighty. It all makes for a fine AOR mix, with the catchy Right Down To It and piano-led Comin’ Right Down On Top Of Me standing out, while I’m Alive will please fans of Marc Bolan.

The follow-up had a track less, but in the closing cover of King Crimson’s 21st Century Schizoid Man, an appropriately grand finale. The other numbers include a cheeky nod to the Stones’ Satisfaction on I Like To Rock, while the likes of Tonite and Before The Dawn are attuned to then-current rock radio and Babes In Arms is akin to BÖC or BTO.

4 stars 4 stars 4 stars 4 stars

BGO | BGOCD 762

Reviewed by Tim Jones
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