Day 45: An Album A Day - April Wine Stand Back

All these quick album makes me question, "What is Classic Rock?" If I asked social media a squabble would likely ensue. I think the definition is subjective. For me, it's mostly the hard rocking bands of the 70's and early 80's. But ask someone 10 years younger than me and I suspect the answer would be different. April Wine is the epitome of the hard rocking 70's, with a couple of rock ballads for good mix.

Stand Back was the album that made me an April Wine fan for life. I still recall my older brother coming home from the concert telling me about the big booming cannon. My wife also reminisced about seeing and hearing the cannon book at the forum in Montreal on their Stand Back tour. This album is full of hits, including Oowatanite, I Wouldn't Want to Lose Your Love, and Tonight is a Wonderful Time to Fall in Love. Love is mentioned in 4 track titles on this release so I assume love was in the air when they recorded the album. Every song is a hit in my opinion.

Goodwyn’s delivery on tracks like "I Wouldn't Want To Lose Your Love" and "Tonite Is a Wonderful Time to Fall in Love" showcases the band's sophisticated, commercial songwriting. In contrast, Clench's vocals on "Oowatanite" and "Baby Done Got Some Soul" provide that raw, street-level energy that reminds you April Wine was, at its heart, a powerhouse rock band. The album would prove to be Jim Clench's last as April Wine's bassist.

Listening to Stand Back, we were both nostalgic and a little surprised at the variety and overall greatness of this release. Yes, it's a power rock album but there are ballads. "Baby Done Got Some Soul" is a little outside what April Wine typically produced but an awesome track! There are so many great vibes associate with this album that I had to rate it higher than most I've reviewed. April Wine is Canadian and we're all damn proud of having them as a part of our Canadian soul.