Hidden Treasures - Producer Showcase (Bruce Fairbairn)

[Scott]

Though he gifted humanity with a couple of Bon Jovi albums that we all can't stomach, he started out as a very cool producer of two of my favorite Canadian bands before then and self-corrected afterwards. Heres a peek into Producer Bruce Fairbairns early work. But first, some Wiki-wisdom...


In the early 70s, he started producing when he was part of the Vancouver band jazz-rock group Sunshyne, on which he played both trumpet and horn. There he met bandmate Jim Vallance, who would go on to become one of the most successful songwriters in the music industry and an important music associate. After Vallance left Sunshyne in 1973, Fairbairn changed Sunshyne's format to blues-rock-pop. Fairbairn recruited guitarist Lindsay Mitchell, from Vancouver band Seeds of Time, as singer-songwriter and frontman. Fairbairn worked through 1974 to land a recording contract for Sunshyne, using demos of two songs written by Mitchell. By mid-1975, as Fairbairn could not close a record deal for Sunshyne, he approached Vallance for assistance. Vallance reworked the arrangements on the Mitchell songs and supplied three of his own at Fairbairn's request. One of the Vallance songs, "Open Soul Surgery" impressed an executive at record label GRT, who signed Fairbairn's group to a recording contract in 1976.

Over the next year, Fairbairn produced an album using various musicians (including himself) from both Sunshyne and Seeds of Time. The newly renamed band Prism then released its debut album in 1977. The album reached platinum status in Canada, with sales in excess of 100,000 albums by 1978. Fairbairn himself, however, elected not to be a member of Prism, and is credited only as producer and as a session musician on the album, and did not play with Prism on any live dates.

Fairbairn produced Prism's next three albums, all of which went platinum or double platinum in Canada. In 1980, Fairbairn won his first of three Canadian music industry Producer of the Year Juno Awards for Prism's third album Armageddon.

So lets start right where this drops off...


PLAYLIST --> http://www.podsnack.com/CA69EFD9E8C/a1p8rmf8

	Prism Young and Restless 1980 1 - Young and Restless This was the first Prism album written without any credited contributions from Vallance/Higgs: all songs were written by Mitchell, Harlow or Norton. (Vallance claims he did participate in the making of the album as an arranger, and as an uncredited co-writer of one track, but admits that his participation in Young and Restless was "minimal".) The album spun off Prism's highest charting single, also called "Young and Restless", which peaked at #14 on the Canadian charts. At this point, Prism parted company with their long-time producer and founder Bruce Fairbairn, They recorded one new track for their 1980 greatest hits album All the Best From Prism with new producer John S. Carter, who was known professionally simply as "Carter"; Carter would be the group's producer for all their subsequent releases through 1983.
	Loverboy Get Lucky 1981 2 - Watch Out In 1980, while still working with Prism, Fairbairn started production work on the debut album for Canadian rock band Loverboy. The self-titled album Loverboy would be the first Fairbairn production to break through in the lucrative US market and launch Fairbairn's international success. Get Lucky is the second album released by the hard rock band Loverboy in 1981. The album reached number 7 on the Billboard 200 album chart, remaining on the chart for over two years, and has sold over 4 million copies in the United States. It featured the hit singles, "Working for the Weekend," "When It's Over," "Lucky Ones," "Gangs In the Street," and "Take Me to the Top."
	Blue Oyster Cult The Revolution By Night 1983 3 - Shooting Shark The album was intended to capitalize on the unexpected success of Fire of Unknown Origin just two years prior, hence the album's blend of straight-ahead rock and pop elements. This was the first album by the band not to feature all of the band's classic members, drummer Albert Bouchard having been fired during the previous tour and replaced by Rick Downey. "Shooting Shark" became a radio hit, and its accompanying video became one of MTV's most requested clips upon its release. The lyrics to "Shooting Shark" were based on a poem by Patti Smith. The song "Take Me Away", co-written by Eric Bloom with Canadian rock musician Aldo Nova, also received significant airplay on AOR radio. Nonetheless, the album failed to go Gold in the United States.
	Honeymoon Suite The Big Prize 1986 4 - Words In The Wind Big Prize is a choice piece of mall rock. Crisply produced by fellow Canadian Bruce Fairbairn, who went on to greener pastures with Bon Jovi and Aerosmith, the album benefits from one of the greatest kickoffs in history with "Bad Attitude." Drums and keyboards date '80s rock, but "Bad Attitude" adroitly weaves 'em together for a dreamy bridge, before principal songwriter and guitarist Derry Grehan erupts with cascading fretboard fireworks. All the while, singer Johnnie Dee cautions the listener to clean up his act. Of course Dee wants action "in the sheets" by the tropical single "Feel It Again." Swirling synths and guitar gymnastics also dominate "Lost and Found," which quotes early Kiss and flat-out rules. The legendary Ian Anderson sticks his flute into "All Along You Knew," where cheatin' lyrics pave the way for "Your Love" by the Outfield (another schlock requisite), and the specter of Miami Vice haunts "Words in the Wind," provoking paranoia and cool car chases. If you're still reading, you want this record, so don't deny yourself; Big Prize holds all the lost enchantment of adolescent summers.

During the mixing sessions for Yes' The Ladder, on May 17, 1999, Fairbairn was found dead by Yes singer Jon Anderson and Armoury manager Sheryl Preston in his Vancouver home. He was survived by his wife Julie, with whom he had three sons: Scott, Kevin, and Brent. Bob Rock declared that on the week Fairbairn died, the two were to travel to New York to meet Bon Jovi for another album together.


A memorial, "A Celebration of the Life of Bruce Earl Fairbairn", held at the Vancouver Chan Centre was attended by more than 300 people. Highlighted by reminiscences from close friends, the event included musical performances from Jon Anderson and Steve Howe performing the song "Nine Voices" from Yes' The Ladder sessions, as well as Tom Keenlyside, guitarist David Sinclair and finally, "Taps" played on Bruce's trumpet by son Brent.


In March 2000, Fairbairn was posthumously awarded the Canadian Music Hall of Fame Juno Award for his work.

[Niels (Mod)]

I know Fairbairn as the producer of Bon Jovi's and Aerosmith's late 80's albums, but also from not very good AC/DC- and KISS-albums. But now, he is known to me as the ultimate Scott-rock-producer of all time.

1. Yeah, very nice, but also very plain and boring. I'm glad, I didn't hear this kind of music in 1980.

2. Why didn't I ever buy any Loverboy-albums, I hear you ask? Well, look at the name of the band and the album-cover, and then listen to this very american 80's AOR-song, and you've got your answer. If there ever was a "Scottrock"-band, this is it!!

3. BÖC is actually a band, that I've wanted to check out for years. I've got a friend, who love that band, and he has played me some of their albums, but it goes in through one ear, and out the other. It sounds very, very dated this production, and again very, very poppy. I think BÖC was once more "classic rock", and if I had to check them out, I would avoid this album for sure. Maybe once in 1983, I would had liked this music, but I doubt it very much. I never was much of a "Scottrock"-follower. This song is 6 or 7 min. too long.

4. The singer sounds a bit like Robin Zander, but Cheap Trick also made some crappy music around this time. Man, do you still listen to this kind of music in 2016, Scott? Out of these, I would say there was a biggest chance, that I would had liked this song in 1986 or back then, but I would had sensed, something was deeply wrong, and would had longed even more for Grunge to appear.

[RJhog (Admin)]

Niels does not like American music, unless it's cats that don't sing well, like Waits or Dylan.

[Niels (Mod)]

If this playlist sums up American music, then right you are.

[RJhog (Admin)]

Oh, I know I'm right.

[Scott]

Living in the American northwest is a big reason why this music influenced me and yes, I do listen to these still. An American who likes American music, who'd a thunk it!

[Niels (Mod)]

Well, I'm a dane, and I don't like danish music.

I love a lot american music, a big exeption is 80's AOR.