rtbuck
Senior Member
Re: Max Webster/Kim Mitchell Official Thread
As far as Kim’s solo career…
It was some time in 1981 (when I was 18), Kim Mitchell was playing at a popular club in the Buffalo area called Stage One. Stage One was the place to go for live music & they hosted local bands & even major acts such as the Ramones, the Police, & even one show starring Dr. J Jones & the Interns (Aerosmith). I was psyched when I found out Kim Mitchell was going to play there & I was right up front for the show. The show was even better than I anticipated as he rocked through Max Webster tunes such as “High Class in Borrowed Shoes” & “The Party” & some new solo tunes I had never heard but they really stood out. I remember him introducing one of the songs as “Boy Meets Girl Boy Meets Chest” which with a title such as that you know it would be etched in your memory (it actually was “Chain of Events” from his fantastic debut EP). Another standout track he played that night was “Go For a Soda” which wasn’t released until a couple of years later. Upon my first time hearing “Go for a Soda” I thought it was such a cool tune & a bit different sounding. Kim’s band sounded phenomenal especially the backing vocals by rhythm guitarist Peter Fredette. Fredette switched over to bass around 1986 & has recorded on every Kim Mitchell album. There was only one time I seen Kim Mitchell where Fredette wasn’t in the band which was around ’92. I found out from that show that Kim had released an EP titled Kim Mitchell so as always with me I rushed out the next day & bought it. Every song was great including “Chain of Events” & “Kids in Action”.
By 1984 Kim had released ‘Akimbo Alogo’ which eventually went Platinum. “Akimbo Alogo” featured the hit single “Go for a Soda” & a couple of other classics (“Lager & Ale” & “All We Are”) which are still staples on Classic Rock Stations throughout Canada & parts of the US. “All We Are” is a beautiful song & an incredible show stopping tune with unbelievable backing vocals by Fredette. I always loved the bluesy “That’s a Man” which was always fun when Kim played it live.
1986 saw the release of the triple platinum ‘Shakin’ Like a Human Being’ & Kim’s biggest hit single “Patio Lanterns”. Once again Kim released another solid album featuring some great tunes such as “Get Lucky” & “That’s the Hold” which still gets regular airplay on Canadian radio.
Over the years Kim has consistently released good albums ‘Rockland Wonderland’ (double platinum), ‘I am a Wild Party’ (Platinum), ‘Aural Fixations’ (Gold), ‘Itch’, ‘Greatest Hits’(Platinum), ‘Kimosabe’, ‘Fill Yer Head with Rock’, & ‘Ain’t Life Amazing’. I’ve seen Kim live at least 20 times & have never been disappointed. My wife gets bored with guitar solos in songs but always says she could watch Kim Mitchell solo all night. I remember seeing him around ’89 at some Hockey Arena near St Catherines, ON & at the beginning of Battle Scar they used 3 drummers (Peter Fredette was one of them) simultaneously beating out the rhythm before breaking into the song. I highly recommend Kim’s last studio album ‘Ain’t Life Amazing’ from 2007.
Here’s a review I wrote for it when it first came out:
Kim Mitchell – Ain’t Life Amazing
Label : Lighting Lobster Limited
Review by Bucky
Kim Mitchell is back with his first studio release since 1999’s ‘Kimosabe’. ‘Ain’t Life Amazing’ marks Mitchell’s 8th solo release since his departure & break-up of his former band Max Webster & is what I feel is his strongest release to date. I have listened to this CD at least five times since purchasing it & I’ve got to say that there is not one weak track on this album. The album grabs you from the opening title track & holds on until the final hidden track ”Fill Your Head With Rock”(which comes about 30 seconds after the final cut “N’awlin Nights). One of the strongest tracks on the album is a in your face kick ass cover of “I Got a Line on You” from the late Randy California’s band, Spirit. Kim’s slick guitar work is superb throughout the entire CD & really stands out on every track. His guitar work on “Dream Thieves” is classic Kim Mitchell almost revisiting riffs from Max Webster’s “Beyond the Moon”. “Bad Times” is a total rocker much in the same vein as Mitchell’s “Rock & Roll Duty” & “Space” keeps the momentum of the CD pushing forward as Kim yells out “…But You Never Give Me Any Space!”. “In the Stars Tonight” opens with a phenomenal solo & it also features a spacey sounding guitar solo that reminds me a bit of the solo in Red Ryder’s 80’s hit “Lunatic Fringe”. Kim shows he means business on “Killer’s Name” as this is probably the strongest tune on the album featuring a thumping bassline, great guitars, a strong rhythm, & some great lyrics(“…I never speak the Killers name unless he plays guitar…”. The kind of funky “Lick a Message” might’ve fit in great on ZZ Top’s ‘Deguello’ album but with classic signature Kim Mitchell sound to it.
The final track on the album is “N’awlin Nights” (which is a actually about New Orleans) has a catchy hook that brings me back to “Big Best Summer” off Kim’s
First solo E.P.. If you are a fan of any of Kim’s previous work,either solo or Max Webster, pick this up you won’t be disappointed as this is probably one of the best albums I’ve heard in 2007.
Bucky
As far as Kim’s solo career…
It was some time in 1981 (when I was 18), Kim Mitchell was playing at a popular club in the Buffalo area called Stage One. Stage One was the place to go for live music & they hosted local bands & even major acts such as the Ramones, the Police, & even one show starring Dr. J Jones & the Interns (Aerosmith). I was psyched when I found out Kim Mitchell was going to play there & I was right up front for the show. The show was even better than I anticipated as he rocked through Max Webster tunes such as “High Class in Borrowed Shoes” & “The Party” & some new solo tunes I had never heard but they really stood out. I remember him introducing one of the songs as “Boy Meets Girl Boy Meets Chest” which with a title such as that you know it would be etched in your memory (it actually was “Chain of Events” from his fantastic debut EP). Another standout track he played that night was “Go For a Soda” which wasn’t released until a couple of years later. Upon my first time hearing “Go for a Soda” I thought it was such a cool tune & a bit different sounding. Kim’s band sounded phenomenal especially the backing vocals by rhythm guitarist Peter Fredette. Fredette switched over to bass around 1986 & has recorded on every Kim Mitchell album. There was only one time I seen Kim Mitchell where Fredette wasn’t in the band which was around ’92. I found out from that show that Kim had released an EP titled Kim Mitchell so as always with me I rushed out the next day & bought it. Every song was great including “Chain of Events” & “Kids in Action”.
By 1984 Kim had released ‘Akimbo Alogo’ which eventually went Platinum. “Akimbo Alogo” featured the hit single “Go for a Soda” & a couple of other classics (“Lager & Ale” & “All We Are”) which are still staples on Classic Rock Stations throughout Canada & parts of the US. “All We Are” is a beautiful song & an incredible show stopping tune with unbelievable backing vocals by Fredette. I always loved the bluesy “That’s a Man” which was always fun when Kim played it live.
1986 saw the release of the triple platinum ‘Shakin’ Like a Human Being’ & Kim’s biggest hit single “Patio Lanterns”. Once again Kim released another solid album featuring some great tunes such as “Get Lucky” & “That’s the Hold” which still gets regular airplay on Canadian radio.
Over the years Kim has consistently released good albums ‘Rockland Wonderland’ (double platinum), ‘I am a Wild Party’ (Platinum), ‘Aural Fixations’ (Gold), ‘Itch’, ‘Greatest Hits’(Platinum), ‘Kimosabe’, ‘Fill Yer Head with Rock’, & ‘Ain’t Life Amazing’. I’ve seen Kim live at least 20 times & have never been disappointed. My wife gets bored with guitar solos in songs but always says she could watch Kim Mitchell solo all night. I remember seeing him around ’89 at some Hockey Arena near St Catherines, ON & at the beginning of Battle Scar they used 3 drummers (Peter Fredette was one of them) simultaneously beating out the rhythm before breaking into the song. I highly recommend Kim’s last studio album ‘Ain’t Life Amazing’ from 2007.
Here’s a review I wrote for it when it first came out:
Kim Mitchell – Ain’t Life Amazing
Label : Lighting Lobster Limited
Review by Bucky
Kim Mitchell is back with his first studio release since 1999’s ‘Kimosabe’. ‘Ain’t Life Amazing’ marks Mitchell’s 8th solo release since his departure & break-up of his former band Max Webster & is what I feel is his strongest release to date. I have listened to this CD at least five times since purchasing it & I’ve got to say that there is not one weak track on this album. The album grabs you from the opening title track & holds on until the final hidden track ”Fill Your Head With Rock”(which comes about 30 seconds after the final cut “N’awlin Nights). One of the strongest tracks on the album is a in your face kick ass cover of “I Got a Line on You” from the late Randy California’s band, Spirit. Kim’s slick guitar work is superb throughout the entire CD & really stands out on every track. His guitar work on “Dream Thieves” is classic Kim Mitchell almost revisiting riffs from Max Webster’s “Beyond the Moon”. “Bad Times” is a total rocker much in the same vein as Mitchell’s “Rock & Roll Duty” & “Space” keeps the momentum of the CD pushing forward as Kim yells out “…But You Never Give Me Any Space!”. “In the Stars Tonight” opens with a phenomenal solo & it also features a spacey sounding guitar solo that reminds me a bit of the solo in Red Ryder’s 80’s hit “Lunatic Fringe”. Kim shows he means business on “Killer’s Name” as this is probably the strongest tune on the album featuring a thumping bassline, great guitars, a strong rhythm, & some great lyrics(“…I never speak the Killers name unless he plays guitar…”. The kind of funky “Lick a Message” might’ve fit in great on ZZ Top’s ‘Deguello’ album but with classic signature Kim Mitchell sound to it.
The final track on the album is “N’awlin Nights” (which is a actually about New Orleans) has a catchy hook that brings me back to “Big Best Summer” off Kim’s
First solo E.P.. If you are a fan of any of Kim’s previous work,either solo or Max Webster, pick this up you won’t be disappointed as this is probably one of the best albums I’ve heard in 2007.
Bucky
