[riptorn]

28

Artist: Stampeders
Release: Hard Hitters
Genre: Hard Rock/Classic Rock
Country: Canada (Calgary, Alberta/Toronto, Ontario)
Bitrate: 320 kbps
►Link
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Info


https://www.discogs.com/artist/515862-The-Stampeders

STAMPEDERS - Hard Hitters (1971-1979) Canada
Image/Astor Records ILP 815

320 kbps



Ronnie King (aka Cornelius Van Strang) : Bass & Vocals (THE PAINT BRUSHES)
Rich Dodson : Guitar & Vocals (THE REBOUNDS)
Kim Berly (aka Kimball Meyer aka Kimball Fox) : Drums & Vocals (THE CRY)



This STAMPEDERS compilation LP seems only to have been issued in Australia, but if you are a fan of classic 1970's Hard Rock it's well worth tracking down a copy.
The compilers have gone through the Canadian group's releases & cherry-picked their hardest rocking tracks, so you don't have to. I enjoyed the record so much i went back & checked out Stampeders back catalogue anyway & after finding mainly Country Rock & outright pop in their grooves, i can assure you that the compilers were ultra-dilligent in unearthing all the Hard Rock nuggets those albums contained.
If there are any remaining hard edged Stampeders tracks which aren't on this comp, then they may be on 1979's 'Ballsy' LP, which was the only Stampeders album i couldn't find online.
According to the bio below 'Ballsy' was a harder record than their usual style, so it may be worth tracking down.



THE STAMPEDERS were a Canadian Rock trio, comprised of Rich Dodson (guitar, vocals), Ronnie King (bass, vocals), and Kim Berly (drums, vocals).
The band initially formed in Calgary, Alberta in 1964 as THE REBOUNDS, renaming themselves The Stampeders when they became a six piece the following year.
In 1966 they relocated to Toronto, Ontario, becoming a trio in 1968.
In 1971 the Stampeders had a major hit with "Sweet City Woman," which won 'Best Single' at the Juno Awards, and reached #8 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart.
The record sold a million copies by September 1971, earning gold disc status & The Stampeders also won the Juno Award for 'Best Group' that year.
Further hit singles, "Devil You", "Hit The Road Jack", "Monday Morning Choo Choo", "Then Came The White Man", "Oh My Lady" & "Minstrel Gypsy" followed sporadically throughout the Seventies.
The Stampeders became one of the top touring bands in Canada during the decade and appeared on TV specials broadcast by the CBC and Global networks.
Touring widely in the USA, they shared stages with such luminaries as SANTANA, THE EAGLES, MOUNTAIN, ZZ TOP, RUSH, BLACK OAK ARKANSAS, THE JAMES GANG & GENESIS.
The group also played in Brazil in 1972, and toured Europe twice, first in 1972 and again in 1973.
They proved especially popular in Ronnie King's country of birth, the Netherlands, where they won an Edison Award in 1973 for their first European LP.
Rich Dodson left the group in 1977 to pursue production work and a solo career, with Berly and King recruiting new members for the group's ninth LP, the atypical funk influenced "Platinum" (1977).
Berly then also departed and formed THE CRY, leaving King to bring in three new members for their heaviest record, the appropriately titled "Ballsy" LP (1979).
(Posted here: viewtopic.php?f=46&t=62270)
The band had apparently been keeping an eye on the success of Canadian Hard Rock bands such as APRIL WINE, GODDO, MOXY & TRIUMPH & had decided to beef up their sound accordingly.
However this new version of The Stampeders broke up soon after the record's release, with the group's wild ride looking to be at an end.
The hitmaking classic trio eventually reunited at the Calgary Stampede in 1992, releasing a new studio album in 1998 titled "Sure Beats Working".
In 2011, The Stampeders received the 'Lifetime Achievement Award' at the 2011 SOCAN Awards in Toronto.
EDIT: Ronnie King passed away in March of 2024. R.I.P.

art & txt included
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01. Wild Eyes
02. In The Shadows
03. Broken Heart Surgery
04. How Does He Do It?
05. Dead Man's Hand
06. Words
07. Within You
08. Ride In The Wind
09. Hard Lovin' Woman
10. Running Wild
11. Ramona
12. We're Here To Rock And Roll

[riptorn]

Yes, they were mainly known for country-ish pop hits on Canadian AM radio, and the only heavy song from this comp we heard on radio was "Wild Eyes".
I have a couple of vinyls, and a CD The Stampeders - Best Of [compilation] (2004)
I should have bought and downloaded more, they seemed like cool guys. Never knew they were ever based in Toronto, always thought they were from out west.

Yeah, it turns out they were a surprisingly good Hard Rock band when they turned their hand to it. A shame they didn't play in this style more often as this collection is very consistent indeed & i really enjoy their take on the style.

[canadaspaceman]

not a complaint but you gave a WAYYYY different mix of Wild Eyes than what we heard on radio
sounds faster

i always hate comps that do that, might as well make an unreleased comp

[riptorn]

not a complaint but you gave a WAYYYY different mix of Wild Eyes than what we heard on radio
sounds faster
i always hate comps that do that, might as well make an unreleased comp

I've only ever heard the version on here, but from what you've said I'm guessing that the single & album versions of 'Wild Eyes' likely used different mixes from each other, or perhaps even alternate takes. Stuff like that used to happen a lot back in the days when record labels had money to burn & time to tinker.
The 70's Kiss singles for instance were often remixed or edited differently from the album versions, something i wasn't fully aware of 'til that 'Casablanca Singles' box set came out a few years back.
Now that i've heard the Stampeders' 'Ballsy' LP, i did notice that the songs on this comp from that album sound quite different from the LP too. Not better or worse, just different enough for it to catch my ear.

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