Being the story from one man's point of view...This is how it was according to Ian. The other musicians are encouraged to flesh out their own stories on their own pages right in this very same website! So, on with the show...

ANCIENT TIMES

It all started with a boy and his guitar. Ian Mcleish had always loved music, and as a child he sang constantly. His mother loved show tunes and he would sing the popular radio hits of the day and broadway cast album songs with her. His first song was written at the age of eight, an ode to his beagle, Hector. He started buying 45 rpm singles at ten, but it was the British Invasion, primarily The Beatles, that really got him interested in performing. His pleas for a set of drums fell on deaf ears from his father, so a compromise was reached and an acoustic guitar was purchased in 1964. A used electric and a battered old amplifier followed soon after.

Left: Shaun Dennehy, Ian, Brian Scott (Electronic Blues Band,1966) / Ian(1967)
 

The next few years saw a couple of basement bands that went nowhere, and Ian eventually started performing in coffee houses, church youth clubs and parties, including his first professional gig as the host and m.c. at the Central Canada Exhibtion coffeehouse "Where It's At" in 1969. He wrote a few songs, but nothing really worthwhile. Then in 1970, his luck changed. An audition for Toronto's Young People's Theatre as an actor/singer for a musical adaptation of Dylan Thomas' "Under Milkwood" was successful, and Ian left home in December 1970 to tour for six months in the show. Two of his songs were used in the production, which led to the formation of his music publishing company McMusic Ltd., which would eventually provide the funds to finance Random Axis'  album, twenty years later.

 His first serious group was the Eligh James Band, a mostly acoustic group that lasted nearly three years.Including members Ian Petrie, wife Addie Petrie and James H. (Jim) Robinson, their crowning glory was a folk/rock cantata entitled "Mirrors" that traced the history of  native Canadians from the time the white man arrived up until today. Written mainly by Ian in collaboration with the other band members, and using athentic aboriginal poems as well as original songs, it lasted some 80 minutes. Performed at  local high schools and libraries in 1973, it now only exists in manuscript form. Ian is still proud of it, and would love to see it revived.
 

Left to right: Ian M., Ian P., Addie, Jim. (Eligh James 1973)

EARLY RECORDINGS

The Eligh James days also started Ian's love of recording which continues to this day. An old TEAC 4-channel tape deck was used to record rehearsals, and with cheap microphones and a primitive mixer, a new ambition was launched. Performing moved to the back seat as writing and recording became the primary focus. Ian would overdub hinself on various guitars, bass, percussion and vocals. These tapes still exist in Ian's archives, but their primitive nature precludes them from being heard by anyone but the extremely brave-hearted!

Chuck  /  John (circa 1974)
 

By the spring of 1974, frustration set in. Ian could hear the sounds in his head, but could not get them down on tape in the way he wanted. The first step to a new vision was a fortuitous introduction, through a mutual friend, to a drummer named  Charles Kerr II. 'Chuck' had many years experience playing drums and percussion in big band jazz groups, orchestras, military bands and eventually rock bands. With his silly sense of humour and love of all types of music, Ian found a collaborator and a friendship that has lasted to this day. Chuck's trial by fire was amazing. He was asked to add drums to existing tracks that Ian had already recorded on his own. Small problem - having no way to keep time, Ian simply hoped his tempo was correct. It was - most of the time. So Chuck memorized the songs, adding 'drum mistakes' to the parts of the songs where the tempo was off! This, of course, didn't last very long, and as new tracks were recorded, they started with the drums and rhythm guitar, a process still used by the boys today.

John  /   Ian  /   Jeff. (Starfish, 1975)

Early in 1975, Ian ran intoJohn Millest, a guitarist he knew casually from high school. John, a classically-trained musician, was interested in recording and came by to hear what Chuck and Ian were up to. He liked what he heard and started coming around regularly, contributing his fret-work to the songs. John's easy-going nature and equally absurd view of life fit in well and the M*K*M. of today was basically begun, though no one would have guessed it at the time! Soon a friend of John's, Sandy Hastings was added to the mix on organ, and the project took off. The music turned from pop and love songs to progressive Yes/Genesis-type material, some of which had been written earlier by John and Sandy in Waterfront. That group had a short but event-filled life, winning the Ottawa-Hull battle of the bands in 1972. The new direction encouraged Ian to purchase his first synthesizers, and new sounds were added to the musical stew. Other priorities forced Chuck to leave after a few months, and his place was taken by drummer Jeff Harris. Throughout the summerthe band, now christened Starfish, worked out several multi-tempoed epics that would never see the light of day.

Ians Petrie (L) & McLeish (R) in the studio. (Eligh James II 1976)
 

While immersed in the world of progressive rock, Ian was still working on his solo songs on the side. Starfish came to an end in the fall of 1975, and Ian continued alone for a few months until Ian Petrie and Jim Robinson started coming around. Chuck agreed to drum on a casual basis for the material the boys were rehearsing. Eventually a pair of keyboard players joined, David Laub and Geoffrey Pinhey, originally a classically trained oboeist. The material was now leaning to country/folk-rock, primarily written by McLeish and Robinson with the odd Petrie song in the mix. This  was the Eligh James Band (mark 2). Both Petrie and Robinson were signed to McMusic Ltd. as songwriters at this time, and several songs written in this period ended up on the RPM album and, later, the Random Axis album.  Chuck's business commitments forced him to leave again in June 1976, and other drummers drifted in and out, including Bryan Boulanger. Robinson left, and the band eventually evolved into Sequence, which turned into a standard rock'n'roll bar band. The Ians - McLeish and Petrie - decided that their vision had been diluted enough, so they quit  in February 1977 and left Geoff and company to the bars and school dances.
 

Ian Petrie, Geoff Pinhey, Ian McLeish, Bryan Boulanger, Dave Laub, Jim Robinson.  /  Dave & Geoff (1976).
 
 

While playing the bars with Sequence, Ian had a little spare cash, so he entered Ottawa's Snocan Studios in October 1976 and re-worked a track begun earlier with John and Chuck. His first single, a version of a Beatle album track "Misery" was recorded and released with his own song, "Can't Wait For Long" on the b-side. The single was on Starfish Records, a nod to the past. Financed by Ian, it died a quick death, but it marked the beginning of two years of more professional recording and work.

 McLEISH, PETRIE, ROBINSON & FRIENDS

By the summer of 1977, a new basement in a new house was busy with new music. John, David and the two Ians were joined by Chuck (again on a 'casual' basis!) to record some new songs and remix some older ones for a planned album. Ian figured that the material of McMusic's three signed writers could be featured on a 'songwriting demo' lp that might get some attention for the company and/or the writers. The songs would run the gamet from Robinson and Petrie's country material to McLeish's pop songs and progressive rock, showing the variety and quality of the songs McMusic Ltd. published. Sessions continued throughout the fall and by December the master of the album was ready. The dawn of 1978 saw a cover designed, the record readied for pressing, and a one-off concert was planned to highlight the release. As the coloured vinyl craze was in full swing at this time, a last minute decision to release the lp in blue vinyl guaranteed it's collectibility when it hit the racks as a 1000 copy limited edition. To raise enough money to finance the pressing, funds were solicited from friends, relatives and whomever was interested, and eventually over 150 advance subscriptions provided enough cash to proceed. The concert was planned for April 29,1978 at Ottawa's Carleton University and rehearsals commenced.

Ian  /  John  /  Chuck. (R.P.M. lp sessions, 1977)

Though the album was called 'McLeish, Petrie, Robinson & Friends' in order to feature the songwriters, there was no actual group at the time. But the initials coincidentally were R.P.M., so this became the new name. The band that rehearsed for the concert consisted of Ian on bass and rhythm guitar, Chuck on drums, John on lead guitar, Ian Petrie on rhythm guitar and bass, Jeff Harris on keyboards and percussion, and David Laub on keyboards. Lead vocals were mainly Ian M. with Petrie doing one song and everyone else chipping in on harmonies and background vocals. One tune featured a three guitar line-up of John and the two Ians, Jeff on drums (his natural instrument), and Chuck debuting on the bass!

The concert was planned to start with Jim Robinson doing a solo set, gradually joined by John, Chuck and Ian M. as backing musicians. The second act was a local magician and his assistant performing tricks and sleight-of-hand, and the third act was the R.P.M. band doing the album in it's entirety, minus the Robinson songs played in the first set. The concert itself went quite smoothly, the only snafu being that the bar opened late. That left the poor mc/comedian introducing the acts with a dry audience who were not quite into his jokes. But once the beer was flowing, the 400-strong people in attendance got into the spirit and the evening was a great success. It proved to be the only live concert that the band ever did, but it did start another ball rolling.

Ian Petrie  /  Jeff  /  Dave (LP concert rehearsals 1978)

 R.P.M.

The Ottawa Journal featured the band in an article in July because of the concert and scattered airplay on local radio, and this led to two television appearances. The local CTV affiliate did a 5 minute report on the band, and the local CBC station decided that R.P.M. would be an interesting subject for a bio. Petrie had quit to persue other interests, Laub went back to university and Robinson continued his solo career, so Ian, John, Chuck and Jeff  became the new group. Filming took place in August in the basement of Ian's house, and also at the workplaces of each band member to show what each musician did to support himself.  Most of the performances were of songs from the album, but also notable was the first rehearsals of parts of  'Orchid Island' which would finally be recorded by Chuck, Ian and John in the 90's! The 1/2 hour show, part of the CBC Focus series, was entitled 'Only One Way To Go" and was broadcast on October 16, 1978.

 Ian, John, Chuck, Jeff (R.P.M. 1979)  /   (clockwise from top right) Ian, John, Jim, Jeff, Chuck. (1978)

At the same time, it was decided that one of the album tracks that had received airplay would be the next recording project. James H. Robinson entered Ottawa's Marc Productions studio in November, backed by R.P.M., to record his first single. John rose to the occasion and learned to play pedal steel guitar just for this record.(He still kicks himself for not buying the instrument, which a friend was selling cheap at the time.) "One Time Flyer", with "Dance With Me(Mary Jo Roy)" on the flip side, both Robinson originals, featured Jim on vocals and acoustic 12-string guitar, Chuck on drums, Jeff on organ, Ian on bass and John on electric and pedal steel. Recording and mixing were finished quickly and slated for release in February 1979. As Ian's first serious, professional production, it was a good try. Airplay was moderate, except in Ottawa where the local country music station made it a turntable hit, enabling Jim to work steadily in the bars and clubs for the next couple of years. It was also the third and final release on Starfish Records, after the R.P.M. album and the 'Misery' single. Though no one knew it at the time, the next release of music by Ian and friends in any combination would not be until 1990 when the Random Axis cd came out.

 Jim, Ian ("One Time Flyer" release)  /  Jim (1978)

Bouyed by the professional recording results of 'One Time Flyer', the band decided that their basement days were over. With all the attention of the past year, it was now time to record music in a real studio if they were going to be taken seriously by the industry. Rehearsals began in April 1979 of four songs with the intention of producing a good demo tape to shop around to the major labels. So Chuck, Ian, John and Jeff entered Marc Productions in May and began their latest adventure.

With engineer John Cybanski running the board as he had for the Robinson sessions, the band laid down rhythm tracks for two new songs, "Radio" and  "Eye's Desire", plus one that had been around since the 1975 sessions - "One Way Ticket (To A Broken Heart)". The final number was "Another Lonely Sunday", a Petrie tune that had been transformed from a country weeper into a dance instrumental! This song was originally about 41/2 minutes long, but disco re-mixes being the craze, at the last minute Ian decided to extend it with long percussion passages and a bass solo. The idea was good, but the finances weren't. The extra time spent on this track meant that the money ran out before mixing was finished. Acceptable mixes were done on the first two tunes, but the other two were never completed to anyone's satisfaction, and remain un-completed still. Both "Radio" and "Eye's Desire" eventually turned up as bonus tracks on the Random Axis cd released in 1990.

Still, the band was encouraged by the results. Ian decided that the best way to sell the tunes was in Toronto, Canada's music industry capital. He tried to convince the band that moving there was a good idea, but neither John nor Jeff were willing to drop everything on the off chance that something might happen. Chuck, however, was tired of life in retail and agreed to go along. So plans were made, loose ends tied up, and in January 1980 Chuck and Ian hit the highway for the big city. Little did they know what was in store!

 AMAZON WOMEN & UNEMPLOYED MEN

Chuck and Ian's first few months in Toronto were productive. Ian had started writing quite a few new songs, including "Throw My Heart Away" which would soon get him a job and a new partner. Working in the basement with only the old reliable TEAC 4-track recorder, they produced several recordings, starting with drums and rhythm guitar, overdubbing parts until they had complete tracks.  Ian made the rounds of record companies and got a couple of nibbles, but realized a band was going to be needed to showcase the material properly. Jim Robinson came to Toronto to join, but the re-union was short lived. He was now going completely country and just wasn't comfortable with the direction that  the others were taking. Several band members were auditioned, but nothing seemed to click

.

Chuck  /  Ian  /  Mary Ellen (Amazon Women 1980)

Just when discouragement was setting in, an ad in the newspaper looked promising. The producer of a new rock musical was looking for a bass player for the pit band. Ian decided to check it out. The 'producer' turned out to be the show's piano player, music writer, publicist and general I'll-do-anything-to-get-this-show-on-the-road man, one Moses Hazan. Ian sensed a chance. First, he auditioned for the job by playing some of his songs, most notably "Throw My Heart Away". Hazan thought Ian's lyrics were good, so he gave Ian some music and some ideas - Ian went home and wrote feverishly through the night, coming back the next day with two completed lyrics.The songs were accepted and Ian had a gig. His next task was to get Chuck involved somehow, so he convinced Hazan that a rhythm section that had played together for years would be an asset for the show. Chuck was in.

Hazan had worked for months on the show, and put over a year previously in working the script and its' various revisions with several contributors. The whole affair came tantilizlingly close to coming off. The next couple of months were spent writing, arguing, re-writing, shaping and molding the material and the story until everything seemed to be ready. Moses had great music and a good idea, but as he himself admitted, little experience in being a nursemaid to actors and their needs. The cast included two male and three female actor/singers, the four piece band, and sound and lighting personel. A local hotel gave Hazan one of their bars for performances, and a stage was built and props gathered. . 'Amazon Women' opened at the end of August and played for three days in previews, hopefully giving the cast and crew time to iron out the show and tighten it up. Unfortunately, human nature being what it is, things started to fall apart. Various cast and crew members were low on patience and finances. Some of the entourage expected it to be a hit immediately, and when it wasn't and their dreamed-of paycheques didn't arrive, people started to leave and the show died quickly. Ian and Chuck came out of it with some great songs and memories, but little else.

One of the singers in the show was a classically-trained woman from Nova Scotia who had been in Toronto only a little bit longer than Chuck and Ian. Her name was Mary Ellen Moore and she had an incredible voice. She and Ian began seeing each other, and were soon an item. But the boys' unemployment insurance was running out, and hard decisions needed to be made. After nine months in the big city, they had gotten nowhere, career-wise. Chuck had a lady back in Ottawa that he visited on weekends, and when Amazon Women collapsed, he decided to head back home. Ian and Mary Ellen moved in together, and a new chapter began.

Finding a platform for Mary Ellen's voice proved to be difficult. With no band to record with, no new demos of any quality could be made. Ian re-mixed instrumental rhythm tracks - some of them from older recordings and some from the Amazon Women rehearsal tapes. Mary Ellen then added her vocals to the tracks. It seemed like a good interim solution. The next step was to rent a drum machine and try to get new rhythm tracks by patiently building, one instrument at a time, until new songs were constructed ("Think About Me", from the Random Axis cd comes from these sessions). Unfortunately, the TEAC 4-channel had other ideas. After over 10 years of constant use and abuse, it died in the middle of a recording session. Extensive and expensive repairs would be needed, and there were simply no funds available at the time. Thus began an unwanted and unpresidented lay-off. Ian put down the guitar and started to build a new life and family with Mary Ellen, and no new music would be made for nearly seven years.

Ian (In the bars - 1981)  /  The infamous TEAC 4-channel

Other than a eight month gig playing bass in a trio in low-life bars - for the first and last time in his life - Ian didn't pick up a guitar, write a song or record anything from 1981 until 1987. Moving back to Ottawa with the family, running his own record store and being a disc jockey on CKCU-FM, a local university station, kept him busy. Chuck worked for the government and John for an electronics company and their paths didn't cross often. In the summer of 1987, Mary Ellen teamed up with two other women to sing acapella girl-group songs  for fun. One of them was Sherri Harding, who would sing on some later M*K*M sessions. The girls wanted to record the songs as a lark, as Ian had money from the then-prosperous McMusic Ltd., he purchsed a TASCAM 8-track recorder. He was joined by Mark Valcour, a sound engineer he had met at the radio station. Mark advised on the purchase of microphones and other studio equipment, and the girl's songs were put on tape. With Mark, the studio for the first time had someone who was good with the equipment on the technical side, and loved to engineer as much as the musicians loved to play. Mark proved to be as bizarre in his outlook on life as Ian, John and Chuck were, and he became an integral part of the production team in the album sessions to follow.

Group History - Part 2

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