Strange Advance
Encyclopedia
Strange Advance was a Canadian New Wave
band formed in 1982 in Vancouver
, British Columbia
, Canada
. They were nominated for a 1983 Juno Award
as Most Promising Group of the Year
and again in 1985
as Group of the Year
. Their 1982 album Worlds Away
' was a Canadian gold selling record.
and founded the group in 1980.
The group's first album, Worlds Away, featured the title track "Worlds Away", which saw modest airplay in North American markets in 1983. The album was produced by Bruce Fairbairn
, known for his work with Loverboy
and Prism
, but featured a very different sound from those groups. Rather than commercial hard rock
, Strange Advance's music was a fusion of progressive rock
and new wave
, with a heavy reliance on synthesizers and keyboards.
Iverson left the group after the first album and was not replaced. The group's 1985 album 2WO
was produced mainly by Arnott, used an extensive array of session players, and brought the band their first big Canadian hit with "We Run". Strange Advance had never played a live gig prior to 1985, so Arnott and Kromm added musicians Ric deGroot (keyboards), Ian Cameron (guitar, violin), Joey Alvero (bass) and David Quinton (drums) to the line-up as session players, and supported the first two albums with a tour of Eastern Canada.
Strange Advance's third album, 1988's The Distance Between also used sessioneers (inclding Randy Bachman
and Allan Holdsworth
), and produced the top 20 single "Love Becomes Electric". Following this album's release, the group became essentially inactive.
In 1995, the Strange Advance compilation album
Worlds Away & Back featured a mix of previously released material, outtakes, remixes, demos, and three newly-recorded tracks -- one from 1991, and two from 1995.
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
band formed in 1982 in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. They were nominated for a 1983 Juno Award
Juno Awards of 1983
The Juno Awards of 1983, representing Canadian music industry achievements of the previous year, were awarded on 5 April 1983 in Toronto at a ceremony hosted by Burton Cummings and Alan Thicke at the Harbour Castle Hilton Metropolitan Ballroom....
as Most Promising Group of the Year
Juno Award for New Group of the Year
The Juno Award for the New Group of the Year has been awarded since 1974, as recognition each year for the best new group or band in Canada. The award was originally known as Most Promising Group of the Year, and from 1994–2002 it was known as Best New Group.-Most Promising Group of the Year...
and again in 1985
Juno Awards of 1985
The Juno Awards of 1985, representing Canadian music industry achievements of the previous year, were awarded on 4 November 1985 in Toronto. The ceremony was hosted by Andrea Martin and Martin Short at the Harbour Castle Hilton Hotel....
as Group of the Year
Juno Award for Group of the Year
The Juno Award for best Group of the Year has been awarded since 1970, as recognition each year for the best group or band in Canada. It has also been known as Best Group .-Best Group :*1970 - The Guess Who...
. Their 1982 album Worlds Away
Worlds Away (Strange Advance album)
-References:* - Worlds Away entry...
' was a Canadian gold selling record.
History
Strange Advance was initially made up of Drew Arnott (keyboards, percussion, vocals), Darryl Kromm (lead vocals, guitars), and Paul Iverson (bass). The three met up in VancouverVancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
and founded the group in 1980.
The group's first album, Worlds Away, featured the title track "Worlds Away", which saw modest airplay in North American markets in 1983. The album was produced by Bruce Fairbairn
Bruce Fairbairn
Bruce Earl Fairbairn was a Canadian musician and international record producer from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He was active as a producer from 1976 to 1999 and is considered one of the best of his era...
, known for his work with Loverboy
Loverboy
Loverboy is a Canadian rock group formed in 1980 in Calgary, Alberta. Throughout the 1980s, the band accumulated numerous hit songs in Canada and the United States, earning four multi-platinum albums and selling millions of records...
and Prism
Prism (band)
Prism is a Canadian rock band originally from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. They were active from 1977 to 1984 and are active again from 1988 to present. The band's sound is a mix of Album-Oriented Rock and pop rock. They have released a total of 13 albums to date...
, but featured a very different sound from those groups. Rather than commercial hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
, Strange Advance's music was a fusion of progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
and new wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
, with a heavy reliance on synthesizers and keyboards.
Iverson left the group after the first album and was not replaced. The group's 1985 album 2WO
2WO
2WO is the second album by Strange Advance released in early 1985. It featured two hit Canadian singles, "We Run" and "The Second That I Saw You"...
was produced mainly by Arnott, used an extensive array of session players, and brought the band their first big Canadian hit with "We Run". Strange Advance had never played a live gig prior to 1985, so Arnott and Kromm added musicians Ric deGroot (keyboards), Ian Cameron (guitar, violin), Joey Alvero (bass) and David Quinton (drums) to the line-up as session players, and supported the first two albums with a tour of Eastern Canada.
Strange Advance's third album, 1988's The Distance Between also used sessioneers (inclding Randy Bachman
Randy Bachman
Randolph Charles "Randy" Bachman, OC, OM is a Canadian musician best known as lead guitarist, songwriter and a founding member for both the 1960s–70s rock band The Guess Who, and the 1970s rock band Bachman–Turner Overdrive...
and Allan Holdsworth
Allan Holdsworth
Allan Holdsworth is an English guitarist and composer. He has released twelve studio albums as a solo artist and played many different styles of music over a period of four decades, but first drew attention for his work in jazz fusion...
), and produced the top 20 single "Love Becomes Electric". Following this album's release, the group became essentially inactive.
In 1995, the Strange Advance compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
Worlds Away & Back featured a mix of previously released material, outtakes, remixes, demos, and three newly-recorded tracks -- one from 1991, and two from 1995.
Singles
| Release Date | Title | Chart positions | Album | |
| Canada Pop |
Canada A/C |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | "She Controls Me" | Worlds Away Worlds Away (Strange Advance album) -References:* - Worlds Away entry... |
||
| 1983 | "Kiss In The Dark" | |||
| 1983 | "Love Games" | |||
| July 1983 | "Worlds Away" | #46 | #29 | |
| January 1985 | "We Run" | #28 | 2WO 2WO 2WO is the second album by Strange Advance released in early 1985. It featured two hit Canadian singles, "We Run" and "The Second That I Saw You"... |
|
| April 1985 | "Running Away" | |||
| June 1985 | "The Second That I Saw You" | #20 | ||
| January 1988 | "Love Becomes Electric" | #20 | The Distance Between | |
| June 1988 | "Till Stars Fall" | |||
| August 1988 | "Hold You" | |||
Albums
- Worlds AwayWorlds Away (Strange Advance album)-References:* - Worlds Away entry...
- 1982 - 2WO2WO2WO is the second album by Strange Advance released in early 1985. It featured two hit Canadian singles, "We Run" and "The Second That I Saw You"...
- 1985 - Over 60 Minutes with... Strange Advance - 1987 (compilation album)
- The Distance Between - 1988
- Worlds Away & Back - 1995
See also
External links
- Strange Advance - Official website from 9 July 2008 archived at Web.archive.org