Comments on: [Songs from a Big Place]

By: Pol

Pol — Thu, 15 Jun 2006 23:46:16 +0000

Nice article outlining Canadian music. There are a couple of errors though.
1. Lightfoot’s Canadian Railroad Trilogy is about the Canadian Pacific Railway, not the Canadian National (which was built later).
2. The band members in Chilliwack are not from that town. Most that I remember are from North Vancouver. They were formerly known as The Collectors but changed their name in the late 60s, early 70s (can’t recall exactly) possibly because their old name sounded too “early 60s” and the native name Chilliwack probably better reflected the late 60s philosophy.
Chilliwack (my old hometown) sits at the east end of the Fraser Valley where the mountains begin to home in on the city.
It’s not exactly sitting in a narrow canyon, but it’s a far cry from the “wide open spaces of Western Canada” that you describe. That phrase might pertain to the Prairies, but not so much in mountainous British Columbia.

By: Robert Stewart

Robert Stewart — Wed, 14 Jun 2006 02:15:43 +0000

The “Thin Red Line” refers to the battle of Balaclava, where a regiment of Highland soldiers, the 93rd Sutherland Highlanders, held the line against a Russian Cavalry brigade. The Strangers to Fear is the regimental motto, from “Sans Peur” meaning “Without Fear”. And the “A thin red streak tipped with a line of steel” is what a Times war correspondant reported the action as looking like, and the origin of the phrase “Thin Red Line”. The regiment then became the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, and is now the 5th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland.

By: Peter

Peter — Sun, 17 Jul 2005 09:37:25 +0000

Just sent you an email, Michelle.
What a lovely bunch of songs. Am crossing my fingers that your CD is available by some little miracle….
My awed compliments on everything about you and your outtasite site…
Peter.