Have Not Been the Same (Rev): The Canrock Renaissance 1985-1995

It seems the previous reviewer hasn't even read the book. Or if he has, he's completely misunderstood the premise of it. Yes, it's true that music from the United States or Britain was more "popular" (and ergo, a bigger part of people's so-called "life changing" experiences). But so much of the music and many of the musicians presented in this book were underground (a claim that even their American or British counterparts would find difficult to make). And that's actually the beauty of it. As I'm reading this tome, I find myself searching out CD's by the artists (none of whom, or very very few of whom are available via retail stores). It's part of an enjoyable journey: to read about interesting musicians and interesting music, and searching for the very same music via alternative (excuse the pun, lol!) methods, ie: via the Internet. Some of the musicians have moved on to other stages in their lives (some becoming national politicians) and I've even been able to contact them to get a copy of their releases. So don't buy this book if you have a national chip on your shoulder. If you want to read about popular artists from the 70's/80's/90's, go pick up an unauthorized biography of the Sex Pistols/Duran Duran/Nirvana at your local library. But if you want to delve deeper, into the music that was bubbling just under the surface, buy this book. You will not be disappointed.

This book is quite brilliant, Michael Barclay along with Ian A.D Jack and Jason Schneider have put together an amazing book which looks at various Canadian musicians between 1985-1995. I found this book great because it sort of shined light on a lot of amazing bands and individual musicians throughout this era that didn't have a source detailing their history, influence etc. Being a big fan of Halifax bands as well (sloan, thrush hermit, etc.) I was very happy when i saw that the halifax scene or "underground" was given a very detailed account. The histories of several bands were given full chapters such as The tragically Hip, Blue Rodeo and Sloan. The punk music scene in Western Canada was also given a spotlight. All-in-all any music fan would love this! I definetly do!

The bible on Canadian Rock is reverently written, and interesting through and through, chock full of fascinating information and in depth looks at the finest of the CanRock scene, including the oft-overlooked Sloan. Well worth reading.