The Arrows (Canadian band)
Encyclopedia
The Arrows were a popular 1980s new wave
band from Canada
. They are not identical to the british 70s-band Arrows, well known for their greatest hit I Love Rock N' Roll, covered later by Joan Jett
, Britney Spears
e Miley Cyrus
.
and drummer Michael Sloski. Following the Daniel Lanois
-produced independent song "Misunderstood", the band landed a deal with A&M Records.
With the help of producer/songwriter David Tyson
, their 1984 debut album Stand Back
was a national success, providing a top 40 hit with "Meet Me in the Middle". The album sold well, and the band found themselves as the opening act on the UK leg of Chris de Burgh
's 1984 tour.
Upon returning home, they went back to the studio for work on their second album The Lines are Open
, which saw its release in October 1985. The singles "Heart of the City", "Talk Talk" and "Chains" all saw success in Canada, but pressures from management for a breakout hit were causing problems within the band, and following a cross-Canada tour, the group called it quits at the end of 1986.
In 1995, a CD compilation Talk Talk: The Best of The Arrows surfaced on a German import label that contained the majority of the tracks from their first two albums. To date, this has been the only release of Arrows material on CD, apart from the European CD release of "The Lines Are Open".
Currently, McTaggart works as a song-writer and has written many hit songs for other artists such as "Heaven Help My Heart" by Wynonna, "Unsung Hero" by Terri Clark
and co-written several hits by Amanda Marshall
, most notably "Birmingham" and her CAN AC #1 hit "Dark Horse".
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 from 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 are not identical to the british 70s-band Arrows, well known for their greatest hit I Love Rock N' Roll, covered later by Joan Jett
Joan Jett
Joan Jett is an American rock guitarist, singer, songwriter, producer and actress.She is best known for her work with Joan Jett & the Blackhearts including their hit cover "I Love Rock 'n' Roll", which was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 from March 20 to May 1, 1982, as well as for their other popular...
, Britney Spears
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
e Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus
Miley Ray Cyrus is an American actress and pop singer-songwriter. She achieved wide fame for her role as Miley Stewart/Hannah Montana on the Disney Channel sitcom Hannah Montana....
.
Biography
The Arrows were formed in 1981 by vocalist Dean McTaggartDean McTaggart
Dean McTaggart is a Canadian singer-songwriter and producer. He was lead vocalist in the Canadian band The Arrows from 1981 to 1986. The Arrows produced two albums and one EP and had popular hits in Canada including "Meet Me in the Middle", "Say It Isn't True","Heart of the City" and "Talk...
and drummer Michael Sloski. Following the Daniel Lanois
Daniel Lanois
Daniel Lanois born September 19, 1951 in Hull, Quebec) is a Canadian record producer, guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. He has released a number of albums of his own work and has produced albums for a wide variety of artists, including Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Peter Gabriel, Emmylou Harris, Willie...
-produced independent song "Misunderstood", the band landed a deal with A&M Records.
With the help of producer/songwriter David Tyson
David Tyson
David Tyson is a Canadian rock music producer and songwriter. He is best known for co-writing Alannah Myles' 1990 #1 hit "Black Velvet" and producing her debut album. He also co-wrote 3 hit songs from Amanda Marshall's self-titled 1995 debut album.Tyson has won 3 Juno Awards for his work,...
, their 1984 debut album Stand Back
Stand Back (The Arrows album)
Stand Back is the first proper album by The Arrows released in 1984, that featured three hit Canadian singles. Producer David Tyson was nominated for a Juno Award in 1984 for "Producer of the Year", for his work on this album.- Track listing :...
was a national success, providing a top 40 hit with "Meet Me in the Middle". The album sold well, and the band found themselves as the opening act on the UK leg of Chris de Burgh
Chris de Burgh
Chris de Burgh is a British/Irish singer-songwriter. He is most famous for his 1986 love song "The Lady in Red".-Early life:...
's 1984 tour.
Upon returning home, they went back to the studio for work on their second album The Lines are Open
The Lines Are Open
The Lines are Open is the second and final album by The Arrows released in 1985. Producer David Tyson was again nominated for the Juno Award for "Producer of the Year", for his work on this album....
, which saw its release in October 1985. The singles "Heart of the City", "Talk Talk" and "Chains" all saw success in Canada, but pressures from management for a breakout hit were causing problems within the band, and following a cross-Canada tour, the group called it quits at the end of 1986.
In 1995, a CD compilation Talk Talk: The Best of The Arrows surfaced on a German import label that contained the majority of the tracks from their first two albums. To date, this has been the only release of Arrows material on CD, apart from the European CD release of "The Lines Are Open".
Currently, McTaggart works as a song-writer and has written many hit songs for other artists such as "Heaven Help My Heart" by Wynonna, "Unsung Hero" by Terri Clark
Terri Clark
Terri Lynn Sauson , known professionally as Terri Clark, is a Canadian country music artist who has had success in both Canada and the United States. Signed to Mercury Records in 1995, she released her self-titled debut that year...
and co-written several hits by Amanda Marshall
Amanda Marshall
Amanda Meta Marshall is a Canadian pop-rock singer.She grew up in Toronto in a biracial family to a White Canadian father and a Black Trinidadian mother...
, most notably "Birmingham" and her CAN AC #1 hit "Dark Horse".
1982 line up
- Vocals - Dean McTaggart
- Drums and Percussion - Michael Sloski
- Keyboards - Rob Gusevs
- Bass - Hendrik Rilk
- Guitars - Rusty McCarthy
- Saxophone - Earl Seymour
1984 line up
- Vocals - Dean McTaggart
- Keyboards - Rob Gusevs
- Saxophone - Earl Seymour
- Guitars - Doug Macaskill ( From MoxyMoxy (band)Moxy was a Canadian hard rock and heavy metal band, formed in Toronto, Ontario in 1974, from previous members of the rock group, Leigh Ashford — which included singer Douglas "Buzz" Shearman Earl Johnson , Bill Wade Moxy was a Canadian hard rock and heavy metal band, formed in Toronto, Ontario in...
) - Bass - Peter Bleakney and Howard Aye
- Drums - Michael Sloski
1986 line up
- Vocals - Dean McTaggart
- Keyboards - Rob Gusevs
- Saxophone - Earl Seymour
- Guitars - Doug Macaskill
- Bass - Glenn Olive
- Drums - Bobby Economou
Albums
- 1982 - The Arrows (4 song EP)
- 1984 - Stand BackStand Back (The Arrows album)Stand Back is the first proper album by The Arrows released in 1984, that featured three hit Canadian singles. Producer David Tyson was nominated for a Juno Award in 1984 for "Producer of the Year", for his work on this album.- Track listing :...
- 1985 - The Lines are OpenThe Lines Are OpenThe Lines are Open is the second and final album by The Arrows released in 1985. Producer David Tyson was again nominated for the Juno Award for "Producer of the Year", for his work on this album....
- 1995 - Talk Talk: The Best of The Arrows
Singles
- 1984 - "Meet Me in the Middle"
- 1984 - "Say It Isn't True"
- 1984 - "Never Be Another One"
- 1985 - "Talk Talk"
- 1986 - "Heart of the City"
- 1986 - "Chains"
External links
- Jam! Canadian Pop Encyclopedia - The Arrows entry
- CanConRox entry
- http://www.deanmctaggart.com/thearrows.htm