CHILLIWACK

Canada / Formed 1964

Personnel:
BILL HENDERSON (guitar, vocals)
CLAIRE LAWRENCE (keyboards, saxaphone)
GLENN MILLER (bass)
ROSS TURNEY (drums)
HOWARD FROESE (guitar, keyboards, vocals)

Formed in Vancouver, B.C., as The Classics in 1964, they changed name to The Collectors and enjoyed considerable commercial success between 1967 and 1970. In late 1969 they changed names again to Chilliwack and continued to enjoy a fair number of hits.

The new name of Chilliwack was largely an acknowledgement of the changing times. One of the highlights of their eponymous debut album on Parrot was a remodelled version of Seventeenth Summer, which had previously been performed by The Collectors on their Grass And Wild Strawberries album. The album spawned three singles, which were all minor hits. Both sides of their earlier 45 for London were included:- Bill Henderson's slow-paced Rain-O on which he sang lead and Glenn Miller's I Got You Fixed, this time with Miller on lead vocals. Neither cut really impress although Claire Lawrence's Chain Train, the follow-up, features some good guitar work and guitar/drum interplay. The flip to this 45 was a non-album cut. Henderson and Lawrence co-wrote Sundown, the next 45 and certainly one of the stronger album cuts. There's a clear Jethro Tull influence here and Lawrence's flute playing is the most notable composition. Henderson and Lawrence shared the vocals on the flip, a Lawrence composition, Every Day, which was ordinary in the extreme.

By the time of their double album Glenn Miller had departed reducing them to a trio, with Claire Lawrence taking over bass responsibilities. Side one contained five songs suitable for A.M. radio play. Ride-Out was a melodic guitar-driven number and along with Rosie, quite a dramatic orchestrated song with menacing keyboards, was the stand out song from a commercial perspective, although Lonesome Mary had the most immediate appeal. Side two was much more experimental. Bill Henderson's Always was based around unnerving keyboards and woodwind, with lots of effects. There are some similarities here with Joe Byrd and The Field Hippies' The American Metaphysical Circus, although sadly the haunting female vocals are missing. Changing Reels was a long sectional composition, penned by Henderson and Lawrence. The sleeve notes explain that "the lead vocals in the last section are improvisations and the song was written around them afterwards". Music For A Quiet Time on side three was performed by Bill and Claire sitting in an echo chamber for a couple of hours. The songs are simple and acoustic-based, with lots of flute. Side four comprised a 17-minute group composition, Night-Morning, which the sleeve notes tell us, "is the result of a studio full of instruments and microphones set up to record any free-form music". Some of it is rubbish, but at others a mood of mysticism was achieved. This record will not have a wide appeal but may be a little special for fans of progressive/experimental music.

They cut a further album for A&M, All Over You, and subsequent efforts for Casino and Sire. Claire Lawrence re-appeared in 1977, putting out a couple of albums with a new outfit, The Hometown Band.

KEY ALBUMS:
CHILLIWACK (1971 Parrot)
CHILLIWACK (1971 double album A&M)
ALL OVER YOU (1972 A&M)
CHILLIWACK (1974 Sire)
ROCKERBOX (1975 Sire/Casino)