Harlequin (band)

Harlequin is a Canadian rock band that formed in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, in 1975. [1] The band is best known for their hit singles "I Did It for Love", "Thinking of You", "Superstitious Feeling", and "Innocence".[2][3]

Harlequin
OriginWinnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
GenresRock
Years active1975–present
LabelsEpic
Websitehttp://www.harlequintheband.com
MembersGeorge Belanger
Derrick Gottfried
A.J. Chabidon
Chris Burke-Gaffney
Gary Golden
Past membersRalph James
David Budzak
Glen Willows
Nik Rivers
Rob Waite
M.J. Hutton
Randy Heibert
Randy Booth
Brad Meadmore
Craig Fatheringham
Igmar Munsch
Paul Schelinberg
Jim Cote
Steve Broadhurst
Darren Moore
Paul McNair

In 2004, the band released an album titled Harlequin II. The band was always active; leader George Belanger kept the band active while running another business for 18 years. He then set that enterprise aside and began recording again and released Waking the Jester, in 2007, then a live album, On/Q, in 2009.

History

In 1975, Winnipeg bassist Ralph James formed Harlequin upon recruiting vocalist George Belanger, guitarist Glen Willows, keyboardist Gary Golden, and drummer David Budzak.[4] The band began recording demos and travelling to Toronto to perform in the local bars and clubs. It was in one of these small bars in Toronto that Harlequin were discovered by representatives of Jack Douglas, the producer of Aerosmith, John Lennon, and Patti Smith, after they tried to see another band in a larger bar downstairs, but could not gain admittance due to a sell-out crowd.[5] These two individuals later became the producers of the first album, Victim of a Song.[1] They were Lachlan MacFadyen and Kent Dobney.

Douglas helped get Harlequin signed to CBS/Epic Records in 1979, and later that year that band released their first LP, Victim of a Song,[1] which went Gold, and received heavy radio play, particularly in Western Canada. Douglas was listed as the record's executive producer. For the next two albums, Douglas acted as producer. The band's second release, Love Crimes (1980), yielded two hits, "Thinking of You", and "Innocence", Harlequin's biggest hit to date.[1] Harlequin's third album, One False Move (1982), contained two more hits, "Superstitious Feeling" and "I Did It for Love".

For their self-titled fourth studio album, Harlequin replaced Douglas with The Fixx bassist Alfie Agius as their producer. Harlequin (1984) produced only one single, "Take This Heart".[5] The band effectively split after this album but, in 1986, Harlequin released their Greatest Hits album with one new track "(It's) No Mystery". This track was written by David Bendeth and Tom Cochrane, produced by Bendeth, and featured Belanger on lead vocals backed by Randy Booth, Randy Heibert, and some session musicians. In 1986, the line-up was Belanger (vocals), Randy Heibert (guitar), Randy Booth (bass), Igmar Munsch (keys), and Brad Meadmore (drums).[4] The line-up changed almost yearly through the rest of the 1980s until 1987, when the line up of Glen Willows, George Belanger, Nik Rivers, Rob Waite, and M.J. Hutton toured coast to coast in Canada up to 2007. Throughout that period Steve Broadhurst toured with the band as a sub for Rob Waite, and Paul McNair was also a sub for M.J.

In 2006, the band was inducted into the Western Canadian Music Hall of Fame at the Western Canadian Music Awards.[6]

In 2007, Harlequin consisted of guitarist Derrick Gottfried, bassist Nik Rivers, keyboardist Darren Moore, and drummer A.J. Chabidon. This lineup released Waking the Jester (2007), which contained two singles, "Shine On" and "Rise". The band resumed touring and, in 2009, released Harlequin's first live album, Live On/Q.[5]

In 2013, Harlequin consisted of Belanger, guitarist Derrick Gottfried, drummer A.J. Chabidon, keyboard and guitarist Gary Golden, and bassist Paul McNair; and is the current line up touring in 2017. The band continues to tour, mostly within Canada.[7]

Discography

Studio albums
Year Album Track listing
1979 Victim of a Song 1 Sweet Things in Life
2 Survive
3 What's Your Name
4 Victim of a Song
5 You are the Light
6 Who Knows (What a Love Can Do)
7 Shame Shame
8 Turn Around
9 Barely Alive
1980 Love Crimes 1 Innocence
2 Love on the Rocks
3 Thinking of You
4 It's All Over Now
5 Heaven (Dial 999)
6 Sayin' Goodbye to the Boys
7 Wait for the Night
8 Crime of Passion
9 Can't Hold Back
10 Midnight Magic
1982 One False Move 1 I Did It for Love
2 Hard Road
3 Shame If You Leave Me
4 Say Goodnight
5 Ready to Love Again
6 Fine Line
7 Heart Gone Cold
8 Heavy Talk
9 Superstitious Feeling
10 It's a Woman You Need
1984 Harlequin 1 Take This Heart
2 Keep This Fire Alive
3 Don't Waste My Time
4 Memories
5 Can't Turn It Off
6 Calling
7 Trouble in Paradise
8 Run for Your Life
9 Love in Disguise
2004 Harlequin II 1 Sometimes I Feel
2 Reach for the Stars
3 Badlands
4 Let Me In
5 Don’t Break
6 Money
7 Fall So Right
8 Do What You Say
9 Trust the One
2007 Waking the Jester 1 Shine On
2 Rise
3 Hell or High Water
4 40 Days in Your Car
5 Black Out the Sun
6 How Long
7 This Limbo
8 Take It or Leave It
9 Lolita
10 Inbound Train
11 Little White Lies
12 You Can't Go Back
13 Taste It

Compilation albums
Year Album Track listing
1986 Harlequin - Radio Romances (Greatest Hits) 1 No Mystery
2 Innocence
3 Superstitious Feeling
4 I Did It for Love
5 Thinking Of You
6 Take This Heart
7 Sweet Things in Life
8 Survive
9 You Are the Light
10 Heart Gone Cold
2009 Live On/Q 1 Waking The Jester
2 I Did It for Love
3 Sweet Things in Life
4 You are the Light
5 Rise
6 Survive
7 How Long
8 Hell or High Water
9 She's My Girl
10 Shine On
11 Inbound Train
12 Thinking of You
13 Superstitious Feeling
14 Innocence

Live albums
Year Album Track listing
2009 Live On/Q 1 Intro
2 I Did It For Love
3 Sweet Things In Life
4 You Are The Light
5 Rise
6 Survive
7 How Long
8 Hell or High Water
9 She's My Girl

10 Shine On
11 Inbound Train
12 Thinking of You
13 Superstitious Feeling
14 Innocence

Singles
Year Single Peak chart positions Album
CAN[8]
1979 "Survive" 87 Victim of a Song
1980 "You Are the Light" 78
"Innocence" * 29 Love Crimes
1981 "Thinking of You" 44
1982 "Superstitious Feeling" 29 One False Move
"I Did It for Love" 19
1984 "Take This Heart" 64 Harlequin
1986 "It's No Mystery" 92 Greatest Hits
2007 "Shine On" — Waking the Jester
"Rise" —
* Originally released as a non-LP single which peaked at No. 46 in 1978
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

References
  1. Colin Larkin, ed. (2003). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Eighties Music (Third ed.). Virgin Books. p. 236. ISBN 1-85227-969-9.
  2. "Harlequin". The Canadian Encyclopedia, February 7, 2006
  3. "Revamped Streetheart back on the road with Harlequin member as lead singer". Global News, March 29, 2019
  4. "Harlequin | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
  5. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-03-27. Retrieved 2010-08-21.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-10-02. Retrieved 2010-03-22.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-03-27. Retrieved 2010-08-21.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. "Results: RPM Weekly". Bac-lac.gc.ca. July 17, 2013.
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