Ironhorse – Record-facts…

by Record Facts

Ironhorse was a Canadian rock band from Vancouver, formed by the former The Guess Who and Bachman-Turner Overdrive member, Randy Bachman along with Tom Sparks (vocals, guitars), Chris Leighton (drums) and Ron Foos (bass).

They had a minor U.S. hit single in April 1979 with “Sweet Lui-Louise“, which peaked at #36 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. In Canada, the song peaked slightly higher at #26. The same track reached #60 in the UK Singles Chart. Ironhorse released two albums on the Scotti Brothers label: 1979’s Ironhorse and 1980’s Everything is Grey. The second release had Frank Ludwig (ex-Trooper) replacing Sparks. One of its singles, “What’s Your Hurry Darlin’,” peaked at #84 in Canada. In the U.S., the song peaked at #89 in May 1980.

Sometimes religiously following your boyhood heroes can lead you into some strange and unexpected territory. When it happens, questions about the survival of your relationship can become very pressing and painful. Such a parting of the ways happened to me with Bowie and Station To Station. We were a fine team up to that point but I simply couldn’t bring myself to travel down that road. Similarly, I’d walked hand in hand with Randy Bachman for the best part of eight years and, even though he hadn’t lost me completely, if Ironhorse had cut another album I’m uncertain whether I would have bothered.

For some unknown reason Bachman is the only survivor from the original Ironhorse album and that has undoubtedly changed the whole focus of the music. Everything Is Grey is rock and roll for the easy listening set. It’s Billy Fury or Ricky Nelson or, occasionally, Jerry Lee. (“What’s Your Hurry, Darlin'” is co-written by The Beach Boys’ Carl Wilson). I appreciate it now but for someone weaned on “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet” it left a slightly sour taste. Part of the problem lies with Bachman delegating lead vocals to Frank Ludwig whose voice is a broken reed when compared to Bachman’s huge redwood, but mostly it’s knowing what Bachman is actually capable of that is the biggest disappointment.

Foos left to rejoin Paul Revere and the Raiders. In 1980, Ironhorse evolved into Union with the addition of Bachman’s former BTO bandmate Fred Turner. Union put out one album On Strike on the CBS subsidiary Portrait Records. As of May, 2013, Randy Bachman has been able to secure the rights to the two Ironhorse albums and plans on releasing them along with previously unreleased material in the next couple years. Bachman also has stated he is considering reuniting the band and doing a tour to support the new album.

Track Listing

“What’s Your Hurry Darlin'” (Randy Bachman, Carl Wilson) – 4:28
“Everything is Grey” (Randy Bachman) – 4:09
“Symphony” (Randy Bachman, Tom Sparks) – 3:24
“Only Way To Fly” (Frank Ludwig) – 3:56
“Try A Little Harder” (Randy Bachman, Frank Ludwig) – 3:30
“I’m Hurtin’ Inside” (Randy Bachman) – 3:59
“Playin’ That Same Old Song” (Randy Bachman, Frank Ludwig) – 3:50
“Railroad Love” (Randy Bachman) – 3:40
“Somewhere, Sometime” (Randy Bachman, Frank Ludwig) – 3:55
“Keep Your Motor Running” (Randy Bachman) – 3:44

Personnel

Frank Ludwig – lead vocals, keyboards
Randy Bachman – vocals, guitars
Ron Foos – bass
Chris Leighton – drums
Tom Sparks – backup vocals and guitar

Companies, etc.

Recorded At – Legend Studios
Mixed At – Legend Studios
Mastered At – Allen Zentz Mastering
Pressed By – Specialty Records Corporation
Distributed By – Atlantic Recording Corporation
Published By – Survivor Music
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Scotti Brothers Records, Inc.
Copyright (c) – Scotti Brothers Records, In

Credits

Engineer – Dennis Mackay
Engineer [Assistants] – Chris Haas, John Austin
Illustration – Braldt Bralds
Management – Waymark
Mastered By [Runout Etch] – CB
Photography By – James O’Mara
Producer – Dennis Mackay, Randy Bachman
Written-By – Carl Wilson (tracks: A2), Frank Ludwig (tracks: A4, A5, B2, B4), Randy Bachman (tracks: A1 to A3, A5 to B5), Tom Sparks (tracks: A3)