Can-Con 45 Of The Day - September 26

[radiofan]

Today's Can-Con 45 is from 1969 ... From Calgary, The 49th Parallel and "Twilight Woman" ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72VimDmrqgU

[Neumann Sennheiser]

There’s one commentary in the youtube postings scroll that I enjoyed and believe to be factual (..I’ve heard rumors of this before).
The song was intended to have been recorded by Gary Pucket and the Union Gap (..it does have a sound well-suited to their style, I think you’d have to agree), but after many hours of slogging through it in the studio, it just wasn’t working.
49th Parallel was the next group up with studio time reserved, waiting in the wings, and were offered a chance to give it their try. These excellent and talented Calgary musicians absolutely nailed it. Danny Lowe’s signature lead guitar work is the hook. I have always had a deep respect for his virtuosity.
If it had been released as a Gary Pucket single, it likely would have likely received more notice; but it wouldn’t have been as good.

[Richard Skelly]

The 49th Parallel's lead singer Dennis Abbott wrote Twilight Woman. The song got some U.S. airplay but Abbott soon quit. His replacement Doran Beattie bonded with his new bandmates, particularly Danny Lowe.

The Parallel sound toughened up and a name change to Painter resulted in a record deal with Elektra. The Painter 45 West Coast Woman charted on Billboard. Painter later morphed into Hammersmith one of the Canadian bands signed by Mercury folllowing the mega-success of BTO.

Interesting point by Neumann about potential interest in Twilight Woman by Gary Puckett & The Union Gap. Unless that band's producer and chief composer Jerry Fuller weighed its potential, doubtful the boys would have wanted yet more cover material. That desire to do their own thing led Puckett and Co. to (capriciously IMHO) sever links with Fuller and rely on in-band talent.

Union Gap bassist Kerry Chater, in particular, got some b-side co-writes. The ex-Vancouverite further developed his skills post-Gap writing material for Jennifer Warnes, Skylark and Juice Newton among others.