A Passing Fancy
was born out of Toronto's Yorkville Village scene in the mid-'60s. In
1967 the band released its debut single, "I'm Losing Tonight," which
immediately became a hit and scored high on the east coast charts. In
1968, A Passing Fancy
released a self-titled album on the independent Boo Records label that
was well received and garnered good reviews. The Boo label, formed by
two record store owners, only released the album in the Toronto area, so
national fame and exposure eluded the band. A Passing Fancy
was British-influenced pop with elements of psychedelia and an American
garage sound. The band went through a couple of lineup changes while
recording the album, but all musicians were credited in the album liner
notes. The main songwriters in the band were Jay Telfer and brothers Fergus and Greg Hambleton.
The songs were well written and the music was well played. Shortly
after the release of the album, one more single followed, "I Believe in
Sunshine," which was also a hit.
This single broke out across Canada and
attracted interest south of the border, as well as with some major
labels, but unfortunately it was too late and the band folded. Telfer and the Hambletons, in particular Fergus
(as he went by for a time) went on to write more songs and record with
other bands in the '70s. They also made a couple of solo albums that
were well received and are still active today on the Canadian music
scene. Greg Hambleton went on to form Axe Records while Fergus Hambleton
continued to perform with his reggae band the Satellites. This reissue
of the original Boo Records album by Pacemaker Records in association
with the U.S. reissue label Timothy's Brain, is housed in a beautiful
digipack case with original album artwork. Although this album contains
no bonus tracks (as none were available) or additional liner notes, the
sound quality is superb and is taken from the original master tapes. An
exciting and long-lost piece of the early Canadian music scene that has
thankfully been restored and made available once again for all to hear
and a new generation to discover.
A fine album of british pop psychedelia with a light garage sound.
Have fun
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