Classic Rockers You Should Know, Part 1: Kim Mitchell

This is the first in a series that I plan to do with the hope of introducing some lesser-known classic rock artists to people who may have never heard of them. These certainly are not unknown artists, but I feel that they never really got the attention I believe they deserved from the music industry here in the U.S.

First up is Canadian rocker Kim Mitchell, who I was first introduced to back in the 1980’s when he was fronting a band called Max Webster. The group managed to get some U.S. radio airplay with their song "Battle Scar," which featured the guys from Rush as guest musicians. Any small measure of popularity Max Webster enjoyed here in the U.S. around that time was likely due to that association with Rush.

Kim Mitchell launched his solo career after Max Webster broke up around 1981 and was awarded with at least three Juno Awards for his work between 1983 and 1990.

In 2004 he switched gears and decided to give radio a try and stepped in as the afternoon drive time DJ on Toronto’s Q107, although he never gave up playing music as evidenced by the release of Ain’t Life Amazing last year, his eighth studio album.

Personally, I’ve got just about all of Kim Mitchell’s music going back to the Max Webster days and I still believe the work he did with Max Webster and that he continues to do today does not attract the attention it deserves — at least hear in the U.S.

Due to the obvious restrictions involved when placing music on the web, I’ve decided the best way is probably to use the vast collection of content on YouTube to give readers a taste of the classic rockers that I believe more people should know about.

The YouTube content I choose for this series will depend heavily on the quality of the sound. I’m a notorious sound quality snob and could not bring myself to use fan-filmed footage of some concert that’s accompanied by sound that suggests to me that the event was actually recorded inside a cave somewhere. Despite how good the video quality might be.

The video below is of the professionally-produced variety like you might find on VH1 or MTV and is from Kim Mitchell’s 1989 album, Rockland.

Tags: Kim Mitchell, Rocklandwonderland, Video

Album Review: Kim Mitchell’s ‘Ain’t Life Amazing’

I’ve been a big fan of Kim Mitchell’s stuff since the Max Webster days. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a single track from Kim that I did not like. I guess the intro to “Acrimony” of his Itch album comes closest to something I don’t care for, but I think that was kind of tongue-in-cheek on his part.

With that said, I must admit I was a little disappointed when I had my first listen to Kim’s new album, Ain’t Life Amazing. Before you get yourself all prepared for a crappy review, hold on just a second and let me tell you what happened next.

Well, I listened to it again. And again. And Again. And guess what. Did this album ever grow on me. I’m not sure I am ready to say I like it better than his previous stuff, but the more I listen to this new album, the more I like it.

I’ve always been the kind of guy that often has to listen to a new song or new album a number of times before I can decide if I like it or not. And that is exactly why I usually wait awhile before I pass judgment on anything new.

Now in the past, the “listen to it ten times” rule has not applied when it came to listening to Kim’s stuff and I’ve been on board the first time around. However, when compared to his older stuff, this album is different.

What’s different about this new album? If I had to describe in one word what makes this different from his other stuff, I would have to say “raw.” That’s the way it strikes me.

If you’ve read some of my other recent reviews, you know I am not a fan of live albums. I’m a sound freak and I want to hear the music as pure and as controlled as it can be. Studio conditions, everything mic’d up perfect and engineered to audio perfection. That’s what I like.

And that’s where this album kind of departs from the kind of studio-quality sound I love. No, it’s not that the sound on this album is bad. However, it has an almost “live” sound to it — minus the screaming crowds and lousy acoustics.

That’s probably a big reason that I was turned off a bit after my first run-through with this album, but I’ll tell you, I’ve adapted to it and now I’m really getting into it. Might I prefer it done in a more traditional studio quality way? Maybe, but it’s not something I am worrying about.

My personal favorite tracks from this album are: “In The Stars Tonight,” “N’Awlin Nights,” “Ain’t Life Amazing” and… Oh hell, I think I’m about to list just about every damn song on the album, so why bother?

To sum it up: It’s Kim Mitchell, it’s a bit more raw than his previous stuff and it rocks. What more can I say? I just hope he keeps on writing and keeps on recording because he’s still got it.

For Kim Mitchell Life Really Is Amazing

Kim Mitchell sounds like a happy guy these days. And why not? He’s got a brand new album that he says he is proud of “top to bottom” and a job that he describes as one “one of the coolest jobs in the world.” I’d be hard pressed to argue with that.

Life has taken some unexpected turns for Mitchell lately and fortunately for him, all of them seem to be in the right direction.

In a recent interview, he talks about his new album as well as how he got started in music as a kid taking guitar lessons.

The radio gig he took not long ago was part of his plan to settle down a bit, and as he put it, “maybe moving to a small town somewhere to teach little kids guitar and maybe date their moms, single moms.”

Somewhere along the way he was bitten, or perhaps I should say re-bitten by the writing bug and he found himself writing music again. This, as Kim Mitchell fans appreciate, turned into Mitchell’s latest album, Ain’t Life Amazing.

Like myself, and probably most of the other people reading this, Kim Mitchell appears to be a die-hard classic rock fan and says that he does not listen to a lot of new rock. I don’t wonder why — so much of the new stuff these days is just crap.

He does not provide any hints in this interview regarding his intentions to keep writing or whether this might be his last album. Maybe he doesn’t even know yet! Here’s hoping he has a few more left in him before he calls it quits.

Kim Mitchell Talks About "Ain’t Life Amazing"

In this pretty extensive interview, Kim Mitchell talks quite a bit  about his new album, Ain’t Life Amazing. I like the style of this interview. Kim goes on for a paragraph or two without interruption every few seconds like some other interviews. I like the way this one was done, or at least, the way it was written.

I like Kim’s look these days as well, and can relate to it. As I recall from some photos I had seen, he was a fellow victim of the receding hairline and he must have finally just said “screw it” and shaved it all off. Is there anything more pathetic than some bald guy pushing a few lonely hairs around into some lame comb-over? I think not.

Kim sounds no less crazy than he was in the Max Webster days, and for this new album, I expect that is a good thing. I have not heard any of it yet, but it is on my list of things to do for sure. Reviews I have seen online so far are quite good.

I did not think we’d ever see another album from Kim Mitchell, and apparently, he was not sure himself. I, for one, am very happy to see him back in the game.

Kim Mitchell Still Reported To Be A ‘Wild Party’

It must be a good news day for Canadian rockers today or something. Kim Mitchell is enjoying some publicity in his home country as the release of his new album draws near.

This article cleared up a few things I had been wondering about. Apparently, Mitchell is planning to keep his radio job at Toronto’s Q107 and is currently taking a little break from that as he embarks on a cross-Canada radio tour doing some acoustic performances.

It sounds like his plans are somewhat up in the air and perhaps the level of success he experiences with the new album will have some influence on his future. He sounds as if he is quite satisfied to stick with the radio gig, but I suppose that could change if his new album does extraordinarily well or something.

I’ll be planning to get my hands on the album just as soon as I can and if it is even close to being as good as his older stuff, I am hoping he’ll decide to do a few more.

Kim Mitchell Gets Back In The Record Business

Regular readers know that I cannot pass up a chance to talk about one of my all-time favorite rockers, Kim Mitchell — the rock n’ roll wild man that once fronted Canadian rock group Max Webster. A band that never quite received the attention I thought it deserved here in the U.S.

This new article on a Toronto-based web site offers some insight into the history of Mitchell’s career and his decision to get back into the recording business. His new album, Ain’t Life Amazing, will be in stores on July 17.

After spending some time as a rock jock at Toronto classic rock radio station Q107, Mitchell decided that it was time to start writing music again, and after some friends helped convince him, he decided to turn his creations lose on the world in the form of a new album.

It appears that a new Kim Mitchell web site is now online and offers up more Kim Mitchell info, including concert dates and other news of interest to fans. If you’re an aging rock fan like me however, keep your reading glasses handy before visiting the site because their chosen font is impossibly small. I guess you can also crank up the font size using your browser setting to keep from going blind while trying to catch up with the latest Kim Mitchell news.

Kim Mitchell To Open For Def Leppard

These are the kinds of things that sometimes make me wish I lived in Canada. Seriously though, it’s too damn cold up there for me! However, when I hear about that Canadian wildman Kim Mitchell doing a show, I just have to mention it.

Anyway, it has been reported that Kim Mitchell, of the late-great Max Webster will be opening for Def Leppard at the Molson Amphitheatre in Toronto on July 16. Opening for Def Leppard? Perhaps it should be the other way around, but I suppose that is another subject all together! I do like, Def Leppard, by the way — I just like Kim Mitchell better.

This news comes from a boring press release-type article that American Express has conjured up to toot their own horn, but the real interesting part of it is towards the bottom where they list the acts coming this summer to the Molson Amphitheatre.

I could not help notice that Scorpions are included in the list and are scheduled for August 28.

Kim Mitchell Update

It’s no secret that I’m a big Kim Mitchell fan. For those who are not familiar with Kim, he fronted a band called Max Webster back in the 70’s and 80’s that was just fantastic. Like my other Canadian favorite, Rush, I’ve got all of their albums and there is not a bad track on any of them.

Although I don’t love Kim Mitchell’s stuff quite as much as the old Max Webster stuff, it certainly is not far behind and ranks right up there with my all-time favorites.

I never understood why Max Webster never achieved greater fame here in the U.S. but I guess that’s the way it goes. They got some U.S. airplay back in the early 1908’s and that is where I first heard them. The boys from Rush sat in on one of their songs and with Rush being so popular here, the song was on the air quite a bit for a while.

I was an instant fan and have been listening to that stuff ever since. I really don’t know what to compare it to, because to me it was totally unique.

Anyway , the point of this is to let you know that Kim Mitchell is going to release a new album. He’s also doing some touring and if I was able to take a vacation up north, I’d be headed for one of those shows for sure.

Word has it that there is work underway to create a new web site for Kim, but for now his online home appears to be his MySpace page. There are a few videos there as well as the dates for his tour. The videos are all old stuff but it stands the test of time very well if you ask  me.

Keep rockin’, Kim.

So That’s Where He Ended Up

As I was checking out some recent Rush news, I came across a blog that mentioned the fact that Kim Mitchell is now a DJ at a classic rock radio station in Canada.

Most classic rock fans here in the U.S. may not know who Kim Mitchell is, but it is a name that is well worth knowing if you ask me.

Kim once fronted a Canadian band called Max Webster. I was first introduced to them by way of a one of their tunes getting some airtime here in the U.S. back in the 1980’s. That was due to the fact that Rush worked on the recording of that particular song with Max Webster and Rush was very hot here in the U.S. at that time.

Once I got hold of some of Max Webster’s other material I was hooked, and they remain one of my top 5 classic rock bands of all time.

If you have never heard any of Max Webster’s music, do yourself a favor and check it out. It’s a shame that a band that was that good never really hit the big time like their friends from Rush.

If you’d like to keep tabs on what Kim Mitchell is up to these days, check out his section on the Q107 web site, which includes his blog. Keep rockin’ Kim!