49th Parallel was one of an unusual breed of garage punk bands to come out of Canada in the mid-'60s. Originally known as the Shades of Blond when they were formed in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, the band featured Dennis Abbott on vocals, Dan Lowe and Bob Carlson on guitars, Dave Petch at the organ, Mick Woodhouse on bass, and Terry Bare on drums. 49th Parallel was renamed Painter and later Hammersmith in the 1970s. At their best, 49th Parallel had a hard, cutting sound that could have put them in the front ranks of garage punk bands, their slashing guitars and swirling organ around Abbott's lead vocals making a compelling and memorable sound, which was easily adaptable to psychedelic punk. Their slow ballads were suitably spacey in a pop/rock vein, but it was their harder numbers that hold up best. Like a lot of '60s bands, they outlived their era and metamorphosed into new shapes and directions. 01 - Labourer 02 - You Do Things 03 - She Says 04 - Blue Bonnie Blue 05 - Up To No Good 06 - Now That I'm A Man 07 - Get Away 08 - Eye To Eye 09 - Missouri 10 - (Come On Little Child) Talk To Me 11 - Magician 12 - Lazerander Filcny 13 - Close The Barn Door 14 - The People 15 - Good Time Baby 16 - I Need You 17 - Citizen Freak LINK
