Aerial was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

pop and rock band from

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, active from 1973 to 1981.

History

Saskatchewan natives Brian Meissner and Laurie Currie originally found notoriety in the Winnipeg showband Sugar & Spice. By 1972, the band had changed its name to

Spice A spice is a seed, fruit, root, bark, or other plant substance primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are the leaves, flowers, or stems of plants used for flavoring or as a garnish. Spices a ...

and relocated to Toronto. When Spice broke up, Meissner and Currie launched a

Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developme ...

tribute act A tribute act, tribute band or tribute group is a music group, singer, or musician who specifically plays the music of a well-known music act. Tribute acts include individual performers who mimic the songs and style of an artist, such as Elvi ...

called Liverpool, with Miessner on bass and lead vocals, Currie on vocals and drums, David Moyles on guitar, and Rick Pearson on vocals and guitar. This original lineup played the first-ever Beatles Festival The Fest for Beatles Fans in New York City in 1974 and, that same year, played the famed

Whisky a Go Go The Whisky a Go Go (informally nicknamed "the Whisky") is a historic nightclub in West Hollywood, California, United States. It is located at 8901 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip, corner North Clark Street, opposite North San Vicente Boul ...

in Los Angeles. In 1976, Liverpool had two Canadian hits: "Down To Liverpool" charted at #69, "Dolly" (written by Miessner and produced by Ian Thomas) charted at #24. Liverpool toured in Canada and the U.S. as a four-piece band until 1975, when Malcolm Buchanan was added to play keyboards, allowing the group to play songs from ''

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'' is the eighth studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. Released on 26May 1967, ''Sgt. Pepper'' is regarded by musicologists as an early concept album that advanced the roles of sound composi ...

'' and ''

Magical Mystery Tour ''Magical Mystery Tour'' is a record by the English rock band the Beatles that was released as a double EP in the United Kingdom and an LP in the United States. It includes the soundtrack to the 1967 television film of the same name. The EP ...

''. Further personnel changes occurred in 1976, when Gary O'Conner was added on guitar and vocals. It was at this time that Moyles and Pearson left the group; in 1977, the band changed their name to Aerial. For their first album release, ''In The Middle Of The Night'', Aerial was signed to

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...

in the U.S., and Toronto's

Anthem Records Anthem Records is an independent record label based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The company was formed in May 1977 by Ray Danniels and Vic Wilson with initial recording artists Rush, Max Webster, Liverpool and A Foot in Coldwater. The three ...

. Their second release on Anthem, 1980's ''Maneuvers'', saw Gary O'Conner replaced on guitar with Tim White on guitar and vocals. The band had a

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or " con ...

hit in Canada with the single "Easy Love". The song reached #92 on the national ''RPM Magazine'' charts in 1978. In 1980, Aerial toured in support of ''Maneuvers'' and disbanded in 1981.

Discography

Albums

* ''In the Middle of the Night'' (1978) * ''Maneuvers'' (1980)

Singles

* "Down To Liverpool" (1976) * "Dolly" (1976) * "Easy Love" (1978) * "Harmony" (1978) * "Moments Like This" (1979) * "Tears That You Cry" (1980)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aerial (Canadian band) Musical groups established in 1973 Musical groups disestablished in 1981 Musical groups from Toronto The Beatles tribute bands Canadian pop rock music groups 1973 establishments in Ontario 1981 disestablishments in Ontario