''Big Blue Sky'' is the first major label album by
The Northern Pikes
The Northern Pikes are a Canadian rock band formed in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, in 1984. The original members are Jay Semko, Bryan Potvin, Merl Bryck and Glen Hollingshead, who left the band in 1985 and was replaced by Don Schmid in June 1986. ...
released in 1987. It featured two hit Canadian singles - "Teenland" and "Things I Do for Money".
The songs "Love Will Break You" and "Heartaches Heartbreaks (Open Up)" were added to the album when it was released on CD in 1990. "Heartaches Heartbreaks (Open Up)" was the b-side to the "Teenland" single in 1987. "Love Will Break You" originally appeared on ''
The Northern Pikes
The Northern Pikes are a Canadian rock band formed in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, in 1984. The original members are Jay Semko, Bryan Potvin, Merl Bryck and Glen Hollingshead, who left the band in 1985 and was replaced by Don Schmid in June 1986. ...
'', the band's original independent release in 1984 and it was the b-side to the "Things I Do for Money" single. Additionally, the song "Dancing in a Dance Club" originally appeared on the band's 1984 independent release ''
The Northern Pikes
The Northern Pikes are a Canadian rock band formed in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, in 1984. The original members are Jay Semko, Bryan Potvin, Merl Bryck and Glen Hollingshead, who left the band in 1985 and was replaced by Don Schmid in June 1986. ...
'', while the songs "Lonely House", "You Sold the Farm", "Jackie T", and "Teenland" all appeared on the band's 1985 independent release ''
Scene in North America''.
Dedication
The album is dedicated to the memory of Neil Morgan who played guitar, synth, and vocals for ''The Idols'', an early incarnation of the band which also included
Jay Semko
John Peter "Jay" Semko is a singer/songwriter and bassist with Canadian band, The Northern Pikes. He is also a music composer for numerous film and television productions, most notably the successful Canadian television series ''Due South''. Semk ...
,
Merl Bryck Merl, or MERL, may refer to:
* Merl (name)
* Merl, Luxembourg, a quarter of Luxembourg City
* Merl (Buffyverse), a fictional character in the television series ''Angel''
Abbreviation
* Mechanical Engineering Research Laboratory
* Mitsubishi Elec ...
,
Don Schmid
Don, don or DON and variants may refer to:
Places
*County Donegal
County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal ...
, and Robin Billinton.
Track listing
#"Teenland" (
Jay Semko
John Peter "Jay" Semko is a singer/songwriter and bassist with Canadian band, The Northern Pikes. He is also a music composer for numerous film and television productions, most notably the successful Canadian television series ''Due South''. Semk ...
) – 4:02
#"You Sold the Farm" (Semko,
Merl Bryck Merl, or MERL, may refer to:
* Merl (name)
* Merl, Luxembourg, a quarter of Luxembourg City
* Merl (Buffyverse), a fictional character in the television series ''Angel''
Abbreviation
* Mechanical Engineering Research Laboratory
* Mitsubishi Elec ...
,
Bryan Potvin
Bryan Anthony Potvin (born May 31, 1963, in Ottawa) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist.
History
Potvin began guitar lessons at the age of 13 in Victoria, B.C. His family re-located to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan where he continued his m ...
) – 4:16
#"Things I Do for Money" (Semko) – 4:48
#"Just Another Guy" (Semko) – 3:16
#"Dancing in a Dance Club" (Semko) – 5:35
#"Jackie T" (Semko, Potvin) – 3:31
#"Lonely House" (Semko) – 2:46
#"Love and a Muscle" (Semko, Bryck) – 5:26
#"Never Again" (Semko) – 4:14
#"Love Will Break You" (Semko) – 4:05
#"Heartaches Heartbreaks (Open Up)" (Semko) – 3:53
#"Big Blue Sky" (Semko) – 5:33
Album credits
Personnel
*
Jay Semko
John Peter "Jay" Semko is a singer/songwriter and bassist with Canadian band, The Northern Pikes. He is also a music composer for numerous film and television productions, most notably the successful Canadian television series ''Due South''. Semk ...
– bass guitar, vocals, piano
*
Merl Bryck Merl, or MERL, may refer to:
* Merl (name)
* Merl, Luxembourg, a quarter of Luxembourg City
* Merl (Buffyverse), a fictional character in the television series ''Angel''
Abbreviation
* Mechanical Engineering Research Laboratory
* Mitsubishi Elec ...
– rhythm guitar, vocals
*
Don Schmid
Don, don or DON and variants may refer to:
Places
*County Donegal
County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal ...
– drums, percussion
*
Bryan Potvin
Bryan Anthony Potvin (born May 31, 1963, in Ottawa) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist.
History
Potvin began guitar lessons at the age of 13 in Victoria, B.C. His family re-located to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan where he continued his m ...
– lead guitar, rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar
Additional personnel
*Barry Keane – percussion
*Wendy Davis – background vocals
*Rebecca Jenkins – backing vocals
*Rick Hutt – keyboards
Production
*Rick Hutt – producer
*Fraser Hill – producer, engineer
*Assisted by Dave Runstedler
Additional Recording:
*Sounds Interchange, Toronto
*Grant Avenue, Hamilton
*Hypnotic Sound, Toronto
Digital Mixing:
*McClear Place Studios, Toronto
*Assisted by Lou Solakofski, Martin Lee, Paul Shubat
Mastering by
Bob Ludwig
Robert C. Ludwig (born c. 1945) is an American mastering engineer. He has mastered recordings on all the major recording formats for all the major record labels, and on projects by more than 1,300 artists including Led Zeppelin, Lou Reed, Qu ...
at
Masterdisk
Masterdisk is an American multimedia company in New York, located at 8 John Walsh Boulevard in Peekskill. They provide production services such as audio mastering, vinyl cutting and enhanced CD and DVD production.
Their clients include such no ...
, New York
Charts and Certifications
Big Blue Sky made its debut on the Canadian Album charts on July 18, 1987 and stayed in the charts until January 30, 198
The album was certified Gold in Canada by the
Canadian Recording Industry Association on December 24, 1987.
References
* Liner notes from The Northern Pikes: ''Big Blue Sky''.
{{Authority control
1987 albums
The Northern Pikes albums
Virgin Records albums
Albums recorded at Metalworks Studios