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Payolas (stylized as Payola$) was a Canadian rock band that was most prominent in the 1980s. Evolving from a new wave sound toward mainstream
pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...
, they were best known for the single "Eyes of a Stranger", from their 1982 album '' No Stranger to Danger'', an album that won the band four
Juno Awards The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall of ...
. Based in
Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
, the band has experienced several changes to both its name and lineup, having been known as The Payola$, Paul Hyde and the Payolas, and Rock and Hyde. Vocalist and lyricist
Paul Hyde Paul Reginald Nelson (born 21 May 1955), known by the stage name Paul Hyde, is a British-born Canadian singer-songwriter. He co-founded the rock band Payola$ with Bob Rock, serving as the band's main lyricist and vocalist. He later performed and ...
and multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and producer
Bob Rock Robert Jens Rock (born April 19, 1954) is a Canadian record producer, sound engineer and musician, best known for producing rock bands and music artists such as Metallica, Mötley Crüe, Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, The Tragically Hip, the Cult, 31 ...
were the band's core members throughout its history. The band broke up in 1988, but reformed again from 2003 to 2008.


Band history


Name

The band's name is a reference to the United States
payola Payola, in the music industry, is the illegal practice of paying a commercial radio station to play a song without the station disclosing the payment. Under US law, a radio station must disclose songs they were paid to play on the air as spons ...
scandal of the early 1960s, which was a pay-for-play scheme involving commercial radio stations. The name caused issues with A&M record executives who wanted to introduce the band to the American market and who were concerned about the term's negative connotations, which resulted in the band's name change to Paul Hyde and the Payola$ in 1985. Rock told ''
The Province ''The Province'' is a daily newspaper published in tabloid format in British Columbia by Pacific Newspaper Group, a division of Postmedia Network, alongside the ''Vancouver Sun'' broadsheet newspaper. Together, they are British Columbia's only ...
'' in 2003 that their band's name caused one record executive to tell him "I won't lift a finger to help you." Rock added that it was Hyde that came up with the name and that "I was the idiot who put the dollar sign at the end."


Early years (1978–1981)

Paul Hyde Paul Reginald Nelson (born 21 May 1955), known by the stage name Paul Hyde, is a British-born Canadian singer-songwriter. He co-founded the rock band Payola$ with Bob Rock, serving as the band's main lyricist and vocalist. He later performed and ...
, originally from
Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...
, England, emigrated to
Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Greater Victoria area has a population of 397,237. Th ...
at age 15. Hyde met
Bob Rock Robert Jens Rock (born April 19, 1954) is a Canadian record producer, sound engineer and musician, best known for producing rock bands and music artists such as Metallica, Mötley Crüe, Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, The Tragically Hip, the Cult, 31 ...
while the pair were attending Belmont High School in Langford, a Victoria
suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separate ...
. Rock, who moved to Victoria from
Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...
at age 12, described his first encounter with Hyde to the ''
Times Colonist The ''Times Colonist'' is an English-language daily newspaper in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. It was formed by the Sept. 2, 1980 merger of the ''Victoria Daily Times'', established in 1884, and the ''British Colonist'' (later the ''Daily Co ...
'' in 2007: "He had his hair all cut off, and later I found out it was because he wanted to look like a
skinhead A skinhead is a member of a subculture which originated among working class youths in London, England, in the 1960s and soon spread to other parts of the United Kingdom, with a second working class skinhead movement emerging worldwide in th ...
when he immigrated to Canada so he wouldn't get beat up. Being such a fan of English culture and bands, I saw this kid standing there in a long trenchcoat and shaved head and I went, 'That's a guy I wanna know.'" Influenced by musical artists such as
David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
,
Slade Slade are an English rock band formed in Wolverhampton in 1966. They rose to prominence during the glam rock era in the early 1970s, achieving 17 consecutive top 20 hits and six number ones on the UK Singles Chart. The ''British Hit Singles ...
, T. Rex, Alex Harvey and
Be-Bop Deluxe Be-Bop Deluxe were an English rock band who achieved critical acclaim and moderate commercial success during the mid to late 1970s. History Be-Bop Deluxe Be-Bop Deluxe was founded in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England, by singer, guitarist ...
, the pair formed the Paul Kane Blues Band and toured
Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are o ...
in the mid-1970s. In 1976 Rock landed a job as an
apprentice Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading). Apprenticeships can also enable practitioners to gain a ...
recording engineer An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization, dynamics processing and audio effects, mixing, reproduction, ...
at
Little Mountain Sound Studios Little Mountain Sound Studios is a music recording facility in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. During the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, it was the most successful recording studio in Western Canada and the home for many years to producers Bruce Fa ...
in
Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
and became acquainted with Vancouver's
punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...
scene. Rock and Hyde were joined by drummer Ian Tiles (of
Pointed Sticks Pointed Sticks are a Canadian punk rock/ new wave band from Vancouver. Originally active from 1978 to 1981, then reuniting to perform in July 2006 through to November 2012. After a three-year hiatus, Pointed Sticks returned to the stage in June ...
) and bass player Marty Higgs to form the pop-punk band Payola$. At the time, Rock was producing mainly punk acts, such as the
Young Canadians Young Canadians (originally The K-Tels) were a Canadian punk rock band formed in Vancouver in 1978 and active for just under two years. The YC's were influenced not only by the other punk bands in town at that time such as D.O.A. and the Pointed ...
,
The Dils The Dils were an American punk rock band formed 1976 and active until 1980, originally from Carlsbad, California, and fronted by the brothers Chip Kinman and Tony Kinman. They appeared as the second act in the "battle of the bands" sequence i ...
and the Pointed Sticks. In 1979 Payola$ released their first single "China Boys" on their own Slophouse label. The song, whose lyrics reference the
westernization Westernization (or Westernisation), also Europeanisation or occidentalization (from the ''Occident''), is a process whereby societies come under or adopt Western culture in areas such as industry, technology, science, education, politics, economi ...
of China, attracted the attention of
A&M Records A&M Records was an American record label founded as an independent company by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss in 1962. Due to the success of the discography A&M released, the label garnered interest and was acquired by PolyGram in 1989 and began distr ...
. Higgs and Tiles left shortly after the single was recorded and were replaced by drummer Taylor Nelson Little and sax/bass player Gary Middleclass (''né'' Bourgeois). The four track EP '' Introducing Payola$'' was released by A&M in 1980. Middleclass left, in 1980 (later becoming a teacher at the
Vancouver Film School Vancouver Film School (VFS) is a private entertainment arts school located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Founded in 1987, it has achieved international recognition. The Vancouver Film School has campus locations around Downtown Vancouver ...
sound design program), and was replaced by Lawrence Wilkins on bass. Lee Kelsey was added on keyboards. This quintet recorded 1981's '' In a Place Like This'', first at Little Mountain studios, then completed at the famed
Le Studio Le Studio (later renamed Studio Morin Heights) was a residential recording studio in the Laurentian Mountains near the town of Morin-Heights, Quebec, Canada built in 1972 by recording engineer and producer André Perry, Nick Blagona and Yaël ...
in
Morin-Heights Morin-Heights is a town in the Laurentian Mountains region of Quebec, Canada. It is west of Saint-Sauveur and north of Lachute; municipally, it is within the Regional County Municipality of Les Pays-d'en-Haut. It is primarily a tourist town, ...
,
Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
. The album's sound contained both
reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...
and
ska Ska (; ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a walki ...
influences. Produced by Rock, ''In a Place Like This'' was a critical success, but didn't do well commercially.


Work with Mick Ronson (1982–1984)

1982 saw drummer Chris Taylor added to the band lineup, replacing Taylor Little. Kelsey left the band as well. This line-up recorded the album '' No Stranger to Danger'', with famed English musician, songwriter and producer
Mick Ronson Michael Ronson (26 May 1946 – 29 April 1993) was an English musician, songwriter, arranger, and producer. He achieved critical and commercial success working with David Bowie as the guitarist of the Spiders from Mars. He was a session music ...
acting as the album's producer. Ronson first heard of the Payloas when they were looking for a producer for ''In a Place Like This'', but was unable to produce the album due to scheduling conflicts. Incorporating elements of reggae, pop, punk, and new wave, ''No Stranger to Danger'' included the hit single (No. 4) in "Eyes of a Stranger", which won the
Juno Award The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall of ...
for best single. Junos were also given to Rock and Hyde for their songwriting, Rock was awarded Recording Engineer of the Year, and the band as a whole won the Most Promising Group. The band also toured with
New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
new wave band
Split Enz Split Enz were a New Zealand rock band formed in Auckland in 1972 by Tim Finn and Phil Judd and had a variety of other members during its existence. Originally started as a folk-oriented group with quirky art rock stylings, the band built a ...
on the Canadian leg of their 1982 tour. Ronson also joined the Payola$ on stage on keyboards. In the 2011 book, ''Have Not Been The Same; The CanRock Renaissance 1985-1995'', Rock said: "The funniest things was that after we played the first date, all the guys in Split Enz were on stage going, 'Is that Mick Ronson? Who's this band?'" Ronson produced the band's follow-up album, ''
Hammer on a Drum ''Hammer on a Drum'' is the third album by the Payolas, released in 1983. The title comes from a line in the song "Where Is This Love." The album is only available on vinyl and cassette; it has not been released on CD. The album was #26 for 5 wee ...
'', released in 1984. The album included the single "Never Said I Loved You" featuring
Carole Pope Carole Ann Pope (born 6 August 1950) is a British-born Canadian rock singer-songwriter, whose provocative blend of hard-edged new wave rock with explicit homoerotic and BDSM-themed lyrics made her one of the first openly lesbian entertainers t ...
, vocalist of rock band Rough Trade, which reached No. 8 in Canada.


Work with David Foster (1985–1986)

In 1985, producer and songwriter
David Foster David Walter Foster (born November 1, 1949) is a Canadian musician, composer, arranger, record producer and music executive who chaired Verve Records from 2012 to 2016. He has won 16 Grammy Awards from 47 nominations. His music career spans mor ...
helped assemble the
supergroup Supergroup or super group may refer to: * Supergroup (music), a music group formed by artists who are already notable or respected in their fields * Supergroup (physics), a generalization of groups, used in the study of supersymmetry * Supergroup ...
Northern Lights to record the song "
Tears Are Not Enough "Tears Are Not Enough" is a 1985 charity single recorded by a supergroup of Canadian artists, under the name Northern Lights, to raise funds for relief of the 1983–85 famine in Ethiopia. It was one of a number of such supergroup singles reco ...
". Hyde was one of over 40 vocalists featured on the song and Rock served as one of the
engineers Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the limit ...
. Rock and Hyde came up with the song's title and contributed to the French lyrics along with
Rachel Paiement Rachel Claire Paiement (born 1955) is a Canadian musician and songwriter. She is best known as a former member, singer and songwriter for the Franco-Ontarian band CANO in the 1970s.Bryan Adams Bryan Guy Adams (born 5 November 1959) is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter, composer, and photographer. He has been cited as one of the best-selling music artists of all time, and is estimated to have sold between 75 million and mor ...
, Foster, Paiement and
Jim Vallance James Douglas Vallance (born May 31, 1952) is a Canadian songwriter, arranger and producer. He is best known as the songwriting partner of Canadian musician Bryan Adams. Vallance began his professional career as the original drummer and main song ...
. That same year, A&M Records recruited Foster to produce the band's next recording, 1985's ''
Here's the World for Ya ''Here's the World for Ya'' is the fourth album by Paul Hyde and the Payolas, the band previously known as Payolas. Released in 1985, the album is only available on vinyl and cassette; it has not been released on CD. The album was #26 in Canada ...
'', with the hopes of bringing the band to the American market. The band's name was also changed to Paul Hyde and the Payola$. By this point, the band consisted of Hyde, Rock, drummer Chris Taylor and bassist Alex "A-Train" Boynton. Both Foster and Hyde's then-wife, Myriam Nelson, contributed some of the songwriting. ''Here's the World for Ya'' and the album's title track garnered six Juno Award nominations, including best group, album as well as best vocalist for Hyde, best sound engineer for Rock and songwriter of the year for both Rock and Hyde. The single, "You're the Only Love" charted in the US, peaking at No. 84 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart—the first Payola$ single to do so. The album marked a change in the band's sound that alienated many of their longtime fans as a result. In 1987, Tim O'Connor of
Canadian Press The Canadian Press (CP; french: La Presse canadienne, ) is a Canadian national news agency headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. Established in 1917 as a vehicle for the time's Canadian newspapers to exchange news and information, The Canadian Pre ...
said that the album "was glossy and tight, but it wasn't the Payola$." In that same article Hyde said, "We compromised ourselves somewhat artistically," adding "We were untrue to ourselves and our fans." Rock said of the experience, "We learned a lot from him, he's a very good musician. We saw a complete other side of recording with David. It was very polished and professional," adding "The thing with David (Foster) is that it swung far too much his way." Despite the critical success, the album did not sell as well as hoped and the band was dropped by A&M in 1986.


Rock and Hyde (1987)

In 1987, the band rebranded themselves as Rock and Hyde and released ''
Under the Volcano ''Under the Volcano'' is a novel by English writer Malcolm Lowry (1909–1957) published in 1947. The novel tells the story of Geoffrey Firmin, an alcoholic British consul in the Mexican city of Quauhnahuac, on the Day of the Dead in Novemb ...
'' on
Capitol A capitol, named after the Capitoline Hill in Rome, is usually a legislative building where a legislature meets and makes laws for its respective political entity. Specific capitols include: * United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. * Numerous ...
/
EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its break-up in 201 ...
. The album marked a return to the politically and socially conscious lyrics of the Payolas' early work, with Rock also handling the sound engineering. The Rock and Hyde sound was more pop-oriented than that of the Payolas. ''Under the Volcano'' reached No. 24 on the top 100 album chart in Canada. ''Under the Volcano'' was critically well-received, and Rock and Hyde had two hits in Canada with "Dirty Water" (No. 20) and "I Will" (No. 40). "Dirty Water" also peaked on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at No. 61. Later that same year A&M capitalized on the band's renewed popularity and released a greatest hits package of Payolas work called '' Between a Rock and a Hyde Place: The Best of Payola$''.


Hiatus (1988–2003)

After the release of ''Under the Volcano'', Rock returned his focus to sound engineering and producing music from Little Mountain studios and became a go-to producer for hard rock and metal acts, producing albums for musical acts such as
Loverboy Loverboy is a Canadian rock band formed in 1979 in Calgary, Alberta. Loverboy's hit singles, particularly " Turn Me Loose" and "Working for the Weekend", have become arena rock staples and are still heard on many classic rock and classic hits r ...
,
The Cult The Cult are an English rock band formed in 1983 in Bradford, West Yorkshire. Before settling on their current name in January 1984, the band performed under the name Death Cult, which was an evolution of the name of lead singer Ian Astbury's ...
,
Mötley Crüe Mötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1981. The group was founded by bassist Nikki Sixx, drummer Tommy Lee, lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil. Mötley Crüe has sold over 100 million albums ...
,
Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...
,
Bon Jovi Bon Jovi is an American Rock music, rock band formed in 1983 in Sayreville, New Jersey. It consists of singer Jon Bon Jovi, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, guitarist Phil X, and bassist Hugh McDonald (American musician), Hugh McD ...
, and
David Lee Roth David Lee Roth (born October 10, 1954) is an American rock singer. Best known for his wild, energetic stage persona, he was the original lead vocalist of the hard rock band Van Halen across three stints, from 1974 to 1985, in 1996 and again fro ...
. Along with ex-Payola$ drummer Chris Taylor, he was also involved in the band Rockhead that released an album in 1992. The Payola$ reformed for a one-time gig on October 26, 1994, with Rock, Hyde, Boynton and new members Matt Frenette (drums) and Richard Sera (keyboards). Rock and Hyde then again went their separate ways. Paul Hyde pursued a solo recording career, releasing four albums between 1999 and 2002, including 2000's '' Living off the Radar'' featuring Rock as producer, guitarist and co-writer. ''The Best of the Payola$, 20th Century Masters, The Millennium Collection'' was released in 2002 in
Universal Music Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Netherlands, Dutch–United States, American multinational Music industry, music corporation under Law of the Netherlands, Dutch law. UMG's cor ...
's 20th Century Masters Series. The compilation included the Rock and Hyde track "Dirty Water".


Reunion (2003–2008)

Rock and Hyde played live in Vancouver in 2003, reformed as The Payolas. An EP called "Missing Links" was released for a charitable foundation, consisting of previously-unreleased Payola$ songs and demos, a couple of which had surfaced earlier, in slightly different productions, on Paul Hyde's solo album '' Living off the Radar''. In 2006 they reunited once more and on July 17, 2007, the Payola$ released a seven-song EP, ''
Langford (Part One) ''Langford Part One'' is the seven-song CD EP released by the Payolas in 2007. The album cover features a picture of the Belmont Secondary School which is the Langford high school that Bob Rock and Paul Hyde attended together. The band announc ...
''. It was announced that there would be a full length follow-up to the ''Langford (Part One)'' EP, possibly incorporating some of the EP's tracks, however this release never materialized. The band stopped performing live as of 2008, and the official Payolas website shut down in 2009. As with the band's first break-up, no formal announcement was made that the Payola$ were ceasing operations; however, later in 2009 Paul Hyde resumed his solo career, releasing his fifth studio album. In a 2020 interview with the ''
Vancouver Sun The ''Vancouver Sun'', also known as the ''Sun'', is a daily broadsheet newspaper based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The newspaper is currently published by the Pacific Newspaper Group, a division of Postmedia Network. Published s ...
'' Hyde said that he hadn't performed live music in five years and had changed his focus towards visual art.


Discography


Studio albums

* '' In a Place Like This'' (1981) * '' No Stranger to Danger'' (1982) (#5 Canada ) * ''
Hammer on a Drum ''Hammer on a Drum'' is the third album by the Payolas, released in 1983. The title comes from a line in the song "Where Is This Love." The album is only available on vinyl and cassette; it has not been released on CD. The album was #26 for 5 wee ...
'' (1983) (#26 Canada for 5 weeks ) * ''
Here's the World for Ya ''Here's the World for Ya'' is the fourth album by Paul Hyde and the Payolas, the band previously known as Payolas. Released in 1985, the album is only available on vinyl and cassette; it has not been released on CD. The album was #26 in Canada ...
'' (1985) (#26 Canada for 2 weeks ) * ''Under the Volcano'' (1987) (as Rock and Hyde) (#24 Canada for 2 weeks )


Compilation albums

* '' Between a Rock and a Hyde Place: The Best of Payola$'' (1987) * ''20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection – The Best of the Payola$'' (2002

* ''Missing Links'' (2003)


Extended plays

* '' Introducing Payola$'' (1980) * '' Langford (Part One), Langford Part One'' (2007)


Singles


References


External links

* * *
Entry at thecanadianencyclopedia.ca


{{DEFAULTSORT:Payolas, The Musical groups established in 1978 Musical groups disestablished in 1988 Musical groups reestablished in 2003 Musical groups disestablished in 2008 Musical groups from Vancouver Canadian new wave musical groups Canadian alternative rock groups 1978 establishments in British Columbia 1988 disestablishments in British Columbia 2003 establishments in British Columbia 2008 disestablishments in British Columbia Juno Award for Single of the Year winners Juno Award for Breakthrough Group of the Year winners