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. 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 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 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)

, 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 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 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, T. Rex, Alex Harvey and Be-Bop Deluxe, 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, ...

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 Fai ...

and became acquainted with Vancouver's punk scene. Rock and Hyde were joined by drummer Ian Tiles (of Pointed Sticks) 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 in ...

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 of China, attracted the attention of A&M Records. 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$ 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, they were best known for the single "Eyes of a Stranger", from their 1982 album '' No Stran ...

'' was released by A&M in 1980. Middleclass left, in 1980 (later becoming a teacher at the Vancouver Film School 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 ''In a Place Like This'' is the first LP by the Payolas, released in 1981. The album is only available on vinyl and cassette; it has not been released on CD. Track listing Personnel * Paul Hyde: vocals, rhythm guitar * Bob Rock Robert ...

'', first at Little Mountain studios, then completed at the famed Le Studio in Morin-Heights,

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 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 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". 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, Foster, Paiement and Jim Vallance. 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 November ...

'' on Capitol/

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,

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 Rockhead was a Canadian hard rock music group formed in 1991 in Vancouver by Bob Rock. History Already a well-established music producer, guitarist Bob Rock formed the group in 1991 with his Payola$ and Rock and Hyde bandmate, drummer Chris Ta ...

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 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 ...

'' 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 ''

''. In 2006 they reunited once more and on July 17, 2007, the Payola$ released a seven-song EP, '' Langford (Part One)''. 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

* ''

'' (1981) * '' No Stranger to Danger'' (1982) (#5 Canada ) * ''

'' (1983) (#26 Canada for 5 weeks ) * ''

'' (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

* ''

'' (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