''Save This House'' is the fourth studio album by Canadian

folk rock Folk rock is a hybrid music genre that combines the elements of folk and rock music, which arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music revival. Performers suc ...

band

Spirit of the West Spirit of the West were a Canadian folk rock band from North Vancouver, active from 1983 to 2016. They were popular on the Canadian folk music scene in the 1980s before evolving a blend of hard rock, Britpop, and Celtic folk influences which ma ...

, released on February 20, 1990 by

Warner Music Canada Warner Music Canada is the Canadian division of Warner Music Group. The label previously operated as WEA Music of Canada, Ltd. (French: ''WEA Musique du Canada, Ltée''), often shortened to WEA Canada, the Canadian subsidiary of WEA Internationa ...

. It was the band's first album for Warner Music Canada, and their first with

Linda McRae Linda McRae is a Canadian folk-roots-Americana musician. A multi-instrumentalist ( clawhammer banjo, acoustic and electric guitars, accordion, bass, and Porchboard stomp box) singer-songwriter, she is a former member of Spirit of the West. S ...

. Although still a relatively traditional folk album, its release on a major label meant that it was the band's first album to expand their fan base significantly beyond the

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

scene. The album was certified platinum in Canada and was the band's mainstream commercial breakthrough. The band toured Canada and Great Britain in support of this album. Their British tour was as a supporting act for

The Wonder Stuff The Wonder Stuff are a British alternative rock band. Originally based in Stourbridge in the West Midlands, England, the band's first lineup released four albums and nearly 20 singles and EPs, enjoying considerable chart and live success in the ...

. Members of Spirit of the West appeared on that band's ''

Welcome to the Cheap Seats "Welcome to the Cheap Seats" is a song by British alternative rock band the Wonder Stuff from their third album, ''Never Loved Elvis'' (1991). The song features backing vocals by Kirsty MacColl and was released as part of the ''Welcome to the Chea ...

'' EP.

Songs

The album's title track, an energetically percussive

environment Environment most often refers to: __NOTOC__ * Natural environment, all living and non-living things occurring naturally * Biophysical environment, the physical and biological factors along with their chemical interactions that affect an organism or ...

al anthem, was written by

Geoffrey Kelly Geoffrey Kelly (born October 23, 1956 in Dumfries, Scotland) is a Canadians, Canadian rock musician. He played guitars, flutes and bodhrán for the folk rock band Spirit of the West, for whom he was also the lead vocalist on some songs: Geoffrey ...

and John Mann in fifteen minutes before the band were to perform a new song on a CBC program. Linda McRae has said that the song was written from the perspective that if everyone looked at the world as each person's individual house, then (we) would all take better care of it. The song was released as a single (at the band's request) and was a notable hit for the band on

campus radio Campus radio (also known as college radio, university radio or student radio) is a type of radio station that is run by the students of a college, university or other educational institution. Programming may be exclusively created or produce ...

. The album's best-known song is "

Home for a Rest "Home for a Rest" is a song by Canadian folk rock band Spirit of the West from their fourth studio album '' Save This House'', released in 1990. It is the band's signature song and is considered a classic of Canadian music."Songs to drink away tho ...

". In 2005, "Home for a Rest" was also named the 22nd greatest Canadian song of all time on

CBC Radio One CBC Radio One is the English-language news and information radio network of the publicly owned Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It is commercial-free and offers local and national programming. It is available on AM and FM to 98 percent of Ca ...

's '' 50 Tracks: The Canadian Version''.

CD track listing

#"Save This House" – 2:53 #"

" – 4:33 #"Last to Know" – 6:24 #"Roadside Attraction" – 3:03 #"Dirty Pool" – 3:30 #"Not Just a Train" – 4:18 #" (Putting Up with) The Joneses" – 4:25 #"Turned Out Lies" – 3:43 #"Sentimental Side" – 4:06 #"Water in the Well" – 4:03 #"Wrecking Ball" – 3:39 #"Loaded Minds" – 4:51 #"Swingin' Single" – 4:55 #"The Old Sod" – 3:19

LP track listing

Side one

#"Save This House" – 2:53 #"

" – 4:33 #"Last to Know" – 6:24 #"Roadside Attraction" – 3:03 #"Dirty Pool" – 3:30

Side two

#"Not Just a Train" – 4:18 #"(Putting Up With) The Joneses" – 4:25 #"Wrecking Ball" – 3:39 #"Swingin' Single" – 4:55 #"The Old Sod" – 3:19

References

{{Authority control 1990 albums Spirit of the West albums