Max Webster
Max Webster

THE REVIEW

Max Webster is a Canadian band active from the mid-'70s to the early '80s, led by the charismatic guitarist and singer Kim Mitchell. They are known to some for having been the opening act for Rush in several live performances, being members of the Anthem label and partly inspiring Rush's musical shift to heavily incorporate synthesizers in their albums, from "Farewell to Kings" onwards.

The lineup, besides Mitchell himself, comprised bassist Mike Tilka, keyboardist Terry Watkinson, and drummer Paul Kersey. The band's unofficial fifth member was lyricist Pye Dubois, author of historic Rush tracks, most notably Tom Sawyer. The band's self-titled debut album, released in '76, saw decent sales in their homeland, and like Rush, was produced by Terry Brown. It is a small, hard and prog rock gem that remains largely undiscovered and should be revisited. The first track, Hangover, is characterized by an excellent guitar riff that runs throughout the piece and solid drumming: notably, Mitchell's voice stands out, powerful with blues-like cadences, but wholly atypical, at times harkening back to the peculiar "spoken" style of Frank Zappa from that era. The following track, Here Among the Cats, reveals the band's blues rock influences more than the previous one, featuring repeated stop and go typical of the genre—significant also is the contribution of the keyboards.

Blowing the Blues Away stands out for its broader melodic openings and greater use of choruses, making the piece decidedly accessible and catchy, albeit technically inferior to its predecessors. Summer turning Blue shakes things up by slowing the pace and emphasizing the keyboards' counterpoint: the singing becomes more sorrowful, with the piece exhibiting vague psychedelic nuances, yet without forsaking melody. Toronto Tontos is, instead, a mad march with a deviant melody and farcical sounds: something unprecedented for the era, sharing some affinities with the tones and inventions of the previously mentioned Zappa. Particularly curious are the sound effects that accompany the Websters' delirium. Coming of the Moon returns to the traditional hard rock tracks, featuring a guitar reminiscent of the sound of Rush, well-supported by keyboards and the rhythm section, with choruses that would later be plundered by bands like the Pixies in the '80s. Only your Nose Knows is one of the best tracks on the album thanks to its continuous tempo changes and melodies sung with vehemence by Mitchell, always backed by the group and starring in excellent guitar interludes.

Summer’s Up, supported by an excellent arrangement, is a slower piece where all the instruments, from bass to keyboards to drums, emerge with brief and characteristic interludes: a track with vaguely pop tones, yet performed with a completely peculiar attitude, a true trademark of the band. The concluding Lily is the longest and most ambitious track on the album: it is a suite evidently indebted to English music of the period and Rush themselves, where Mitchell's dramatic singing intersects excellently with the keyboard architectures, well-supported, even in this case, by the rhythm section, never the protagonist but absolutely essential.

An album to listen to for a complete overview of '70s rock, a work by a group unjustly considered minor, perhaps because of its excessive eclecticism, and in later stages of their career, lacking great personality, partly due to some lineup changes.