Millions were an Edmonton rock band formed in 1980, arriving just as hard rock, melodic metal, and early AOR sounds were beginning to reshape the prairie club circuit. The group featured Dave Cox and Brian Weafer on guitars and vocals, Randy Lloyd on bass, keyboards, percussion and vocals, and Todd Ketza on drums and percussion. Lloyd had previously been part of Alberta country-rock act One Horse Blue, while Cox and Weafer also appear to have worked together earlier in the Edmonton band Roxslyde.
Built around Cox and Weafer’s twin-guitar attack, Millions quickly became active on the prairie circuit and attracted the attention of Rick Erickson, who brought the band into Damon Sound Studios in Edmonton in the spring of 1981. Erickson produced and mixed the group’s self-titled LP with the band, capturing a polished but still regional strain of early-1980s Canadian hard rock. The album was released later that year on Mustard, manufactured by Damon Productions Ltd., and mastered at McClear Place in Toronto.
The band’s lone LP, Millions, included 'I Got Rock ’n’ Roll', 'Go The Distance', 'Can’t Imagine', 'What Do You Mean By That?', 'Just A Fool', 'Right To Rock', 'So It Goes', 'Don’t You', and 'Livin’ This Way'. The songwriting was shared mainly among Randy Lloyd, Dave Cox, and Brian Weafer, with the record published by 3PM Music. 'Just A Fool' was also paired with 'Livin’ This Way' for single release, while 'Lady Denise' and 'Right To Rock' appeared on the Alberta Crude compilation, tying the group to Edmonton’s local radio-supported rock scene.
Millions continued working the prairie circuit for a short period after the album, but the group did not record a second LP. Like many regional Canadian hard rock acts of the period, they left behind a small but worthwhile document of the early-1980s prairie rock scene: big guitars, melodic choruses, studio polish, and a sound that sits between bar-band muscle and radio-minded AOR.
-Robert Williston
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Musicians
Brian Weafer: guitar, vocals, backing vocals, drum programming
Dave Cox: guitar, keyboards, vocals, backing vocals
Randy Lloyd: bass, keyboards, percussion, vocals, backing vocals
Todd Ketza: drums, percussion
Songwriting
'I Got Rock ’n’ Roll' written by R. Lloyd and B. Weafer
'Go The Distance' written by D. Cox
'Can’t Imagine' written by R. Lloyd
'What Do You Mean By That?' written by D. Cox and B. Weafer
'Just A Fool' written by D. Cox
'Right To Rock' written by R. Lloyd
'So It Goes' written by R. Lloyd
'Don’t You' written by B. Weafer
'Livin’ This Way' written by R. Lloyd
Production
Produced by Millions and Rick Erickson
Engineered by Rick Erickson
Mixed by Millions and Rick Erickson
Recorded and mixed at Damon Sound Studios
Mastered at McClear Place, Toronto
Studios
Recorded and mixed at Damon Sound Studios on the Neve 8108 recording console with NECAM computer assisted mixdown
Album mastered at McClear Place, Toronto
Publishing
Published by 3PM Music
All tunes MAPL
Rights society: CAPAC
Manufacturing
Manufactured in Canada by Damon Productions Ltd., Edmonton, Alberta
Made by World Records – WRC1-1836
Release Info
Stereo
33 1/3 RPM
Audio and Artwork Restoration
Audio Transfer/Restoration by Scott Edward
spinningmywheelsinternational@gmail.com
226-235-6005
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