Information/Write-up
Tracks
Pop/Rock – Softer:
Take Another Look — Media Mania
Late Night Fandango — Media Mania
Tara — Gilded Cage
Pop/Rock – AOR:
Chasing The Clouds — Pat Savage Band
So Fine — Pat Savage Band
Change — Aces Wild
Pop/Rock – Alternative:
Kiss Me Deeply — The Scream
Ladies and Gentlemen — The Scream
Adult Contemporary / Easy Listening:
Knowing You — Arlene Duncan
Song For Amelia — The Dunlop Project
Country Pop / Country:
Cut It Loose — Hugh Fortune
Their Land — Hugh Fortune
Who Ever Said — James T. Elliot
Traditional / Roots Pop:
Dreamers World — Michael Ray
How Do You Feel — Michael Ray
Songwriting
Take Another Look — J. Mullen / S. Bloom
Late Night Fandango — J. Mullen / G. Fraser
Tara — B. Lamont / J. Berkmortel
Chasing The Clouds — P. Tischart
So Fine — P. Tischart
Change — T. Thompson / T. Pincombe / D. Curtis / A. Bensette
Kiss Me Deeply — J. Green / M. Green / B. Jam
Ladies and Gentlemen — J. Green / M. Green / B. Jam
Knowing You — A. Miransky
Song For Amelia — J. Dunlop
Cut It Loose — H. Fortune
Their Land — H. Fortune
Who Ever Said — J. Elliot
Dreamers World — M. Ray
How Do You Feel — M. Ray
Production
Compiled and released by Auto Records
Peter Brennan: President
James C. Dunlop: Executive Vice President
Sharon Cronk: Managing Director
Label
Auto Records
London, Ontario, Canada
Notes
Select Hits, Volume I is a promotional compilation assembled by Auto Records to showcase a cross-section of Canadian artists to radio, labels, and publishers. The release spans multiple formats within pop and rock—including AOR, alternative, adult contemporary, country pop, and roots—reflecting the stylistic diversity of the label’s roster and associated regional talent during the late 1980s period.
The compilation features artists closely associated with the London, Ontario music scene, including Aces Wild, Gilded Cage, Media Mania, Pat Savage Band, The Scream, and others, several of whom recorded or collaborated through EMAC Recording Studios. All selections are registered with SOCAN and MAPL.
Peter Brennan Bio:
Peter Brennan (December 10, 1951 – September 29, 2025) was a Canadian guitarist, producer, arranger, and musical director whose career bridged popular music, studio production, and large-scale orchestral collaboration. Best known as the founder and creative force behind Jeans ’n Classics, Brennan also played a pivotal behind-the-scenes role in shaping the sound and direction of numerous Canadian artists from the early 1980s onward, particularly through his work at London, Ontario’s EMAC Recording Studios.
Born in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, Brennan moved to Canada as a child and grew up in Campbellford, Ontario. He later settled in London, Ontario, where he studied Music Composition and Theory at Western University. Although trained in a classical environment, Brennan later recalled feeling out of step with the rigid stylistic boundaries of the program, developing an early interest in music that crossed genres—particularly film scoring, rock, and orchestral hybrids. That restlessness would become a defining feature of his career.
After leaving Western, Brennan toured extensively as a guitarist and began working professionally as a musical director and arranger. One of his early high-profile roles was as musical director for the pop duo Gary and Dave (Gary Weeks and Dave Beckett), for whom he arranged material that resulted in commercial success, including chart-topping recordings. When the duo ultimately stepped away from music, Brennan redirected his focus toward production and studio work rather than front-line stardom.
By the early 1980s, Brennan had become a central figure at EMAC Recording Studios in London, Ontario, where he worked as a producer, engineer, arranger, and session musician. During this period, he developed a reputation for enhancing rock and pop recordings with orchestral textures—adding strings, arranging parts, and thinking beyond standard band formats. His studio work connected him with a wide range of local and regional artists, and it was through this hybrid approach that he first came to the attention of Orchestra London.
In 1990, Brennan was invited to collaborate with Orchestra London on a one-off concert combining orchestral performance with the music of Elton John and Billy Joel. Though he openly acknowledged having no prior experience scoring for a full orchestra, the project proved unexpectedly successful. What began as an experiment quickly evolved into a new musical concept, eventually formalized as Jeans ’n Classics—a collective of rock musicians performing alongside symphony orchestras, with Brennan serving as arranger, guitarist, and musical director.
Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Jeans ’n Classics grew from a local collaboration into an international touring organization. Following an important transitional period in the mid-1990s—marked by performances with orchestras in Thunder Bay, Calgary, and later the United States—the project expanded beyond its original association with Orchestra London. By the early 2000s, multiple Jeans ’n Classics ensembles were touring simultaneously across Canada and the United States, presenting orchestral interpretations of classic rock and pop repertoires. Brennan ultimately oversaw hundreds of original orchestrations and productions, with some seasons exceeding 80 performances.
Despite the scale of the enterprise, Brennan remained grounded in a musician-first philosophy. He emphasized collaboration, humility, and enjoyment over hierarchy, famously insisting on a simple guiding principle: there were “no jerks allowed.” Musicians who worked with him often remarked on his generosity, openness, and willingness to learn alongside others—a trait evident from the project’s earliest days.
Alongside his orchestral work, Brennan continued to produce and perform with local and national artists. Notably, he produced and contributed backing vocals to the 1987 single by Twice Shy, recorded at EMAC Recording Studios, exemplifying his dual role as both facilitator and creative participant in the Canadian independent music ecosystem. He was also associated with Auto Records, a small London-based label that supported regional artists during the 1980s.
In later years, Brennan’s achievements were formally recognized with numerous honours, including a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Forest City London Music Awards, and induction onto Western University’s Don Wright Faculty of Music “Wall of Fame.” Yet those closest to him consistently noted that he avoided the spotlight, preferring to support others and let the music speak for itself.
Peter Brennan passed away on September 29, 2025, after a courageous battle with cancer. In the wake of his passing, tributes poured in from musicians, orchestras, and collaborators across North America, reflecting not only the breadth of his musical impact but the depth of his kindness. His legacy endures in the countless performances he shaped, the artists he encouraged, and the enduring model he created for bridging popular music and orchestral tradition with integrity and joy.
-Robert Williston
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