Voice – “Anno Di Voce”
Before his days in the band, Skinny Puppy, Dwayne Goettel was originally part of this Edmonton based band. Personally, I find that Voice was one of those bands that could’ve and should’ve became more than what they were. They had the sound, the lyrics and some of the absolute finest musicianship.
The A-Side opens with the song “Lime” and from the opening synth and drumming, to Malcolm Swann’s vocals, you’re immediately drawn into a great opening track. This song, which was written by Malcolm and Dwayne definitely could’ve landed it’s own single if it had been on a full length LP. Next up, “Business As Usual in Beirut” which is an absolutely captivating track with the programmed in sounds, the vocals and the lyrics. But what always gets me is when the chorus comes in, because I can visualize how a music video could’ve looked if they had made one. Once more Malcolm delivers beautiful vocals.
The B-Side opens with what I fully believe could’ve been a Top 10 hit and a best selling single, the keyboard playing, the bass and the build up to Malcolm’s vocals are phenomenal, “Wake Up Dreaming” comes next, it’s another song written by Malcolm and Dwayne, and the lyrics are what fully sell me on this track. “But I’m a spirit that will not die, and in my mind there is a reason why” is poetry. This is some of the finest songwriting in 1980’s Canadian music history. Next up comes something that we never knew we needed until now, and that is a synth pop cover “I Am the Walrus” – and you know, everyone knows the Beatles original, but if you can find yourself lucky enough to hear Voice perform their great rendition, you may never find yourself listening to the original again. Everything about this EP is pure Gold. How Voice only released this and a handful of other songs that were recorded but remained unreleased completely blows my mind.
As I wrote this, I found out that Malcolm passed away on July 9th – rest easy Malcolm, and thank you for the music.
I absolutely love this Canadian gem. I wish we all got more of Voice, but alas, the music that was brought to us by Malcolm Swann, Dwayne Goettel, Sherri Iwaschuk, Bill Damur, Jeff Sawatzky and Rod Wolfe will always and forever remain a true hidden Canadian treasure.
Catalog Number:
SWH 649
Credits:
Lead Vocals – Malcolm Swann
Drums, Percussion & Vocals – Sherri Iwaschuk
Keyboards & Drum Programming – Dwayne Goettel
Bass, Keyboards & Vocals – Rod Wolfe
Guitars, Lute & Vocals – Bill Damur
Producers – Dave Findlay & Malcolm Swann
Engineer – Dave Findlay
Cover – Dennis Presiloski
Production Manager – Danny McGee
Band Photographer – Dwayne Brown
Typesetting – Typographics Ltd. and Hunky Dory Enterprises Ltd.
Released:
1985
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