The band began in 1983 as a Vancouver-based folk trio called Evesdropper, consisting of John Mann, Geoffrey Kelly and J. Knutson. They soon changed their name to Spirit of the West, and independently released a self-titled album in 1984 before signing to Stony Plain Records, an Edmonton, Alberta roots music label.
Stony Plain released Tripping Up the Stairs in 1986. Following that album, Knutson left the band and was replaced by Hugh MacMillan.
1988's Labour Day was the band's first major success, spawning the popular single "Political" and making the band a major name on the folk festival circuit. After that album's tour, MacMillan took a temporary hiatus from the band. He was replaced by Daniel Lapp and Linda McRae, but returned before the band's next album was recorded. When MacMillan returned, Lapp left the band but McRae stayed on. (As a result, Lapp never actually appeared on a Spirit of the West recording. He pursued a solo career, however, releasing a number of albums of experimental jazz/folk/electronic fusion.)
On the strength of "Political", Warner Brothers Records signed the band, and Stony Plain released a compilation, Old Material 1984-1986 in 1989. In 1990, the band's major label debut, Save This House was released, spawning the singles "Save This House" and "Home For a Rest" (which is still considered a classic frosh week anthem at universities across Canada.)
Following that album, the band toured England with The Wonder Stuff, and decided to bring in a drummer and experiment with a more rock-oriented sound. Vince Ditrich was brought in, and the band's 1991 album, Go Figure, was the result.
Although the album retained the band's folk influences, it was more hard rock than any of the band's previous efforts, and this proved controversial among the band's fans. The album included a rock rendition of "Political", and at one show in London, Ontario, the audience presented the band with a petition demanding that they play the original version of that song. Despite the controversies, however, it became the band's mainstream commercial breakthrough, and won them many new fans in the alternative rock scene.
In 1993, the band released their most successful album, Faithlift, and scored their biggest hit single, "...And if Venice is Sinking". 1995's Two Headed, in turn, garnered significant airplay for the single "Tell Me What I Think". However, the album was not as successful on the charts, or as critically hailed, as its predecessor.
In 1996, the band performed two shows with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. The band included some of their hits in these shows, but also included an album's worth of songs written specifically for the occasion, and the new songs were released as Open Heart Symphony that year. (Some of the hits performed at those shows are available on the compilation Hit Parade.) Also in 1996, McRae left the band amicably to pursue a solo career, performing her last show on New Year's Eve of that year. She went on to release a solo country album in 1997, and then formed the alternative country band Cheerful Lonesome.
The remaining members recorded 1997's Weights and Measures as a four-piece, working with members of The Wonder Stuff, Capercaillie, Fairport Convention and Jethro Tull to round out the studio effort, and added Tobin Frank for their concert tour. However, with the music industry's emphasis having shifted by this time toward more mainstream pop-oriented performers, Warner put little effort into promoting the album, and dropped the band from their roster after the tour.
After Weights & Measures the band took a hiatus, although they continued to perform live, and remained a popular concert draw. During the hiatus, Mann, Ditrich and Kelly all released solo albums, Mann pursued acting roles, MacMillan worked as a session musician and producer, and Kelly and Frank recorded with The Paperboys.
The band's first new album in seven years, Star Trails, was released on July 6, 2004 on MapleMusic Recordings.
In 2005, "Home For a Rest" was named the 22nd greatest Canadian song of all time on CBC Radio One's 50 Tracks: The Canadian Version.
Mann was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimers' disease (disclosed in Sept 2014) and Ditrich has liver disease. The group gave its final performances in April 2016 at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver.
The band performed a reunion set at Spirit of Canada, a benefit concert for Alzheimer's awareness at the Commodore Ballroom on November 19, 2017. The concert's lineup included Odds, Barney Bentall, Dustin Bentall, Jim Byrnes, Kendel Carson, Jim Cuddy, Alan Doyle, Colin James, Sarah McLachlan, Ed Robertson, Shari Ulrich and Spirit: The Next Generation, an act consisting of the band members' children. Before the show, the performing musicians participated in a group recording of the band's signature song "Home for a Rest" as a tribute to Mann.
John Mann born September 18, 1962 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, died November 20, 2019.
Circus
Spirit of the West Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Looked like "Circus" there for me
We were smoking Karl Marx
With the junkies in the park
I watched the barmaid keeping track
By marking X's on our mats
And this is how it all began
On our first campaign to the Fatherland
On an empty street in an Axis power
We broke the yardarm; it's too restricting
Cramped out style and cut our drinking down...
And this is how it all began
On our first campaign to the Fatherland
When we are falling
We got up to falling down
A canary yellow call-box
Gave me six marks worth of small talk
A broken conversation
Dulled by my intoxication
This is how it all began
Our first campaign to the Fatherland
"Let's go Europe" on the Kelly Plan
When we go up to
Falling Down
The song "Circus" by Spirit of the West is a commentary on the excesses of youth and the experience of being a young traveler in Europe. The opening line, "There was writing on the walls/Looked like 'Circus' there for me" sets the tone for the rest of the song. The word "circus" suggests a sense of chaos or frenzy, while the fact that it is written on the walls indicates that it is a pervasive part of the environment. The singer and his companions are caught up in this "circus," fueled by drugs, alcohol, and youthful energy. The references to smoking Karl Marx and hanging out with junkies in the park suggest a kind of rebelliousness or anti-establishment attitude.
As the song progresses, the singer describes his experiences traveling through Europe with his friends. The line "The jet lag landed after hours/On an empty street in an Axis power" suggests a disorienting sense of time and place. The group of friends are out of their element and perhaps a bit overwhelmed by their surroundings. They break the yardarm, a reference to a nautical term for a horizontal spar where sails are attached, which may signify a sense of release from constraints. They are cutting back on their drinking, suggesting a sense of maturity or self-control, but the line "When we are falling/We got up to falling down" suggests that they are still stumbling through their youth.
Line by Line Meaning
There was writing on the walls
The singer of the song saw some writing on the walls.
Looked like "Circus" there for me
The writing on the wall was interpreted by the singer as the word 'Circus'.
We were smoking Karl Marx
The singer and his/her companions were smoking while discussing Karl Marx's ideology.
With the junkies in the park
The artist and his/her companions were smoking and conversing with some junkies in a park.
I watched the barmaid keeping track
The artist observed a barmaid marking X's on their mats to track their drinks.
By marking X's on our mats
The barmaid was marking X's on the singer and his/her companions' mats to keep track of their drinks.
And this is how it all began
This marks the beginning of their first campaign to the Fatherland.
On our first campaign to the Fatherland
The artist and his/her companions were on a campaign to the Fatherland.
The jet lag landed after hours
Due to jet lag, they landed late at night in a foreign land.
On an empty street in an Axis power
They landed on an empty street in a country that was aligned with the Axis powers during World War II.
We broke the yardarm; it's too restricting
They broke the yardarm because it was too restrictive for their style of drinking.
Cramped out style and cut our drinking down...
Their style of drinking was cramped out and they had to cut it down.
When we are falling
When they were feeling down, falling apart.
We got up to falling down
They tried to get up while they were falling apart.
A canary yellow call-box
The singer noticed a canary yellow phone booth.
Gave me six marks worth of small talk
The artist had a brief conversation of six marks' worth through the phone booth.
A broken conversation
The conversation they had was not perfect and had some disruptions.
Dulled by my intoxication
The singer's intoxication affected his/her ability to have a clear conversation.
"Let's go Europe" on the Kelly Plan
The singer and his/her companions made a plan to go to Europe on the Kelly Plan.
When we go up to
When they try to get up or improve themselves...
Falling Down
...they keep on falling down, struggling to rise up again.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HOWARD HELM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Xtian
on Guildhall Witness
Well done. John Mann is so, so, so, so very missed.