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.
The Crawl
Spirit of the West Lyrics
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Drinkers and carousers the likes you've never seen
And this night, by God! We drank till there was no more
From the Troller to the Raven with all stops in between
Well it all began one afternoon on the shores of Ambleside
We were sittin' there quite peacefully with the rising of the tide
When an idea it came to mind for to usher in the Fall,
And we're good old boys, we come from the North Shore
Drinkers and carousers the likes you've never seen
And this night, by God! We drank till there was no more
From the Troller to the Raven with all stops in between
Well we planned to have a gay old time, the cash we did not spare
We left all the cars at home and paid the taxi fare
I got out to Horseshoe Bay a little after five
From a table in the corner I heard familiar voices rise
And we're good old boys, we come from the North Shore
Drinkers and carousers the likes you've never seen
And this night, by God! We drank till there was no more
From the Troller to the Raven with all stops in between
Well spirits they ran high that night, old stories we did share
Of the days when we were younger men and never had a care
And the beer flowed like a river and we drank the keg near dry
So we drained down all our glasses and were thirsty by-and-by
And we're good old boys, we come from the North Shore
Drinkers and carousers the likes you've never seen
And this night, by God! We drank till there was no more
From the Troller to the Raven with all stops in between
Park Royal Hotel, The Rusty Gull, Square-Rigger and Queen's Cross
We'd started out with eight good boys but half had gotten lost
And you'll never keep the lads together when their eyes begin to rove
And there was just the three of us that made it to Deep Cove
And we're good old boys, we come from the North Shore
Drinkers and carousers the likes you've never seen
And this night, by God! We drank till there was no more
From the Troller to the Raven with all stops in between
We arrived out at The Raven just in time for the last call
The final destination of this the first annual crawl
We dug deep into our pockets there was no money to be found
Nine miles home and for walking we are bound
And we're good old boys, we come from the North Shore
Drinkers and carousers the likes you've never seen
And this night, by God! We drank till there was no more
From the Troller to the Raven with all stops in between
And we're good old boys, we come from the North Shore
Drinkers and carousers the likes you've never seen
And this night, by God! We drank till there was no more
From the Troller to the Raven with all stops in between
The song "The Crawl" by Spirit of the West is a tale of a wild night on Vancouver's North Shore. The lyrics are narrated by a group of good old boys who embark on a pub crawl that will take them from the Troller in Horseshoe Bay to the Raven in Deep Cove, with several stops in between. The song describes the festive, carefree atmosphere of the night, with drinking and storytelling among old friends. As the night progresses, the group loses half its members to various distractions, but the remaining trio manages to make it to the Raven in time for the last call. However, they realize they have no money left to pay for a taxi, so they set out on foot for the nine-mile walk home.
Musically, "The Crawl" is an upbeat, catchy folk-rock tune with a sing-along chorus that invites the listener to join in the revelry. The instrumentation features jangly acoustic guitars, accordion, and a pounding drumbeat that adds to the sense of urgency and excitement. The vocal delivery is energetic and playful, with occasional bursts of laughter and ad-libs that enhance the feeling of spontaneity and camaraderie.
The lyrics of "The Crawl" capture the spirit of a night out with friends, where the focus is on having a good time and enjoying each other's company. The imagery of the North Shore, with its scenic coastline and cozy pubs, adds to the sense of place and community that the song celebrates. The theme of nostalgia for simpler times and carefree youth is also present, as the good old boys reminisce about their younger days and the memories they share.
Overall, "The Crawl" is a fun, lighthearted song that captures the essence of a classic pub crawl with friends. It celebrates the joys of friendship, humor, and shared experiences, while also acknowledging the bittersweet passing of time and the inevitability of growing older.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, we're good old boys, we come from the North Shore
We are a group of men from a community located in the northern part of the shore.
Drinkers and carousers the likes you've never seen
We are drinkers and partygoers who know how to have a good time.
And this night, by God! We drank till there was no more
On this particular night, we drank until there was no more alcohol left to consume.
From the Troller to the Raven with all stops in between
We visited every drinking establishment from the Troller Pub to the Raven Pub, making all stops in between.
Well it all began one afternoon on the shores of Ambleside
The idea of the crawl was born one afternoon while sitting on the Ambleside Beach.
We were sittin' there quite peacefully with the rising of the tide
We were sitting and relaxing on the beach while the tide was starting to come in.
When an idea it came to mind for to usher in the Fall,
We had an idea to welcome the arrival of autumn.
And we all agreed next Friday night we'd go out on the crawl
We all agreed to go on a drinking crawl the following Friday night.
Well we planned to have a gay old time, the cash we did not spare
We planned to have a fun time and were willing to spend money to do so.
We left all the cars at home and paid the taxi fare
We chose not to drive our own cars and instead took taxis to each pub.
I got out to Horseshoe Bay a little after five
I arrived at Horseshoe Bay a little bit after five in the evening.
From a table in the corner I heard familiar voices rise
I could hear familiar voices coming from a table in the corner of the pub.
Well spirits they ran high that night, old stories we did share
The mood was lively that night, and we shared old stories with each other.
Of the days when we were younger men and never had a care
We reminisced about our younger days when we didn't have any worries or responsibilities.
And the beer flowed like a river and we drank the keg near dry
We drank a lot of beer and almost finished the entire keg.
So we drained down all our glasses and were thirsty by-and-by
We finished our drinks and became thirsty again soon after.
Park Royal Hotel, The Rusty Gull, Square-Rigger and Queen's Cross
We visited several pubs throughout the night, including the Park Royal Hotel, The Rusty Gull, Square-Rigger, and Queen's Cross.
We'd started out with eight good boys but half had gotten lost
Initially, there were eight of us, but halfway through the night, four of us got separated and lost from the group.
And you'll never keep the lads together when their eyes begin to rove
It's impossible to keep the group together when they become easily distracted by other things.
And there was just the three of us that made it to Deep Cove
Only three of us were able to make it to the final pub, which was located in Deep Cove.
We arrived out at The Raven just in time for the last call
We arrived at The Raven Pub in just enough time for the last call of the night.
The final destination of this the first annual crawl
The Raven Pub was the last stop of the first annual drinking crawl.
We dug deep into our pockets there was no money to be found
We searched our pockets, but we ran out of money to pay for a ride home.
Nine miles home and for walking we are bound
We had to walk nine miles home since we didn't have enough money for a ride.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Geoffrey Kelly, John Mann
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Xtian
on Guildhall Witness
Well done. John Mann is so, so, so, so very missed.