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.
Wrecking Ball
Spirit of the West Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Planting charges, seed of destruction, time is caving in
Here we are at mile zero
This is St. John's, Newfoundland
But you can hear the strains of Nero
Serenade the demolition man
The sun is rising
Bricks are falling
For the swing of the wrecking ball
The petition failed the coffin's nailed, we protest but money talks
What's here today will be gone today, holding hands won't stop the clock
They'll be coming in the morning
To tear a piece out of the sky
Try and build another Babel
Who can reach the highest high
The sun is rising
Bricks are falling
Nothing stands too long too tall
For the swing of the, dance macabre at the wrecking ball
Steel-toe shuffle through an empty hall
Hard-hat dancers take the floor
Then the ceiling and the corridor
The jackhammers beat out eight to the bar
The last dance will be a slam dance
Ring around the Dev hotel, a crowd is gathering round
A plunger sinks, a cheer goes up and it all falls down
In a shower of brick and mortar
Raining down in dirty sheets
When the dust has come to settle
There'll be one less shadow on the street
The sun is rising
Bricks are falling
Nothing stands too long too tall
For the swing of the wrecking ball
The song "Wrecking Ball" by Spirit of the West narrates the demolition of a building and the despair, helplessness and melancholy felt by the people witnessing it. The song also reflects on the impermanence of structures and how time is constantly caving in on everything. The opening stanza sets the scene, with the demolition crew planting charges and causing destruction. The song mentions St. John's, Newfoundland as the location of the building, but then asks a rhetorical question about whether the strains of Nero, an ancient Roman emperor known for his love of destruction, can be heard serenading the demolition man.
The chorus of the song is repeated several times throughout, with the sun rising and bricks falling, and everything standing too long and too tall for the swing of the wrecking ball. The second verse mentions a failed petition and protests against the demolition, but the power of money prevails, and everything is lost. The metaphor of Babel is used to show that even the highest structures can be brought down by the wrecking ball. The third verse describes the demolition process itself, with hard-hat dancers and jackhammers beating eight to the bar, and the last dance being a slam dance. The song ends with the collapse of the building in a shower of bricks and mortar, and the dust settling to reveal one less shadow on the street.
Line by Line Meaning
Over the sidewalk under the archway, through the door again
Returning to the same old routine of destroying something that was once standing with explosives.
Planting charges, seed of destruction, time is caving in
Setting up explosives in order to bring about destruction and ruin to a building.
Here we are at mile zero
They're at the point of no return - this is where their journey into destruction begins.
This is St. John's, Newfoundland
They're in a specific location where they're about to commence their destruction mission.
But you can hear the strains of Nero
Nero is infamous for setting fire to Rome, so this is an indication that this is not the first time they are causing destruction.
Serenade the demolition man
The people who are initiating the destruction are receiving praises from others.
The sun is rising
The beginning of a new day, which also marks the beginning of the destruction.
Bricks are falling
The building being destroyed is crumbling and falling apart.
Nothing stands too long too tall
There is nothing too big or too strong that cannot be destroyed by the swing of a wrecking ball.
For the swing of the wrecking ball
Shows how easy it is to destroy something without giving a second thought to its consequences.
The petition failed the coffin's nailed, we protest but money talks
Even if people protest against the destruction, money can easily make them turn a blind eye to the matter.
What's here today will be gone today, holding hands won't stop the clock
No matter how much people try to stop the destruction, time won't wait for anyone and things will be destroyed eventually.
They'll be coming in the morning
More people causing destruction will arrive in the morning.
To tear a piece out of the sky
The scale of destruction is so massive that it feels like they are able to destroy the sky itself.
Try and build another Babel
Even if something is destroyed, it will eventually be attempted to be built again, only for it to be destroyed again in the future.
Who can reach the highest high
People are in a rush to build the tallest structures possible, only to destroy them later.
The sun is rising
The cycle of destruction and creation is repeating itself, meaning that something new will be destroyed soon.
Bricks are falling
Once again, the building is crumbling and deteriorating as it is being destroyed.
Nothing stands too long too tall
No matter how strong a structure is, it will eventually be destroyed.
For the swing of the, dance macabre at the wrecking ball
The people who are destroying the building treat it like a dance, making light of the destruction they're causing.
Steel-toe shuffle through an empty hall
The destruction is an overly mechanical and job-like task – not one of emotional substance.
Hard-hat dancers take the floor
The destruction is a dance orchestrated by construction workers with protective gear.
Then the ceiling and the corridor
Every inch of the building is being destroyed, including its supporting structure.
The jackhammers beat out eight to the bar
The rhythmic pounding of the jackhammers is powerful and precise, continuing to destroy the building in a steady pattern.
The last dance will be a slam dance
The final act to destroy the building will be done with the most powerful tools available.
Ring around the Dev hotel, a crowd is gathering round
People are watching the destruction, either realizing the waste or delighting in the planned demolition.
A plunger sinks, a cheer goes up and it all falls down
The crowd cheers as the building is brought down with forced demolition, without any care or thought put into its construction.
In a shower of brick and mortar
Building materials are raining down as the building is being destroyed.
Raining down in dirty sheets
The destruction is raining down a messy pile of building material, prompting people to be cautious.
When the dust has come to settle
When the destruction is done, only rubble will be left to settle.
There'll be one less shadow on the street
With the building destroyed, there will be less shelter and structure to obscure the sun's rays from the streets.
The sun is rising
A new dawn begins, but there's nothing newly built that's visible – only the wreckage of the old building is visible, providing a warning for the future.
Bricks are falling
The decay and destruction continues, making it feel like there will always be new buildings to destroy and witness crumble.
Nothing stands too long too tall
Anything that is standing will eventually fall– it's just a matter of when, how, and why.
For the swing of the wrecking ball
All it takes is the swing of a wrecking ball to bring it all down.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Xtian
on Guildhall Witness
Well done. John Mann is so, so, so, so very missed.