With the title, ‘other than Rush’, I’m surprised no one mentioned Mahogany Rush. For all you guitarists out there, Frank Marino was damn good. Check out some of their concert footage on youtube. Though they made a name for themselves, they never quite made it up to the upper echelon.
They were the warm up band for Aerosmith, Ted Nugent, Queen (Sheer Heart Attack tour), Styx (Pieces of Eight tour…saw both), and performed at California Jam II.
The Guess Who. Their first ‘greatest hits’ is so 60s/early 70s, but really damn good. I’ve often imagined a young Burton Cummings singing Dream Theater tunes. The man had some pipes.
(my track listing These Eyes / Laughing / No Time / American Woman / Sugar Tonight/ New Mother Nature / Three More Days * Side Two Star Baby * / Broken * / Sour Suite * / Hand Me Down World / Bus Rider / Share The Land /
Do You Miss Me Darlin' / Hang On To Your Life [LP version] * my bonus tracks
Bachman Turner Overdrive had some pretty good tracks in the 70s….You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet, Roll Down The Highway, Sledgehammer….the overplayed to death by garage bands ‘Takin Care of Business’, and Bryan Adams for solo acts.
And, of course, Triumph (or ‘Rush Junior’ as we called them). I really enjoyed them, and I saw them at Joe Louis Arena on a spur of the moment deal in ’85. Damn good show.
Trivial: I googled ‘top Canadian acts’, and one site listed ‘Heart’. I’m like WTF? Seems a band member scooted out the back door as Federal agents were at the front to get him for dodging the draft. The band then spent their early days in Vancouver.
'Butt rock'....never heard that term before, and, thank you google.