Liner Notes: Various artists - All Canadian Classic Pop

Canadian pop has clearly come of age. Gone are the days when Canadian musicians had to leave the country to achieve success. Today, our finest, homegrown artists stand shoulder to shoulder with the best in the world, and their records regularly top the international charts.

In the 1970s and '80s, Quebec produced several homegrown stars with exceptional voices. Gino Vannelli, a robust singer with a dynamic stage presence, won an ardent following--especially among women. Two other Montreal vocalists scored major breakthroughs: Luba, with her lush, gospel-inflected style, and Corey Hart, with his defiant stance and infamous pout.

The late '70s and early '80s saw the rise of Canrock, a genre of hard-working bands that included Vancouver's Trooper, who got a helping hand from Guess Who/BTO legend Randy Bachman, and Loverboy, made up of ex-members of Moxy and Streetheart. Meanwhile, Alannah Myles from Toronto and Sue Medley from Courtenay, B.C. both proved early on that they could rock as hard as the boys, and scored big with their powerhouse styles.

Some of the biggest Canadian pop hits of the '80s came from Toronto-area acts, including Gowan's provocative "Strange Animal," Glass Tiger's infectious "Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)" and the Parachute Club's anthemic "Rise Up." But by the following decade, Vancouver once again rivalled Toronto as a pop-music centre. Among the West Coast performers whos distinctive voices could be heard on the charts in the '90s were roots-rocking Barney Bentall and the Celtic-laced Spirit of the West. From coast to coast, all of these artists helped to create a sound we can now proudly call our own.

Released 1998 by PolyGram Special Projects