April Wine
The Nature of the Beast
Capitol Records 1981
www.aprilwine.ca

What’s the 4-1-1?
Hailing from Nova Scotia, Canada, April Wine formed in 1971. In no time they were tearing up the Canadian charts. They had a number one single in 1972 entitled "You Could Have Been a Lady", and in 1976 they released the first Canadian album to go platinum, The Whole World's Gone Crazy (not their first, THE first). The group released several albums over the years, but it wasn't until their 1981 release, The Nature of the Beast, that April Wine won over listeners in the United States. Led by their Top 40 single, "Just Between You and Me", The Canadian quintet found themselves their first U.S. Platinum selling album.

Perhaps their greatest album, The Nature of the Beast is the personification of what eighties rock was all about. "All Over Town" and Telling Me Lies" are about broken relationships, both led by rhythmic guitar riffs and smooth rock grooves. I've said it before and I'll say it again, you couldn't go wrong with a song about gypsies in the eighties. "Sign of the Gypsy Queen" highlights the meticulous dual guitar work of Mercer and Greenway. The solos are dead on. April Wine knows how to lure in the female listeners with their sappy power ballad "Just Between You and Me". "Bad Boys" and "Crash and Burn" kick the tempo up a notch with a crunchier sound than the other tracks. Goodwyn's vocals range from melodic to powerful throughout the album.

"Wanna Rock" is probably the weakest track on the album. It's very cheesy, even by eighties standards. If your a fan sci-fi movies, April Wine pays homage to the genre with "Caught in the Crossfire", clearly inspired by Star Wars. It even has a laser effect going off during the chorus. Its hilarious today, but you know in 1981 they thought it was the coolest. "Future Tense" continues the sci-fi theme as the chorus is recited with robot like voices, launching the cheese factor off the chart. It's back to the ladies on "Big City Girls", which is about what else....hookers. A popular subject back in the day.

The Verdict
All in all The Nature of the Beast is a good, unyielding rock album. It's stocked with plenty of great guitar work, and satisfying vocal melodies. It contains a vast array of common eighties themes: relationships, rock and roll, a touching power ballad, and hookers. Even though some of the songs seem cheesy by today's standards, they're still fun to listen to. April Wine released two more albums before breaking up in 1984. One of the great qualities of April Wine was that they released a new album practically every year. Today you have to wait 2-5 years for an artists' next release.

Did you Know?
All original members of April Wine reformed in 1992 for a Canadian tour, which resulted in their 1993 album, Attitude.

Rating: out of 5

--George Dionne