line up 1 (1980)

- Ed Blocki -- vocals, bass

- Peter Evans (aka Peter Exarhakos) -- vocals, led guitar, keyboards

- Jim Kennedy -- rhythm guitar, backing vocals

- Coleman York - drums, percussion, backing vocals

- Ed Blocki (solo efforts)

- Hot Tip (Ed Blocki, Peter Evans, Jim Kennedy and Coleman York)

Genre: pop

Rating: 3 stars ***

Title:  Numbers Add Up

Company: Basement

Catalog: BASE 6000
Year: 1979

Country/State: Toronto, Canada

Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+

Comments: --

Available: 1

Catalog ID: 31201

Price: $20.00

No, for the up-teenth time  this is not a release by Ohio's The Numbers Band ...

These guys were late-'70s-early-'80s Toronto, Canada based pop-rockers.  The line-up on their 1979 debut "Numbers Add Up" featured bassist Ed Blocki, lead guitarist Peter Evans, rhythm guitarist Jim Kennedy and drummer Coleman York.  Signed by the Canadian Attic label, the quartet's debut was released on a newly established subsidiary label - Basement.  Recorded quickly and with minimal cost, the recording sessions  teamed the band with producer Garth Richardson (son of famed producer Jack Richardson).  The collection showed a consistently commercial collection of new wave-tinged pop and jangle rock.  To their advantage the band was blessed with a pair of strong vocalists in Blocki and Evans,.  They were also lucky enough to have three writers in Blocki, Evans and York.  In musical terms The Numbers weren't the most original band I've come across.  Their strong melodies and short, commercial, jangle-rock compositions echoed the work of contemporaries like The As, The Plimsouls, The Records, The Romantics, The Searchers, etc.  Taken individually many of the ten selections were quite good.  The jumpy single 'Sideways Elevator', 'Leave It To Me' and even their largely rote cover of the Dave Clark Five's 'Bits & Pieces' were enjoyable on their own.  Hard to explain why, but when you put all ten songs together the results devolved into something far less entertaining.  Maybe it was just my ears, but the album suffered from a certain flatness which may simply have been a reflection on the barebones production budget they were given. 

Trivia night factoid:  Peter Evans' (aka Exarhakos) young son was featured on the cover and the dice were from diaper boxes.

"The Numbers Add Up" track listing:
(side 1)

1.) Sideways Elevator   (Peter Evans - Coleman York) - 3:38   rating: *** stars

I always wondered why a band like The Knack sold boatloads of vinyl, while these guys never got a foothold in the American market.  Shame, since they were easily more talented than 90% of the competition.   Super catchy power pop with great harmonies.    always loved the weird, abrupt slowdowns sections.  This is also one of the songs they're best know for, having been released as their debut single:

- 1980's 'Sideways Elevator' b/w 'Can't Take It' (Basement catalog number BAS 1)

2.) Sunday Afternoon   (Peter Evans - Ed Blocki) - 3:42   rating: *** stars

Their sophomore 45, 'Sunday Afternoon' dropped the debut 45's rock sound for harmony-rich sunshine pop.  Not hard for me to imagine Katrina and the Waves covering this one.

- 1979's 'Sunday After' b/w 'Mr. Dempster' (catalog number BAS 2)

3.) Out To You   (Peter Evans - Ed Blocki) - 2:29   rating: *** stars

I've always wondered why the song was entitled 'Out To You' when the refrain was actually 'Get To You'  (time after time after time).  Hardly the most original song on the album, but the tune had some nice Merseybeat harmonies.

4.) Bits & Pieces   (Dave Clark - Smith) - 2:47   rating: ** stars

Their effort to update the Dave Clark Five hit was one of those concepts that looked better on paper than the final product.  They didn't really tamper with the melody, just giving it some modest surface changes.  Innocuous at best.

5.) Can't Take It   (Peter Evans - Ed Blocki) - 3:42   rating: *** stars

'Can't Take It' was one of the album's more new wave tinged efforts.  Yeah, there were tinges of The Plimsouls in this one.  Pleasant, with a nice Peter Evans guitar solo, but ultimately not all that memorable.

(side 2)
1.) Leave It To Me   (Peter Evans - Ed Blocki) - 3:59   rating: *** stars

The side two opener 'Leave It To Me' upped the jangle rock quotient with what were briefly enjoyable results.

2.) Mr. Dempster   (Peter Evans - Ed Blocki) - 3:40   rating: *** stars

Flip side of their sophomore 45.  Why does a song normally get banished to a "B" side?  Listen to 'Mr. Dempster' and guess.

3.) Won't You Call   (Peter Evans - Ed Blocki) - 3:15   rating: *** stars

'Won't You Call' was a perfect example of the band's strengths and weakness.  Quite catchy with some nice guitar and glistening harmonies, after you listened to the tune a couple of times you started to figure out where they'd borrowed the parts - there was precious little originality here.

4.) She's Got Everything   (Peter Evans - Ed Blocki) - 2:40   rating: *** stars

I have to admit I was disappointed to discover this wasn't a cover of The Kinks song.  Their composition was a decent mid-tempo ballad with nice vocals and a tasty jangle-rock melody.  Okay, but nowhere near as good as a cover of The Kinks' classic could have been.

5.) Get Away   (Peter Evans - Coleman York) - 2:45   rating: **** stars

The album ended with one of their best performances - A full throated rocker, 'Get Away' reflected a fuller sound and more energy than anything that had come before it.  It's the one song that actually stuck with me for more than a couple of hours.

Blocki, Evans and York (along with new keyboardist Colin Gerrard), went on to release a 1981 follow-on under the name "Hot Tip".

1981's "Stop All Motion" Attic catalog number LAT 1089)