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The Guess Who
American Woman
RCA - 1970
Mike Milner
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1969 was a very good year for the Guess Who, and the culmination of much hard work and dedication. By 1967 the group had established their classic lineup of Burton Cummings (lead vocals, keyboards), Randy Bachman (guitar, background vocals), Jim Kale (bass, background vocals) and Garry Peterson (drums, background vocals). This quartet had the experience, musical chops and chemistry necessary to establish themselves not only as Canada's premier rock and roll band, but as a rock and roll band that could favourably compete with any of the top English or American acts of the day. The compositions that the talented song-writing team of Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings were creating were perfect vehicles for the band's musical talents and Burton Cummings' tremendous vocal abilities.
In March 1969, they released 'These Eyes' as a single in the U.S., subsequent to its Canadian debut. It was a major hit, and the band's first million-seller. As a result of the song's success, they re-entered the recording studio in the spring of 1969 and recorded their next big hit, 'Laughing', which was released in July. Burton Cummings has said that an A&R executive from their U.S. record label RCA told him that if they could come up with another hit like 'These Eyes', they would have it made. 'Laughing' was that hit. It also achieved the status of a double-sided hit, when disk jockeys began flipping it over and playing the b-side, 'Undun'. In addition to the singles, the Guess Who also released the albums Wheatfield Soul and Canned Wheat in March and September of 1969 respectively.
The band entered RCA's Mid-American Recording Centre in Chicago, Illinois in mid-August of 1969 to start recording their sixth album and the third one for RCA. Although the album was to be called American Woman, and would contain a version of the title track, the first single to be released from these sessions was an updated recording of 'No Time', which in its original form had appeared on their previous album Canned Wheat. The band was unhappy with the first version, as it had been recorded in an old RCA studio that they had been contractually obligated to use but which was not suitable acoustically for modern recording. They thought the song had the potential to be another hit for them though, so it was recorded again, in a slightly different version. They were right, as it turned out to be their third million-selling single, eventually reaching #1 in Canada and #5 in the U.S. 'No Time' was released in November of 1969 in Canada, and in December of 1969 in the U.S.
American Woman came out in January of 1970. The album contained nine tracks, which included, in addition to the title track, the best-selling 'No Time', the top-40 hit 'No Sugar Tonight' and Randy Bachman's blues/jazz instrumental '969 (The Oldest Man)' . The album version of 'American Woman' begins with a solo acoustic guitar, played with a laid-back, bluesy roots type of feel, along with a vocal by Burton Cummings. This introduction acts as a segue into the actual song (the single version eschews the acoustic intro). The opening guitar riff, the one Randy Bachman composed one evening in a curling rink while tuning his guitar, has become a classic of the rock music genre, instantly identifiable. The rhythm has a funky feel, with a syncopated groove that makes the listener want to move (and in combination with the tempo, made the song a dance floor classic).
The Guess Who continues to perform, although the current version has very little to do with the quartet that recorded American Woman. Both Burton Cummings and Randy Bachman would leave the group to further their careers on their own terms. The music that the band produced during its heyday has stood the test of time, however, and all of the contributors should feel justifiably proud. American Woman is certainly proof of that.
Check out more of Mike Milner's writing here.
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