Gary & Dave

Gary Weeks (of Charlottetown, PEI) and Dave Beckett (of Newmarket, Ontario) met while still in public school and played in a number of bands (including Edgar And The Allan Poes, The Kingbees and The Diplomats) throughout high school and university before deciding to make a go of it as professionals in 1966. Starting out as a musical comedy duo, with Weeks acting as the straight man through sets comprised of satirical imitations of other Canadian bands, they gradually morphed into a more serious act and began recording in '69. After signing with Axe Records in 1972, they had a #1 hit in Canada with "Could You Ever Love Me Again," which also hit the charts in Australia and the U.S. Following up on the success of this single, they toured with The Stampeders, landed their own CBC-TV show and scored a few more minor hits over the next couple of years before walking out on their contract with Axe and becoming pilots for Airtransit STOL Canada, a short-lived commuter flight service between Ottawa and Toronto. In '77 they reformed in order to tour behind a greatest hits album and then left the music biz for good in '79; Weeks became a Christian missionary and moved to Ireland, while Beckett worked for the Ministry of Transportation and acted as a flight safety director for the London [Ontario] Air Show.



This album, entitled Together, was recorded at Toronto Sound Studios and Manta Sound by engineers Dave Slagter, Terry Brown, Greg Hambleton and Dave Green, with Hambleton also acting as the producer. It was released on Axe (which was Hambleton's label) in 1973, with string and horn arrangements by Doug Randle, vocals by Beckett and Weeks, bass and guitars by Weeks, Sebastian and Fergus (no last names given), drums by Paul Clinch and piano by Beckett and Peter Goodale. "For You," a folky singer-songwriter ballad written by Weeks, sounds like a James Taylor tune or one of Neil Young's lighter efforts. "Cavendish" (by Beckett) is a gorgeous, surprisingly staid solo piano instrumental, while Hambleton's "Can't You Do It Now" is a bubblegum stomper that brings to mind The Bay City Rollers. And "Could You Ever Love Me Again," co-written by Beckett and Weeks, is the album's big hit and also its best song, one in which briskly strummed acoustic guitars, wistful vocals and a string section combine for three and a half minutes of pure pop perfection.

For You
Cavendish
Can't You Do It Now
Could You Ever Love Me Again

Note: These songs have been archived at It Came From Canada.