Eye Eye
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1980s |
| Headquarters | Toronto , Canada |
| Products | Rock music, albums, singles |
Eye Eye was a rock group from Canada that gained prominence during the 1980s.[1]
Background
The band originated in Toronto and developed out of The Oh Nos, which included singer Bill Wood and guitarist Andy Ryan.[1] After The Oh Nos disbanded, Wood went on to establish Billy Club,[2] while Ryan teamed up with drummer Mark Caporal to form Eye Eye initially as a duo,[1] before adding vocalist Michael Bell and bassist Doug Ruston.[1] Both Eye Eye and Billy Club competed as finalists in Q107's Homegrown talent contest in 1984, with Eye Eye ultimately securing the win;[1] they also advanced to the final rounds of CBC Television's Rock Wars[3] and the Rock Express/MuchMusic Talent Search.[1]
Following this recognition, the band produced a demo that attracted interest from record labels; nevertheless, initial offers were retracted after Bell left the group.[1] Subsequently, Wood returned as lead vocalist, which led to signing with Duke Street Records late in 1985.[1]
Their song "Essence of You" was featured in the 1988 movie Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood.
Recording
Eye Eye's first album, Just in Time to Be Late, was released in 1986 through Duke Street,[2] including singles such as "Out on a Limb" and "X-Ray Eyes".[1] The single "Out on a Limb" attained number 51 on the RPM100 Singles chart in August 1986,[4] while "X-Ray Eyes" peaked at number 52 in November,[5] and the album itself reached number 87 on the RPM100 Albums chart by July.[6] They embarked on a nationwide tour supporting bands like Glass Tiger and Platinum Blonde.[7]
At the Juno Awards of 1986, Eye Eye received a nomination for Most Promising Group.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name Additionally, their single "Out on a Limb" was nominated for Best Video at the CASBY Award.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name
For their sophomore release, they worked alongside producer David Bendeth, concentrating on songwriting improvements and sound enhancement.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name During this time, Ruston departed and was succeeded by Tom Lewis; keyboardist Donald Quan also joined the lineup.[1] Their second album, Common Ground, arrived in 1988 and included singles "Endless Night" and "My Sensation".[1] Critics mostly viewed it as an advancement over their debut,Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name but it did not achieve commercial success,Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name resulting in the band's breakup soon thereafter.
Later years
Andy Ryan shifted his career focus to recording engineering, establishing a studio in Scarborough before eventually entering the real estate sector.
Bill Wood remained active in the music industry through his involvement with Ghosttown and as a solo performer. He later pursued studies in business administration and transitioned into home renovation contracting. In 2007, he made a comeback with the solo album Take It and currently fronts Bill Wood and the Woodies.
Tom Lewis became a member of Gordon Deppe's band Beyond 7, formed after the disbandment of Spoons. He subsequently worked with various artists such as Honeymoon Suite, Amanda Marshall, Tom Cochrane, and Rik Emmett.
Mark Caporal was employed by Ontario Place and SOCAN until his untimely death in 1990, which resulted from a gliding accident triggered by the pilot experiencing cardiac arrest. Caporal, who was a licensed pilot learning to glide, tried to safely land the aircraft but was unable to do so.
Donald Quan earned acclaim for composing scores for television and film, with notable credits including Relic Hunter and Mutant X.
Discography
- Just in Time to Be Late (1986)
- Common Ground (1988)
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 Template:Usurped in the Canadian Pop Music Encyclopedia hosted at canoe.ca.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedloving - ↑ Keith Sharp, Music Express: The Rise, Fall & Resurrection of Canada's Music Magazine. Dundurn Press, 2014. ISBN 9781459721951. p. 143.
- ↑ Chart for this week not archived at Library and Archives Canada; however, the following week's chart (RPM Volume 44, No. 23, August 30, 1986) confirms the position.
- ↑ RPM100. RPM (Volume 45, No. 9), November 22, 1986.
- ↑ RPM100 Albums. RPM (Volume 44, No. 15), July 5, 1986.
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
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