Recorded - August 13, 1969 (American Woman)
- between August and November 16, 1969 (No Sugar Tonight)
Released - January 1970 (Canada & USA)
#1 for weeks of May 9, 16 and 24, 1970.
The Guess Who win the distinctive honor of being the first Canadians to score a #1 hit in the US. They are also arguably the first true hard rock band to appear on this blog as well. Although various members of The Guess Who had been playing together since the late 1950's, it wasn't until 1965 that the band officially formed. Much of their earliest singles and material are relatively unknown to casual rock fans. If you want a good example of their earlier and more garage-rock sound, check out their late 1966 B-side, "It's My Pride".
Most people are familiar with The Guess Who's breakout hit from 1968, "These Eyes". In the summer and autumn months of 1969, The Guess Who began recording material for what would be their most well-known album, American Woman. When both the title track as well as "No Sugar Tonight" were released as a double A-side in March of 1970, The Guess Who found themselves with their biggest chart success yet.
As can be expected with a more serious rock band like The Guess Who, both of these two songs are quite long for a single. So unfortunately, both were subsequently edited for single release. I'll be once again breaking the rules a bit by reviewing the full album versions instead. Besides, it's the same basic recording, just at the original length that the band intended.
First we have "American Woman", one of the finest early hard rock songs of all time. The track features an iconic and instantly recognizable guitar riff, and lead singer Burton Cumming's powerhouse vocals. Guitarist Randy Bachman, provides some intense guitar soloing, that borders on heavy metal at times. I'm honestly just amazed, in a good way, that such a hard rocking song reached the top of the charts. It's quite a treat I'd say!
The lyrics of American Woman have been misinterpreted over the years. Some assume that the group was anti-American. The truth of the matter is The Guess Who were in the United States during this time period, recording the album and touring. Naturally, they were more than a little bit homesick for their girls back up north. Yet, instead of simply singing "I miss my Canadian girl", the band took a much more metaphorical approach to the lyrics. Oh yeah, did I mention this song is credited to the whole band? That's right, this is a true group composition.
"No Sugar Tonight", written by Randy and Burton alone, is another powerful hard rock number. Although it is a bit more restrained and lyrical-sounding. The music features contrasting sections like a mellow classical-inspired guitar intro and a vocal harmony-filled, chorus featuring a blend of acoustic and electric guitars. The lyrics, like American Woman, are metaphorical rather than direct.
On the American Woman album, "No Sugar Tonight" is listed as "No Sugar Tonight/New Mother Nature". The single version omits the second half of the song, which is unfortunate as the two songs together act as one. "New Mother Nature" is a nice acoustic guitar and organ driven hard rock number, which features some callbacks to the "No Sugar Tonight" melody as the song fades out.
The Guess Who would never top the US charts again. Randy Bachman left the group around the time "American Woman" was on the top of the charts. He would soon form the successful 1970's group, Bachman-Turner Overdrive. Over the years and decades, The Guess Who have broken up, and reformed numerous times. Today, only bassist Jim Kale and drummer Garry Peterson remain from the original lineup.
Final Verdict - Both "American Woman" and "No Sugar Tonight" are fantastic hard rock standards which paved the way for countless rock bands of the 1970's. They are also quite a refreshing change from some of the upcoming soft pop hits I'll be reviewing. It's a bit hard for me to pick a favorite, as "American Woman" features such an iconic melody, and "No Sugar Tonight" has some nice musical contrasts going on. Which song do you like best? Let me know in the comments!
Coming Up Next - "Everything Is Beautiful" by Ray Stevens.
Until Next Time, I'm Dr. Rock and there's no sugar tonight, just pure hard rock!
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