D.O.A. - True (North) Strong and Free

D.O.A. (see here) took some half-steps in their career. The 1987 album, True (North) Strong and Free (from a line in the Canadian National Anthem, "Oh, Canada") was one such curious half-step. On the one hand, it clearly continues the commercial aspirations of Let's Wreck the Party, especially on their fun but kinda slight take on Randy Bachman's "Takin' Care of Business".

On the other hand, it's also sort of a step back towards their grubby punk origins as exemplified by re-recording of their 1979 b-side,"Nazi Training Camp". It's at this point in their career that D.O.A. become to Canada what Motorhead are to England and what the Ramones were to America: a shifting aggregation, led by a singer most distinctive, who relentlessly circle the globe in an almost evangelical dedication to spreading the primal ferocity of rock n' roll.

Of course any single point of comparison falls apart when you listen to the sing-along, almost pop arrangements of a song like "Endless Sky" or the witty '77-style punk of "Lumberjack City", or even this album's funk-rock track, "Ready to Explode' which almost resembles some kind of old Leadbelly song at times. D.O.A. never claimed they'd abide by anyone's critical assessment.

Download True (North) Strong and Free L.P.

Here's D.O.A learning "Takin' Care of Business" at my old stompin' grounds (Wellington's) in the time just before I was able to sneak in.
Do not miss this follow-up interview with local celebrity Dan Pachette who filmed a lot of great bands for his public access show, Alternative Rockstand.


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