 In 1975 Brutus landed a new recording deal with GRT Records in Canada and with legendary Guess Who producer Jack Richardson, the single "(Let Me Down) Slow And Easy" was released to test the commercial waters. From there plans were put in motion to record a full-length album but immediately there was tension between Zwol and Richardson over direction of the material. Despite a full album's worth of material being recorded in 1975 the entire session was abandoned save for "Ooh, Mama Mama" which GRT released as the follow-up to "Slow And Easy" in September 1975. "Ooh, Mama Mama" would reach the Top 10 at most Canadian radio stations and managed to claw its way up to No.3 on AM Radio (only being stopped from the No.1 slot by The Bee Gees' "Nights On Broadway" and The Eagles' "One Of These Nights"). The tune was chosen as the #1 Canadian single in a year-end poll by the Montreal Star with nods to Zwol as the third best male vocalist behind Michel Pagliaro and Myles Goodwin (April Wine). By mid-1976 the band was teamed with producer Ralph Murphy (producer on April Wine's early '70s output) to try and salvage the band's long overdue debut album. Following a regular gig at Montreal's Cirque Electrique (Friday thru Sunday; 4 sets each night) Brutus received word that recording was to start that Monday! The band raced back to Toronto to begin recording with Murphy at Tempo Studios and with little budget to speak of, he had to make the best of a short studio session schedule. The core line-up of Walter Zwol (vocals, keys), Danny Smith (drums), Laurie Del Grande (keys), Woody West (guitar) and Doni Underhill (bass) was under the gun and worked quickly laying down the material they had been road-testing for what may have been years. In three 18-hour days, beginning on that Monday and finishing up on Wednesday, they polished off an entire album's worth of material (and some bonus material like "King Of The World") on nearly zero sleep - just in time for a showcase gig Thursday night at the Gasworks in Toronto! "Who Wants To Buy A Song" was released as the next single and helped pave the way for the self-titled album which followed during the first week of November 1976. Immediately the album took radio programmers and critics by surprise as it was devoid of any of Brutus' legendary insanity. In fact, the album was a balanced mixture of straight-ahead rock and melodic pop wrapped in quaint four minute packages or occasionally stretched into subdued progressive opuses. "Sailing" was released as the third, and final, single which helped cement a solid critically acclaimed album behind Brutus' long suffering reputation as stage maniacs. The record popped up on critics choice Year-End Polls at the end of 1976. Walter Zwol would go on to record several solo records first with EMI-America and then with A&M as part of his new band The Rage; He would also work briefly as A & R man for Attic Records; Zwol currently works full-time on the classic rock bar circuit in Toronto with his act Naked Brunch. |
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| CDs | |
For The People (CD) The 1976 GRT LP remastered with rare b-sides. 
Credit Card Purchase |
1. Ooh Mama Mama 2. Tango 3. 3: 30 Came 4. Who Wants to Buy a Song 5. King of the World 6. (Let Me Down) Slow and Easy 7. Ride Cowboy Ride 8. Sailing 9. Search for Tomorrow 10. Lookin' So Good 11. Break My Heart Again 12. For the People Produced by Ralph Murphy |
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