Universal has just released this 2 cd compilation record. Ready Records was the first Canadian label I ever worked for.
In 1984 I came back to Canada from the U.S. I worked for a time as an editor of industrial films but got tired of the grind pretty quickly and wanted to try and get back into the music industry. I flew to New york and met with everyone I knew to find out if they knew anyone I should talk to in Toronto. Jeff Aldrich at Chrysalis mentioned Al Mair at Attic Records to whom he had been talking about Lee Aaron with. Jeff made an advance call and when I got back home I arranged a meeting with Al.
We talked for about half an hour after which Al said that there wasn't anything for me at Attic but Ready records was looking for someone to do radio promotion and publicity and he had told them that he was meeting with me. He told me that that he told them that he'd send me over to meet with them if he thought I was worth the time. He gave me directions and I hopped on the King St. East streetcar over to Ready's Berkeley St. offices.
Andy and Angus were waiting for me when I showed up and we had a good chat about music and the ins and outs of marketing. I assured them that my experiences in New York had prepared me for a job like this. I left the office and headed home confident that i had done the best I could. The next day they called and offered me the job. It was Thursday and I said I could start on Monday. I didn't mention that i really didn't have any idea how to do either job.
The next morning I drove to Buffalo and took a flight (People's Express) back to New York City. i went back to the Chrysalis offices and sat in Daniel Glass' office for the morning watching and listening as he work the phones with radio stations across America. In the afternoon I sat with Rhonda Levine and picked up as much as I could in four hours about how to be a publicist.
I spent the weekend in New York with my friends and flew back on Monday morning, driving from the airport directly to Ready. I was on my way and the first record I worked was The Spoons' "Tell No Lies."
I had fun at ready working with the Extras, the Spoons, Manteca and Michael Zee but I must admit that the songs sounded much better back then then they do right now. As each track goes by I can remember specific moments like Daniel Richler interviewing the extras about their "ground-breaking" animated video for "I Can't Stand Still," trying to help Rick Santers look cool at a photo shoot or watching The Spoons in concert with drummer Derrick Ross (hey, Bud) standing at his kit for the entire show.
Less than a year later Ready closed their doors. I had made some good friends and learned the basics of a couple of jobs I would become intimate with over the next two decades.
