13 Engines

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13 Engines
OriginToronto, Ontario, Canada
GenresAlternative rock
Years active1985–1997
LabelsSBK
EMI
Atlantic
Past membersJohn Critchley
Grant Ethier
Jim Hughes
Mike Robbins

13 Engines was a Canadian alternative rock band active in the 1980s and 1990s.

Overview[]

Formed in 1985 as The Ikons, the band consisted of four York University students: vocalist John Critchley,[1] guitarist Mike Robbins, bassist Jim Hughes and drummer Grant Ethier.[2]They released a self-titled independent cassette in 1986 before changing their name to 13 Engines. This name was a reference to the automobile industry in Windsor, Ontario and Detroit, Michigan, which were the first two markets to embrace the band.[3][4]

13 Engines released two independent albums: Before Our Time[5] in 1987 and Byram Lake Blues[6] in 1989, before signing to SBK Records in the United States and EMI in Canada.[4]

In 1991, the band released their major label debut, A Blur to Me Now.[7] The band received airplay for the album's singles "King of Saturday Night" and "Big Surprise", however, SBK dropped them soon afterward.[4]

1993's Perpetual Motion Machine,[8] produced by Critchley,[9] was the band's breakthrough in Canada, spawning the hit singles "More", "Bred in the Bone" and "Smoke & Ashes", and led to a spot on The Tragically Hip's Another Roadside Attraction tour.[4]

They followed up with Conquistador[10] in 1995, which gave them another hit, Beneath My Hand.[4] While the album is generally hailed as 13 Engines' finest work, it did not do well commercially[11] and two members left the band. Critchley contemplated carrying on under the 13 Engines name, but elected to retire the band.

Post-breakup[]

Following the break-up of 13 Engines, Critchley continued as a solo artist and, in 2000, recorded an album with ex-13 Engines guitarist Scott Stevenson, Crooked Mile. Both Critchley and Ethier went on to careers as producers.

Discography[]

  • Before Our Time (1987)
  • Byram Lake Blues (1989)
  • A Blur to Me Now (1991)
  • Perpetual Motion Machine (1993)
  • Conquistador (1995)


References[]

  1. ^ [https://earofnewt.com/tag/john-critchley/}
  2. ^ Hendra, Peter. "Always sharing and caring, Oct 18, 2017". thewhig.com. The Kingston Whig Standard. Retrieved 2021-09-03.
  3. ^ "13 Engines". canpopencyclopedia.home.blog. The Canadian Pop Music Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2021-09-03.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e "13 Engines". Canadian Pop Encyclopedia. Canoe Inc. Archived from the original on 2013-01-15. Retrieved 2007-12-22.
  5. ^ "13 Engines - Before Our Time". discogs.com. Discogs. Retrieved 2021-09-03.
  6. ^ "13 Engines - Byram Lake Blues". discogs.com. Discogs. Retrieved 2021-09-03.
  7. ^ "13 Engines - A Blur to Me Now, Full Album". youtube.com. YouTube. Retrieved 2021-09-03.
  8. ^ Gibson, Kevin. "A Clean Running Machine, March 1994". louisvillemusicnews.net. Louisville Music News. Retrieved 2021-09-04.
  9. ^ "ArtistDirect" review of Perpetual Motion Machine
  10. ^ "13 Engines - Conquistador (Full Album)". youtube.com. YouTube. Retrieved 2021-09-04.
  11. ^ "ArtistDirect" review of Conquistador
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