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The Guess Who
These Eyes / Lightfoot - 7"
Nimbus - 1968
Mike Milner
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The late 1960s was an exciting time for rock and roll, and the popular music scene in Canada was no exception. While Britain and America had numerous groups and singers dominating the radio and the Billboard charts, we had the Guess Who and the song, 'These Eyes'.
The story of the Guess Who is well known. A group of four young men from Winnipeg, who worked hard and wrote their own material, eventually had a number-one hit in the U.S and became Canada's first million-selling group. The two leading figures then had a major falling-out (at the peak of their success), leading to Randy Bachman leaving the band. Bachman has been quoted as saying that "Burton Cummings joining the Guess Who in January 1966 changed my life forever. It's been a rocky affiliation no doubt. One journalist once described our relationship as the longest running soap-opera in Canadian history. That may be a bit oversimplified."
While the Guess Who had recorded a number of songs prior to the release of 'These Eyes', it was that song that put them on the road to success. It's fair to say that it didn't appear out of nowhere. For one thing, Bachman and Cummings were the main songwriters in addition to their respective roles as guitarist and lead singer/keyboardist. As songwriters, they worked diligently on their craft, and that dedication paid off with 'These Eyes'. But there was another significant factor as well - they had a new producer.
Enter Jack Richardson, a producer from Toronto and part of a company called Nimbus 9 that specialized in audio recording. He became familiar with the Guess Who and decided to offer his services to the group. He also had enough belief in the band to underwrite their next recording session in New York at the famous A & R studio, operated by Phil Ramone. (Richardson allegedly took out a mortgage on his Toronto home to pay for the session.) He also managed to extricate the band from their current record contract and get them signed with RCA, one of the major record labels of the day. The album that resulted from that trip to New York was titled Wheatfield Soul, which contained the single 'These Eyes'.
'These Eyes' was a quintessential piece of pop music. As on many classic hits, the intro has a timeless feel, starting with the opening chords played on electric piano, joined sequentially by guitar, bass and finally drums. After the musicians have established the feel, Cummings enters with the first verse. The song is an excellent vehicle for his incredible vocal talents, allowing him to go into his upper range and build the emotional impact. Later tunes would have a heavier, bluesier feel, with Cummings singing in a grittier style. 'These Eyes' was different, as it was meant to be a top-forty type of song. Richardson and the Guess Who rolled the dice, and they produced a classic.
The record was issued in both Canada and the U.S., and although it did well here, it was its success south of the border that made the Guess Who famous. After it was released in America in the early part of 1969, 'These Eyes' began to climb the Billboard charts, eventually reaching the #6 position. It was the Guess Who's first million-seller, and from that point on there was no looking back (at least for the next few years, but that is another story).
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