Big Blue Sky (The Northern Pikes album) explained

Big Blue Sky
Type:	studio
Artist:	The Northern Pikes
Cover:	BigBlueSky.jpg
Released:	1987
Studio:	Metalworks Studios, Mississauga, ON
Genre:	Rock
Label:	Virgin
Producer:	Rick Hutt, Fraser Hill
Prev Title:	Scene in North America
Prev Year:	1985
Next Title:	Secrets of the Alibi
Next Year:	1988

Big Blue Sky is the first major label album by The Northern Pikes released in 1987. It featured two hit Canadian singles - "Teenland" (#29^[1]) and "Things I Do for Money"(#85^[2]).

The songs "Love Will Break You" and "Heartaches Heartbreaks (Open Up)" were added to the album when it was released on CD in 1990. "Heartaches Heartbreaks (Open Up)" was the b-side to the "Teenland" single in 1987. "Love Will Break You" originally appeared on The Northern Pikes, the band's original independent release in 1984 and it was the b-side to the "Things I Do for Money" single. Additionally, the song "Dancing in a Dance Club" originally appeared on the band's 1984 independent release The Northern Pikes, while the songs "Lonely House", "You Sold the Farm", "Jackie T", and "Teenland" all appeared on the band's 1985 independent release Scene in North America.

Dedication

The album is dedicated to the memory of Neil Morgan who played guitar, synth, and vocals for The Idols, an early incarnation of the band which also included Jay Semko, Merl Bryck, Don Schmid, and Robin Billinton.

Track listing

1. "Teenland" (Jay Semko)  - 4:02
2. "You Sold the Farm" (Semko, Merl Bryck, Bryan Potvin)  - 4:16
3. "Things I Do for Money" (Semko)  - 4:48
4. "Just Another Guy" (Semko)  - 3:16
5. "Dancing in a Dance Club" (Semko)  - 5:35
6. "Jackie T" (Semko, Potvin)  - 3:31
7. "Lonely House" (Semko)  - 2:46
8. "Love and a Muscle" (Semko, Bryck)  - 5:26
9. "Never Again" (Semko)  - 4:14
10. "Love Will Break You" (Semko)  - 4:05
11. "Heartaches Heartbreaks (Open Up)" (Semko)  - 3:53
12. "Big Blue Sky" (Semko)  - 5:33

Album credits

Personnel

• Jay Semko  - bass guitar, vocals, piano
• Merl Bryck  - rhythm guitar, vocals
• Don Schmid  - drums, percussion
• Bryan Potvin  - lead guitar, rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar

Additional personnel

• Barry Keane  - percussion
• Wendy Davis  - background vocals
• Rebecca Jenkins  - backing vocals
• Rick Hutt  - keyboards

Production

• Rick Hutt  - producer
• Fraser Hill  - producer, engineer
• Assisted by Dave Runstedler

Additional Recording:

• Sounds Interchange, Toronto
• Grant Avenue, Hamilton
• Hypnotic Sound, Toronto

Digital Mixing:

• McClear Place Studios, Toronto
• Assisted by Lou Solakofski, Martin Lee, Paul Shubat

Mastering by Bob Ludwig at Masterdisk, New York

Charts and Certifications

Big Blue Sky made its debut on the Canadian Album charts on July 18, 1987 and stayed in the charts until January 30, 1988.https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/search.aspx The album was certified Gold in Canada by the Canadian Recording Industry Association on December 24, 1987.^[3]

References

• Liner notes from The Northern Pikes: Big Blue Sky.

Notes and References

1. Web site: RPM Top 100 Singles - September 26, 1987.
2. Web site: RPM Top 100 Singles - November 7, 1987.
3. Web site: Gold/Platinum. Music Canada. en-US. 2019-02-20. https://web.archive.org/web/20160624042344/http://musiccanada.com/gold-platinum/. 2016-06-24. dead.
4. Web site: RPM Top 100 Albums - September 19, 1987.