(RECORDED 1978, HORSESHOE TAVERN. RELEASED 1979)
BOMB RECORDS 7029
Toronto promoters extrordinaire 'the Garys' (Gary Topp and Gary Cormier) booked the Horseshoe Tavern for 10 months in 1978. After their first booking, singer-songwriter Jesse Winchester (who was offered to them as a 'safe bet') played to an empty house, they began following their heart, booking a wide range of acts including Pere Ubu, the Contortions, Suicide, Sun Ra, Carla Bley, Anthony Braxton Unit, Richard and Linda Thompson, and Destroy all Monsters. For most of these acts, their Horseshoe show was their Toronto Premiere.
The Garys kept Toronto acts busy supporting their out of town guests, and headlining the 'Shoe themselves. When the Garys decided to move on to new venue The Edge, they booked two nights of the best of Toronto's alternative music- "The Last Pogo", December 1 and 2, 1978. Colin Brunton came along and filmed it all- see THE LAST POGO DVD. Doug McClement (who now owns a massive mobile recording rig and has worked with everyone from the Rolling Stones down) had his baptism in the fire of live recording, and Toronto DJ Keith Elshaw produced the sessions as the Last Pogo LP.
The Last Pogo LP was released in 1979. The Scenics' two songs are featured back to back in the middle of side one- “In the Summer” (Badger) and “Sunshine World” (Meyers). The Scenics were surprised to hear them. Without their knowledge, Elshaw had substituted recordings from the Scenics third demo, recorded October 1978, and blended in crowd noises from the Scenics’ set at the ‘Shoe. Elshaw was preparing to record an LP with the Scenics, and wanted the boys represented as crisply as possible. These two songs were released in 2009 on the "Sunshine World" CD. The Last Pogo is currently out of print.
ken and andy play the pogo
track listing- the Last Pogo LP:
side 1
1 Teenage Rampage the secrets
2 Flowers drastic measures
3 Babies Run my World cardboard brains
4 In the Summer the scenics
5 Sunshine World the scenics
6 Between Four Walls the mods
7 Rock n Roll Cliche the everglades
side 2
1 Shout the secrets
2 All Because of You the ugly
3 Egzebier ishan band
4 Jungles cardboard brains
5 Mr. America drastic measures
6 I'm in a Coma the everglades
7 Step Out Tonight the mods