SILENT Q (circa 1982-83)
These songs are from recently acquired tapes, thanks to Silent Q drummer, Anthony Chhangur. In April 2009, almost 30 years after the band's existence, we finally got together to talk about old times, and Anthony brought the only two tapes he had of the band. The Rehearsal tape was apparently recorded very shortly after Anthony joined the band. His father came to record us on a 4-track. The Demo tape was recorded toward the band's final days, and was taped by a fellow named Dan who had a makeshift studio in his house off Bronson Avenue in Ottawa. Keep in mind that these are from very old cassette tapes, so sound quailty is definitely an issue.
Silent Q were Norm Berketa (guitar/vocals), Paul Seale (guitar/vocals), Fred Hackett (original bass player), Steven Bird (2nd bass player), Anthony Chhangur (drums) and Greg Friend (keyboard/vocals). The band played some covers from The English Beat, Madness and The Specials, but mostly played original material in the style of ska and reggae. Almost from it's inception, Silent Q played frequently in the Ottawa area, and to packed houses every gig. The band frequented such venues as The Roxy (downstairs at The Penguin on Elgin Street) and The Jungle Club (Bank Street beside Barrymore's). The band ended their career with two packed shows at Barrymore's August 8th and 15th, 1983.
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To all ex-SILENT Q members: Please forgive any errors with the song titles and/or descriptions. All this happened way too long ago, and I am going solely by memory. Please send any corrections, notes, history and any scanned pics/posters if you have them to info@nmbproductions.com |
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"Bad
Apples" A Silent Q original. Pretty self-explanatory this song was. All about those people that ruin it for everybody else. |
"Mystery" A Silent Q original. We kinda stole a riff or two from the James Bond theme, but other than that it's all ours. This one examined the mystery of women. Back then, we knew very little about the fairer sex, and I wonder if we really know any more today! |
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"Baggy
Trousers" We played a couple of Madness songs, this being one of them. A crowd favourite, this one got everybody grooving on the dancefloor. |
"Roll
With The Punches" A Silent Q original. In rehearsal--and in concert--we brought along a wind-up alarm clock that became the signature of the song. Anthony, the drummer, would flick the switch and the rest would fall into place. After playing this song a million times or so, Roll With The Punches became "Rolling With Panchez" during rehearsals, and I think we actually uttered that in a few other songs. |
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"Cruisin'
The Autobahn" This was a Silent Q favourite, and one of the most requested songs when the band played live. "Cruisin'" was typical of the early Silent Q sound, and one of our favourite originals. It's about a few people who need to get away from it all, and when they hit the autobahn, they unexpectedly vanish. I guess they got more than what they were looking for. |
"She
Don't Know (What She Do To Me)" A Silent Q original. Actually written about a waitress in a restaurant that the band used to frequent on Sparks Street called Yesterday's. Not sure if she ever heard the song, or knew it was written about her. All I can remember was that her name was Carole. |
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"Feelin'
So High" I can't remember exactly who wrote this song, but I think it was a cover. I've put the question out to the other bandmates, and will correct that when I get the answer. |
"Logical
Patterns" A Silent Q original. This song was a slight departure from the usual ska style. It was one of our favourites because the structure was more complicated, and we all enjoyed playing it. Mature subject matter for music that's supposed to be happy and care-free, but I think we really pulled it off with this one. |
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"Logical
Patterns" Same as the Rehearsal tape recording, but in a better quality, and with changes that we all made as time went by. |
"Look
Back On Your Life" A Silent Q original. This was one song that was sung by our keyboardist Greg. It was another song of ours that went beyond the boundaries of the usual ska sound. It tells the story of the plans we make, and how life goes in spite of them. |
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"Marry
Jane Instead" A Silent Q original. Ah... the age-old dilemma. I like this girl, and I like that girl too. Wouldn't it be nice if someone could make my decision for me? This song was a crowd favourite, probably because it was funny and quite morbid, and kicked double-time throughout. I had forgotten all about this song until I heard it again recently, and I quite enjoyed hearing it again. I love the lyric, "Now that Patty's dead, I think I'll marry Jane instead." |
"Sherrif" Another cover song. I think we all liked this tune because The Tenants kinda sounded like The Police, and since we didn't dare do any Police covers, this one fit right in. I think we did it justice. |
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"Talking" A Silent Q original. This one, if I remember correctly, was about the importance of communication in a relationship, and what draws people to one another. |
"Youth
In Asia" A Silent Q original. Besides the play on words, this song had a pretty powerful message. Paul was--and probably still is--very politically minded and socially conscious. Many of his songs were written with purpose, and although our audience probably only cared about how many beats per minute there were, the messages were there if you cared to hear them. |
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"Sabotage" A Silent Q original. This one reflects the musical changes we were going through at the time. We loved the ska beat and the high energy of the music, but we also wanted to make the compositions more complex and interesting. Speaking of interesting, our subject in this song is paranoid because his girlfriend loves him way too much, and he thinks she's up to something. Is he right? |
"Captivity" A Silent Q original. Inspired by the newness of Space Shuttle adventures, this song tells the story of a lone man in space, and his feeling captive by the great expanse. Funny when you think about it... how man can feel trapped in the vastness of space. |
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"Jump
And Dance" A Silent Q original... sort of. This was our only attempt at a medley of sorts, and began with an original disco-type piece we wrote called "Jump And Dance." Included in the medley are some English Beat hits of the day. After all, we fashioned our sound after them, and we've been told that we had hints of The Police, Madness and The Monks. |
"The
Boys In The Neighbourhood" A Silent Q original. Pretty much a childhood memory type of song, telling of the antics of growing up in the old neighbourhood... any old neighbourhood I guess. |
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"Cruisin'
The Autobahn" Same as the Rehearsal tape recording, but in a better quality, and with changes that we all made as time went by. |
"Bad
Apples" Same as the Rehearsal tape recording, but in a better quality, and with changes that we all made as time went by. |
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"Mind
Jump" A Silent Q original. I think this one was about the complex inner workings of man. Not a typical subject for ska music, but then again, we seemed to be able to put anything to music back then. |
"Rumour
Fuse" A Silent Q original. Another tune that most of our audiences probably just enjoyed dancing to. Lyrically, it's all about those people that start rumours, and like a fuse, they follow a trail and ignite the very worst of things that eventually blow up in our faces. Okay... nevermind... it's got a good beat. |
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"Way
Off Life" A Silent Q original. The title pretty much says it all. Life is bizarre and little is fair. No getting around it. |
"Nobody
Takes Me Any Higher" A Silent Q original. This became the song we were known for. Probably because it is the opitome of happy-go-lucky. With it's bouncy, poppy sound, we crowded the dance floors every time we played it, and I dare say that, had we recorded this one as a single, it would have been catchy enough to put us on the map. |
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"Observations
(From The Planet Mars)" A Silent Q original. A bird's eye view of how we're destroying our planet, and a tale of the consequences we might have to pay, as told from very distant--yet ever watchful--outsiders. |
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COMING SOON... A Silent Q nostalgia page, featuring the music, the story and more memorabilia. |