// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did 13 Engines say to the road? You're exhausted.
13 Engines | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Genres | Alternative rock |
| Years active | 1985–1997 |
| Labels | SBK/Capitol, EMI, Atlantic, Nocturnal Records |
| Past members | John Critchley Grant Ethier Jim Hughes Mike Robbins |
13 Engines was a Canadian alternative rock band active in the 1980s and 1990s.
Overview
[edit]Formed in 1985 as The Ikons, the band consisted of four York University students: vocalist and songwriter John Critchley,[1] guitarist and songwriter 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 markets to embrace the band.[3][4][5]
They spent a lot of time in Michigan and recorded their first two albums there--Before Our Time in 1987 and Byram Lake Blues in 1989; both were released by the UK label Nocturnal Records. One song from Byram Lake Blues, "Beached",[6] became a college hit and, in 1990, the band was signed to SBK Records in the United States and EMI in Canada.[4]
In 1991, 13 Engines released their major label debut, A Blur to Me Now, which was produced by David Briggs and John Hanlon.[7] The band received airplay for the album's singles "King of Saturday Night"[8] and "Big Surprise".[9] SBK dropped them soon afterward,[4] although it did release an EP called Ignition which was the top singles from the band's next album.
That album was 1993's Perpetual Motion Machine,[10] which was produced by Critchley and released on Atlantic Records.[11] This album 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.[12] The band also played festivals and toured with Blind Melon, The Watchmen, Moist and The Tea Party.[13]
They followed up in 1995 with Conquistador,[14] which gave them another hit, "Beneath My Hand".[15][4] While the album is considered to be 13 Engines' finest work, it did not do well commercially.[16]
In 1996, Nocturnal Records released the band's compilation album, Perfect Largeness: The Nocturnal Years.
In June 1997, the band performed during NXNE, performing songs from a finished album. However, the album was never released and the band broke up that year.
In 2017, the Canadian label Artoffact Records released Brave New Waves Session, an EP collecting a live performance from the radio program Brave New Waves.
Post-breakup
[edit]Following the break-up of 13 Engines, Critchley continued as a solo artist and, in 2000, recorded the album Crooked Mile.[17] Critchley, Ethier and Hughes[18] went on to careers as producers.
Discography
[edit]Albums
[edit]- The Ikons (as The Ikons) (1986), Independent
- Before Our Time (1987), Nocturnal Records, Resonance (Europe)
- Byram Lake Blues (1989), Nocturnal Records
- A Blur to Me Now (1991), (SBK/Capitol)
- Perpetual Motion Machine (1993), Atlantic Records, SBK/Capitol, EMI Canada
- Conquistador (1995), EMI Canada, Nettwerk Records
- Perfect Largeness: The Nocturnal Years (Compilation) (1996), Nocturnal Records
EPs
[edit]- Ignition (1993), SBK/Capitol, EMI Canada
- Brave New Waves Session (2017), Artoffact Records
EPs & Singles
[edit]- "Beached" (1989), Nocturnal Records
- "Big Surprise" (1991), SBK/Capitol
- "King Of Saturday Night" (1991), SBK/Capitol
- "More" (1993), EMI Canada, Atlantic Records
- "Smoke And Ashes" (1993), EMI Canada, Atlantic Records
- "Bred In The Bone" (1993), EMI Canada, Atlantic Records
- "Beneath My Hand" (1995), EMI Canada
- "Personal Golam" / "Waterfall (1995), EMI Canada
- "Tailpipe Blues" (1995), EMI Canada
- "Slow" (1995), EMI Canada
Compilation Inclusions
[edit]- Scoop This (1993), EMI Canada
- Heal It - A Canadian Compilation (1994), EMI Canada
- Have Not Been The Same: The CanRock Renaissance (2012), Pheromone Recordings
- For No Apparent Reason - Sweet Nothing (1987), X Records[19]
References
[edit]- ↑ "John Critchley Archives". 24 August 2014.
- ↑ Hendra, Peter. "Always sharing and caring, Oct 18, 2017". thewhig.com. The Kingston Whig Standard. Retrieved 2021-09-03.
- ↑ "13 Engines". canpopencyclopedia.home.blog. The Canadian Pop Music Encyclopedia. 14 March 2019. Retrieved 2021-09-03.
- 1 2 3 4 "13 Engines". Canadian Pop Encyclopedia. Canoe Inc. Retrieved 2007-12-22.[dead link]
- ↑ Robbins, Ira. "13 Engines". trouserpress.com. Trouser Press. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
- ↑ "13 Engines - Beached". youtube.com. YouTube. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
- ↑ "13 Engines - A Blur to Me Now, Full Album". youtube.com. YouTube. Retrieved 2021-09-03.
- ↑ "King Of Saturday Night - 13 Engines". youtube.com. YouTube. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
- ↑ "Big Surprise". youtube.com. YouTube. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
- ↑ Gibson, Kevin. "A Clean Running Machine, March 1994". louisvillemusicnews.net. Louisville Music News. Retrieved 2021-09-04.
- ↑ "ArtistDirect" review of Perpetual Motion Machine
- ↑ "Now this is really Hip Another Roadside Attraction is speeding this way". Hamilton Spectator, July 22, 1993.
- ↑ "13 Engines's Concert History". concertarchives.org. Concert Archives. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
- ↑ "13 Engines - Conquistador (Full Album)". youtube.com. YouTube. Retrieved 2021-09-04.
- ↑ "13 Engines--Beneath My Hand". youtube.com. YouTube. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
- ↑ "ArtistDirect" review of Conquistador
- ↑ Carruthers, Sean. "John Critchley - Crooked Mile". allmusic.com. AllMusic. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
- ↑ "Jim Hughes". allmusic.com. AllMusic. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
- ↑ "Compilation - For No Apparent Reason". Citizenfreak.com. Retrieved 29 May 2025.
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