April Wine's roots go way back to the late 60s. Myles Goodwyn was in several bands in Nova Scotia before heading to Montreal, where he formed the band with studio musicians before settling in with Gary Moffet on guitars. In 1974 the group launched their first tour, hitting the stage with hard rock and power ballads.

      Their first major hit, "Roller," was released in 1977, and another major single, "I Like To Rock" (1980), established them as a leading warm-up band all over the world. April Wine traveled to England to record The Nature Of The Beast early the next year, and the ballad "Just Between You And Me" as well as "Sign Of The Gypsy Queen" hit the charts and enjoyed huge success all over the world. April Wine were finally a headlining act.

      Other rockers on the record were "All Over Town" and the sugary "Future Tense." Most of the album had the obligatory three-minute radio songs, but it was tight, and – for 1981 – fit the hard rock model. Crossing over into the progressive/new wave realm was the two minute "Wanna Rock." One of the better tunes was "Caught In A Crossfire," which blended heavy percussion with synthesizers and mean guitars. It would turn out to be their last major hit. "One More Time" closes a very good album that, even today, plays well when put up next to REO and Styx.

      April Wine were one of those bands that could hang with Blue Oyster Cult or Foghat, as they too crept into the 80s during the end of disco. Many "greatest hits" packages have followed since they split in 1984 and, although Beast was their best release, I suggest picking up 2003's The Best of April Wine.

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