The Kings + Bob Ezrin

This week on the Richard Crouse Show we talk about one of the most enduring Canadian rock and roll hit of all time. John Picard of The Kings said, “We never made a million dollars, but we had a song that people love and has stood the test of time.” 40 years ago The KIngs released their Bob Ezrin produced debut album, “The Kings Are Here” on the US major label Elektra Records. That same month, their smash hit single “This Beat Goes On / Switchin’ to Glide” first entered the Billboard Hot 100. And on August 23rd, 1980, The Kings closed the now-legendary Heatwave Festival, a giant outdoor concert some called "Punk Woodstock" that drew 100,000 people to Mosport Park, just north of Bowmanville, Ontario. The Kings played alongside Talking Heads, Elvis Costello, The Pretenders, Nick Lowe and Rockpile, Teenage Head, the B-52’s, and more. The Kings and Teenage Head were the only bands that gave permission to be filmed. As Teenage Head’s audio has disappeared, the only surviving footage of that iconic night is of The Kings, and now you can see the 30-minute concert movie “The Kings: Live at Heatwave” at their YouTube channel. With band members Dave Diamond and John Picard a.k.a. Mister Zero, we talk about the only surviving, authentic, and original sync footage from that legendary concert and, of course, we’ll celebrate four decades of one of the greatest double-A sides ever “This Beat Goes On / Switchin’ to Glide…” Then, we go back to the vault to find an interview I did with producer Bob Ezrin from his Los Angeles home in 1994. Ezrin produced The Kings, but he is best known for his work with Lou Reed, Alice Cooper, Kiss, Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, Peter Gabriel, Andrea Bocelli and Phish. His career in music has spanned four decades and he continues to work with acts such as Deftones and Thirty Seconds to Mars. We talk about how he got his first big musical break producing Alice Cooper and some fascinating behind the scenes stories of working with Cooper and Peter Gabriel.