54•40’s release La Difference: A History Unplugged, produced by Dave ‘Rave’ Ogilvie, is an intimate and unplugged reimagining of their greatest hits as you’ve never heard them before. Featuring original arrangements of violin, guitar, banjo, mandolin and more by guest musician Daniel Lapp, History gives new context and spirit to 10 classic songs fans all know and love. Re-approaching songs from the past is something the band had never thought they would do.
From the opening guitar riff of ‘Ocean Pearl’, or the unforgettable baritone hook of ‘I Go Blind’, if you grew up in Canada in the 90’s, 54•40 was the soundtrack to your childhood, whether you knew it or not. For many more seasoned fans, they were the post-punk icons that leapt from the early 80’s Vancouver dive-bar scene and landed confidently on the international stadium stage. With over a million records sold worldwide, a career spanning 30 years and a catalogue of hits that occupy the airways to this day, singer-songwriter-front man Neil Osborne still finds himself with a restless soul.
The search for new musical frontiers can often lead to unexpected places. In 2014 Neil and the band found themselves striking gold and beginning to develop an idea unlike anything they had ever attempted.
These were the early stages of a double album that spans decades and finds the band rediscovering their roots while pushing their sound to a very new place.
Produced by Dave ‘Rave’ Ogilive, it is an intimate and unplugged reimagining of 5440’s greatest hits recorded as you’ve never heard them before. Featuring original arrangements of violin, guitar, banjo, mandolin and more by guest musician Daniel Lapp, History gives new context and spirit to 10 classic songs fans all know and love. Re-approaching songs from the past is something the band had never thought they would do.
This new perspective is immediately apparent on La Difference, an album that feels at once familiar and entirely new. Fans will be delighted to hear the folky stomp of Baby Ran, or the middle-eastern influenced arrangement of One Gun – combinations that until now, would’ve been hard to imagine. For the band, dusting off and deconstructing their classic catalogue had an unexpected effect.
NEIL OSBORNE – VOCALS, ACOUSTIC GUITARS & BANJO
BRAD MERRITT – BASS
MATT JOHNSON – DRUMS & PERCUSSION
DAVE GENN – GRAND PIANO, ELECTRIC PIANO, ACOUSTIC GUITARS, MANDOLIN & HARMONY VOCALS
ACCOMPANIMENTS
DANIEL LAPP: FIDDLE, OCTAVE FIDDLE, MANDOLIN, TRUMPET, FLUMPET FLUTE, TUBA, PECK HORN, ACOUSTIC GUITAR AND PHONO FIDDLE
BACKING VOCALISTS: KELLY BROCK, SARAH JOHNS, SAFFRON HENDERSON
DANIEL TATE: ORGAN ON SINCE WHEN, OCEAN PEARL
TOBIN JAMES FRANK: ACCORDION ON ONE DAY IN YOUR LIFE
RECORDED AT: BLUE FROG STUDIOS.
ENGINEERED BY: DAVE OGILVIE AND KURT MAAS
ASSISTED BY: PAT GLOVER
MIXED BY: DAVE OGILVIE AT HIPPOSONIC STUDIOS
ASSISTED BY: KARL DICAIRE
MASTERED BY: TOM BAKER
54-40 USES DR STRINGS
MATT JOHNSON USES SABIAN CYMBALS
COVER ART BY: JON ROGERS – HOMEWORK
GRAPHICS & WEB: SEAN MCKAY – THE INNERFACE MEDIA
PHOTOGRAPHY: ADAM PW SMITH
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: KAREN CHARTERS, JOE STRETCH AND GREG MEGRIAN
MANAGEMENT: ALLEN MOY
THANK YOU
THANKS TO: WENDY COX, JETT VAN LEEUWEN, TREVOR KUCHERAWY AND WES WASCHUK.
VERY SPECIAL THANKS TO MICHAEL WEKERLE FOR HIS SUPPORT OF THIS PROJECT.
1. Ocean Pearl
2. She La
3. Since When
4. One Day In Your Life
5. Baby Ran
6. I Go Blind
7. One Gun
8. Crossing A Canyon
9. Casual Viewin’
10. Lies To Me
