Trend Records Releases
Produced By Merv Buchanan
Recording for Trend Records began before the label had a studio. Both Roy Kenner and The Uncertain were recorded, after hours, at The Modern Age Lounge, on Danforth Avenue, in Toronto. The first Trend recording studio was located below a grocery store, at the corner of Kingston Road and Warden Avenue, in Toronto. It was equipped with a 6-channel mixer, hand-made by Pete Traynor, with about 18 12AX7 tubes in it and an Ampex 601 mono tape recorder. There were no studio monitors in the closet-sized control room, only headphones. Of course everything sounded terrific, until it was played back on good speakers. The studio did mostly demo work and an album by Dutch immigrant Guido Smit, which sold 200 copies, mostly to his relatives back in Holland.

In 1967, Trend turned a farmhouse in the Toronto suburb of West Hill into a makeshift studio and office. Here, records for Terry & The Pyrates, The Sedum Shadows, Ultimate Image, Cargo and Friday Afternoon were made, as well as demo tapes for singer-songwriters, like 70s recording star Craig Ruhnke. The place was cramped and hot, but it helped get the label off the ground. And it was here that the first pieces of real recording studio equipment, a pair of giant Ampex reel-to-reel consoles, were acquired. Although the bank manager was pretty understanding, he was amazed that a tape recorder could cost more than a car. Luckily, neighbouring homes were too far away to be bothered by the music, but the landlord was horrified when he discovered what had been done to his house.

Things took a turn for the better in 1968, when the company moved to a former schoolhouse, near the intersection of Sheppard Avenue and Morningside Avenue. In less than two months, the company was up and running in spacious new digs. It's first projects there were singles by Bent Wind and The Pop Machine, a second Friday Afternoon single, then albums by Michael-Jon and Friday Afternoon. Within a few short years, Trend had signed and recorded more than two dozen artists, although not all of these recordings were released.

Besides Trend artists, dozens of others took advantage of the friendly, low-cost facility, including the late Stompin’ Tom Connors, who booked the studio for a week, to record his amazing, 5-album box set, for Dominion Records. Quality Records and other labels also found the studio to be a cost-effective place to develop new songwriters and artists.In 1969, Terry McManus, a Quality Records singer/songwriter from Silver Spring, Maryland, arrived at the studio, to record some demo tapes. He liked the atmosphere so much, he decided to stay on as an un-paid intern and learn as much as he could about the “recording process”. But it wasn’t until 1970, after his Quality contract had expired, that he got his first record release, a Buchanan/McManus production called “Sunshower”, on the Los Angeles based A&M label. Business continued apace at the studio until 1971, when financial difficulties and lack of commercial success forced the company to close the studio and move operations to Vancouver. Although scores of singers, songwriters and musicians made use of the famous red schoolhouse, the $20 per hour recording rate just couldn’t cover the growing cost of running a record company.

By 1972, Trend Records had morphed into Music Media, a booking agency and recording studio, on the King George Highway, in the Vancouver suburb of Surrey. Records by Sebastian, Lee Hurst and Norm Roth were recorded here, as well as some unreleased tracks. However, “Ready To Move” by Joy was recorded at Studio 3, “Ramblin’ Guitar Man” by Bryan Pickering, was recorded at Omnimedia and “Just Right For The Summertime” by The Noddies, was recorded at Can Base Studios. The Mountain City and Concept labels, manufactured and distributed by Rada Records, were launched here, to help promote Music Media’s artists.  The Concept label was later re-designed, for a manufacturing and distribution deal with Imperial Records. During this period, the focus was primarily on supplying bands to a string of nightclubs throughout the B.C. interior and leasing masters to larger, better funded, record labels. Record promotion was handled by the various labels or distributors, including London Records and A&M.

Listed below is a schedule of releases on Trend and associated labels, including masters leased to A&M, Quality and others. This does not necessarily reflect the order in which the recording sessions were done. Many of the record labels have been re-created from original layouts. Some are scans of actual records, supplied by artists, collectors, or the Canadian Record Museum.

In some cases, minor errors or deletions have been corrected. Most sample tracks have been lifted from records.
 
T-1062, I will Sing You Back Home - Eastern Hearts
T-1061, Restless Heart - Solomon Jones
T-1060, Songs We Learned In The Joint - Soul Brothers
T-1059, Amores Nova - Amigos Bucerias
T-1058, The Trend Record, Vol 1 - (compilation)
T-1057, We've Got To Learn How To Love - Sebastian
T-1056, I Thank The Fool - Doug Varty
T-1055, Bad News - Frank Soda
T-1054, Butterfly - Dan Lauzon
T-1053, Missing You - Will Chalmers
T-1052, Sinatra - Dan Lauzon (album)
T-1051, Travelin' Band - Jeff Brewer (album)
T-1050, Right Back To You - Amberley Beatty
T-1049, Beggin' For Mercy - Amberley Beatty (ep)
T-1048, Ramblin Guitar Man - Phil James
T-1047, The Milkman's Son - Will Chalmers
T-1046, Uneasy Listening - Various (album)
T-1045, Solitary Man - Will Chalmers (album)
T-1044, Honky Tonk Gal - Amberley Beatty (album)
T-1043, California Sun - The Beach Nutz
T-1042, Close To Home - Paul Fracassi
T-1041, Peace Of Mind - Elwyn Lehman Prawn Records (also on Intro)
T-1040, Not Long Ago - Goldenrod Prawn Records
T-1039, Soul Men - Chris & Geoff Dahl
T-1038, She's got you - Amberley Beatty & The Sweet Dreams
T-1037, Witch Doctor - The Valhalla
T-1036, Poison Love - Rick Sieben
T-1035, The Legendary Patsy Cline - Amberly Beatty & The Sweet Dreams (album)
T-1034, Freddy Dixon's Johnny Cash - Freddy Dixon (album)
T-1033, On Stage - Buddy Holly Lives! (album)
T-1032, Walk Like A Man - Paul Fracassi (album)
T-1031, The Gambler - Peter Davidson (album)
T-1030, All Your Surfin’ Hits - Endless Summer (album)
T-1029, Rockabilly All Stars - The ToneKats (album)
T-1028, Again - Buddy Holly Lives! (album)
T-1027, 50 Years Later - Buddy Holly Lives! (album)
T-1026, Norm Roth - Norm Roth (PCM Records)(album)
T-1025, Ramblin’ Guitar Man - Bryan Pickering (album)
T-1024, Whole Lotta Your Love - Lee Hurst (A&M Records)
T-1023, Just Right For The Summertime - The Noddies (London Records)
T-1022, Dreamdaying - Whitemail (London Records)
T-1021, Rural Route One - Cargo (Concept Records)
T-1020, Goin’ Home - Sebastian (Mtn City Records)
T-1019, Ready To Move - Joy (Concept Records)
T-1018, I Need Song - Jim Vining (Concept Records)
T-1017, Wildwoodin' - Fear (Concept Records)
T-1016, Sunshower - Terry McManus (A&M Records)
T-1015, Sussex - Bent Wind (album)
T-1014, Simple Things - Cargo (album)(Ringside RS104)
T-1013, Young Boppers - Fear (Barry 1773)
T-1012, Best Believe It - Friday Afternoon
T-1011, Gimme Gimme Good Lovin - Pop Machine
T-1010, A Tribute To Johnny Cash - Friday Afternoon (Birchmount BM543)(album)
T-1009, Michael-Jon - Michael-Jon (album)
T-1008, Sacred Cows - Bent Wind
T-1007, Breakin’ Rocks - Friday Afternoon (also on Mtn City Records)
T-1006, Front Side Back Side - Cargo
T-1005, I Found A Way - Cargo
T-1004, It’s A Hard Life - The Ultimate Image
T-1003, Land Of 1000 Dances - The Uncertain
T-1002, Thinking Away - The Sedum Shadows
T-1001, Keep On Dancin - Terry & The Pyrates
T-1000, Without My Sweet Baby - Roy Kenner & His Associates

All original songs are published by Pan Canada Music SOCAN.