The fifth volume of the History of Vancouver Rock and Roll series unearths previously unknown recordings by the Collectors, Tom Northcott and Hydro Electric Streetcar
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After a couple of decades of unearthing gems from Vancouver’s vibrant 1960s music scene, Rob Frith decided to put out a new volume of the acclaimed History of Vancouver Rock & Roll series.
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But The Beatles got in the way.
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While doing digital transfers of old Vancouver tapes at broadcaster Larry Hennessey’s home studio, he put on a tape he had had for years, but never listened to, because he didn’t have a reel-to-reel player.
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It turned out to be a high-quality studio tape of The Beatles’ first recordings for Decca Records in 1962, including several songs that have never been officially released.
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Sun Spots
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After a Vancouver Sun story about the find, the news spread around the globe, and Paul McCartney’s manager contacted Frith. On Sept. 18, 2025, he flew to Los Angeles and gave the tape to McCartney.
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Nearly a year later, Frith is finally releasing the Vancouver record that spawned it all.
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The History of Vancouver Rock & Roll Vol. 5 contains 14 songs, some by relatively well-known ’60s acts like The Collectors and Tom Northcott, others by long-forgotten acts such as The Questions, Willam Tell and the Marksmen, and The Unforscene.
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Some songs are classic ’60s teenage boy-yearns-for-girl pop, some are raucous ’60s garage rock, and some are so psychedelic they can give you a contact high.
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The most mind-bending song is Everyone Say by The Collectors, which features some wild, buzzing psychedelic guitar by Bill Henderson and a dynamic string arrangement.
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It was found at the bottom of a Tom Northcott tape.
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“It’s an unreleased song, totally finished, strings added, the whole thing,” marvels Frith.
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“It’s unbelievable. It could have been a hit, and it’s never been known. In fact, Howie Vickers, the singer, (went) to the studio to listen to it and he’d never heard it finished with the strings.”
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After Vickers left The Collectors, Vickers went solo and the remaining band members changed their name to Chilliwack.
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Alas, his solo career never took off, and he became a successful jingle writer. But there are two lost songs from Vickers’ solo career, both originally issued as 45s. One was recorded for a proposed Vickers album that was never released.
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The tres-’60s album cover was taken from a vintage poster done for Northcott’s 1967 hit Sunny Goodge Street. It was created by Vancouver’s top psychedelic artist, Bob Masse, with new lettering over top by Dale Davies.
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It fits because there is a beautiful live solo recording of Sunny Goodge Street on the album. Northcott recorded it at “A Concert For The People” at UBC’s SUB Ballroom in 1971. Tickets were $1.
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The live Sunny Goodge Street was on a reel-to-reel and immaculately recorded — Northcott owned his own record label. But some of the songs on the new record were resurrected from cheap recordings and even acetates, thin records you made for a quick listen that wore out after a few plays.
