As requested by many, here’s the not easy to find only CD version of cult Canadian rockers TROOPER album “Flying Colours“. Trooper is one of Canada’s best Seventies melodic rockers. From 1975 to 1980, the Vancouver quintet produced five albums and a dozen top 20 hits. And they’re still around, despite founding members Ra McGuire and Brian Smith announced their retirement last year – giving their encouragement and blessing to remaining members to continue.
In their early era Trooper was huge in Canada selling platinum, but due to MCA inept operations the band never made it big in America. There’s still a legal dispute and Trooper early albums only have been reissued on CD in Japan and Canada, now out of print. This ”Flying Colours” CD is being sold for $140, go figure.
Trooper’s fifth studio album ”Flying Colors” was released in 1979, and contained the hits “3 Dressed Up as a 9” and the band’s highest-charting single to date, “Janine”, which pushed the LP to attain Double-Platinum status. Steve Porcaro & Steve Lukather play here, so you know the sound to expect…
Indeed, the sound of TROOPER changed for ”Flying Colours”. The more melodic, radio friendly FM AOR sound was making it good in U.S., so the band needed a lifting. There was a dispute with Randy ‘BTO’ Bachman who produced the band’s previous albums – according to frontman/songwriter Ra McGuire, the problem started when the band was denied what they felt was well-deserved production credit on the preceding “Thick as Thieves” LP.
So Randy Bachman was fired and Howard Steele (of Heart fame) brought in. Also US session musicians including Lukather & Porcaro.
”Flying Colors” finds Trooper still retaining their trademark pop-rock hooks plus adding a smooth feel, more polished production. “3 Dressed Up as a 9″ resulted an instant hit, but it was the AOR ballad ”Janine” which propelled the album to platinum.
01 – 3 Dressed Up As A 9
02 – All Day & All Night
03 – Go Ahead & Sue Me
04 – Quiet Desperation
05 – She’s So Sweet
06 – Mr. Big
07 – Janine
08 – Back To You
09 – Good Clean Fun
10 – Drive Away
Ra McGuire – vocals
Brian Smith – guitar, background vocals
Frank Ludwig – keyboards, vocals
Tommy Stewart – drums, percussion, background vocals
Doni Underhill – bass, background vocals
Guest musicians:
Steve Porcaro – keyboards
Steve Lukather – guitar
Joe Lala – drums
Harold Cowart – bass
Sandra & Donna Rhodes, Charles Chalmers – background vocals