Prism Anthology - 45 Years 180g 2LP

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20 classic tunes from 8 albums featuring Ron Tabak, Lindsay Mitchell, Allen Harlow, John Hall, Rocket Norton and Henry Small.

Prism began as an amalgamation of two Vancouver bands. In the late 1960s, Seeds Of Time formed the basis for what would become the Prism lineup, while other key players who shaped Prism came from the early '70s Vancouver jazz band Sunshyne, yielding trumpeter-producer Bruce Fairbairn plus songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jim Vallance. The Seeds Of Time's bad-boy image was evinced in a regional hit single on the Coast label, "My Home Town" in 1969, with a follow-up single "Cryin' The Blues" scoring modest success in an infant Canadian music market. Ten years later bandmates Lindsay Mitchell, John Hall, Al Harlow and Rocket Norton would find themselves together again, riding international charts as Prism.

But the discovery of vocalist Ron Tabak, recruited from the local scene for a recording session with Fairbairn, Mitchell and Vallance in July 1975, was the magic ingredient for the synergy that became Prism. Ron's voice had a unique brilliance and stunning high range. While that first session was a loose experiment in jazz, R&B and rock, one Jim Vallance song, "Open Soul Surgery" stood above the rest, becoming the template for the future Prism style, and vehicle for Tabak's vocal range.

Displaying the hard-rock leanings of Tabak and Mitchell, the "Open Soul" recording led to a showcase gig as Under Construction at Vancouver nightspot The Body Shop, where several record company representatives bid for the band. With Fairbairn and BTO manager Bruce Allen handling negotiations, a contract was signed with GRT Records. The group deliberated over a band name until the 1977 self-titled album "Prism" was chosen to reflect their musical influences of blues, rock and R&B.