First Glance
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Album Summary
First Glance came roaring out in 1978 on Aquarius Records in Canada and Capitol Records in the United States, and brother, it was the sound of a band that had been paying its dues and was now ready to collect. Produced by April Wine's longtime collaborator and manager Shelly Haber, the album was laid down with a sleek, radio-ready hard rock sheen that told the world Myles Goodwyn and his crew weren't just content to be kings of Canada — they had their eyes on the whole continent. The core lineup, anchored by Goodwyn's increasingly melodic songwriting and his commanding presence on vocals and guitar, delivered an album built for big rooms and bigger ambitions, with arrangements that felt right at home between the arena rock giants of the era.
Reception
- First Glance performed with real muscle on the Canadian charts, where April Wine had already earned a devoted and passionate following, further cementing their status as one of the true heavyweights of Canadian hard rock.
- The single 'Roller' became one of the band's strongest chart entries and earned serious rotation on rock radio across North America, giving the album a commercial lift that turned heads on both sides of the border.
- Critical response within the hard rock community was warm and appreciative, with many noting Goodwyn's sharpened melodic instincts and the album's confident, polished production as genuine signs of a band hitting its stride.
Significance
- First Glance stands as a pivotal chapter in the April Wine story — the moment where their hard rock foundation started stretching toward the arena rock grandeur they would fully inhabit in the early 1980s, and it happened right here on these nine tracks.
- The album arrived during a fertile era for Canadian rock, when domestic content regulations were helping homegrown talent find its footing, and April Wine used that momentum to prove that Canadian hard rock could compete and connect on an international level.
- The cross-border radio success of First Glance helped build the American audience that would eventually embrace the band fully, making this record one of the essential stepping stones in their journey from Canadian heroes to North American rock mainstays.
Tracklist
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A1 Get Ready For Love 119
4:17
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A2 Hot On The Wheels Of Love 148
3:07
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A3 Rock N' Roll Is A Vicious Game 82
3:05
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A4 Right Down To It 145
3:01
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A5 Roller 144
4:20
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B1 Comin' Right Down On Top Of Me 75
4:02
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B2 I'm Alive 101
2:50
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B3 Let Yourself Go 114
2:54
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B4 Silver Dollar 127
5:14
Artist Details
April Wine is a hard rock and heavy metal band that came together out of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada back in 1969, blending blues-soaked riffs with melodic hooks that could make any FM radio station sound like pure gold on a Friday night. These cats carved out a serious reputation across Canada and the United States through the seventies and into the eighties, scoring big with anthems like Roller and Just Between You and Me, proving that Canadian rock had just as much fire and soul as anything coming out of the States or Britain. Their staying power and relentless touring made them true workhorses of the rock world, cementing their legacy as one of Canada's most beloved and enduring hard rock acts.
