A Passing Fancy was born out of Toronto's Yorkville Village scene in the mid-'60s. In 1967 the band released its debut single, "I'm Losing Tonight," which immediately became a hit and scored high on the east coast charts. In 1968,
A Passing Fancy released a self-titled album on the independent Boo Records label that was well received and garnered good reviews. The Boo label, formed by two record store owners, only released the album in the Toronto area, so national fame and exposure eluded the band.
A Passing Fancy was British-influenced pop with elements of psychedelia and an American garage sound. The band went through a couple of lineup changes while recording the album, but all musicians were credited in the album liner notes. The main songwriters in the band were Jay Telfer and brothers
Fergus and Greg Hambleton. The songs were well written and the music was well played. Shortly after the release of the album, one more single followed, "I Believe in Sunshine," which was also a hit. This single broke out across Canada and attracted interest south of the border, as well as with some major labels, but unfortunately it was too late and the band folded. Telfer and the Hambletons, in particular
Fergus (as he went by for a time) went on to write more songs and record with other bands in the '70s. They also made a couple of solo albums that were well received and are still active today on the Canadian music scene. Greg Hambleton went on to form Axe Records while
Fergus Hambleton continued to perform with his reggae band the Satellites. This reissue of the original Boo Records album by Pacemaker Records in association with the U.S. reissue label Timothy's Brain, is housed in a beautiful digipack case with original album artwork. Although this album contains no bonus tracks (as none were available) or additional liner notes, the sound quality is superb and is taken from the original master tapes. An exciting and long-lost piece of the early Canadian music scene that has thankfully been restored and made available once again for all to hear and a new generation to discover. ~ Keith Pettipas