In the U.S.,Red Rider never matched the level of success they had achieved in their native Canada.
They had several AOR hits, including the brooding, now-staple "Lunatic Fringe," but mainstream attention eluded them.
Lead singer Tom Cochrane broke through in a major way with "Life Is a Highway" from his solo debut, Mad Mad World.
The song was a driving rocker with an insistent hook.
Dominating the airwaves, the song reached the Top Five on the pop charts (Red Rider had never managed to even break into the Top 50).
There seems to be a little more fire in Cochrane's belly than on the final Red Rider record.
Mad Mad World is some of his strongest work.
Literate lyrics and infectious melodies abound on songs like the Don Henley-like title track, the resiliently rousing "No Regrets," the chugging love song "Sinking Like a Sunset," and the chiming, big-beat ballad "Friendly Advice." There's a bit of filler near the end (save for the elegant closer "All The King's Men"), but it's a small complaint.
Members of Red Rider play on most of the tracks and Mad Mad World should be met with delight from longtime fans.
For unfamiliar listeners, it's worth checking out if you're into Mellencamp or Petty.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Life Is a HighwayTom Cochrane | Tom Cochrane | Play | 04:27 | 10 MB | 31 MB |
| 2 | Mad Mad WorldTom Cochrane | Tom Cochrane | Play | 05:03 | 11 MB | 34 MB |
| 3 | No RegretsTom Cochrane | Tom Cochrane | Play | 04:39 | 10 MB | 34 MB |
| 4 | Sinking Like a SunsetAnnette Ducharme | Tom Cochrane | Play | 05:46 | 13 MB | 39 MB |
| 5 | Washed AwayTom Cochrane | Tom Cochrane | Play | 05:20 | 12 MB | 35 MB |
| 6 | Everything Comes AroundTom Cochrane | Tom Cochrane | Play | 04:32 | 10 MB | 33 MB |
| 7 | The Secret Is to Know When to StopTom Cochrane, John Cody | Tom Cochrane | Play | 04:22 | 9 MB | 27 MB |
| 8 | Brave and CrazyTom Cochrane | Tom Cochrane | Play | 05:52 | 13 MB | 37 MB |
| 9 | Bigger ManTom Cochrane | Tom Cochrane | Play | 04:27 | 10 MB | 30 MB |
| 10 | Friendly AdviceTom Cochrane | Tom Cochrane | Play | 04:36 | 10 MB | 31 MB |
| 11 | Get Back UpTom Cochrane | Tom Cochrane | Play | 04:40 | 10 MB | 31 MB |
| 12 | Emotional TruthTom Cochrane | Tom Cochrane | Play | 05:59 | 13 MB | 37 MB |
| 13 | All the King's MenTom Cochrane | Tom Cochrane | Play | 04:33 | 10 MB | 25 MB |
| 64 mins | 147 MB | |||||
| 64 mins | 431 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | John "Beetle" Bailey | Engineer |
| 2 | Martin Beaver | Violin |
| 3 | Brian Carson | Vocals (Background) |
| 4 | Kathy Cochrane | Vocals (Background) |
| 5 | Tom Cochrane | Arranger, Bass, Composer, Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Harmonica, Keyboards, Percussion, Piano, Primary Artist, Producer, Slide Guitar, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 6 | John Cody | Composer |
| 7 | John Cody | Vocals (Background) |
| 8 | Mickey Curry | Drums |
| 9 | Annette Ducharme | Composer, Vocals (Background) |
| 10 | Jeffery Fey | Art Direction, Design |
| 11 | David Gogo | Guitar |
| 12 | Noel Golden | Engineer |
| 13 | Great Southern Memphis Section | Horn |
| 14 | Dave Harding | Viola |
| 15 | Joe Hardy | Engineer, Mixing, Percussion, Producer |
| 16 | Sue Holiday | Vocals (Background) |
| 17 | Molly Johnson | Vocals (Background) |
| 18 | Bob Ludwig | Mastering |
| 19 | Memphis Poh' Boys | Vocals (Background) |
| 20 | Kim Mitchell | Guitar |
| 21 | Mladen | Guitar |
| 22 | Marc-Andre Savoie | Violin |
| 23 | Peter Schenkman | Cello |
| 24 | Bob Shindle | Engineer |
| 25 | Ken "Spider" Sinnaeve | Bass, Fretless Bass |
| 26 | Tommy Steele | Art Direction |
| 27 | David Storey | Photography |
| 28 | John Webster | Keyboards, Organ, Percussion |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |