Over 60 Minutes With Red Rider compiles the most lucrative singles from
Red Rider's first four albums, and it is the best place to sample this Canadian band's intense and sometimes peculiar rock sound.
Tom Cochrane's eccentric lyrics and left-of-center musical approach gave
Red Rider's guitar and drum makeup above average characteristics, represented with tunes like "Napoleon Sheds His Skin" and the anxiety-ridden tempo of "Lunatic Fringe" from
As Far As Siam, which was used for atmosphere on a number of Miami Vice episodes and can be found on the Vision Quest soundtrack. Both "White Hot" and the title track speak for their debut album
Don't Fight It, released in 1980, sounding far more ahead of it's time. "Light in the Tunnel/Human Race," "Power," and "Can't Turn Back" stem from their strongest album, 1983's
Neruda, in which
Cochrane penned his finest and most abstract work.
Breaking Curfew saw "Young Thing, Wild Dreams" become a solid single on Canadian radio, but the album began to drift into a more commercial domain, eliminating any remaining signs of alternative unconventionality that was instilled by the band. Without sidestepping any important contributions, Over 60 Minutes With Red Rider is a more than ample collection of their best material. ~ Mike DeGagne