Record Tracklist
WATCH: Vimy Ridge is Callin’
The Story
Unlike much of the narrative that has defined Vimy over the last century – as the battle that “gave birth to the nation of Canada” – my take is that this catastrophic blood bath had virtually no impact on the outcome of the war. I’m not alone in this view. As Pierre Berton summarized is his epic work “Vimy,” the battle simply wasn’t worth the staggering loss of life.
READ: The Journey of a Storyteller
Vimy had nothing to do with creating the nation of Canada. We were already a country. Vimy was a hollow “victory” used by the British Empire to further justify a pointless war that achieved nothing, except to lay the groundwork for an even worse conflagration – World War 2.
As for the monument itself, I went to shoot video footage that appears in the music video that Stavros shot. It’s a massive grave marker casting its shadow over the obliterated remains of the many brave men who died on the killing field below it. Apart from their courage and camaraderie with each other, their sacrifice wasn’t worth their lives.
Personnel
Produced by Son Roberts in Toronto, Canada.
Recorded and Mixed by Norm Baker at Studio 92.
Mastered by Noah Mintz.
This song is SOCAN. All Contents ©2008 Gate Productions Inc.
All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction of this recording and/or the artwork herein prohibited by law.
Cover photo by Son Roberts
Performance video footage by Stavros Stavropolous
Video post-production Son Roberts & Key West Video
All Lyrics by Son Roberts
- Son Roberts – vocals and harmonica
- John Crosbie – guitar
- Ed Roth – accordion
- Hap Roderman – bass
- Sergio Faluotico – drums
- Background singers – Kate Roberts, Gail Roberts, Karla Goldstein, and Nancy McGovern
Thanks to…
Much love and gratitude to Nancy McGovern who arranged the trip to France, to all the players who gave it their all on the track, and to Karla Goldstein who arranged for publicity including the CityTV interview with Omar Sachedina.
