In 1972, the York Lions Club organized and sponsored The York Lions Steel Band, a musical group for kids that is still going strong to this day. In 1976, the York Lions (all 31 of them) travelled to Hawaii as part of the Canadian contingent attending The Lions Club International Convention in Honolulu, where they performed in a parade, at a shopping centre, on the beach, and at the Canadian Breakfast of the convention, with "some 1000 Canadian Lions and their guests in attendance." The back of the album also claims that The York Lions were the first steel band ever to appear in Hawaii.

Side one of "On The Beach At Waikiki" was recorded at the aforementioned Canadian Breakfast, while side two was recorded live on the beach at, yes, Waikiki. All three of the songs I'm posting are from side one, though. My favourite tune on the album is a fantastic cover of "The Hustle," the 1975 disco hit by Van McCoy and The Soul City Orchestra. "The Baseman" is another funky little ditty, and "A Place To Stand" is a short but sweet rendition of Ontario's unofficial anthem.

The Hustle
The Baseman
A Place To Stand

This is the Lions' first LP, We Come Out To Play. The album's subtitle reads "York Lions Steel Band at The Canadian National Exhibition," but it was recorded at St. Hilda's Anglican Church in Toronto, so it's not a live album. However, they did play at the CNE for five days in 1974, and the opening number of their performances was also the title track of this album. The liner notes of this album go into a bit more detail about the group's history than On The Beach At Waikiki's did. The band was formed in 1972 when brothers Don, Ted and Doug Saunders acquired a set of steel drums. When Doug's daughter Debbie joined the group, they decided to put together an entire steel drum orchestra and convinced the York Lions Club to sponsor the ensemble. Recruitment and rehearsals went on throughout 1972, and by the following year the group had started making public appearances and touring throughout Canada and the U.S.

We Come Out To Play features arrangements by Jerry Jerome (of The Cardells) and Doug, Don and Debbie Saunders, who also plays lead. The band members are too numerous to name individually, but I will mention that the regular drum kit heard on the album was played by Brian McGee. The LP's song selection is a mix of originals, calypso standards like "Yellow Bird" and "Jamaican Farewell" and contemporary rock and disco covers. The aforementioned "We Come Out To Play" is a fast number clearly written with making a good first impression in mind. "Love's Theme," a slower tune that builds to several crescendos, is almost certainly a cover, but I can't quite place it. "T.S.O.P. (Soul Train)" is an awesome cover of the theme to the TV show Soul Train that features funky steel drum solos, and "(Don't) Rock The Boat" is another disco cover with drum breaks courtesy of Brian McGee.

We Come Out To Play
Love's Theme
T.S.O.P. (Soul Train)
(Don't) Rock The Boat