Motherlode went through a ton of personnel changes over the course of its brief existence, but when this LP was recorded in 1969 the lineup was William "Smitty" Smith (organ, piano, vocals), Ken Marco (guitar, vocals), Wayne "Stoney" Stone (drums) and Steve Kennedy (saxophone, harmonica and vocals). The four had previously been members of Grant Smith and The Power, but split and formed Motherlode in order to play their own material. After holing up in London, Ontario and playing any gig they could get, they caught the ear of Mort Ross, who signed them to his label Revolver Records in 1969. Their first single, "When I Die," didn't go anywhere in Canada at first, but hit the Top 20 in the States and subsequently sold over 500,000 copies. Their first full-length, also named When I Die, was released before the end of the year, and although "Memories Of A Broken Promise" was also a moderate hit, that was pretty much it for Motherlode. The quartet had trouble recording their second album and broke up in early 1970; the album (Tapped Out) was posthumously released in the U.S. only. Kennedy, Stone and Marco immediately joined Doug Riley's band Dr. Music, while Smith brought in three new guys and recorded another single as Motherlode. When it flopped they broke up, but that didn't stop Revolver (who owned the rights to the name) from going through three more incarnations of "Motherlode" before calling it quits for good. The original foursome did get together in 1976 for a single ("Happy People," which had to be released as a Ken Marco solo number for legal reasons) and a series of Toronto reunion performances in 1989.

When I Die, an impressive slab of late-'60s r&b, was produced for Revolver Records by Mort Ross and Doug Riley. In addition to the band members, Carol Kaye played bass and acoustic guitar on every track and Paul "Mickey" MacCalum played congas on "What Does It Take (To Win Your Love)". "When I Die" (an original number written by Smith and Kennedy; not to be confused with "And When I Die" by Blood, Sweat & Tears) was the hit, and it's a gorgeous, melancholic but tuneful number. The jazzy, Spanish-tinged "Memories Of A Broken Promise" (by Dianne Brooks) was the album's second chart entry, while "Living Life" (by Marco) is a slightly longer, soulful ballad. And the aforementioned "What Does It Take" (a cover of a Jr. Walker and The All-Stars tune) is the LP's funkiest track and probably my favourite, with particularly nice work by Kennedy on sax.

When I Die
Memories Of A Broken Promise
Living Life
What Does It Take (To Win Your Love)