Another platinum album from another national treasure.

I know you're probably thinking "Here goes Ashcroft again, raving about another Canadian band from aeons ago", but the simple fact remains that for a long time Canada was the most productive rock nation on the planet - per capita at least! Some bands were better than others and I would have no hesitation giving a negative review to one of them if it was an album I thought deserved it, but that won't happen with Harlequin, not for any of their first three albums at any rate. 'One False Move' was their third outing from back in 1982 following on from the platinum selling 'Love Crimes' which was also re-issued by Rock Candy not too long ago.

Despite Paul Suter's sleeve interview with singer George Belanger, you would never guess that Winnipeg's finest had any trouble coming up with a successful follow-up, and style-wise this album mines the same rich seam of appealing pop/rockers occasionally augmented by more adventurous moody fare with a more mature vibe. The usually prolific Belanger took a back seat on this one to the emerging songwriting talents of guitarist Glen Willows, who as well as penning the buoyant opener 'I Did It For Love' and the darkly hypnotic 'Superstitious Feeling' - the album's two big hits - also co-wrote the other eight songs as well.

There's plenty of great commercial AOR with Gary Golden's trademark keyboard fills, Willows' understated guitar parts and Belanger's distinctive choruses all over 'Heart Gone Cold', 'Shame If You Leave Me' and 'Say Goodnight' as well as the slightly heavier guitar-based rockers 'Hard Road' and 'Heavy Talk'. They stretch out a little on the atmospheric 'Ready To Love Again' and the semi-balladic 'It's A Woman You Need', with only the unremarkable 'Fine Line' slightly failing to reach the impressive standard they'd set themselves.

Expertly produced at the time by one of the band's biggest supporters - Aerosmith and Cheap Trick producer Jack Douglas - Jon Astley has done another fine job with the remaster, making sure that 'One False Move's first switch to CD sparkles as much as it should. Harlequin may be a little lightweight compared to other bands of the era but there's no way you can fault songs of this calibre or the singer and band who recorded them. Another platinum album from another national treasure.

Phil Ashcroft