High Class in Borrowed Shoes

Ok so this would be a review on the 2011 Rock Candy remaster of the High Class In Borrowed Shoes compact disc...AMAZING! They did a really nice job on this.... Kims guitar playing Terrys Keys, Mikes Bass and Garys drumming all stand out far more than they do on the original CD releases...no freakin' contest boys and girls! Also very nice is the booklet with a lot of conversation with Mitchell and Terry Brown about how the whole thing went down. Hearing this again remastered for the first time was very close to hearing it the first time on vinyl...lots of details are brought out to be heard separately in all their glory. This my friends is a job well done and if anyone out there was as impressed with this band back in the day should seriously invest in these new remasters, to me they are well worth the $ involved here! That coin drop at about 2:40 into the song Gravity ( for those who remember it ) is astoundingly clear....just saying... Everything is way less murky ...everything...Kim plays tons of really nice acoustic guitar I never really heard until now! Also included are some nice era photos of the band live and one particular shot of an ad poster for the exact show I was first exposed to Max Webster at that a friend downloaded to some RUSH tour listing site and is actually given credit for on the back cover of the CD! I have that same poster..we got them at a local "head" shop the day after that show...I think we were picking up papers or screens or something that day maybe or a copy of The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers comic book? Sam talked the woman working there into giving him the poster in the window then as we were leaving she ran out with another one and gave that one to me...except for the screens and papers I still have all that stuff...hehe. Anyway...get these Rock Candy Max Webster remasters and enjoy them..I sure do!

from the opening power chords of "High Class", the sweet electric piano of "Diamonds, Diamonds", great weirdness of "Gravity" through "Oh War", and ending with "In Context of the Moon" - this is an amazing album and even more so given it's their 2nd album. The remix/remaster is really really top notch with much of the clarity and definition balanced with tone matching the vinyl - much more pronounced bass lines and punchier drums really make it sound great. Max has always been one of the underrated bands anywhere - hopefully bringing the reissues back will bring more attention to their quirky genius.

A definite winner. If you like Canadian bands, these guys are hard to beat! I mean anyone who opens for RUSH can't be bad. Any Max Webster is hard to beat.... it may be a little quirky for most folks however it is well worth a listen! You won't be disappointed! Definitely "High Class"!

Killer songs, killer musicianship! Max had it all on this album, I mean cd I'm dating myself. Great band from the great white north featuring kim mitchell & some rather interesting choices of wardrobe! A must have for your collection!

While I don't think this album is as strong or as consistent as the first Max Webster album, I still think it is a very good album and that it has it's share of strong material.I'm not too fond of the first two cuts..." High Class In Borrowed Shoes " is an upbeat rock and roll song with plenty of synthesizers and good jamming guitar, though it has never been one of my favorite M.W. songs. " Diamonds, Diamonds " is probably my least favorite song that Max has ever recorded...it's an odd, mellow piece that has a tropical Island feel to it. I don't like or understand this song at all.Things start to pick up with the third track, the humorous progressive jazz rocker " Gravity ", which has some funny lines in it that are sung very comically by Kim Mitchell. Impressive lead guitar playing on it as well. " Words to Words " is an underrated power ballad. I don't usually like Max's more mellow songs, but I think this is a wonderful, melodic little piece, with some sweet lyrics and a great, emotional singing performance from Mitchell." America's Veins " is another fast, hard rocker with some rather weird, but funny lyrics and more jamming guitar. " Oh War! " is a mid tempo hard rocker (maybe the heaviest song here ) and has that evil " F " word in it. A good song, though oddly enough not one of my favorite tunes on the album. " On The Road " is a soft acoustic piece that has drummer Gary McCracken playing the brushes. A nice song, though I feel like it goes on a wee bit too long...like the road itself, I guess."Rain Child " is written and sug by keyboardist Terry Watkinson. I like this song quite a bit....the organ playing reminds me of the band Kansas. It's a bit progressive, it is ,and relaxing and tuneful at the same time. The album ends with the progressive hard rock tune " In Context Of The Moon ", which I think is a tad on the confusing and disjointed side. There are some good parts to this song...I particularly like the heavier parts...though they segue very well into each other. Still, it is not a boring piece.The front and back cover shows the band dressed up in some slightly feminine and quite colorful clothing. Overall, I think this is a very good Max Webster album...not as good as the first M.W. album, but more consistent than the albums that would follow it.

I saw these guys open for Rush during the 2112 tour with Cheap Trick. Nobody knew who Max was. They were touring their debut album. So was Cheap Trick. After Cheap Trick came out and blew us away Max came out and blew Cheap Trick away. I was an instant fan. Max Webster with the amazing Kim Mitchell on vocals and guitar were an extrodinary band with five studio albums and one live album, their last one Universal Juvinials features the track Battle Scar which has all three members of Rush playing and singing with them. As for High Class In Borrowed Shoes, the album is a mix of progressive and pop tracks that rock very hard with a few nice light tracks as well. The above track reviews are mostly spot on. Max is an aquired taste, they have been gone for 30 years now. If you're a fan of Kim Mitchell or quirky prog rock you will like this album.

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I love this album -- not only one of my favourite Canadian records, but one of my favourite records, period. It was a Christmas present for my brother who lives in Missouri and who doesn't get to hear much (if any) Max Webster down there!

Fantastic cd from top to bottom, full of what Max is known for: catchy, progressive rock with laconic vocals by Kim Mitchell, and wonderfully quirky lyrics by Pye Dubois. Nothing even close to a bad song here !

Probably the most familiar Max Webster album but also one of the best, you've probably forgotten how great this music is, a Must have for any Canadian Rock music fan!!!

Wonderful Re-mastering Job, The Music Seems To Jump Out At You. A Little Expensive At $20, But If Your A Max Fan, This Issue Far Outshines The Original.