Arts & Culture

Photo courtesy Rob Frith

Another Chapter in the History of Vancouver Rock

By Joe Leary

Published 10:46 PDT, Tue September 22, 2026

Last Updated: 2:11 PDT, Wed September 23, 2026

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For generations of Lower Mainland music fans, this area’s rock history has lived in record collections, dusty tape boxes, old photographs and memories of nights spent in crowded clubs. Over the years, scores of recordings that never achieved radio airplay have been unearthed in a series of albums titled ‘The History of Vancouver Rock’.

Now, more of that history is getting a chance to be heard with the release of The History of Vancouver Rock Volume 5, the latest chapter in a continuing series devoted to preserving the sounds and stories of our musical heritage. It marks the first new entry in the series in 35 years. The West Coast has always had a vibrant music scene, replete with pivotal artists and recordings, but much of that history exists outside the mainstream record industry.

For years, local musicians recorded on small, nondescript labels, performed in independent clubs or made tapes that were never widely distributed. As years passed, those recordings became increasingly difficult to find. The History of Vancouver Rock series helped change that, thanks to Rob Frith, owner of Vancouver’s Neptoon Records. “We originally planned four volumes in order of time,” says Frith. The 50s and early 60s on Volume 1, early 60s to mid-60s on Volume 2, mid-60s on Volume 3 and mid-60s to late-60s on Volume 4.

“Along with fellow record collectors who organize the record swap meets, put them together. We were going to release the series in order, but at the time we thought the mid-60s garage bands would sell better. They were popular, and there were newer garage bands really happening at the time. Earlier volumes established the foundation for documenting the city’s rock-and-roll heritage while previous editions preserved recordings that might otherwise have remained known only to collectors and longtime fans. We decided to release Volume 3 first,” he adds, “thinking it would sell better and we would have enough money to do the rest of the volumes”

Volume 3 came out in 1983, and Frith concedes it was hard to locate the artists at the time as there was no internet. “I would phone every person who was in the phone book until I found a relative or the person I was looking for so I could get permission and hopefully find a tape. If there was no tape, we would copy a record.”

The newly released Volume 5 continues that tradition, bringing fresh attention to the people and music that helped shape Canada’s West Coast music scene. There is something especially appropriate about releasing such a collection on CD. In an age when music can disappear behind algorithms and endless streaming playlists, a physical record of Vancouver’s musical past feels tangible. Each recording carries not only a song but also a connection to a particular time, place and group of musicians.

The History of Vancouver Rock Volume 5 is therefore more than another compilation. For this latest edition, Frith worked alongside Doug Schober, who provided liner notes and history. It is an act of preservation — and a reminder that Vancouver’s rock story is far larger than its most famous names. For longtime fans, it offers a chance to revisit a musical past, while for younger listeners, it opens a door to a city whose musical history is still waiting to be discovered. “I thought four volumes had pretty much covered everything,” says Frith. “Over the years I found more recordings, acetates and records. Doug and I were talking about it, and we decided to do a Volume 5 together.”

And much like the previous four releases, there’s a very grateful market of local music lovers that clamour for this stuff. “The reaction was amazing on the release of the other four; the band members really loved them, and so many of them didn’t even have their original records anymore. We have lucked out and have found more material of old records and unreleased recordings. Plus, I have had boxes and boxes of original tapes given to me. We have been slowly going through those as well. Suffice it to say, there will be plenty more where the first five volumes came from.”