Let it be Love b/w Time Will Always Tell

Aceboy began in Bermuda in 1983, when brothers Owen and Spencer Critchley started writing and performing songs together. After relocating to Toronto in 1985 with demo tapes, they expanded the lineup to include fellow Bermudian Michael Spencer-Arscott (drums, formerly with Richard and Linda Thompson) and Torontonians John Whynot (keyboards) and Tamara Silvera (vocals, keyboards).

The band quickly gained attention in Toronto’s live circuit, appearing in showcase clubs and becoming finalists in Q107’s Homegrown competition. Rock Express magazine praised them as “a stand-out… who impress with a strong guitar sound and sense of drama.”

In 1986 Aceboy signed a worldwide co-publishing agreement with Warner/Chappell Music and their own Weaselguard imprint. According to The Canadian Composer (Feb. 1986), the deal provided financing for recordings to be promoted internationally through Chappell’s offices in Toronto, New York, London, and Los Angeles. They recorded demos with producer John Tucker, cut a live-to-2-track CBC Radio session, and received a FACTOR grant to support further studio work.

That year, the band recorded material for a proposed debut album titled Bang at McClear Place Studios (Toronto), with mixing at Grant Avenue Studios (Hamilton). Co-produced by John Whynot and Mike Jones, the sessions included guest contributions from Colin Linden (guitar solo on “Let It Be Love”). Despite the buildup, the album was never released and the group dissolved shortly afterward.

Singer/keyboardist Tamara Silvera also achieved solo success during this period with her version of the Spinners’ Rubberband Man, which charted in Canada and Europe.

Reflecting later, Spencer Critchley described Aceboy as “a great, promising group that was hot for about five minutes (OK, a couple of years) and then went poof into the mists of music history.”
-Robert Williston

Owen Critchley: vocals
Spencer Critchley: guitar
Michael Spencer-Arscott: drums
John Whynot: keyboards
Tamara Silvera: keyboards, vocals

Written by Owen Critchley and Spencer Critchley
Produced by John Whynot and Mike Jones
Recorded at Sounds Interchange, Toronto, Ontario
Published by Weaselguard, Chappell