BLVD

by Charlotte Dillon The Canadian rock band Boulevard did most of its work in the '80s using the abbreviated name, Blvd. Members of the group were lead singer David Forbes, bassist Randy Burgess, guitarist Randy Gould, saxophonist Mark Holden, keyboardist Andrew Johns, and drummer Randall Stoll. Burgess stepped out of the lineup after a while and was replaced by bassist Tom Christianson. Between 1988 and 1990, the band released half a dozen singles and two albums, but the recordings only landed them on the charts once. Blvd was formed in Calgary in 1983 by Gould, Holden, and Forbes. The other members followed over time. Two years after its birth, Blvd had completed a few demos and gained the attention of MCA Records, but it would take two more years before the guys landed a contract with the label. In 1988, Blvd released a debut single, "In the Twilight." In between a tour schedule that had the band opening for a number of big groups, Blvd finished a few other singles that year and topped it off with a self-titled debut album that carried ten tracks, including "Dream On," "When the Lights Go Down," and "Far From Over." In 1990, Blvd put together a few new songs and went to work on a second full-length effort, In the Streets. The sophomore album was released under the band's full name, Boulevard. The group did a couple more singles, but success stayed just out of reach. By this time, Burgess was already gone and a short spell later, Stoll decided to leave as well. It was like putting a thumb tack in a closed sign and hanging it on the door. Blvd simply came to a quiet end.