Winnipeg, Canada, is a frozen wasteland for most of the year. The new wave band, Johnny Zhivago, emerged from the ice with songs that fit with the growing influence of European music. A mainstay of public access television programming, the band also warmed up for passing electronic and new wave artists brought to town by the promoter, Mike Lambert.
Sadly, most of their material has been unavailable for forty years. We were thrilled, therefore, to find this specimen from 1983 online.
One of the risks of taking your name from an Anthony Burgess novel is that others have the same idea. There were several Heaven 17s, for example, and at least two Johnny Zhivagos. This Johnny Zhivago might have been the first: a new wave band from Canada that put out a four-track 7″ EP in the early 1980s. This video has been rescued from an old home recording, so the quality isn’t the greatest, but the songwriting and performance are both well worth a belated look.
Copyrighted image. Enjoy it on our site!
