The Odds
| Odds | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
| Genres | Alternative rock |
| Years active | 1987–1999 2007–present |
| Labels | Zoo, Elektra, Warner, Pheromone Recordings, Second Motion Records |
| Associated acts |
The Kids in the Hall Warren Zevon Colin James Sharkskin Stripper's Union The Tragically Hip Rosanne Cash |
| Website | oddsmusic |
| Members |
Craig Northey Doug Elliott Pat Steward Murray Atkinson |
| Past members | Steven Drake Paul Brennan |
Odds are a Canadian alternative rock band. The band's power pop style has been frequently compared to that of contemporaries such as Squeeze, Elvis Costello, Tom Petty, The Clash, XTC, The Tubes, and other bands they have influenced, such as Sloan, Weezer, and Franz Ferdinand.
The band was formed in 1987 in Vancouver, British Columbia, consisting of vocalist-guitarists Craig Northey and Steven Drake (both of whom had led different bands appearing on a Vancouver music compilation album, Spotlight '86), bassist Doug Elliott and drummer Paul Brennan. The band members claim the name came when Brennan asked Drake, in a town somewhere on the BC coast, "What are the odds of us ever escaping bullshit gigs like this?"
In the late 1980s, the band played up to four nights a week as a 1960s and 1970s cover band called Dawn Patrol at the Roxy nightclub in Vancouver, while playing as Odds on weekends and funding their own demo recordings at Crosstown Studios in North Vancouver, hoping for a break. They traveled to Los Angeles doing showcases and eventually signed to Zoo Entertainment.
In 1991 they released their debut self-produced album Neopolitan, which spawned the radio hits "Love Is the Subject" and "King of the Heap" (both sung by Northey). The third single, the sexually explicit "Wendy Under the Stars" (sung by Drake), failed to chart, but attracted the attention of music critic Greil Marcus in his book Dead Elvis. After the release of Neopolitan, the band were picked up by Warren Zevon, becoming his touring band for his album Mr. Bad Example.
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