The “Golden Hits Of The 70s” 

Main MenuConcept Refinement The Author..Wayne JancikGolden Age Of The 50sGolden Age Of The 60s1970s and There After

 

NICK GILDER

“HOT CHILD IN THE CITY”

(NICK GILDER, James McCulloch)

Chrysalis 2226

No. 1   October 28, 1978

.

.

.

In 1961, Nick Gilder (b. Nov. 7, 1951, London) moved with his family to Vancouver, Canada.   Nicky soon

start­ed singing with a group called Throm Hortis.   They won a talent contest, worked in some clubs and

high schools, and attracted the attention of several record labels.

.

In 1971, Jim McCulloch, lead guitarist with Rasputin, asked Gilder to join his own group.   As Sweeney

Todd–named for the “demon barber of Fleet Street”–they performed throughout Vancouver with high

visibility, i.e. with garish make-up, hideous clothes, flashpots, and a smoke machine.   By 1976, some

Sweeney Todd 45s for London Records, in particular the Gilder-McCulloch song “Roxy Roller” (#90,

1976), had begun to receive major attention.   Reportedly, a sec­ond version of the song charted by

Sweeney Todd, just months later; this time with Bryan Adams supplying the lead vocals.

.

At about this point, Nick and Jim abandoned Sweeney Todd and moved to Los Angeles; Gilder then

signed a contract with Chrysalis Records, and the two­-some collaborated on Nick’s solo projects.   “Hot

Child in the City” really clicked–2 million copies were even­tually sold.   Speaking of”Hot Child;’ Gilder

told Rolling Stone magazine: “I’ve seen a lot of young girls, 15 and 16, walking down Hollywood

Boulevard with their pimps.   Their home environment drove them to dis­traction so they ran away…  It

hurts to see that so I tried writing from the perspective of a lecher–in the guise of an innocent pop song.”

.

“Here Comes the Night” (#44, 1978) and “Rock Me” ( #57, 1979) as well as Nick’s second and third

albums­ City Lights (1978) and Frequency (1979)–have sold well.