Chart Attack
CategoriesMusic
PublisherChannel Zero
Founded1991
Final issue2009
CountryCanada
Based inToronto
LanguageEnglish
ISSN1198-7235

Chart Attack was a Canadian online music publication. Formerly a monthly print magazine, it was called Chart and published from 1991 to 2009.[1] Online content ceased to be updated sometime between mid 2017 to 2019, after which owner Channel Zero laid off the site's staff.[2] The site's content is no longer available live online, the domain has been taken over by a usurping commercial website unrelated to music. Much of the old content is still available as web archives at the Wayback Machine.

History and profile

Launched in 1991 as National Chart, the magazine was started by York University students Edward Skira and Nada Laskovski as a tipsheet and airplay chart for campus radio stations in Canada.[3][4] The magazine soon grew to include interviews, CD reviews and other features. National Chart was considered an internal publication for the National Campus and Community Radio Association, Canada's association of campus radio stations, and was not available as a newsstand title.

When Skira and Laskovski graduated, they incorporated Chart as an independent magazine, and began to pursue national newsstand distribution. Although it was no longer an NCRA publication, many campus radio stations continued to file airplay reports for the magazine's Top 50 chart even though its status as the official NCRA chart was transferred to the new publication !earshot.

The magazine's primary focus was Canadian alternative rock and indie rock, although they profiled important international acts, and rap and pop music acts as well.[5] At its peak, the magazine had a press run of 40,000 copies per issue, making it the largest paid circulation music magazine in Canada in its era.[5]

The magazine ceased publishing a print edition in 2009, continuing as a web-only publication. The website briefly suspended publication in summer 2011, but its acquisition by andPOP, a Canadian entertainment news website, was announced on November 1, 2011.[6] In 2013, andPop was in turn acquired by Channel Zero.[7]

The site laid off its staff in 2017.[8]

Reader polls

In 1996, 2000 and 2005, the magazine conducted polls of readers, musicians and music industry professionals to determine the 50 best Canadian albums and songs of all time. There were 25 albums and 18 songs which ranked in the top 50 in all three polls.

Top 50 albums

Rank 1996 2000 2005
1 Sloan, Twice Removed Joni Mitchell, Blue Sloan, Twice Removed
2 Neil Young, Harvest Neil Young, Harvest Neil Young, Harvest
3 Joni Mitchell, Blue Sloan, Twice Removed Joni Mitchell, Blue
4 The Tragically Hip, Up to Here Rheostatics, Whale Music Broken Social Scene, You Forgot It in People
5 Rheostatics, Whale Music Rheostatics, Melville Neil Young, After the Gold Rush
6 The Tragically Hip, Fully Completely The Lowest of the Low, Shakespeare My Butt The Weakerthans, Left and Leaving
7 Neil Young, After the Gold Rush Sarah McLachlan, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy The Lowest of the Low, Shakespeare My Butt
8 The Band, Music from Big Pink Rush, Moving Pictures The Tragically Hip, Fully Completely
9 Cowboy Junkies, The Trinity Session Sloan, One Chord to Another The Band, The Band
10 The Lowest of the Low, Shakespeare My Butt The Tragically Hip, Fully Completely Rheostatics, Whale Music
11 Sarah McLachlan, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy The Band, The Band k-os, Joyful Rebellion
12 Neil Young, Rust Never Sleeps Neil Young, After the Gold Rush The New Pornographers, Mass Romantic
13 k. d. lang, Ingenue The Tragically Hip, Day for Night Sloan, One Chord to Another
14 Neil Young, Tonight's the Night Mary Margaret O'Hara, Miss America The Band, Music from Big Pink
15 Rush, Moving Pictures Daniel Lanois, Acadie Rush, 2112
16 Rheostatics, Melville Neil Young, Rust Never Sleeps Sloan, Smeared
17 Slow, Against the Glass Change of Heart, Smile Arcade Fire, Funeral
18 Sloan, Smeared Matthew Good Band, Underdogs Rush, Moving Pictures
19 Leonard Cohen, I'm Your Man The Tragically Hip, Road Apples Sarah McLachlan, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy
20 Nomeansno, Wrong The Band, Music from Big Pink Leonard Cohen, Songs of Love and Hate
21 Teenage Head, Frantic City Sloan, Smeared The Tragically Hip, Day for Night
22 The Band, The Band The Tragically Hip, Up to Here Blue Rodeo, Five Days in July
23 Neil Young, Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere Joni Mitchell, Court and Spark Hayden, Everything I Long For
24 Sarah McLachlan, Solace Neil Young, Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere Neil Young, Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
25 Mary Margaret O'Hara, Miss America Rush, 2112 Metric, Old World Underground, Where Are You Now?
26 Sons of Freedom, Sons of Freedom Neil Young, Tonight's the Night Eric's Trip, Love Tara
27 Blue Rodeo, Outskirts The Grapes of Wrath, Now and Again Constantines, Shine a Light
28 Doughboys, Whatever Rufus Wainwright, Rufus Wainwright The Guess Who, American Woman
29 Daniel Lanois, Acadie Blue Rodeo, Five Days in July Neil Young, Rust Never Sleeps
30 The Inbreds, Kombinator Alanis Morissette, Jagged Little Pill Constantines, Constantines
31 Hayden, Everything I Long For Daniel Lanois, For the Beauty of Wynona Thrush Hermit, Clayton Park
32 The Pursuit of Happiness, Love Junk Leonard Cohen, Songs of Leonard Cohen The Tragically Hip, Up to Here
33 The Guess Who, American Woman Sloan, Navy Blues The Super Friendz, Mock Up, Scale Down
34 Blue Rodeo, Five Days in July The Guess Who, American Woman Nomeansno, Wrong
35 Eric's Trip, Love Tara Bran Van 3000, Glee Sarah Harmer, You Were Here
36 Skinny Puppy, Bites Cowboy Junkies, The Trinity Session Blue Rodeo, Outskirts
37 The Tragically Hip, Day for Night Eric's Trip, Love Tara Sam Roberts, We Were Born in a Flame
38 Nomeansno, Sex Mad Barenaked Ladies, Gordon Billy Talent, Billy Talent
39 Spirit of the West, Save This House I Mother Earth, Dig Neil Young, Tonight's the Night
40 54-40, 54-40 Sianspheric, Somnium Bryan Adams, Reckless
41 Change of Heart, Smile 54-40, 54-40 Sloan, Navy Blues
42 Art Bergmann, Sexual Roulette Moist, Silver Leonard Cohen, Songs of Leonard Cohen
43 Rush, 2112 Nomeansno, Wrong Feist, Let It Die
44 Joni Mitchell, Court and Spark Godspeed You Black Emperor!, Slow Riot for New Zero Kanada Rheostatics, Melville
45 Leonard Cohen, Songs of Leonard Cohen Our Lady Peace, Clumsy Rufus Wainwright, Rufus Wainwright
46 Teenage Head, Teenage Head Godspeed You Black Emperor!, F♯ A♯ ∞ Cowboy Junkies, The Trinity Session
47 The Grapes of Wrath, Now and Again Bryan Adams, Reckless Alanis Morissette, Jagged Little Pill
48 Simply Saucer, Cyborgs Revisited Blue Rodeo, Outskirts Death from Above 1979, You're a Woman, I'm a Machine
49 The Tragically Hip, Road Apples Sarah McLachlan, Surfacing Our Lady Peace, Clumsy
50 13 Engines, Perpetual Motion Machine Blue Rodeo, Casino Matthew Good Band, Beautiful Midnight

Top 50 songs

Rank 1996 2000 2005
1 The Demics, "New York City" The Guess Who, "American Woman" The Guess Who, "American Woman"
2 Sloan, "Underwhelmed" Sloan, "Underwhelmed" Sloan, "Underwhelmed"
3 The Guess Who, "American Woman" Gordon Lightfoot, "If You Could Read My Mind" Neil Young, "The Needle and the Damage Done"
4 The Pursuit of Happiness, "I'm an Adult Now" Bryan Adams, "Summer of '69" Gordon Lightfoot, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"
5 Martha and the Muffins, "Echo Beach" Gordon Lightfoot, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" Bryan Adams, "Summer of '69"
6 Bachman–Turner Overdrive, "Takin' Care of Business" The Pursuit of Happiness, "I'm An Adult Now" Rush, "Tom Sawyer"
7 Blue Rodeo, "Try" The Tragically Hip, "New Orleans Is Sinking" The Band, "The Weight"
8 Treble Charger, "Red" The Diodes, "Tired of Waking Up Tired" Neil Young, "Cortez the Killer"
9 Rush, "Tom Sawyer" The Demics, "New York City" Neil Young, "Heart of Gold"
10 Slow, "Have Not Been the Same" Neil Young, "Cinnamon Girl" Leonard Cohen, "Hallelujah"
11 Neil Young, "Cinnamon Girl" Maestro Fresh Wes, "Let Your Backbone Slide" Neil Young, "Rockin' in the Free World"
12 The Tragically Hip, "New Orleans Is Sinking" Sloan, "Money City Maniacs" Maestro Fresh Wes, "Let Your Backbone Slide"
13 Neil Young, "Rockin' in the Free World" Slow, "Have Not Been the Same" Gordon Lightfoot, "If You Could Read My Mind"
14 The Band, "The Weight" Blue Rodeo, "Try" The Tragically Hip, "New Orleans Is Sinking"
15 Gordon Lightfoot, "If You Could Read My Mind" Neil Young, "The Needle and the Damage Done" Payola$, "Eyes of a Stranger"
16 Payola$, "Eyes of a Stranger" Joni Mitchell, "Big Yellow Taxi" Neil Young, "Cinnamon Girl"
17 The Diodes, "Tired of Waking Up Tired" Rush, "Tom Sawyer" Joni Mitchell, "A Case of You"
18 k. d. lang, "Constant Craving" Rough Trade, "High School Confidential" Leonard Cohen, "Suzanne"
19 Men Without Hats, "The Safety Dance" Neil Young, "Rockin' in the Free World" The Weakerthans, "Left and Leaving"
20 Skinny Puppy, "Dig It" Martha and the Muffins, "Echo Beach" Sloan, "Coax Me"
21 Young Canadians, "Hawaii" Sloan, "Coax Me" The Band, "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down"
22 Rough Trade, "High School Confidential" Trooper, "Raise a Little Hell" Blue Rodeo, "Hasn't Hit Me Yet"
23 Gordon Lightfoot, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" The Tragically Hip, "At the Hundredth Meridian" Leonard Cohen, "Famous Blue Raincoat"
24 Bryan Adams, "Summer of '69" The Tragically Hip, "Courage (for Hugh MacLennan)" Rush, "Closer to the Heart"
25 Leonard Cohen, "Suzanne" Rheostatics, "Record Body Count" Stompin' Tom Connors, "The Hockey Song"
26 Doughboys, "Shine" Len, "Steal My Sunshine" Neil Young, "Down by the River"
27 Five Man Electrical Band, "Signs" The Tragically Hip, "Grace, Too" Gordon Lightfoot, "Canadian Railroad Trilogy"
28 Ian and Sylvia, "Four Strong Winds" 54-40, "One Gun" Bachman–Turner Overdrive, "Takin' Care of Business"
29 Sloan, "Coax Me" Bachman–Turner Overdrive, "Takin' Care of Business" The Guess Who, "No Sugar Tonight/New Mother Nature"
30 Neil Young, "Heart of Gold" Rufus Wainwright, "April Fool's" Sloan, "Snowsuit Sound"
31 A Foot in Coldwater, "Make Me Do (Anything You Want)" Payola$, "Eyes of a Stranger" Treble Charger, "Red"
32 Anne Murray, "Snowbird" Sweeney Todd, "Roxy Roller" Bruce Cockburn, "Lovers in a Dangerous Time"
33 Crowbar, "Oh, What a Feeling" Spirit of the West, "Political" k-os, "The Man I Used to Be"
34 The Viletones, "Screaming Fist" Anne Murray, "Snowbird" The Pursuit of Happiness, "I'm an Adult Now"
35 54-40, "I Go Blind" The Tragically Hip, "Ahead by a Century" Sloan, "The Good in Everyone"
36 Terry Jacks, "Seasons in the Sun" Gordon Lightfoot, "Sundown" Hayden, "Bad As They Seem"
37 Spirit of the West, "Political" Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet, "Having an Average Weekend" Joni Mitchell, "Big Yellow Taxi"
38 The Haunted, "1-2-5" Doughboys, "Shine" Neil Young, "Cowgirl in the Sand"
39 The Ugly Ducklings, "Nothin'" Leonard Cohen, "Suzanne" Rush, "Limelight"
40 Slow, "I Broke the Circle" Sarah McLachlan, "Vox" Blue Rodeo, "Five Days in May"
41 Andy Kim, "Rock Me Gently" 54-40, "Baby Ran" Sloan, "Everything You've Done Wrong"
42 The Stampeders, "Sweet City Woman" Blue Rodeo, "Diamond Mine" Blue Rodeo, "Try"
43 Gordon Lightfoot, "Sundown" The Grapes of Wrath, "All the Things I Wasn't" The Guess Who, "These Eyes"
44 Tom Cochrane, "Life Is a Highway" Leonard Cohen, "So Long Marianne" Rheostatics, "Horses"
45 The Grapes of Wrath, "All the Things I Wasn't" Neil Young, "Heart of Gold" Alexisonfire, "Accidents"
46 The Guess Who, "These Eyes" Spoons, "Nova Heart" The New Pornographers, "Mass Romantic"
47 Cowboy Junkies, "Sweet Jane" Joni Mitchell, "A Case of You" Sam Roberts, "Hard Road"
48 Sweeney Todd, "Roxy Roller" Stompin' Tom Connors, "The Hockey Song" Neil Young, "Only Love Can Break Your Heart"
49 Sarah McLachlan, "The Path of Thorns (Terms)" The Tragically Hip, "Locked in the Trunk of a Car" Rufus Wainwright, "April Fool's"
50 Joni Mitchell, "Big Yellow Taxi" The Ugly Ducklings, "Nothin'" The Ugly Ducklings, "Nothin'"

References

  1. ^ Chart goes paperless Archived May 22, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, eye weekly, January 15, 2009.
  2. ^ Ritchie, Kevin. "Chart Attack Goes On Hiatus". NOW Magazine. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  3. ^ (June 3, 2000). "Charting a success story: From eight-page newsletter to 70-page glossy, Chart has grown along with the decade's music", Toronto Star, p. M2.
  4. ^ Flynn, Andrew (May 14, 2000). "Chart magazine makes it 10: Little publication grew strong by focussing on Canuck music", Canadian Press. Reprinted in The Daily News, p. 29.
  5. ^ a b Megan Thow (Spring 2002). "Critical Miss". Ryerson Review of Journalism. ISSN 0838-0651. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014.
  6. ^ "Video Saves the Radio Star - Online Video Poised to Revive Indie Music Site"Archived November 3, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. MediaCaster, November 1, 2011.
  7. ^ "Channel Zero Acquires Controlling Interest in ANDPOP" Archived January 3, 2014, at the Wayback Machine. Broadcaster, June 11, 2013.
  8. ^ "Canadian music site Chart Attack goes on hiatus" NOW Toronto, February 6, 2017.
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