Bachman-Turner Overdrive--Takin Care of Business (1974)

     The group Brave Belt had morphed into Bachman-Turner Overdrive by 1973, and their first album release was a promising debut, having reached #70 on the US album charts. Late that year, they went back to the studio to record what was to become their breakthrough with a top 10 showing and two hit singles, "Let It Ride", and "Takin' Care of Business".

      The song had it genesis back when Randy Bachman was still playing with the Guess Who. It was written for a recording technician who was working with the group. Originally called, "White Collar Worker" (the recording guys in the studio were required to wear white shirts), it was shelved because lead singer Burton Cummings thought the guitar riff sounded too much like The Beatles "Paperback Writer". It wasn't until BTO was touring that he heard (on the radio) the term, "Takin' Care of Business". Bachman changed the lyrics and the guitar riff a bit and the new song was born.

         An interesting note about the piano part in the song. As the band was listening to a playback of the song a guy who was bringing a pizza to the studio for the Steve Miller Band stuck his head inside the room saying that that song could really use a boogie woogie piano sound. Bachman thought it was just a pizza delivery guy. It was actually Norman Durkee who was not only the musical director for Bette Midler and Barry Manilow, but was an accomplished studio piano player himself. After talking it over with the guys they chased Durkee down in the studio and he wrote the chords of the song on the pizza box....and later that day went and nailed the keys on the first take....