Lost 1960s Album Found in Thrift Shop, Released 58 Years Later

A damaged vinyl record purchased for four dollars at a thrift store has brought a 1960s Canadian rock band back to life more than half a century after they broke up.

In 2016, music promoter Marcus Pollard bought an unlabeled record on a whim, despite visible damage to the vinyl. The six songs recorded on it captivated him immediately, but there were no clues about who had made the music.

Pollard searched for two years with no luck. In a final attempt, he posted a clip to a Canadian music appreciation group on Facebook and got the response he'd been hoping for.

"Hey, that's my record!" wrote Norman Roth, now 77 and working as a warehouse manager. The album had been recorded live in the 1960s when Roth was just 18, playing with his band The Glass Cage at small shows around Vancouver.

The recording was never officially released, and after the band broke up shortly after making it, the music disappeared. Roth hadn't heard those songs in more than 50 years.

But Pollard didn't stop at solving the mystery. After connecting with Roth and the other former band members, he spent the next eight years working to give their music the release it never got.

He assembled a team to restore the damaged record, digitally remaster the audio, and create professional packaging with a booklet documenting The Glass Cage's place in Vancouver's 1960s indie rock scene. The album, titled Where Did the Sunshine Go?, launches February 24, 2026.

The Ripple Effect

Pollard's effort goes beyond one band's story. His dedication shows how the work we create matters, even when it seems forgotten.

"I feel like everyone has done something in their life that was dismissed," Pollard told CTV News. "And I wanted them to feel like what they created was actually important."

For Roth and his former bandmates, the release isn't about chasing old dreams or seeking fame. They're simply grateful that others can now hear what they made together decades ago.

"I'm not looking for accolades or super stardom, that's long gone," Roth said. "It's just saying to the world, 'I was here.' And I hope they enjoy it."

The Glass Cage's music is now streaming on Bandcamp, and vinyl copies will be available when the album officially releases next month.