Tragically Hip ...

direwolf74

mert wrote:

On other forums, I've become known as The Tragically Hip Fan - being mostly American and Australian they don't really know the Hip... So people come to me to get suggestions on what to listen to, and I've actually sent two CDs of mixed Hip tunes to one girl who showed interest... Glad to see I'm not alone!

I'm just doin' my part to spread the love. Converting one fan at a time.

direwolf74

This just in: the Bathouse video series part 4 is now up on the Hip's site. I can't wait to hear the new record! Robby and Gord S. playing banjos? Interesting!

http://www.thehip.com/sneakPeak/TheBathouse-part4.html

mert

I want a gif of the first few seconds of Baker and Sinclair rockin' out on banjos! Thanks for posting!

WWS

direwolf74 wrote:

This just in: the Bathouse video series part 4 is now up on the Hip's site. I can't wait to hear the new record! Robby and Gord S. playing banjos? Interesting!

http://www.thehip.com/sneakPeak/TheBathouse-part4.html

Cool Thanks.

locked

I get the impression this upcoming CD is gonna suck me right back into new Hip tunes..

I was in love with their studio stuff through "In Violet light"..

I still say that was their best tour..

and then they lost me..

All deference to you DW...

I know you think WC is their best work..

I love those tracks live.. but on record "the kids don't get it" (:)

IVL sounds great on CD and Live IMO..

The one thing I have never seen live / asways wanted to was :

"The Dark Canuck".. reminds me of a WHO type rock opera..

"if you need a good connection for drugs.."

direwolf74

locked wrote:

I get the impression this upcoming CD is gonna suck me right back into new Hip tunes..

I was in love with their studio stuff through "In Violet light"..

I still say that was their best tour..

and then they lost me..

All deference to you DW...

I know you think WC is their best work..

I love those tracks live.. but on record "the kids don't get it" (:)

Just to clarify, I never said WC was their best work. But I did say it was the best record they've made since Phantom Power, which of course is debatable, as everybody has different tastes when it comes to the Hip. The album definitely has that Bob Rock polish to it, and some of the tracks are way overproduced (In View and World Container come to mind). But I find the songs themselves to be incredibly well written. Yer Not the Ocean, Lonely End of the Rink, Fly, Luv Sic, Kids Don't Get It, The Drop Off, Family Band, and the title track can easily stand up to anything in the Hip's catalogue in my opinion. One thing we can definitely agree on though is that these songs really come to life when the boys play them live. I'll never forget the first time I heard them play Rink and The Drop Off back in '06 before the album came out. The sheer force of those songs just blew me away. Rock n' fuckin' roll, baby! By the time "In Between Evolution" came out, I thought the guys were spinning their wheels a little bit, and dare I say it: repeating themselves. They seemed kind of stuck in a creative rut. I've never been a big fan of Bob Rock's production style, but I give the guy credit for giving the boys a much needed push and encouraging them to have a little more fun in the studio. They sound totally rejuvenated on that record. You can hear it in the songs...especially Gord's amazing vocal performance.

locked

can i get a Hip shout out to keep this going?

celtsvslakers

I can't believe I slept on the Hip for so long, started listening to them about a month ago and have been hooked ever since. I prefer their earlier stuff, but their catalogue as a whole is very impressive.

direwolf74

celtsvslakers wrote:

I can't believe I slept on the Hip for so long, started listening to them about a month ago and have been hooked ever since. I prefer their earlier stuff, but their catalogue as a whole is very impressive.

Welcome to the longest running tribute thread in the Other Music forum! It's always great seeing people discovering this band for the first time. They've just finished recording a new album which should be out early in 2009. These guys MUST be seen live to get the full effect, so make sure to keep an eye on their website for tour dates and go to as many shows as you can. I guarantee you'll be hooked after the first song of your first show.

keeponrockin

I can't wait to see them next year!!

locked

page 4 of this forum??

shame on you canucks!

can any explain to me why the song "Dire Wolf" was never marketed to adult radio and become their "breakthrough" hit???

I am US born and bred and just think the missed a collossal chance to re-introduce themselves to the US market..

"Courage" and "meridian" had some traction in the days of hard rock stations ...

"Poets' did pretty good with Adult Contempoarary Radio in the US..but little or no follow up..

direwolf74

locked wrote:

page 4 of this forum??

shame on you canucks!

can any explain to me why the song "Dire Wolf" was never marketed to adult radio and become their "breakthrough" hit???

I am US born and bred and just think the missed a collossal chance to re-introduce themselves to the US market..

"Courage" and "meridian" had some traction in the days of hard rock stations ...

"Poets' did pretty good with Adult Contempoarary Radio in the US..but little or no follow up..

Their biggest hit in the U.S. was Ahead by a Century in 1996. According to the Canadian rock biography "Have Not Been the Same", the song reached #136 on the billboard top 200. Pretty respectable for a band that had little to zero exposure in the mainstream media south of the border. At the same time over the last 10 years or so, they've managed to open for the Rolling Stones, The Who, and Page & Plant. I have no idea how these huge bands find out about the Hip. Pete Townshend reportedly discovered them simply through word of mouth and ended up loving them.

locked

respect your response DW but you missed the whole focus of my post..

why let a song like "Dire Wolf" languish..?

Its about the most "radio friendly" song in their catalog?

Its akin to Pearl Jam sitting on "Sad" and "Undone" as "lost dogs" instead of using them as major singles with the CD releases..

WTF?

direwolf74

locked wrote:

respect your response DW but you missed the whole focus of my post..

why let a song like "Dire Wolf" languish..?

Its about the most "radio friendly" song in their catalog?

Its akin to Pearl Jam sitting on "Sad" and "Undone" as "lost dogs" instead of using them as major singles with the CD releases..

WTF?

Ahh, ok. I see what you're saying. Yea, "Dire Wolf" would've made a great single. In the past the Hip have chosen some of the weirdest/non-commercial songs as singles. I remember when they released "Nautical Disaster" as a single, and I was like what the hell?? There's no way that song will do well on radio. And it didn't. Same thing when they released "It's a Good Life if You Don't Weaken". Beautiful song, but it's just not catchy enough to be a decent radio single.

But they finally hit the jackpot with "In View". It reached the #1 spot on various formats across Canada that winter (rock radio, top 40, etc...) and was their first big hit since "My Music at Work" back in 2000. I know they released the single & the video in the U.S. as well, but it didn't even make a dent on the billboard charts, which is bizarre considering how ridiculously catchy that song is. It's easily the most commercial-sounding song they've ever released. The lyrics are very straight-forward, and compared to the majority of Hip songs it's nothing more than a fun throw-away track that they threw on the album just for the hell of it. Paul Langlois said that song came together very quickly and they didn't really have any intentions of making it the single until Bob Rock convinced them that it would be a huge hit. Bob was right. It's funny though. That song isn't even remotely close to representing what the Hip are about. Part of me is glad that it never caught on in the U.S.

Igottago

direwolf74 wrote:

Ahh, ok. I see what you're saying. Yea, "Dire Wolf" would've made a great single. In the past the Hip have chosen some of the weirdest/non-commercial songs as singles. I remember when they released "Nautical Disaster" as a single, and I was like what the hell?? There's no way that song will do well on radio. And it didn't. Same thing when they released "It's a Good Life if You Don't Weaken". Beautiful song, but it's just not catchy enough to be a decent radio single.

But they finally hit the jackpot with "In View". It reached the #1 spot on various formats across Canada that winter (rock radio, top 40, etc...) and was their first big hit since "My Music at Work" back in 2000. I know they released the single & the video in the U.S. as well, but it didn't even make a dent on the billboard charts, which is bizarre considering how ridiculously catchy that song is. It's easily the most commercial-sounding song they've ever released. The lyrics are very straight-forward, and compared to the majority of Hip songs it's nothing more than a fun throw-away track that they threw on the album just for the hell of it. Paul Langlois said that song came together very quickly and they didn't really have any intentions of making it the single until Bob Rock convinced them that it would be a huge hit. Bob was right. It's funny though. That song isn't even remotely close to representing what the Hip are about. Part of me is glad that it never caught on in the U.S.

Nautical Disaster is one of if not the best song the Hip have ever written. If people didn't like the Hip when they heard that, they will never like them.

In View was a top 40 adult contemporary radio friendly song, and most people who liked In View probably watch "the View". I agree that song doesn't nearly capture the essence of what the Hip are.

The Hip are in a position of luxury, because they already have a big fanbase...they can essentially release whatever they feel like and there's a group of people willing to listen/buy it. So why would they really care about a hit single? It means nothing to them. And as a fan, it means nothing to me. Why do I care if soccer moms turn up the radio when In View is on? The song was a throwaway, as you said.

direwolf74

Igottago wrote:

Nautical Disaster is one of if not the best song the Hip have ever written.

I'll go one better and say that "Nautical Disaster" is one of the greatest rock songs ever written in the history of the genre, period. I've probably said this before, but that song is the sound of the Hip at the peak of their powers, and it remains the perfect marriage of the band's hard-rock sound and Downie's brilliantly poetic lyrics. That song has moved me to tears at times, especially when they play it live. Robby's emotional solo during the outtro is what really drives it home for me. I still think it's the best guitar solo he's ever recorded. If individual songs were inducted into the rock n' roll hall of fame, this song would definitely make the short list.

bharQ

how good was that at sasquatch 06

HermanBloom

Dire Wolf and The Dark Canuck my two favorite songs

Igottago

direwolf74 wrote:

I'll go one better and say that "Nautical Disaster" is one of the greatest rock songs ever written in the history of the genre, period. I've probably said this before, but that song is the sound of the Hip at the peak of their powers, and it remains the perfect marriage of the band's hard-rock sound and Downie's brilliantly poetic lyrics. That song has moved me to tears at times, especially when they play it live. Robby's emotional solo during the outtro is what really drives it home for me. I still think it's the best guitar solo he's ever recorded. If individual songs were inducted into the rock n' roll hall of fame, this song would definitely make the short list.

Agreed...that era (Fully Completely to Henhouse/Phantom Power) is when the Hip could've easily had the "greatest band on earth" moniker. They were simply incredible at that point. Best Saturday Night Live performance ever, by any band, was when they were on and played "grace too" and "nautical disaster".

This isn't meant to discount all the other stuff they've written, because there's lots of great material..but they were a phenomenal band in that era of the 1990's.

EdsHead

I love the Hip. Their last album was really good. I saw them a few times on their "Another Roadside Attraction" tours. They were so great. Those shows were a blast.