The band is made up of Paul Langlois and Rob Baker on guitars, Gord Sinclair on bass, Johnny Fay on drums, and Gordon Downie on vocals. Of course a Canadian band will have two guys named Gord. In Canada they will sell out a place like the Molson Centre three nights in a row. Stateside they will play the 930 Club.
Gordon Downie is one of the most unique performers in rock. To say he's odd is to do oddness a dis-service. He's mesmerizing to watch. At some point in their show they'll do an extended jam where GD pretty much goes off on whatever tangent he feels like. Listening to old tapes of these shows you can hear song ideas being born and getting honed. Sometimes it's just an exercise in controlled chaos. Regardless it's awesome.
I figured that since you are reading this to learn about the music I like, a primer on my most favorite band might be a cool thing. If not, then adios. If so, check it out! I am going to do it in two parts, because there are a bunch of records to get through.
The Tragically Hip - 1987
This is their 7 song debut and it sounds like it. The production is very 80s sounding and the band sounds like what they were at the time: a bar band on the cusp of making it. There's a couple classic Hip songs here: "Last American Exit" and "Highway Girl." Here is the former:
It is a song that is distinctly Canadian. Many of their songs as you journey through their catalogue are Canuck-centric, but that is part of what makes them great: they wear their identity as a point of honor. See them live here and you will see hockey jerseys and maple leaf flags galore.
Up To Here - 1989
The first song of theirs I ever heard was "New Orleans Is Sinking."
I was living in Dallas at the time and I listened to Q102 pretty obsessively. Redbeard was the name of the DJ I liked best and back then DJs, at leads at Q102, appeared to be able to play what they liked and he played this song all the time. I was pretty much a classic-rock-only kind of guy. But this opening riff just grabbed me. It sounded dirty, sexy, dangerous. Plus Gordon Downie is one of the most clever lyricists around.
I had my hands in the river, my feet back up on the bank
Looked up to the Lord above and say "Hey man thanks!"
Sometimes I feel so good I gotta scream
She said Gordie baby I know exactly what you mean.
The band here is still in bar-band mode but the production is better, it snarls and bites in songs like "Blow At High Dough" and "I'll Believe In You (Or I'll Be Leaving You Tonight)" while it gets full and pretty in tracks like "38 Years Old" and "Another Midnight." This record is the beginning of an amazing four album run....
Road Apples - 1990
...Which continues with this record. It's a bit of more-of-the-same as the last record. You can hear them breaking out of the bar band restrictions with tracks like "The Luxury" and "Fiddler's Green."
Though it still rocks with songs like "Little Bones," "Twist My Arm," and "Born In The Water," it's more contemplative and interesting in spots. It's a bridge to the real leap they take with the next record.
Fully Completely - 1992
I bought this on Inauguration Day in Washington DC in 1993. This was back when Hip records came out in Canada first, then came out in America a few weeks (or months!!) later. I was at The Wiz in Tenley Circle and when I asked the clerk if they ahd it he told me to check the rap section. You know, because they have Hip in their name. Idiot!
Anyway I happily found the record. Here is where the band is at growing into maturity. "Courage" is one of the best opening record songs ever. And there is a trove of Hip classics here: "Locked In The Trunk Of A Car," "At The Hundredth Meridian," "Fifty Mission Cap," "Looking For A Place To Happen," "Fully Completely." MAN what a good freaking record.
How do I pick one song? Let's go with "Fifty Mission Cap" which is about hockey player Bill Barilko. This video is circa 1993 so you get an idea of what their shows were like.
Day For Night - 1994
Their fourth LP is their masterpiece, in this writer's humble opinion. Sensational song-writing, great musicianship, a band at the height of their powers. This was the tour I first saw them at, at the original 930 Club around the corner from the FBI building. One of the most amazing shows I have ever seen. A powerhouse of a band in a shitty little hellhole of a club that stunk of smoke (both cigs and pot) and beer and sweat and puke with a crowd that was in absolute frenzy. Hip crowds are the best; they know every line to every song and aren't afraid to sing along.
I had to special order this record from Canada because I couldn't wait for it to be released here. HA those were the days.
I can't even pick songs to list because they are all awesome. I'll just include what I think is their best song ever. It's about a shipwreck and survival and the guilt that comes when you are one of the few who make it through. Even today it gives me chills. The lyrics are so good, I'll re-print them here. Then please watch the video. It's from their 1995 appearance on Saturday Night Live, invited by Canadian Dan Aykroyd. It's an amazing performance (and is probably where Jim Parsons got his Sheldon Cooper look). If you only watch one of the videos here please make it this one. This song and performance is to me everything that makes this band so special and great and amazing.
"Nautical Disaster"
I had this dream where I relished the fray
And the screaming filled my head all day
It was as though I'd been spit here
Settled in, into the pocket
Of a lighthouse on some rocky socket
Off the coast of France, dear
One afternoon four thousand men died in the water here
And five hundred more were thrashing madly
As parasites might in your blood
Now I was in a lifeboat designed for ten and ten only
Anything that systematic would get you hated
It's not a deal nor a test nor a love of something fated
The selection was quick, the crew was picked in order
And those left in the water
Got kicked off our pant leg
And we headed for home
Then the dream ends when the phone rings
"You doing all right?"
He said, "It's out there most days and nights
But only a fool would complain"
Anyway, Susan, if you like
Our conversation is as faint a sound in my memory
As those fingernails scratching on my hull
Trouble At The Henhouse - 1996
This is probably their strangest record. It is easily their most experimental yet mellow. As a whole the lyrics get a bit too obtuse in spots but others have some indelible amazingly beautiful images. Take this one from "Don't Wake Daddy"
Sled dogs after dinner close their eyes on their howlin' ways
Kurt Cobain, reincarnated, sighs and licks his face
Then they drift past strips of Seregeneti and the gates of sleepy hollow too
You can pause and wonder they pause and wonder yeah I pause and wonder too
The opening three tracks are amongst their best: "Gift Shop," "Springtime in Vienna," and "Ahead By A Century." After that it's honestly hit or mist. "Don't Wake Daddy," "700 Ft Ceiling" and "Put It Off" are strong, but "Butts Wigglin," "Cocoanut Cream," and "Sherpa" are sort of meh. It's a more difficult record; it's less anthemic, much more nuanced. After four records of kicking ass you get the sense they needed to chill out a bit.
Here's the video for "Ahead By A Century," which is one of their prettiest songs. And it has weirdo Canadian kids in it. Sweet!
I'll pick it up tomorrow!!
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