[edgoffin]

Inspired by the NFPA discussion, I thought it may be interesting to go through the albums chronologically and have a similar discussion. Recollections of the albums, likes and dislikes, insight and perspective you may have. We can start with the EP, and as conversation slows move on to the next release.

The Tragically Hip -- Release 1987
1. "Small Town Bringdown" (Gord Sinclair)
2. "Last American Exit" (Sinclair)
3. "Killing Time" (Gord Downie, Rob Baker)
4. "Evelyn" (Sinclair)
5. "Cemetery Sideroad" (Downie, Sinclair)
6. "I'm a Werewolf, Baby" (Downie, Baker)
7. "Highway Girl" (Downie, Baker)
8. "All-Canadian Surf Club" (Sinclair, Baker)

First time I heard of The Hip, they played my high school dance when I was in Grade 9. I didn't go, but a friend did and came back raving about the lead singer and their cover of Gloria. The name of the band also stuck in my head, and I came across the EP (likely in the Bayshore Mall in Ottawa, at what I think was Sam the Record Man). Bought the vinyl (which I still have), I think I dubbed it to cassette and then at some time also bought the cassette.

One funny thing was seeing them live first few times, Surf Club was a regular in the setlist and I could never find that song (pre-Internet). I can't remember when the CD was released, but was happy to finally get that track. The Hip were maybe the first band that successfully made me buy the same release multiple times.

To be honest, when I think back I was likely sort of "meh" on the EP. At that time Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Motley Crue were pretty popular, and I was also getting into bands like The Doors. The one track that really stood out was Cemetery Sideroad, mostly because we drove by a Cemetery Sideroad on a regular basis along Highway 7 between Ottawa and Carleton Place. I've always assumed the road and the song are connected -- would have been a regular drive for the band as they played Ottawa often in those early days -- but likely every region has a Cemetery Sideroad. It really took until UTH and seeing the band live a few times for the EP really take hold.

Now with the benefit of 30 years, it's interesting to revisit the EP. I had not realized until recently that producer Ken Greer was/is in Red Rider. He did not do a lot of producing, but interesting that he also produced an album for The Saddletramps (Sarah Harmer's first band). The album does has some of that distinct 1980s sound, especially on the drum production. Bit of that Red Rider sound in the chiming rhythm guitar at times (Evelyn is an example) and the gang vocals in Cemetery.

The album was also recorded at least in part at Sounds Interchange, which oddly was owned at some time period by Labatt's. Alannah Myles and Rush recorded there -- studio still exists, but I think now primarily for TV and film production. Also maybe the only album where writing credits are easily found? I can't believe it took two people to write Werewolf (though the solo is pretty cool). It was likely a good band choice to go to a collective writing credit, as that seems to be one key to long-term longevity.

The EP does capture a band that was out playing bars, and high school dances, and trying to mix in some originals that will capture the ear of the audience. Werewolf and Evelyn are not the pinnacle of songwriting, but I imagine they'd stop and make a crowd listen.

Highway Girl obviously stands out as the track that offers the best glimpse of what's to come down the road. I recall seeing them play it live in some earlier shows, but it seemed to fall off the set list far earlier than it should have. Listening to the album version, I can hear a bit of the New Orleans riff working it's way into the track. Killing Time is also a pretty cool track, in that Gord uses his full register in comparison to most other tracks on the EP (also has some lyrics that makes me realize these guys were pretty young at the time: "I drank a half a bottle of jack, swore I'd never take you back"). Likely just because it's a sort of bluesy track, but really reminds me of an earlier version of Fight.

Good EP that laid the basis for what was to come.

[schaggs]

This EP was the 7th album I ever bought.

Last American Exit and Small Town Bringdown were really the only two from the album I listened to before the "Double Suicide" rant opened my eyes to Highway Girl (and really re-inforced das hips as a live band). Related: A band I had in high school used to cover Highway Girl.

That being said, Cemetery Sideroad is now my favourite tune on this album. Maybe I'm in the minority, but it's really got a Road Apples feel to it.

Still don't really dig Killing, Evelyn, Wereworlf, or All-Canadian Surf Club. Also, this recording sounds like it was recorded live off the floor in a giant room and the midrange reverb isn't real pleasant. I no longer seek out this album to listen to it, but it's a treat when a tune comes through on the shuffle.

[edgoffin]

Also, this recording sounds like it was recorded live off the floor in a giant room and the midrange reverb isn't real pleasant. I no longer seek out this album to listen to it, but it's a treat when a tune comes through on the shuffle.

I'd always figured the room was a big influence on the sound. Once I connected the dots on the producer and Red Rider, I wonder if much of that reverb is also in the production. Listen to Lunatic Fringe or White Hot (the Red Rider songs that come to mind) and they're reverb heavy.

In terms of sound, that's one of the most noticeable changes from the EP to UTH -- Gord's vocals are way "drier" in terms of reverb (better studio, isolated tracks, better producer).

[schaggs]

In terms of sound, that's one of the most noticeable changes from the EP to UTH -- Gord's vocals are way "drier" in terms of reverb (better studio, isolated tracks, better producer).

I'd like to know what exactly was used. I dabble in this sort of thing.

My guess is that EP was recorded in a hall of some kind, and UTH was recorded in a proper studio. The producer of UTH kept off the reverb because the Phil Collins sound was on it's way out of style, but I'm not sure it's all isolated. I'm sure I hear some track bleedthrough on UTH.

I'd love to hear the original tapes of the EP pre-effects.

[direwolf74]

This was the 2nd Hip album I bought after first becoming obsessed with Up to Here in 1990. I didn't know the EP existed until I caught the video for Small Town Bringdown on Much one day. Needless to say, I immediately ran to A&A Records & Tapes to find a copy (or was it Sam's?) Anyway, those first two albums got quite a workout on my walkman for months.

Favorite songs: Small Town Bringdown, Last American Exit, Killing Time, Cemetery Sideroad.

[edgoffin]

It would be interesting to hear those original tracks -- if I had a time machine, would also be interesting to hear these tracks live. With the exception of Highway Girl, they got dropped from set lists pretty quick. I can recall seeing Highway Girl and Surf Club live (Surf Club as late as Road Apples tour), but don't think I ever saw them play any other EP tracks.

UTH was recorded in Memphis, and Don Smith was the producer (was really everything -- producer, engineer, mixer -- also produced Road Apples). I've never figured out how that happened. Smith at the time was working with Tom Petty, U2 -- some big names -- Hip stand out as a relative unknown.

[gsmacleod]

I picked up the EP in '96; was at university and through the wonders of the internet and mp3's, I was suddenly exposed to lots of new to me music, including the Hip. We had a bunch of songs in regular rotation in the lab where I worked and then I went to the one place in town that sold CD's (Radio Shack) and since the Hip's CD's were always "on sale," I picked up the entire catalogue.

The EP didn't see a lot of love; listened a few times but most of it never really grew on me and I think most of that had to do with the production. There were glimpses of what I loved about their work on later releases but with so much great stuff out by '96, the EP didn't see much play.

Since then I have picked up two pressings of this on vinyl; an original promotional pressing as well as last year's reissue (since I'm a sucker and wanted Surf Club on vinyl). I have probably spun the vinyl more than I've listened to the CD and while I still don't love the production, I love what it is and the first insight into what this band would become.

Going to give it a listen with headphones on at some point in the next couple of days; will do a track by track write up at that point.

Shane

[edgoffin]

Since then I have picked up two pressings of this on vinyl; an original promotional pressing as well as last year's reissue (since I'm a sucker and wanted Surf Club on vinyl)

Curious if you noticed any differences with the reissue (beyond the extra track?).

[Moof_Milker]

Welp, you gotta start somewhere. I love this album for what it is, but the songwriting and especially the production values put at a lower level than any Hip album that followed. I mentioned in another thread that the Hip's discography is like my favourite book and each album is a chapter. If that's the case, then I'd call the EP the 'preface.' Highway Girl is a classic though...and Small Town Bringdown and Last American Exit are great too. I originally only had the cassette so I only heard All Canadian Surf Club when I eventually bought the CD. The songwriting breakdown on the EP is fascinating...with Gord Sinclair being the most prominent. Was this the last time Sinclair contributed lyrics? I've only heard rumours about his lyrical input on UTH. Anyway, after the news of May 24, 2016, I put all the Hip albums into a playlist and let it play on shuffle all summer long. It actually gave a new appreciation and admiration for these songs - especially the ones I never really dug. Hearing a song like Killing Time followed by, say, In Sarnia was a cool listening experience.

The one track that really stood out was Cemetery Sideroad, mostly because we drove by a Cemetery Sideroad on a regular basis along Highway 7 between Ottawa and Carleton Place. I've always assumed the road and the song are connected -- would have been a regular drive for the band as they played Ottawa often in those early days -- but likely every region has a Cemetery Sideroad.

In a 1996 online chat, the band was asked if this was the same place and they said, "yes" http://www.canoe.ca/HipLetter/hip_letter6.html

Edit: that online chat is worth reading. Lots of fun quotes, including Gord D after being asked what music the band listens to says "I won't commit the error of catalogues and lists, when it comes to music I'll leave that up to Maclean's Magazine." A phrase that appeared 5 years later on Lofty Pines.

[chagrinfalls]

First time I heard of The Hip, they played my high school dance when I was in Grade 9.

I stopped reading here so I could go light up a joint. This thread is going to be so good.

[cochise]

Similar to another post above, the EP was the second album I purchased once I realized its existence after my addiction to UTH.

It definitely was a "freshman" album, but at the time I thought it was pretty good. Really loved Highway Girl, Small Town Bringdown and Last American Exit. I had just begun messing around with the guitar too, so it was great to listen and re-listen to its "chunkiness" and trying to pick up the chords. This was long before being able to hop onto the internet, where you actually had to buy guitar tab books and ya, good luck finding ANYTHING The Hip back then.

Not the strongest album for certain, but a ton of great memories and for that, I love it for the memories it brings back.

[edgoffin]

First time I heard of The Hip, they played my high school dance when I was in Grade 9.

I stopped reading here so I could go light up a joint. This thread is going to be so good.

One of my regrets will always be not going to that dance -- I remember we had intended to go, but ended up going to a pool hall instead. A bad decision. I know one person who did actually attend.

The high school regularly had bands play -- if anyone out there is a huge fan, I think 8 Seconds played either a dance or just a lunchtime show around the same time. I also remember a real kickass Motley Crue cover band playing a lunch show (though that may have been more like Grade 11). So with that background, not being too excited to go see a band at the dance was likely the right attitude.

The booker for the show was Eugene Haslam, who later went to own Zaphods and Barrymores. I know The Hip played Grand Central in Ottawa, but they quickly graduated to playing Barrymores.

[gsmacleod]

Since then I have picked up two pressings of this on vinyl; an original promotional pressing as well as last year's reissue (since I'm a sucker and wanted Surf Club on vinyl)

Curious if you noticed any differences with the reissue (beyond the extra track?).

I haven't listened to them back to back so I'm not sure. I'll try that when I sit down to listen and see what differences I notice.

Shane

[clarke]

I can probably count the number of times I've listened to his album on one hand. Day for Night was my introduction to the Hip but I was only 11, saw them live during the Phantom Power/Camp Trillium shows when I was 15, and by the time M@W came out I was 17 and they were my favourite band. By then I had all the albums, knew them all, but the EP was just never appealing to me. If I had been a teenager when the EP came out maybe different story. The same almost goes for Up to Here.

For me there was never any reason to listen to this. I've been more interested in the new, in the re-invention that comes with each album.

I liken it to early Beatles work, they turned into something great but it really isn't very good. Most band's first albums aren't good. I also imagine this is why they stopped performing any of these songs - they aren't very good, especially when compared to the rest of the catalog.

Re-listening now, probably won't make it through. Wanted to turn it off as soon as Last American Exit starts.

[potsie]

Great thread idea!

When I think about the EP, the question that plagues me is “Why these songs?” The Ken Greer demo tape from May 1986, a full 18 months before the December 1987 release of the EP, contains near fully developed versions of She Didn’t Know, When the Weight Comes Down, NOIS, and other great tracks like Rain, Hearts, Fires (which incidentally has the exact same drum ending as Smalltown) and Nuclear Bar-B-Q. Why didn’t any of these make the cut for the EP? Surely they would have been a step up from Evelyn and Werewolf.

The other thing I ponder is whether this album represents “Gord Sinclair’s Band”. Was he calling the shots for the band at this point in time? There is an interesting point in the Hippie Historian's interview with Rob Baker where Rob talks about the band deciding to credit all songs to The Tragically Hip, as opposed to the individual writers as was done on the EP. He says that in doing so it was Gord Sinclair that was giving up the most since he was the most natural and complete songwriter in the group at that time. If not band leader, it seems that at the very least Sinclair was the creative force in the band at the time of the EP release, maybe not ceding that title to Downie until a year or two later.

Gord Sinclair wrote the music and lyrics for the Hip's first two singles/hits, Smalltown Bringdown and Last American Exit. Together I believe these represent the songs with the greatest lyrical depth on an album where Downie was still finding his footing and hadn't yet honed his story-telling powers. The lyrical pool here is shallow and Downie’s “Werewolf” in particular almost seems to be a “joke” song. Surely he didn’t fight for inclusion of that tune on the EP based on its lyrical merits. That it’s on the album leaves me to believe that the EP would have fallen flat without Sinclair’s contributions.

Clarke, as you've pointed out, I believe the period in which one became a Hip fan colours perception of the EP. I can easily understand why someone who became a fan in the 2000’s (and I'm not referring specifically to you here, since you were earlier) has a lowly opinion of the EP; why would you want to spend much time with that album when you had six other great ones to listen to? However, I became a fan in 1991 so at that time I only had the EP, UTH and RA to listen to, and thus spent a considerable amount of time listening to their debut. That investment of time alone doesn’t increase the greatness of the album (it’s still at the bottom of album rankings for me), but it does possibly result in some of these tracks holding more meaning for me today than they should on the basis of quality alone.

I still put on the EP once-in-a-while, although admittedly it’s a fairly inconsistent album. I absolutely love three songs on the EP: Smalltown, Killing Time, and Cemetery Side Road. I would put Last American Exit and Highway Girl on the next rung down, leaving Evelyn, Werewolf and Surf Club at the bottom. Killing Time is the best representation on the album for the label they carried at that time of being a blues-based rock band (I think the best evidence overall of this is their version of Billy Boy Arnold’s “I Wish You Would” from the Copper Penny in ’85… they would have been a hell of blues band). KT deals with that time worn blues theme of hardship in personal relationships and is one of my favourite Hip tunes.

If I could change one thing about the Kingston show last year, it would be that they pulled out a couple of EP tunes in the encore, just to bring things full circle. I equate Smalltown with U2’s “I Will Follow”. It was the first step on the way to greatness. U2 hasn't forgotten that step (and still regularly plays their first hit) but the Hip seemingly had no interest in re-visiting their beginnings, which is a shame.