PunBB

we are in the age of obama people! (tongue in cheek). change is good! (no tongue in cheek).

Hi guys, been a fan for a long time, and needed to express my opinion on this album. Great site by the way.

The hip need to stop working with Bob Rock. This album has some decent material but it gets f'd up so bad with his overproduction. Is it different? Yes. Is it good? Not necessarily. I feel like all the stuff that is supposed to be "different" is done in a really superficial way. He hit us in the head with strings, vocal layers, horns. Didn't matter if the songs needed them or not.

I can appreciate the fact that the Hip wanted something different, and I am not one of those old school fans who wants the same old same old again and again. I want quality songs, and quality production. If they really wanted something "different", they should work with someone who has fresher ideas than Bob Rock, who is a relic of big corporate rock. I dont think he is challenging the band at all, unless the challenge is to make stuff that sounds like top40 middle aged rock, with a few superficial production techniques, giving off the illusion of growth and experimentation. If the Hip aren't careful they will become more like Great Big Sea than the great band they truly are.

An example of something "different" that works...Coke Machine Glow...a masterpiece. Now that was taking chances. I hate to say it but sometimes I think Gord Downie should focus on his solo career, he was doing some amazingly interesting things with it.

Igottago Wrote:Hi guys, been a fan for a long time, and needed to express my opinion on this album. Great site by the way.

The hip need to stop working with Bob Rock. This album has some decent material but it gets f'd up so bad with his overproduction. Is it different? Yes. Is it good? Not necessarily. I feel like all the stuff that is supposed to be "different" is done in a really superficial way. He hit us in the head with strings, vocal layers, horns. Didn't matter if the songs needed them or not.

I can appreciate the fact that the Hip wanted something different, and I am not one of those old school fans who wants the same old same old again and again. I want quality songs, and quality production. If they really wanted something "different", they should work with someone who has fresher ideas than Bob Rock, who is a relic of big corporate rock. I dont think he is challenging the band at all, unless the challenge is to make stuff that sounds like top40 middle aged rock, with a few superficial production techniques, giving off the illusion of growth and experimentation. If the Hip aren't careful they will become more like Great Big Sea than the great band they truly are.

An example of something "different" that works...Coke Machine Glow...a masterpiece. Now that was taking chances. I hate to say it but sometimes I think Gord Downie should focus on his solo career, he was doing some amazingly interesting things with it.

welcome to the board.... CMG.... cool album but not a masterpiece by any means IMO...and it is a solo cd not a collective effort...totally different monster.... I think many of us are open to and enjoy the direction the band took on this album... who knows maybe in a couple years they will give us a self-produced raw-bar-rock cd... It's just cool that the same 5 guys are still making music together :thumb:

spottrax Wrote:who knows maybe in a couple years they will give us a self-produced raw-bar-rock cd...

Here's hoping they NEVER self-produce an album again. TATH is one of their worst sounding albums by far. The drums sound so bad on that album, and that's half the battle for good production. I'm hoping they work with Daniel Lanois someday.

Escape@Hand Wrote:

spottrax Wrote:who knows maybe in a couple years they will give us a self-produced raw-bar-rock cd...

Here's hoping they NEVER self-produce an album again. TATH is one of their worst sounding albums by far. The drums sound so bad on that album, and that's half the battle for good production. I'm hoping they work with Daniel Lanois someday.

Just my opinion but I honestly like the drum mix on a few of the songs on TATH....but not ALL of them. I record (home studio) and have recorded dozens, probably hundreds of tunes (in other studios) and yes...the drum mix is usually quite a battle getting it right...or right for the song. If I can knock Bob Rock a little (and I honestly like most of the production on WATS) I don't care for some of his drum mixes on this album.... a little too generic 90's/early 2000's sounding on some of the rockers (LIAF,honey, exact, struggle). I do like the drum mix on MM, Coffee girl and a some of the others. I do agree 100% that Lanois would be a great choice to produce a Hip album.

:thumb:

spottrax Wrote:

Escape@Hand Wrote:

spottrax Wrote:who knows maybe in a couple years they will give us a self-produced raw-bar-rock cd...

Here's hoping they NEVER self-produce an album again. TATH is one of their worst sounding albums by far. The drums sound so bad on that album, and that's half the battle for good production. I'm hoping they work with Daniel Lanois someday.

Just my opinion but I honestly like the drum mix on a few of the songs on TATH....but not ALL of them. I record (home studio) and have recorded dozens, probably hundreds of tunes (in other studios) and yes...the drum mix is usually quite a battle getting it right...or right for the song. If I can knock Bob Rock a little (and I honestly like most of the production on WATS) I don't care for some of his drum mixes on this album.... a little too generic 90's/early 2000's sounding on some of the rockers (LIAF,honey, exact, struggle). I do like the drum mix on MM, Coffee girl and a some of the others. I do agree 100% that Lanois would be a great choice to produce a Hip album.

:thumb:

They worked with Lanois' protege Mark Howard on Day for Night (not to mention working with Daniel himself on the charity single "Land" from the '93 ARA tour). I'd say it's a definite possibility that they could hook up with Lanois on a future album. It would certainly be cool to hear the results.

Daniel Lanois would be an inspired choice to produce a Hip album, but.......there's no chance of it ever happening. I received an e-mail from him a couple years ago after suggesting that his production skills would be great for a certain artist (it wasn't the Hip). He responded saying thanks, but that he's concentrating only on his own music now and no longer produces albums for other artists.

rob68 Wrote:Daniel Lanois would be an inspired choice to produce a Hip album, but.......there's no chance of it ever happening. I received an e-mail from him a couple years ago after suggesting that his production skills would be great for a certain artist (it wasn't the Hip). He responded saying thanks, but that he's concentrating only on his own music now and no longer produces albums for other artists.

Really? He just finished producing a little record by this up-and-coming band out of Dublin called U2.

chris Wrote:

rob68 Wrote:Daniel Lanois would be an inspired choice to produce a Hip album, but.......there's no chance of it ever happening. I received an e-mail from him a couple years ago after suggesting that his production skills would be great for a certain artist (it wasn't the Hip). He responded saying thanks, but that he's concentrating only on his own music now and no longer produces albums for other artists.

Really? He just finished producing a little record by this up-and-coming band out of Dublin called U2.

Their new one? Oh wow, so much for sticking to his own words then...

rob68 Wrote:

chris Wrote:

rob68 Wrote:Daniel Lanois would be an inspired choice to produce a Hip album, but.......there's no chance of it ever happening. I received an e-mail from him a couple years ago after suggesting that his production skills would be great for a certain artist (it wasn't the Hip). He responded saying thanks, but that he's concentrating only on his own music now and no longer produces albums for other artists.

Really? He just finished producing a little record by this up-and-coming band out of Dublin called U2.

Their new one? Oh wow, so much for sticking to his own words then...

Yep: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.u2.com/discography/index/album/albumId/4083/tagName/studio_albums">http://www.u2.com/discography/index/alb ... dio_albums</a><!-- m -->

He even did some songwriting with them.

Hi Guys.

Finally got my copy of 'We Are The Same' last Friday (not an easy album to get hold of in the UK).
My thoughts; mainly frustration. I'm firmly in the Bob Rock sure never work with The Hip again camp, and while I think WATS has got some damn fine tracks I find Bob Rocks production just sucks the life out of The Hip sound leaving me listening to a big gloop of sugary blandness. World Container got away with it more because it was a rock album but WATS is a slower and a more intimate album, or aleast it should be - but because Bobby can't do intimate or sparse and has to throw more and more things into the mix killing the passion. Compare this if you will with IVL (In my opinion an album of simular pacing to WATS) although not the best Hip album in terms of actual songs the production is spot on and really allows songs like 'Leave' and 'Dire Wolf' to shine on there own without huge amount of over production.

As a collection of songs I can't fault WATS much. 'The Last Recluse', 'Now the Struggle', 'Queen of Furrows' and 'Country Day' are great. The only song i'm having trouble liking is 'Frozen in my Tracks' and 'The Exact Feeling' feels alittle filler.

So overall a fairly strong set of songs spoilt by the sugary production that kills the passion from the Hip.

This album gets better with every spin. I can't get enough of it. It's quickly moving up the ladder and becoming one of my favorites. You just can't fault the songwriting. I've gotten past the excessive string arrangements on all songs except Country Day, which I still think is about a minute or so too long. I knew I'd like the album better the more I heard it, and I was right.

The more I listen to WATS the more boring I find it. If I skip over tracks 3-6, then it's ok, but this is the first Hip album where I have to skip numerous songs. I know a lot of people seem to be in love with Depression and Recluse, but they do absolutely nothing for me. Suffice it to say, this album hasn't grown on me at all, in fact I think the opposite. Oh well, here's to hoping for a new album from them sooner rather than later, preferably with a new producer too...

This is the worst Hip album I've ever heard but I love it the most of all their albums.
There that should just about cover everyone here.

after many listens i still stand by my original comments about LOVING this cd

i like what bob rock did to it and also his involvement in WC

i havent even seen the new songs live yet so i can only think my opinions will improve

ONLY song i don't fully connect with is frozen in my tracks

and ummmmm

I CAN'T GET THIS LYRIC OUT OF MY HEAD

When all 'the poetry of the earth'
Might be all there is
It might still have some worth
Yeah, but I can't dance to it

it's just so overwhelming poignant