Having determined Small Town Bringdown as the champion of the EP, we are now on to the first full length release, Up to Here.
Again, choose the song you think is the weakest on the album. After 48 hours, the three songs with the most votes will be eliminated and we'll do round two.
In order for a song to be removed, it must receive at least 10% of the total votes in a round.
Happy voting!
Note - voting will end Tuesday at 7:33 Eastern.
Shane
Surprisingly tough. I think on every other album there is a song I can relatively easily finger as being the "weakest link" (except M@W, which has a number of contenders). Not a clear "weakest" on UTH for me. I wouldn't want this album to exist without all 11 songs.
Glad to see "Another Midnight" doing badly on this poll. While I myself voted for "I'll Be Leaving You" (despite its having one of the best middle-eights in the entire Hip canon), "Another Midnight" is the closest that album comes to an embarrassment. Yes, it has a good sound and production, and, like '38 Years Old,' is suggestive of a band with much more up its sleeve than just balls-to-the-wall rock and roll. Its problem is, mainly, lyrical. It shoots for a kind of deep worldliness and misses the mark - the net effect being that of a 19-year-old trying really hard to sound experienced and wise. It also doesn't help that the lyric's metre doesn't fit the refrain ('another mid-NITE' just sounds weak to my ear). It's not an awful song by any stretch, but unlike most of the tracks on UTH it's just not very convincing.
EDIT: how can anyone have voted for NOIS? That has to be either an ironic gag or the result of misreading the poll. :jump
To each their own of course but 7 votes (so far) against Every Time You Go and I'll Believe in You? Sacrilege on the verge of heresy. I have to wash my hands now.
I went with Another Midnight but it took a while. I imagine the next rounds are only going to get harder.
Shane
thebends Wrote:To each their own of course but 7 votes (so far) against Every Time You Go and I'll Believe in You? Sacrilege on the verge of heresy. I have to wash my hands now.
I think this speaks to the depth of this album. I also can't believe that someone voted for Everytime. It's a killer tune. However, I voted for Trickle Down and I feel great shame and remorse in admitting so as I love Trickle Down.
Killer Whale Tank Wrote:Glad to see "Another Midnight" doing badly on this poll. While I myself voted for "I'll Be Leaving You" (despite its having one of the best middle-eights in the entire Hip canon), "Another Midnight" is the closest that album comes to an embarrassment. Yes, it has a good sound and production, and, like '38 Years Old,' is suggestive of a band with much more up its sleeve than just balls-to-the-wall rock and roll. Its problem is, mainly, lyrical. It shoots for a kind of deep worldliness and misses the mark - the net effect being that of a 19-year-old trying really hard to sound experienced and wise. It also doesn't help that the lyric's metre doesn't fit the refrain ('another mid-NITE' just sounds weak to my ear). It's not an awful song by any stretch, but unlike most of the tracks on UTH it's just not very convincing.
EDIT: how can anyone have voted for NOIS? That has to be either an ironic gag or the result of misreading the poll. :jump
I agree that Another Midnight lacks sophistication but there are several endearing features of that song. First, the wonderful acoustic sound from Paul with nice electric flourishes added by Rob over-top. Second, it contains two great Hip similes: "Burning like a cigarette long season", and one of my favourites, "She makes love hard like an enemy". Third, this is top-notch vibrato from Gord. Just listen to the way he sings and stretches out "dying", "wild" and occasionally "midnight". I love when he sings in that manner. I think Little Bones is the best example of this: "It gets so sticky down heeeeerrrreeee".
I think the only truly embarrassing part of the song are the lines "And the valley spans miles When the mountain stands high". These sound like they were pulled from a 70's R&B song, a time when singing about the heights of mountains, depth of valleys, and width of rivers seemed popular. All that being said, if Another Midnight survives to the next round, I will have it in my voting cross-hairs!
potsie Wrote:I agree that Another Midnight lacks sophistication but there are several endearing features of that song. First, the wonderful acoustic sound from Paul with nice electric flourishes added by Rob over-top. Second, it contains two great Hip similes: "Burning like a cigarette long season", and one of my favourites, "She makes love hard like an enemy". Third, this is top-notch vibrato from Gord. Just listen to the way he sings and stretches out "dying", "wild" and occasionally "midnight". I love when he sings in that manner. I think Little Bones is the best example of this: "It gets so sticky down heeeeerrrreeee".
Agreed. While it's certainly not the best song on the album, I've always liked this tune. I too am a big fan of the "makes love hard like an enemy" line. In my opinion there really isn't a single dud on the entire record. It's all killer, no filler. As far as the weakest link, I ended up voting for Trickle Down after much consideration, simply because it's my least favorite track. And it's not like it's a bad song or even mediocre by any means. Man, this is tough.
Killer Whale Tank Wrote:EDIT: how can anyone have voted for NOIS? That has to be either an ironic gag or the result of misreading the poll. :jump
that was me. honestly, i haven't been a fan of that song for 20 years.
No Hip album was easier to pick weaker links than the EP...and no album is harder to pick weaker links than Up To Here.
Actually, I think the whole first verse of 'Another Midnight' is pretty good. It's the chorus that isn't up to scratch lyrically - it wants to open vistas for us, but instead just sits there like a bored dog; while the wan political commentary of the second verse fails to build things in any really strong way. I also agree that Gord's vocals are excellent and the entire *sound* of the track is very good. It certainly could have been something, but yields diminishing returns after the opening verse. Gord isn't quite there yet as a lyricist on this record and 'Midnight' is a prime casualty.
Tough one, but I had to go with Another Midnight as well. It would be great song on almost any other album released that year, but I guess considered the weak link on an album as strong as Up To Here.
Surprised at Trickle Down coming in a close second, that is one of my favourites off the album. I love the heavy Stones influenced guitar riff intro, just classic.
The two ratbastards who voted for 'boots or hearts' have no souls.
chagrinfalls Wrote:The two ratbastards who voted for 'boots or hearts' have no souls.
:lol: I was one. Sorry. I just never "got it"
ikky99 Wrote:chagrinfalls Wrote:The two ratbastards who voted for 'boots or hearts' have no souls.
:lol: I was one. Sorry. I just never "got it"
I just can't turn my back on a song that pivots on the flashing red light of an
answering machine (not "voicemail"). My loyalty is real, lol.