Thoughts and Insights -- Music@Work - Printable Version
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Re: Thoughts and Insights -- Music@Work - Tthip - 12-01-2017
sean.bonner Wrote:Honestly, in the year 2000 I'd be surprised if lots of people even knew how to download the entire Hip album. What happened anyways? Anyone care to share? Did you have to seach each song 1 by 1 on Napster or what? Did you have to wait 3 hours and nobody could telephone?I went out to a bar one night to see a band. No one except my friends and I were there for awhile.
The lead singer, Jeremy, comes up to me as they're loading in their gear and asked me what's up with the venue. It's dead.
And as his first time here seemed nervous no one was coming to see them except for me and my ten friends. I had no clue as it was my first time here also.
About an hour later the notes start kicking and more people are there. And then more and then more. The place was packed. Grace. Little Bones. People everywhere. People dancing. People singing. People loving life. A crowd and a Hip cover band. Sweaty and rockin'.
They had two set breaks. During the first the lead singer said to me to head out to the van in the parking lot. I headed out to the smoked out windows and knocked. And they 'didn't hear me' so I knocked some more. And the door slid open.
Come on in they said.
Smoke everywhere that I got to contribute to.
And then they handed me a cassette tape. A cassette tape.
Music @ Work
5 months before its release. 5 months.
The rest of the night was a blur. Except for my girlfriend (and now my beautiful wife) asking me:
"Babe, why are these guys behind me complementing my purse strap?"
"Um, honey. It's between your boobs and making them look amazing"
This is the tape from that night
And to answer your question Sean: every single person I knew or talked to about The Hip had this months and months early. It was everywhere.
Re: Thoughts and Insights -- Music@Work - sean.bonner - 12-01-2017
7 The Completists
8 Freak Turbulence
9 Sharks
10 Toronto #4
Some of the first Hip songs I fell in love with. Sharks & Toronto #4 are perfect songs.
Re: Thoughts and Insights -- Music@Work - Tthip - 12-01-2017
sean.bonner Wrote:Sharks
Some of the first Hip songs I fell in love with. Sharks....perfect songs.
I thought I was the only one.
I love, love Sharks live. Trippy as hell.
Re: Thoughts and Insights -- Music@Work - Killer Whale Tank - 12-02-2017
I think the album is a semi-disaster, but the glorious guitars and lyrics of 'Sharks' more than compensate for the cumbersome melody of its chorus. It's a nice example of a total 'studio' confection that succeeds, not in spite of its dense track-layering, etc., but because if it. I can't recall hearing it live; that would have been interesting, since it really is a studio product.
Re: Thoughts and Insights -- Music@Work - Tthip - 12-02-2017
Killer Whale Tank Wrote:I think the album is a semi-disaster, but the glorious guitars and lyrics of 'Sharks' more than compensate for the cumbersome melody of its chorus. It's a nice example of a total 'studio' confection that succeeds, not in spite of its dense track-layering, etc., but because if it. I can't recall hearing it live; that would have been interesting, since it really is a studio product.Sharks Live:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=1JZ19uunedx3BI2TrzQqmuVYPpBhy45cO">https://drive.google.com/open?id=1JZ19u ... YPpBhy45cO</a><!-- m -->
Re: Thoughts and Insights -- Music@Work - Killer Whale Tank - 12-02-2017
"You're a pacifist, aren't you?"
Some classic Gord right there. The spaciousness of the song certainly affords a lot of opportunity for improvisational rambles.
Re: Thoughts and Insights -- Music@Work - Tthip - 12-02-2017
Killer Whale Tank Wrote:"You're a pacifist, aren't you?"This whole show was full of personal Gord rants. There was an asshole in the front row even giving Gord the finger.
Some classic Gord right there. The spaciousness of the song certainly affords a lot of opportunity for improvisational rambles.
Syracuse, NY 10-3-2000 (2nd night of the "Evening With" shows)
"You can't keep flipping me the bird and expect me to go on with the show...That's not the ticket you bought"
Re: Thoughts and Insights -- Music@Work - gsmacleod - 12-02-2017
Spinning the vinyl right now; been listening to the CD all week in the car.
MMAW - still not completely sold on the studio version however I do enjoy it much more than the first few listens and I do like the dynamics on the song
Tiger - love this; from the intro including the spoken word approach to everyone coming in together with a bit of a wall of sound.
Lake Fever - like has been mentioned, I like the live version from Jan 1, 2000 but this is a fun song and I really enjoy the keys along with Paul's power chords and Rob's licks.
Putting Down - "United States, a freak machine," another of my misheard lyrics. Like the whole song; the rhythm punctuating words and Rob's wonderful licks adding to the whole.
Stay - Not sure why but these are lyrics that have stuck with me from the first time I heard them. Have found myself singing them at various times for no apparent reason. Understated with the music and it works really well for this song.
The Bastard - like the intro and another song that the lyrics have stuck with me; mostly the first verse but another that just escapes from time to time. Another mishead lyric with "precision cow-bell.". Have always liked the Christ for Philadelphia, Christ for Philadelphia line.
The Completists - really like the background vocals with this one; another catchy tune for me
Freak Turbulence - love the fast drum intro; beyond that, just a fun uptempo song but not one of my favourites.
Sharks - love the two guitars on this and the melody they lay down. Fairly dreamy which fits well with the lyrics and overall just gives that trippy type feel to the song especially the outro.
Toronto #4 - Short and sweet; a beautiful song that I've really enjoyed from the first listen. Like the drums in this aaa
Wild Mountain Honey - another song I've always enjoyed; it's not great but I like the intro as well as the guitar parts throughout the song as well as Johnny's drums throughout. Not my favourite but I certainly hear it differently than many here.
Train Overnight - another solid tune; not great but I like the energy and really enjoy some of the imagery
The Bear - love the lyrics and song; just a wonderful song. Like the keys in here as well the sustain and tone on the guitars. I think they got things just about perfect in this department.
As I Wind Down the Pines - in keeping with tradition, love their album closers and this is no exception. I really love the guitars in this as well as the vocal performances. A very beautiful wrap on this album.
Shane
Re: Thoughts and Insights -- Music@Work - potsie - 12-02-2017
I'll take a swing at some track-by-track thoughts as well. I've been listening to this album a lot this week and I've found my feelings on it have evolved even over that short period of time. Music @ Work confounds, confuses, frustrates, and makes no attempt to ingratiate itself. However, I love some of the experimentalism (likely in part the influence of Steve Berlin... Los Lobos has the capability of sounding like five different bands, all in the space of one album). And make no mistake, it certainly has many redeeming values as well.
My Music at Work. I don’t know if Gord intended this, but this phrase has a dual meaning. Music at work – the soundtrack for the office, or Music at work – the power of music to effect change. It is this later meaning that became more pertinent in 2016 as we watched Gord’s music “go to work” on social issues in the country. “Secret Path” was “Gord's music at work”.
One minor critique – the repetitive refrain is mildly annoying.
Tiger the Lion. I love the sinister sound and menace of the music, but the direct quotes from John Cage border on being overly earnest. We all love Gord for his intellect but Tiger the Lion would have been better as a poem in CMG. The music is too awesome to loosely attach some esoteric quotes to. When I hear this song, I think about what could have been. A different set of lyrics could have made this one an all-timer. As it is, it is still a damn good tune.
Lake Fever. I love the way Paul and Gord trade lines on this song. Paul has never sounded better and this song is a great vehicle for showcasing his vocal talent.
Putting Down. I think Putting down is a reference to song writing and in particular writing about Canadians (documenting the indigenous, taken generically, and not capital “I” First Nations Indigenous Peoples) and the stories he hears while on the road.
Stay. There is a lot of depth to this song, and if any song on this album is deserving of the label of “underrated”, it’s this one. Johnny plays an interesting beat on this one… it almost has a hip-hop feel to it.
The Bastard. I really enjoy the overly specific line “I had a bird's-eye view of a bird's-eye”. Like Shane, I also enjoy the line “Philadelphia for Christ and Christ for Philadelphia," specifically the way he emphasizes the “I” “A” at the end… Philadelph “I”, “a”
The Completists. I like Julie Doiron but I don’t enjoy the shared vocals here (she is a much, much better fit on Toronto #4). This chorus falls flat for me… “You said, we're halfway come and meet us We're the completists” has all the excitement of a scripture reading at a funeral.
Freak Turbulence. There is an attempt at a sense of urgency in both the music and the delivery of the lyrics, but it falls short for me.
Sharks. To me it feels like Paul and Rob don’t achieve a mind meld with the rhythm and lead on this song. The outro actually sounds like they are playing two different songs and somehow those rough edges not achieving a jig-saw puzzle fit makes the whole thing work. I love it.
I’ve always wondered about the lines “I can take you there myself then steal a look Over your shoulder at The chandeliers of your firmament” and whether this might be referencing a look into the starry eyes of a lover. If he is taking her there himself he is either walking her home or driving her, in both instances he would not be face-to-face with her and the “over your shoulder” could be interpreted as “above your shoulder” as you would in a sideways glance.
Toronto #4. A somber meditation on his grandmother’s importance and the imminent loss of her from his life. Gord beautifully breaks up a finishing series of “Alone’s” with a final “Hello”, providing reassurance that he will be there for her at the end. A beautiful, elegiac, song.
Wild Mountain Honey. Love the acoustic intro and wish they had kept the song in this sound vein. Johnny’s thunderous drums are jarring and the song could have benefitted from a lighter touch from him.
Train Overnight Musically this song had some potential but the chorus falls flat and is not given enough space and vocal differentiation from the verses to achieve memorability.
The Bear. A nice match of music and theme. The guitar music has a “bear moan” feel to it. The metaphor of this song (if there is one) is out of reach for me, so I take it at face value: “By the time I saw your flame”… the bear being drawn to a couple around a campfire in Algonquin Park.
As I Wind Down the Pines. Acoustic tenderness that feels underdeveloped. I wrestle with this one the same way I wrestle with “Last of the Unplucked Gems”. Could it have been something more? Maybe, maybe not, which really sums up my sentiment about the whole album.
Re: Thoughts and Insights -- Music@Work - Rye - 12-03-2017
Re Sharks, if I recall correctly this was a Gord Sinclair song and he plays guitar on the studio version.
Re: Thoughts and Insights -- Music@Work - potsie - 12-03-2017
Rye Wrote:Re Sharks, if I recall correctly this was a Gord Sinclair song and he plays guitar on the studio version.I know “the bear” is his song and he plays guitar on the studio version. Didn’t know Sharks was as well.
Re: Thoughts and Insights -- Music@Work - Killer Whale Tank - 12-04-2017
What does it mean to say that X is a "Gord Sinclair" song? Does it mean that it was built on his bass idea, or that the melody and main lyrical idea are his, or even that he wrote the lyrics as well as the melody - ? (I know Gord refused to sing lyrics he hadn't written, but it's surely not inconceivable that he softened this position over time, especially on a record as sprawlingly bloated as M@W).
Re: Thoughts and Insights -- Music@Work - potsie - 12-04-2017
Killer Whale Tank Wrote:What does it mean to say that X is a "Gord Sinclair" song? Does it mean that it was built on his bass idea, or that the melody and main lyrical idea are his, or even that he wrote the lyrics as well as the melody - ? (I know Gord refused to sing lyrics he hadn't written, but it's surely not inconceivable that he softened this position over time, especially on a record as sprawlingly bloated as M@W).
I can't speak for "Sharks", but the music for "The Bear" was Gord Sinclair's creation. He brought the near fully formed idea to the studio and he played at least one of the guitar parts on it, if not both.
I believe the lyrics on both songs (and all songs from RA on...) are the domain of Downie, unless Rye has different insight for "Sharks"
Re: Thoughts and Insights -- Music@Work - Killer Whale Tank - 12-04-2017
Thanks, potsie. That's interesting.
"The Bear" is a really strong song, from Gord S's lovely backing track to the vocal, melody, and lyric. The whole motif of the shape-shifter who moves from man to bear and back is one that I don't understand very well - but I believe the theme runs through Nordic mythology (even Beowulf himself partakes of this, his name meaning "Bear") and - more to the point - through some indigenous North American spiritual beliefs as well. In this light, the final lines
the time for truth and reconciliation's done
with my belly full I intended to get something done
suggest a frightening kind of indigenous vengeance upon the encroaching settlers.The element of predatory quasi-cannibalism also picks up on strong themes running through Northern mythologies (ranging from the Wendigo myth to the Franklin expedition). Some weird almost subtextual sh*t seems to be going on in that piece.
Re: Thoughts and Insights -- Music@Work - direwolf74 - 12-04-2017
Killer Whale Tank Wrote:Thanks, potsie. That's interesting.
"The Bear" is a really strong song, from Gord S's lovely backing track to the vocal, melody, and lyric.
Correct me if I'm wrong, as I haven't looked at the CD liner notes in a while, but I'm pretty sure that's Julie Doiron singing back-up vocals on that song.