[Chris Tanz]

You skip Hard Canadian :what

yeah -- too bouncy.

ct

[screw_ball]

Apples and oranges.

[Tthip]

You skip Hard Canadian :what

yeah -- too bouncy.
ct

That is the only song I skip also.
But, I do think it was made intentionally bouncy. I think the music plays a contrast to the lyrics.
Hard Canadian describing some big chested asshole who is not nice to people. You know - that jackass we have all seen at a concert.
I think the catchy music is kinda picking on him - big muscles put to a lullabye or something.
Like saying: Oh yeah asshole, your "Hard"

That is what I get, but I am probably wrong and, like all their songs, it is probably just about hockey

[KarmaKrazy]

Both albums contain some of the most boring, predictable music I've heard by the Hip/Gord. The "mainstream-ness" of WATS made me laugh out loud upon first listen. Most Hip albums take me a few spins to fully (completely) enjoy. It's when you find the hidden hooks, be it a vocal rhythm or phrase, or a nifty guitar lick etc, that you go "aah, that's cool..." and you get it. WATS has none of that for me. There was no work involved in the listening, there were no hidden musical treats. The music, in my opinion was dumbed down and way over produced. Most of the writing is lame (except Morning Moon, that song is wicked, and the last part of the Depression Suite). Songs like Coffee Girl and Now the Struggle Has a Name could easily be on the new Shania Twain record, or some other disposable collection of musical feces. I've probably listened to the record 20 times in hopes that I'd missed something the time before but sorry Hip Fans, this record sucks. I still saw them 3 times on this tour, that's concerts 17, 18, and 19. I'll admit the songs were a bit better for me live, and the addition of Jim Bryson on keys was great. That being said, I hope the Hip get back to where they left off on tunes like "No Threat". This is my opinion.

As for The Grand Bounce. I felt that it was stronger than WATS but it still lacked anything that was actually strong. I had the pleasure of seeing Gord live twice this summer. They were two of the worst performances I've seen... ever. There are things called rehearsal spaces, Gord should have put his band into one before driving to Guelph for the Hillside Festival. False starts, lyric miscues, sloppy endings, and song form mixups are insulting to your audience. I get it that this is Gord's side project, and they don't have set lists, and everything is relaxed and fun but I left there feeling very embarrassed to have been so excited to see Gord's band. However, I was happy to have seen Dave Clarke perform, the man is an animal.

So to summarize, it sucks to be a Hip Fan right now. The GB is slightly less lame than WATS, and this is my opinion.

[HandsInTheRiver41]

They were two of the worst performances I've seen... ever. There are things called rehearsal spaces, Gord should have put his band into one before driving to Guelph for the Hillside Festival. False starts, lyric miscues, sloppy endings, and song form mixups are insulting to your audience. I get it that this is Gord's side project, and they don't have set lists, and everything is relaxed and fun but I left there feeling very embarrassed to have been so excited to see Gord's band.

Well, I'm sure glad I didn't see the Country of Miracles until later in the year!

[direwolf74]

Well, I'm sure glad I didn't see the Country of Miracles until later in the year!

Me too. They were awesome in Calgary the other night. With the loose nature of the show and all the improvised jamming, I thought the band was incredibly adept at picking up on each other's cues and running with it. And the songs themselves sounded tight and well rehearsed. I certainly wouldn't put them in the same league as bands like The Hip or Pearl Jam. But after a few months on the road they sound like a pretty tight unit to me.

As for WATS, I don't listen to it as much as I did when it first came out, and I'll agree there's definitely some weak material on there. The album as a whole isn't one of their best, that's for sure. But as I've mentioned before, there are some real gems on that album that rival anything in their catalogue: Morning Moon, The Last Recluse, Depression Suite, Queen of the Furrows, and Country Day are all excellent songs. And while Frozen in My Tracks isn't very impressive on the album, it becomes a ferocious hard-rockin' beast in concert.

I think the next Hip album will be very interesting. This is a strange period for the band. They released two fairly decent records with the much hated Bob Rock at the helm, but I don't think anybody here would call either album a classic. As a whole they certainly don't measure up to brilliant masterpieces like Day for Night, Henhouse, or Phantom Power. I'll give Bob Rock credit for helping to re-energize the band on World Container (an album I really enjoyed for the most part). But as much as I like certain songs on WATS, I felt that they kinda took another step backwards on that album. As a fan I think they need to either produce the next album themselves, or hire a more live-off-the-floor type of producer like Chris Walla or Brendan O'Brien. Gord seems like he's in a really good head space right now on his solo tour. I'm hoping that the manic energy I witnessed in Calgary the other night carries over into the next Hip project. Recently he hinted that he'd like to see Gord Sinclair possibly produce the next Hip album. Perhaps that's exactly what they need. One thing's for sure, as a live band the Hip are still second to none. I saw them twice in San Francisco last year, and they blew my mind just like they always do. They need to find a way to channel some of that live energy into the studio.