[direwolf74]

Some interesting thoughts in this thread. I am tolerably sure that Gord's vocal problems on the last Hip tour were indeed mostly the result of boredom with the material and some sort of frustration with fan expectations (along the lines of, 'OK, you want me to holler like an idiot? HERE YOU GO YA DUMMIES!'). I also think he was being a bit unfair to his fans, but then again, look around the crowd, what do you see but a bunch of greying 40-somethings who haven't listened to a new Hip record in 15 years and just want to relive their youth. So maybe he's onto something.

This thread illustrates a part of the problem, though. Several posters have come on here expressing a deep-seated wish that the Hip 'get back to basics,' get back to their '90s sound, etc. Even if this were possible for Gord's vocals, which I doubt, I think it's a ridiculous wish. How many times have the Hip in fact delivered a 'back to basics' record only to have it dissed by the fans? They did IBE - totally live, off the floor, urgent stuff - and nobody liked it. They did NFPA - impassioned, driven, urgent rock and roll songs - and ho-hum, the same reaction of indifference from many of the very same people that are demanding a 'back to basics' record.

Automatons like AC-DC are one thing, but for LIVING artists who actually try to express real thoughts and emotions and ideas in their work, it's simply not POSSIBLE to 'go back to basics' in the sense of sounding exactly like you sounded 30 years ago. Think about it; would you do that in your own life, go back and live, act, talk, think, feel the way you did decades ago? Of course not. It'd be excruciating.

If you ask me, the Hip's fundamental problem is not that they've deviated from the 1990s sound, it's that they haven't deviated far enough. The Bob Rock albums were problematic (I think WC is possibly the worst thing the Hip have ever done, period, though I liked quite a bit of WATS), but at least it showed them explicitly branching out and trying new sounds. If they keep delivering mature, passionate rock and roll like NFPA their audience will continue to dwindle: fans of their 1990s stuff won't like it because it doesn't have enough power chords (or Gord doesn't sound like he used to, or whatever), while non-fans will dismiss it as the same old thing.

One way forward is to integrate more technology into their staple sound (like those blips at the end of 'At Transformation'). But what I've been arguing for a long time is that the Hip have never fully developed the *acoustic* side of their repertoire. One of their best songs is 'Ahead by a Century' - that 'heavy folk' sound runs through their stuff but has never been foregrounded. I really feel that THAT is what they should do. Totally clear the decks, bring a totally new sonic palette to the forefront that is nonetheless on a continuum with past highlights like 'Scared' or 'Wheat Kings.' IMHO that's what has the best chance of changing the conversation, getting them a new hearing and maybe revitalizing their audience a bit.

Excellent post. I certainly wouldn't be opposed to an acoustic record.