[chives]

Would take Bob Rock and "World Container" over Now For Plan A, any day.

[ceebuler]

Would take Bob Rock and "World Container" over Now For Plan A, any day.

I totally agree. I am perplexed by the disdain for the Bob Rock records on here, as well as the love for NFPA. My impression is that a lot of fans here just want to hear "harder" Hip, and rank every song based on the degree to which it reminds them of their favourite older songs. I get the feeling the Hip even write songs they don't really like in order to appease this desire among fans. It's a blessing Gord's voice is so drowned out on At Transformation. And Streets Ahead is just awful.

Say what you will about the [over]production on WC and WATS, but Gord's vocals have not sounded as good on any album from this millennium. This is likely a direct result of Bob Rock's influence - insisting Gord sing with his "hotel-room" voice, aka the wonderful voice he used on albums like TATH and DFN. It's the same voice he has been hell bent on destroying since he wrote Use It Up about using it up. Someone like Bob Rock, who isn't intimidated by the Hip's past success, needs to remind Gord that vocal passion can be conveyed subtly, without yelling, the way it was on studio versions of Grace, Too or even Nautical Disaster. The song Hush is a perfect example of the direction the Hip should be taking; moody, melodic, unique....and cut from the record because they know the fans still want New Orleans is Sinking.

[fingernailsonhull]

Would take Bob Rock and "World Container" over Now For Plan A, any day.

I totally agree. I am perplexed by the disdain for the Bob Rock records on here, as well as the love for NFPA. My impression is that a lot of fans here just want to hear "harder" Hip, and rank every song based on the degree to which it reminds them of their favourite older songs. I get the feeling the Hip even write songs they don't really like in order to appease this desire among fans. It's a blessing Gord's voice is so drowned out on At Transformation. And Streets Ahead is just awful.

Say what you will about the [over]production on WC and WATS, but Gord's vocals have not sounded as good on any album from this millennium. This is likely a direct result of Bob Rock's influence - insisting Gord sing with his "hotel-room" voice, aka the wonderful voice he used on albums like TATH and DFN. It's the same voice he has been hell bent on destroying since he wrote Use It Up about using it up. Someone like Bob Rock, who isn't intimidated by the Hip's past success, needs to remind Gord that vocal passion can be conveyed subtly, without yelling, the way it was on studio versions of Grace, Too or even Nautical Disaster. The song Hush is a perfect example of the direction the Hip should be taking; moody, melodic, unique....and cut from the record because they know the fans still want New Orleans is Sinking.

This. Exactly this.

[fingernailsonhull]

And I should say, I am not a fan of Rock's overproduction of the music on his albums. Depression Suite would be beautiful without the strings. NTSHAN is really cheesy. World Container would sound much better were it just a guitar and Gord singing. But Gord was actually singing on those records. Sing inside your range and sing melodically. I fear those days are behind us for the Hip.

[direwolf74]

And I should say, I am not a fan of Rock's overproduction of the music on his albums. Depression Suite would be beautiful without the strings. NTSHAN is really cheesy. World Container would sound much better were it just a guitar and Gord singing. But Gord was actually singing on those records. Sing inside your range and sing melodically. I fear those days are behind us for the Hip.

I agree his voice sounded fantastic on those records. But like the majority here, I wasn't a fan of Bob Rock's excessive, way-too-glossy production. The heavier rock songs sounded fine, but the more acoustic-oriented songs like World Container and the Depression Suite deserved better. Hopefully they can find a happy medium between the Bob Rock sound and the raw/edgy sound of albums like IBE and NFPA. I'd love to see them hand over the production reigns to Chris Walla for the new record. That guy did an excellent job on the Grand Bounce, which in my opinion has absolutely perfect sound. He's also produced the entire Death Cab for Cutie catalogue, and those all sound pretty damn good as well. Or maybe someone like Ian Blurton? Or better yet, they could just produce the album themselves.

[MattPower]

To me it's not about overproduction or underproduction. It's about the basic foundation and feel of the songs. The structure, the guitar riffs, the way Gord sings them, etc; These should be decided by the experienced BAND, not the producer. The production that comes after can indeed make the songs better or worse but I don't believe that too much production or the lack thereof has ever made or broke a Hip song for me.

Just make the guitars & vocals sound like classic Hip from the 90's and I'd be super happy. Bob Rock, Joe Blow, I don't really care.

[Pipeline guy]

Just give me more Hip!
With strings, keyboards, hotel voice, screaming or what-have-you. Only disappointment was Gord's presence on the last tour (imo). He seemed ... removed. But after hearing him talk about his wife and her battle with cancer. After myself being by the side of a dear friend who died I can understand feelings of removal.
Just give me more Hip, just tour through Seattle again, and I'll be there!

[direwolf74]

Just make the guitars & vocals sound like classic Hip from the 90's and I'd be super happy. Bob Rock, Joe Blow, I don't really care.

I suppose if they used the same guitars/amps, pedals, and production techniques as they did on those early records, maybe they can make the music sound like 90s Hip. But Gord's singing? Not a chance. His voice has evolved into a different kind of animal over the last 20 years, and it's not even in the realm of possibility that he could make his vocals sound like his younger self. The songwriting has evolved as well. These guys are all pushing 50 now and they're in a totally different head space than they were when they were 25, and they're far removed from the bluesy bar band they once were. That being said, I don't think there's anything wrong with a veteran band rediscovering their roots once in a while. I'd love to hear a good old fashioned kick-you-in-the-nuts hard rock album from these guys again. Kinda like what R.E.M. did with "Accelerate".

[MattPower]

Just make the guitars & vocals sound like classic Hip from the 90's and I'd be super happy. Bob Rock, Joe Blow, I don't really care.

I suppose if they used the same guitars/amps, pedals, and production techniques as they did on those early records, maybe they can make the music sound like 90s Hip. But Gord's singing? Not a chance. His voice has evolved into a different kind of animal over the last 20 years, and it's not even in the realm of possibility that he could make his vocals sound like his younger self. The songwriting has evolved as well. These guys are all pushing 50 now and they're in a totally different head space than they were when they were 25, and they're far removed from the bluesy bar band they once were. That being said, I don't think there's anything wrong with a veteran band rediscovering their roots once in a while. I'd love to hear a good old fashioned kick-you-in-the-nuts hard rock album from these guys again. Kinda like what R.E.M. did with "Accelerate".

Yes, for sure they are a different band than they used to be and they'd have to really try to make another album like their old stuff, but let's face it; the Hip got as famous as they did because of those first albums. I fell in love with the Hip because of Up To Here, Road Apples & Fully Completely. Day For Night was up there too, but sadly ever since, they never made anything else nearly as good in my opinion. I just think It's time for the Hip to do one for their fans and make one last classic sounding Hip album. Is that too much to ask from Canada's biggest band?

[patiodweller]

They're the HIP. Whatever they put on the new album will rock my world. My only wishlist would be to have them include a cover song.

[sean.bonner]

They're the HIP. Whatever they put on the new album will rock my world. My only wishlist would be to have them include a cover song.

Careless Whisper by Wham!

[Tthip]

My only wishlist would be to have them include a cover song.

Neutron Dance by The Pointer Sisters. Really.

[youtube]iX-4bqKFRF0[/youtube]

[emperor penguin]

Like many have echoed, I hope Gord decides to sing with some restraint on this alleged upcoming album. The album he did with the Sadies had some incredible songs, and some songs that were ruined by his voice. The way he chooses to sing could be the wildcard that makes or breaks the record. Like some have said, the songs can still be really intense and heavy with restrained vocals, i.e. 100th Meridian, Gems, or Thugs.

[fingernailsonhull]

Like many have echoed, I hope Gord decides to sing with some restraint on this alleged upcoming album. The album he did with the Sadies had some incredible songs, and some songs that were ruined by his voice. The way he chooses to sing could be the wildcard that makes or breaks the record. Like some have said, the songs can still be really intense and heavy with restrained vocals, i.e. 100th Meridian, Gems, or Thugs.

When And The Conquering Sun came out, everyone asked why Gord's voice was so low in the mix. This is why. It was never a question for me. His voice isn't what it used to be and it needs not to be centre stage on a recording or it will torch the thing. Especially when he's trying to stretch it. It's grating.

[direwolf74]

Like many have echoed, I hope Gord decides to sing with some restraint on this alleged upcoming album. The album he did with the Sadies had some incredible songs, and some songs that were ruined by his voice. The way he chooses to sing could be the wildcard that makes or breaks the record. Like some have said, the songs can still be really intense and heavy with restrained vocals, i.e. 100th Meridian, Gems, or Thugs.

When And The Conquering Sun came out, everyone asked why Gord's voice was so low in the mix. This is why. It was never a question for me. His voice isn't what it used to be and it needs not to be centre stage on a recording or it will torch the thing. Especially when he's trying to stretch it. It's grating.

For the most part I think he sounds quite excellent on the Conquering Sun album. I agree there a couple of moments where he does try and stretch his voice too much, but that's a minor complaint, as I'm a huge fan of that record. He was also pretty great when they performed here in Cowtown during the stampede. When he actually uses his natural range, he can still sound terrific. It seems like he restrains himself when he plays with the Sadies, whereas in the Hip he has more free rein to go off the rails vocally and screw with the songs.

I'm still of the opinion that he CHOOSES to sing like shit when he's with the Hip because he's bored of singing those songs every night for the last 25+ years. I've heard him mention in recent interviews that he feels like he has to "swing the hammer and ring the bell" whenever the Hip perform in this country, because that's what's expected of them. People who saw them down in the U.S. on the 2012 tour mentioned often that his singing was very good on that tour, maybe because it's a more relaxing experience for them down there, and Gord doesn't feel the need to screw with the songs too much. Judging by most accounts, it wasn't until the Canadian leg of the tour where he started to deliberately butcher the songs. When I saw them in Calgary in September last year, I thought he sounded great on the newer NFPA material. But as soon as they launched into something like ABAC, Grace, Bones, Blow, or Courage, that's when his singing went off the rails and the show took a nose dive into Suckville. This of course begs the question: why did they stop mixing up the setlists, and why has their live show turned into a lazy paint-by-numbers affair in recent years? It's absolutely baffling to me that a band with such a rich body of work wouldn't want to explore and re-visit some of that material. Whatever this new album turns into, I hope they can recapture that live magic again and earn back their once legendary reputation as one of the great live bands of all time.