[andrew sharpe]

I may be in the minority, but I really like Struggle. Exact Feeling...is kinda meh, but it does have that strange/intriguing line, "I'm up to my tits..." Points there, I suppose. Queen of the Furrows is fun -- the pastoral imagery, Gord yellling at his breakfast, and that face-melting solo by Robbie. Speed River I like too -- "Hard stuff...give me a dose of the hard stuff. Ok, enough. Ok, enough with the hard stuff." Now, I do like the "I don't have the strength to pluck a grape..." line from Love Is a First, especially when I picture Gord acting it out on stage...but overall it's the song I crave least on the record. I'll take Speed River and Frozen in my Tracks (the 2 songs currently with the most votes) over Love Is a First anyyyyy day of the week.

Literally an exact list of reasons why this album ranks near the bottom of my list Crazy how two Hip fans can have such polar opposite tastes...does this speak to the range of the band or just human nature and/or statistics?

[NWOntario]

Goodbye, "Coffee Girl."

[potsie]

I'm just going to blurt it: Love Is a First.

Ya don't just blurt Love is a First... because it's definitely not as bad as or worse than Struggle (or Exact Feeling, or Queen of the Furrows, or Speed River)

I may be in the minority, but I really like Struggle. Exact Feeling...is kinda meh, but it does have that strange/intriguing line, "I'm up to my tits..." Points there, I suppose. Queen of the Furrows is fun -- the pastoral imagery, Gord yellling at his breakfast, and that face-melting solo by Robbie. Speed River I like too -- "Hard stuff...give me a dose of the hard stuff. Ok, enough. Ok, enough with the hard stuff." Now, I do like the "I don't have the strength to pluck a grape..." line from Love Is a First, especially when I picture Gord acting it out on stage...but overall it's the song I crave least on the record. I'll take Speed River and Frozen in my Tracks (the 2 songs currently with the most votes) over Love Is a First anyyyyy day of the week.

I think the pastoral imagery that you enjoy on "Queen" would have been better suited to a Morning Moon/alt-country music treatment. Farming and rural imagery lends itself better to the folk/country music genres than rock, although there are exceptions to this to be sure. I also find the solo to be completely tasteless; it is certainly a strong candidate for Rob's cheesiest work. I can't think of a Hip tune where the solo is more ill-fitting for the overall song. I have would like to have seen it stuck on a track that rocks hard all the way through so that it doesn't just appear to come out of left field, in an off putting manner. I just don't get a "fun" vibe from the song... I think that better describes "Love is a First". I understand that "Love" doesn't check all the boxes of a classic Hip song, but at the very least it is exciting (and fun)... which can't be said for a number of songs on WATS, especially Struggle.

[cochise]

I think the pastoral imagery that you enjoy on "Queen" would have been better suited to a Morning Moon/alt-country music treatment. Farming and rural imagery lends itself better to the folk/country music genres than rock, although there are exceptions to this to be sure. I also find the solo to be completely tasteless; it is certainly a strong candidate for Rob's cheesiest work. I can't think of a Hip tune where the solo is more ill-fitting for the overall song. I have would like to have seen it stuck on a track that rocks hard all the way through so that it doesn't just appear to come out of left field, in an off putting manner. I just don't get a "fun" vibe from the song... I think that better describes "Love is a First". I understand that "Love" doesn't check all the boxes of a classic Hip song, but at the very least it is exciting (and fun)... which can't be said for a number of songs on WATS, especially Struggle.

I remember when WATS came out, someone on here made comment that they thought Queen Of The Furrows was about pot farming. Harvesting in the dark, ears to the ground, trying to be quiet, only light is from a distant neighbors yard, etc. Ever since reading that, this is the imagery I get, which makes me look at the song in a more campy/humorous way and makes the solo fit even better to me.

[potsie]

I think the pastoral imagery that you enjoy on "Queen" would have been better suited to a Morning Moon/alt-country music treatment. Farming and rural imagery lends itself better to the folk/country music genres than rock, although there are exceptions to this to be sure. I also find the solo to be completely tasteless; it is certainly a strong candidate for Rob's cheesiest work. I can't think of a Hip tune where the solo is more ill-fitting for the overall song. I have would like to have seen it stuck on a track that rocks hard all the way through so that it doesn't just appear to come out of left field, in an off putting manner. I just don't get a "fun" vibe from the song... I think that better describes "Love is a First". I understand that "Love" doesn't check all the boxes of a classic Hip song, but at the very least it is exciting (and fun)... which can't be said for a number of songs on WATS, especially Struggle.

I remember when WATS came out, someone on here made comment that they thought Queen Of The Furrows was about pot farming. Harvesting in the dark, ears to the ground, trying to be quiet, only light is from a distant neighbors yard, etc. Ever since reading that, this is the imagery I get, which makes me look at the song in a more campy/humorous way and makes the solo fit even better to me.

That's an interesting interpretation. Is "toasted western" a pot-related euphemism?

[Chris Tanz]

The Exact Feeling got my vote, but Struggle could also have had it, and Frozen too. Easy first round here.

After that things will get a little tougher, not because they're all gems, but because there is a lot of sameness until you get to Depression Suite, Morning Moon, and The Last Recluse.

Was surprised to see how much love Country Day was getting on the Thoughts and Insights thread. Didn't realize it had so many fans. I think it is okay, but not on par with other album closers, and I'm always looking for knockout punch a la Josephine, Dark Canuck, Emperor Penguin, and (ducks) World Container.

[potsie]

The Exact Feeling got my vote, but Struggle could also have had it, and Frozen too. Easy first round here.

After that things will get a little tougher, not because they're all gems, but because there is a lot of sameness until you get to Depression Suite, Morning Moon, and The Last Recluse.

Was surprised to see how much love Country Day was getting on the Thoughts and Insights thread. Didn't realize it had so many fans. I think it is okay, but not on par with other album closers, and I'm always looking for knockout punch a la Josephine, Dark Canuck, Emperor Penguin, and (ducks) World Container.

The problem I have with Country Day is Downie's singing gets a bit thin in the back half of the song. Not his best vocal delivery.

[Moof_Milker]

That's an interesting interpretation. Is "toasted western" a pot-related euphemism?

To a pot smoker, everything can be a pot-related euphemism. :thumb:

The problem I have with Country Day is Downie's singing gets a bit thin in the back half of the song. Not his best vocal delivery.

My issue would be the heavily processed background vocals and instrumentation in the back half of the song. But I love the verses. You know, when things are finally clickin' and the song infiltrates my life and resonates with meaning.

[potsie]

That's an interesting interpretation. Is "toasted western" a pot-related euphemism?

To a pot smoker, everything can be a pot-related euphemism. :thumb:

"Toasted Western" could be Newstrike's breakfast bud brand... perfect for the wake and bake!

The problem I have with Country Day is Downie's singing gets a bit thin in the back half of the song. Not his best vocal delivery.

My issue would be the heavily processed background vocals and instrumentation in the back half of the song. But I love the verses. You know, when things are finally clickin' and the song infiltrates my life and resonates with meaning.

Agree with your thoughts on the production values of the latter half. The strings especially detract from the song. There are a number of great things that resulted from Bob Rock's guiding hand on WATS but Country Day is not one of them.