[Chris Tanz]

Love the stick toss - a great finish to a song I quite enjoy.
Shane

Reading this thread I'm surprised at the lack of love for Hot Mic. I have a feeling it is going to exit the MMP poll much quicker than I'd like it to. The pounding drums throughout the song and the sound of Sinclair's throbbing bass in the verses are fantastic. Seems like it had been a long time since Gord S was pushed this high in the mix. Also love the hypnotic guitars in the outro. Of course the song isn't without its faults (it's got a bridge to nowhere, and the whole thing is a bit of word salad) but it feels exciting and dangerous to me (although not super-dangerous!). Shane, if you are campaigning for president of the Hot Mic Appreciation Club, I'll be your vice-presidential running mate.

Add me to the Hot Mic fan club!!

Hot Mic and Here in the Dark are the most straightforward songs on the album. Shame we didn't get them into the mix on the final tour.

"Patriotism is more than enough, and it's powerful stuff" -- Classic Gord anti-jingoism by being jingoistic.

"Can we get it quiet enough in here, so I can hear God ..." Good God, there's a lot of Gord-God on this album. Gord on God: good on Gord.

"How with something to fall back on, yeah people usually do ..." Delicious word salad.

"I'm not afraid of convincingness. I'm just uncertain for sure. I'm in awe of no one. I'm made for this. Teach me what to want. And though I'm not yet earnest enough, not unblinkingly sincere, I'm over hear. I overhear. And I always hear you." Word salad avalanche!

ct

[potsie]

"I'm not afraid of convincingness. I'm just uncertain for sure. I'm in awe of no one. I'm made for this. Teach me what to want. And though I'm not yet earnest enough, not unblinkingly sincere, I'm over hear. I overhear. And I always hear you." Word salad avalanche!

ct

The only thing missing is a few croutons and some dressing.

[senrab]

Is this the only album by any artist whose title is the same as a previously released song on a different album?

I can't think of any previous situations where a song showed up as the subsequent album title. Only thing that comes close is Zeppelin with Houses of the Holy. In that case it was the album title first (1973, title song didn't make the cut), then the song appeared on Physical Graffiti two years later.

Sidebar re album titles and song titles -- Tom Waits' album "Blue Valentine" (sing.) has a song on it called "Blue Valentines" (plur.) and his album "Foreign Affairs" (plur.) has a song on it called "Foreign Affair" (sing.). I love shit like that.

ct

thanks for the info :thumb:

[gsmacleod]

Love the stick toss - a great finish to a song I quite enjoy.
Shane

Reading this thread I'm surprised at the lack of love for Hot Mic. I have a feeling it is going to exit the MMP poll much quicker than I'd like it to.

Add me to the Hot Mic fan club!!

Hot Mic and Here in the Dark are the most straightforward songs on the album. Shame we didn't get them into the mix on the final tour.

We can all drown our sorrows together when Hot Mic leaves in the first round.

Shane

[andrew sharpe]

Normally I'm unflappably confident in my votes...but you guys are swaying me on Hot Mic. You may have saved it from my iron click for a round or two.

[Chris Tanz]

Normally I'm unflappably confident in my votes...but you guys are swaying me on Hot Mic. You may have saved it from my iron click for a round or two.

We pick up asides ...

Easy vote for Man in the first round. It is a song that doesn’t work without the rest of the album and Machine in particular. It is the definition of Weakest.

Then go with Great Soul or TAF. Boom, Hot Mic is in the final 7.

ct

[Escape@Hand]

Normally I'm unflappably confident in my votes...but you guys are swaying me on Hot Mic. You may have saved it from my iron click for a round or two.

We pick up asides ...

Easy vote for Man in the first round. It is a song that doesn’t work without the rest of the album and Machine in particular. It is the definition of Weakest.

Then go with Great Soul or TAF. Boom, Hot Mic is in the final 7.

ct

Switch In Sarnia for Man...his vocal delivery is terrible. Not sure how I'm going to vote for MMP, because Sarnia, Soul and TAF are all worthy of being first round fodder.

[Killer Whale Tank]

Praise for 'Hot Mic' is praise for mediocrity by Hip standards. The song has no chorus worth a damn, lacks any real lyrical insight beyond its cute initial conceit (anthropomorphising a microphone) and basically combines the rhythm section of Butts Wigglin' with the chords of The Bear. However, it is certainly better than the horrible 'Great Soul' and the dreary 'Man.' As for the apparent disdain for 'Tired as Fuck,' this is bewildering. That is one of the finest cuts on the record.

[potsie]

Praise for 'Hot Mic' is praise for mediocrity by Hip standards. The song has no chorus worth a damn, lacks any real lyrical insight beyond its cute initial conceit (anthropomorphising a microphone) and basically combines the rhythm section of Butts Wigglin' with the chords of The Bear. However, it is certainly better than the horrible 'Great Soul' and the dreary 'Man.' As for the apparent disdain for 'Tired as f**k,' this is bewildering. That is one of the finest cuts on the record.

Within the context of considering the album as a whole, I personally feel like Hot Mic provides a necessary sonic contrast after the run of "What Blue", "In Sarnia", "Here, In the Dark", "Great Soul", and "Tired as F**K". I like most of those songs, but without the album playing I have difficultly differentiating those songs musically in my head (with maybe the exception of the jazzy lilt of "Tired"). They only make a faint musical impression. However, I can distinctly and instantly picture what "Hot Mic", "Ocean Next" and "Machine" sound like. This may not be an overwhelmingly valid reason for expressing love for a song, but it feels necessary on the album. It gives the album a set of balls, and without it the Hip don't sound like a band that will scare the living shit out of you.

[Joe]

Love this album from front to back, maybe with the exception of Tired as Fuck which I can take or leave depending on my mood. I think my only negative critique is the album artwork. Probably the worst of all Hip albums. To me, MMP sounds like my two favourite Hip albums, Phantom Power and In Between Evolution, had a baby. I think Kevin Drew and Dave Hamlin did a great job of bringing out the live Hip sound and blending in some more experimental production like the vocal track manipulations on Man, In Sarnia, Ocean Next and to a lesser extent Great Soul. A lot of people saying that you can't divorce the album from the circumstances surrounding it. I call bullshit. If The Hip released this album ten years ago I'd love it as much as I do now. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder 'n such. To me this album is a beauty. I do feel bad that other people got a final Hip album they don't like. If the final Hip album was World Container I'd be totally bummed, so I feel for the MMP haters.

[andrew sharpe]

I think my only negative critique is the album artwork. Probably the worst of all Hip albums.

[Joe]

I think my only negative critique is the album artwork. Probably the worst of all Hip albums.

Hahaha, I actually quite like the M@W artwork. Definitely suits the organic abstractness of the album. I can definitely see why people don't like it though

[sean.bonner]

Re: M@W Art

I once saw an animated gif on how the artwork was constructed (layer by layer). Just took a quick look for it but I couldn't find it! Anybody know where this can be found?

[potsie]

I think my only negative critique is the album artwork. Probably the worst of all Hip albums.

Hahaha, I actually quite like the M@W artwork. Definitely suits the organic abstractness of the album. I can definitely see why people don't like it though

My problem with the MMP album cover is that after the album name was changed from Dougie Stardust, the picture no longer seemed to fit the album name (or the contents).

[andrew sharpe]

Hahaha, I actually quite like the M@W artwork. Definitely suits the organic abstractness of the album. I can definitely see why people don't like it though

I like everything about it other than its awfulness.