[arseface88]

This thread is 'cuz I've read way too many critics saying that the Hip are much the same as they were ten years ago.

If you ask me (I know, nobody has), there are three periods to date in the Hip's development. Disagreement welcome, for those other Hipbasers with too much time on their hands.

Period 1 (Self Titled LP - Road Apples): Raw, bluesy, earnest riff-rock with largely story-oriented songs. Although Gord was passionate and charismatic, a natural performer with a great stage presence, you would never catch him writing 7 minute long, 2 part songs about the relationship between art and doubt (I speak, of course, of The Dark Canuk from IVL).

Period 2 (Fully Completely - Trouble in the Henhouse): As the Hip's music became more distinctive and less easy to classify, Gord's versatility and ecclecticism stood out increasingly. There was some darker material, and the music became a little more compatible with the alternative dominating commercial radio.

Period 3 (Phantom Power - IVL): Layered, insular, intelligent and very classy music. Everything became a little more produced, and the live show became a little less jam-oriented.

In my oppinion, the best record from Period 1 is Road Apples, the best record from Period 2 is Day for Night and the best record from period 3 is Phantom Power. I pretty much see those three as being Canadian classics, and compulsory listening for any self-respecting Canuk. I don't think we're done with Period 3 yet, judging from the Josephine bootleg.

Anyway. Critics are silly.

[jen]

Anyway. Critics are silly.[/quote]

Yes they are...you just have to remember it is just that person's opinion..and in reality..who cares what they think :wink: :thumb:

[grooveless touque]

Be that as it may, I find it baffling how much stock we put in critics. WHY do we allow so many hundreds of people to make a lot of money off being critics?! What demand is there?? It sure as hell isn't the "need" for critical opinions - look at last week's box office blockbuster Cat In The Hat. It was savaged by critics as stupid, pointless and unsatisfying for even five year olds. But who gave a flying frick? Obviously not the millions of people who paid to take their kids to see it!

The army of critics from music to fashion to movies to food absolutely perplexes me. Nobody really listens to critics, and most of the time we spend more time arguing against them than anything!

[The Horrible Esthete]

Be that as it may, I find it baffling how much stock we put in critics. WHY do we allow so many hundreds of people to make a lot of money off being critics?!

It does seem inane, and I share your general disgust. I wonder how often advertising $$$ and other business contracts influnce how favorably critics treat their subjects.....

All that aside, I suppose that critial reviews sell copies of whatever publication prints them, and that just goes to show how low the societal common denominator is. Publications benefit from creating an illusion of trendiness, and the name of the act / show / screenplay / establishment alone tends to pique the intrest of the average shmoe who jumps at any chance to stay a step ahead of the Joneses. Besides, many believe everything they read, and few seem to be able to form an original opinion by themselves. They'd rather be told what to think, and regurgitate it as they see fit.

Take that piece of toilet tissue called Rolling Stone, for example. They are revered by the masses as the be-all and end-all of musical insight, but their critics have balked time and time again at the chance to be astute in their reviews of many talents who fly below the MTV radar. Like, for instance, the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All-Time" travesty they retched upon us this year. Have Hipbasers taken the opportunity to shred that irreverant stream of sludge? Eddie Van Halen at #70? David Gilmour at #89? Angus Young at #96? Huh??? All three are seated behind people like Joni Mitchell and Ike Turner! Oh, the humanity! Slash and Lindsay Buckingham were snubbed altogether! Geez, I'm a HUGE Neil Young fan, but he was ranked at #83, and that's just plain wrong.....I think I may even be a better guitarist than ol' Neil.....(I wish I was one-hundredth the songwriter he is, though)....

"Anyway. Critics are silly". How very true, often times.....

[mark]

everybody is entitled to their opinion

[grooveless touque]

Sure they are. But in my opinion...nobody should be paid big money to blab their opinions about completely irreverent, entirely subjective topics. We need critics in government and the media, but we don't need someone telling us that next week's big movie sucks.

[dyersbay]

I never been a follower anyway..I use my own judgement and I think that most people do to. In my opinion critics are useless. You can't really disagree with those "worst dressed" lists though...I will give them that much. :lol:

[The Horrible Esthete]

I use my own judgement and I think that most people do to.

I'd love to believe that, but how do you explain pop-culture phenomena like The Real World, Joe Millionaire, and Celebrities Uncensored?

[VioletlightHeron]

like mark and dyersbay said, everyone has their own tastes, just because some of those tastes are completely low brow doesnt make them tastes. We ourselves are critics when we make fun of a band, show or book. I say live and let live, dont toss rocks at glass houses, etc

[arseface88]

I guess I just have this feeling, every time the Hip or Gord D. do anything, that there's this very blase attitude of disinterest, almost as if they don't matter because they're Canadian or because they've been around for a while. They get accused of sameness, and I totally don't get it.

[Jasper]

Arseface, that is hilarious - I've never read critics saying that, but what a joke! If there is any band that has shown huge development with each and every album (except for maybe between Up to Here and Road Apples) it is the Hip.

Disinterest will always be there when the Hip/GD release new music. Not because it isn't great but because the music doesn't appeal to most people who are looking for something simple.. (Un)fortunately the Hip don't produce music that is whiney crap (Our Lady Peace) and their music doesn't sound exactly like a dozen other bands (Nickleback, etc.) so I guess critics who are guided by others' opinions aren't going to like what they hear.