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Ive really been digging "Thompson Girl" lately and was wondering if I was the only one caught by surprise by the high pitched Gord in some parts of the song. I remember watching him being interviewed on "the Hour" with George Stroumboloupulous and he specifically mentioned having to quit smoking to able him to reach higher notes for the WC album. I am definately not saying that Gord's singing wasn't as good before the release of the song on Phantom Power, but does anyone know if he had quit smoking at this point? Its meant to be more of an observation than a question i guess...Im sure you've all noticed that his singing has much evolved in the last few years. He can now hit notes that he couldn't multiple years ago...
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I always thought that he quit smoking before Day For Night.
And as a side note, Thompson Girl was recorded in the kitchen. I love that tid-bit.
"We're forced to bed, but we're free to dream"
Dana
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It is a stripped down song with lots of geography – hope they play it in Winnipeg :thumb:
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Speaking of Gord's voice, I've heard a lot of people complain lately about his "screaming" on the last couple of tours, but I can't honestly remember a show I've been to where he sounded bad. And I've seen this band close to 30 times. Maybe I'm just too caught up in the moment to really notice any flaws. I've heard him sound pretty rough on the odd bootleg, and considering how powerful and manic his singing style is, I imagine his vocal chords tend to get a bit shredded by the end of a long tour. But overall I think his voice has developed into a very cool and unique instrument. There's no other singer out there that sounds anything like him. He can hit notes these days that he never could during the RA/FC/DFN era, and I'm sure quitting smoking has probably played a big part in that. I thought he sounded fantastic at the Calgary Virgin Fest last summer, with his voice sounding smooth and well rested. I don't think I heard him hit one sour note at that gig.
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I remember that interview, and I'm fairly certain he said he quit smoking in the mid-90's. I thought it was before Henhouse, but it might have been before DFN.
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Just rewatched the interview, and noticed Gord saying that he quit smoking "ten years ago"..whether he was being literal or not im not sure. But if he was, that would mean 1995-96 ish which would have been right around Henhouse, followed up by Phantom Power two years later. Interesting, you had it right on Metronome :thumb:
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One of my faves on PP, for sure. I'm listening to the Camp Trillium show and it just came on as I hit reply!
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The high notes he hits he's not really singing full out though...not like he does in say, In View. It's a nice touch because of the song's kind of folky, acoustic nature. Love that song.
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Definetly my favourite hip song ever. I would give anything to see it live.
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I don't think Gord's voice sounds all that great on Phantom Power. I like the album, though. You'll notice that Gord couldn't hit the high notes when singing "Thompson Girl" live, and even on record, his voice sounds very, very strained. Gord is still awesome, though. :jump
