[WesleyC.]

I have to admit that even though I saw 4 shows for the World Container tour, I did not enjoy much of the album at all. So after a few years of sitting at the bottom of the pile and not even getting a customary listen to even once a year. I finally put it on my iphone and listened to it last night on the head phones, yea sure Ive listened to it in the van and my fav song is Fly, but last night I listened to each song loud on the headphones. Wholly shit it is way better then I could have ever known. If anybody else is in the same boat and dont enjoy a particular Hip CD, I suggest giving it the good quality headphones treatment. It was a game changer for WC for me. This album will now move up in my roatation for sure and no longer be treated like the red headed stepchild. P.S. Family Band will probably move into my top 30 songs by the Hip. The key was HEADPHONES and no distractions to actually enjoy it.

[direwolf74]

World Container is the sound of a band rejuvenated. There's a lot of energy in those songs. Simply put: it rocks. I always hear people talking about how great In Between Evolution is. But personally I think WC is a better, more focused album. Sure, Bob Rock went way overboard with the production on a couple of songs (In View, World Container). But overall I think it's one of their strongest albums in recent years.

[spottrax]

Listened to the entire Detroit 09 show number 1 yesterday while doing yard work. Loved the mix of songs and really forgot how cool songs like You're Not The Ocean, World Container and Family Band were live! I might be in the minority here but I have always liked the Bob Rock phase of the band....

[BIGVDOGG]

Great topic,we were going up north,and my wifes gets in the truck with wc in her hand,Last Night I Dreamed is kicking my ass.I will never forget oct 23 at the phoenix and Family Band being the opener.Kills me when I hear people put down wc and/or wats.I have been a fan since 89,and these 2 stand amongst their best.

[direwolf74]

Great topic,we were going up north,and my wifes gets in the truck with wc in her hand,Last Night I Dreamed is kicking my ass.I will never forget oct 23 at the phoenix and Family Band being the opener.Kills me when I hear people put down wc and/or wats.I have been a fan since 89,and these 2 stand amongst their best.

For me, WATS is definitely the weaker of the two Bob Rock albums. Despite a handful of outstanding songs (Morning Moon, Depression Suite, Last Recluse, Queen of the Furrows, Country Day), the rest of the album just doesn't do it for me. It's not a bad album. I just think there's too much filler on there, and I think the band catered a little too much to what Bob wanted to do. Even Downie made a comment recently about how Bob wanted to make "big" records or something like that, and the band kind of followed his muse. Which is fine. Any band that's been around as long as the Hip needs to try new approaches once in a while. But overall I think the production on that album is just way too excessive for a band like the Hip. Save for a couple of small moments (Love is a First, Frozen in My Tracks), Bob polished away all the gritty edges with layers of strings and keyboards, etc... And for me that gritty edge is the Hip's best strength. When I first heard At Transformation, my immediate reaction was "ahh, that's more like it."

Having said that, I still give Bob Rock credit for breathing some extra life into a band that was kind of spinning it's wheels at the time. The guys in the band have all mentioned in one way or another that Bob reminded them how fun it is to be in a rock band. I like that.

[arseface88]

The best headphones in the world couldn't save WATS for me, or The Grand Bounce for that matter. However, I will admit that IVL sounds about 40 percent better coming out of a decent speaker system.

[jgardz]

The Grand Bounce is an amazing album...WATS, not so much...I too applaud their attempt at new approaches, but I'm glad that they seem to be moving back to a more traditional Hip sound on the new one. I hate overproduction and Mr. Rock definitely put too much gloss on the last one!

[Wheatking20]

All depends on what kind of mood i'm in. For a slow,relaxing,rainy day i like some WATS. For days like in the summer enjoying time with friends and family i lean towards the older music like Fully or Phantom. All of it is great to me and i like the work they did with Bob Rock. The best part of the hip is that they keep on changing things up and bring a great new sound.

[KarmaKrazy]

That record will be the last great Hip album. The songs are strong, the hooks are there, and the performances are good. Im not a huge fan of the Bob Rock production, a bit too compressed, and I am certainly not an admirer of "sneaky" auto-tune which that record is lathered with. But they were trying to make a hit record and that goes with the territory. But anyway, I enjoyed that record. Best since Phantom Power.

[sean.bonner]

That record will be the last great Hip album.

Yer krazy

[Dark Canuck17]

That record will be the last great Hip album.

Yer krazy

Brain on drugs :roll:

[emperor penguin]

I can't believe all the WATS hate. I think it's one of their best albums. And I actually think World Container is their weakest album. It's interesting to see the diversity in tastes amongst fans. It takes all kinds, and the beauty is no one is wrong.

[Dark Canuck17]

With the last two albums I could pick a half dozen off of both get rid of the rest and make one solid album...

[fingernailsonhull]

At first I thought WATS was a lot better than WC. But now I skip a lot of songs on WATS. MM, TLR, TDS, and LIAF are all very good, though.

[MattPower]

I've always liked World Container. I always thought it was better than the three albums before it. And WATS, I think it's the best album since Day For Night. It's got a different sound yes, but it's a sound very well done.

1. FC
2. RA
3. UTH
4. DFN
5. WATS :music
6. PP
7. WC :music
8. M@W
9. IBE
10. IVL
11. TATH
12. EP

...Just sayin'