[edgoffin]

Pointed out that we skipped over LBU. Recorded Nov. 23, 1996, at Cobo Arena in Detroit during Trouble at the Henhouse tour.

Grace, Too
Fully Completely
Springtime in Vienna
Twist My Arm
Gift Shop
Ahead by a Century
The Luxury
Courage
New Orleans Is Sinking
Don't Wake Daddy
Scared
Blow at High Dough
Nautical Disaster
The Wherewithal

It's not an album that I listen to a lot anymore, mostly in favor of the Live Vault archives or some other boots. I think in part because I know it's not the full show. At the time, I recall I was really pleased to get a great sounding Hip live show, but the "blank and trade" Hip network was really hitting high gear at the same time and there were a lot of good shows circulating. My only wish for this album would be a re-release with all tracks.

That said, with lots of Gord improvisational skills and snippets or phrases of other tunes this is a really cool snapshot of the band at that time. For new fans who never saw the band live, I always recommend it as a good glimpse into what a live show was like. One thing that struck me in their earlier years is they consistently hit new levels in terms of performance. My focus had always been on Gord, he was hard to not fixate on, but every show the band would bring something a bit different. You get a glimpse of this on LBT, especially on older tracks like Luxury, where Paul and Rob really do some amazing rhythm and lead.

One cool thing may be identifying some of the ad-libs -- Montreal in Courage just feels like a cruel tease, and I'd love to know why Gord added it on this night. I've wondered if he figured tape was rolling for this release, and it was a song that was passed by a few albums before and deserved some form of recording? I don't have any other shows from that era where Montreal made an ad lib appearance.

[andrew sharpe]

One cool thing may be identifying some of the ad-libs -- Montreal in Courage just feels like a cruel tease, and I'd love to know why Gord added it on this night. I've wondered if he figured tape was rolling for this release, and it was a song that was passed by a few albums before and deserved some form of recording? I don't have any other shows from that era where Montreal made an ad lib appearance.

Pretty sure I read they recorded all the shows on that tour, Cobo is just the one they decided to release.

[cochise]

With very few exceptions, I have never been a huge fan of Live albums, I find them too "tweaked and refined" which seems to take the "live" out of them. Give me a bootleg any day over an official release.

Its an OK album, but not one I ever really put on much. The one thing that struck me from the very first time listening is how subdued Gord is, no real rants or anything "Gordesque" that makes him the incredible front man he is. Not sure if he was a bit toned down / nervous because he knew this was being recorded for a release or not? I know this disagrees with a couple comments above, but just my own personal opinion.

To me the album misses its mark a bit, it did'nt succeed in capturing the energy and atmosphere of a normal Hip concert, but pretty rare any live album does.

[kieffer]

This album was my gateway into live hip. Up to that point I don't think I'd ever heard any bootlegs or live recordings. While, it may not have captured the true live essence of the band, it blew my mind at the time.

The opening of Grace is something that many of us on this board have likely quoted in conversation over the years.

The luxury and the wherewithal stand out as deeper cuts on this release.

I believe I've asked before, but I don't think a bootleg of the entire show has ever surfaced?

[Moof_Milker]

With very few exceptions, I have never been a huge fan of Live albums, I find them too "tweaked and refined" which seems to take the "live" out of them. Give me a bootleg any day over an official release.
Its an OK album, but not one I ever really put on much. The one thing that struck me from the very first time listening is how subdued Gord is, no real rants or anything "Gordesque" that makes him the incredible front man he is. Not sure if he was a bit toned down / nervous because he knew this was being recorded for a release or not? I know this disagrees with a couple comments above, but just my own personal opinion.
To me the album misses its mark a bit, it did'nt succeed in capturing the energy and atmosphere of a normal Hip concert, but pretty rare any live album does.

I feel the same way. I remember at the time of release thinking, "It's no Roxy & Elsewhere." Ending with The Wherewithal didn't add to my enjoyment much either. I appreciate it way more now than I did back then.

[edgoffin]

One cool thing may be identifying some of the ad-libs -- Montreal in Courage just feels like a cruel tease, and I'd love to know why Gord added it on this night. I've wondered if he figured tape was rolling for this release, and it was a song that was passed by a few albums before and deserved some form of recording? I don't have any other shows from that era where Montreal made an ad lib appearance.

Pretty sure I read they recorded all the shows on that tour, Cobo is just the one they decided to release.

They taped almost very show. I assume these became the Vault releases -- somewhere is the mother load of live hip.

But for this they brought in a proper mobile recoding unit specific for the Cobo show. Someone recently asked RB on twitter why Cobo, but he couldn't remember or didn't know why. I'd guess it may have been as simple as availability of the truck, or known acoustics in the arena (surprising number of live tracks or live albums are from Cobo). My impression is they knew this was intended to be the performance for the live album.

[Tthip]

Pretty sure I read they recorded all the shows on that tour, Cobo is just the one they decided to release.

True

But for this they brought in a proper mobile recoding unit specific for the Cobo show.

False

They brought special recording gear specifically for the entire Winter tour:

November of 1996, we began our most ambitious concert tour to date. Twenty four arenas across Canada and the United States in support of our sixth record, Trouble at the Henhouse. For a month and a half, along with the tons of staging and sound equipment, we dragged a portable 24 track recording studio along with us. The ever-present Mark Vreeken, along with Andy Bishop, would diligently set it up side-stage day after day to capture the evening's festivities. We'd taken a cue from the late great Frank Zappa that if you can isolate instruments live, there is always the chance that you can capture that certain elusive 'vibe' from a gig and build a track later in the studio. That was the original idea........
..........On the nights when everything is clicking and the music flows out of you, mixing with what the other guys are doing easily and naturally, there is no better feeling in the world. As I sat down and began to listen to the shows from the last tour, I started with the ones that had been noted as being especially vibey. Among these was the Detroit Cobo Arena show. It was as great as I remembered it. We had hit the ground running that night. From the instant the intro drum loop to "Grace Too" went up there was a tingle of electricity. monkey I felt it. When the band kicked in, it was still there. There was something there on tape beyond just the notes. We'd somehow managed to record the electricity of the moment. I have to admit that it gave me goose bumps and as I listened on, the show got better and better...
...........Every one in the band was immediately drawn to the quality of Mark's recording. Even as a rough board mix, things sounded great. The real acid test came when we put up the multis and listened more closely, looking for problems. The show just seemed to get better and better each time. It never lost the excitement of that first listen, which has always been our test for snowflakes picking versions of songs in the studio; it's not how it sounds the first time, it's the 100th time that counts. We knew we had something special on our hands. It was then that we began to talk about releasing this as a live record. It's not like we're claiming this to be the best live Hip performance ever. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. It has always been our fear that by releasing something live we'd be sanctioning it as a definitive performance. That night the band was 'on', tight, with Gord at his captivating best. But every gig is different and special, just like snowflakes.
That Saturday, November 23, was, however, a very special night. We had managed to capture a moment in time, which is all that a live recording can be. The point is that for the first time we couldn't find any reason not to do this, and sometimes for us that's reason enough........
........As it turns out, The Tragically Hip Live Between Us will not be the first live record made at the venerable Cobo Arena. Simply put, it's a great room to play as far as hockey rinks go. Unlike most arenas, there is nothing behind the stage area, just a wall which projects everything outwards to the crowd. As a result the room sounds great, and that sound quality adds to the quality of the performance and so on and so on. Maybe that's it. The end result is there on tape, an evening when all the intangibles of live performance come together to create magic. It's the room, the band, the crew, the crowd, the set, the evening and about a thousand other elements all falling into place. Who knows, maybe it's the water. Detroit Rock City!

Enjoy at Top Speed, Gord S

[potsie]

Despite what Gord Sinclair wrote in the above post, I can't help but think that it was a conscious decision to release a US show. The band was still in the mode of trying to break in the US, and what better way to do so than to have a live record from Detroit. "Live from Winnipeg" or "Live from Thunder Bay" doesn't have the same allure. There were 20+ dates on that winter tour and only two of them were in the US. My guess is they listened to the two US shows first and said (or were asked by management), "Can we make either of these work?" I just listened to the 1996 Edmonton show (one week prior to the LBU recording) in the Hip Youtube thread and it is nearly as good as the show they released. I'm sure they could have found a Canadian show to put out if that was a desire. I don't happen to believe it was.

One memory I have from that time period is hearing the live "Springtime" version on the radio a fair bit. Trouble at the Henhouse was nearing the end of it's promotional run and the release of the "Springtime" as an LBU "single" was a nice transition.

One minor complaint... I love Gord improvising, but I wish he wouldn't do it over the outro of Nautical. That is one moment Hip concert moment where I like to focus all of my attention on Robbie and Paul, and Gord riffing over top is distracting. I feel like this is a time in the concert where the spotlight should shift to those two and Gord should just hang back.

[direwolf74]

LBU is a solid live document in terms of the pristine sound quality, but I always thought the show itself was lacking something and wasn't the best show they could have chosen. However, there are a few standout performances:

Grace ("This is for the Rheostatics. We're all richer for having seen them tonight". That intro is almost iconic now. Also the band sounds great, and I like Gord's rant during the outro.)
The Luxury (Love Robby's guitar work on this one).
Scared (beautiful version)
Nautical (I love the Rheos/Jane Siberry tag at the end. A passionate, high-energy performance from the entire band.)
The Wherewithal (absolutely blistering version.)

[Escape@Hand]

Man you guys are a tough crowd! I love LBU, been listening to it a fair amount lately. Grace, Too is so powerful, and Nautical Disaster is fantastic. ABAC might be even better than the studio version; I absolutely love the bass line that Gord S. jams out at the end. I don't have a ton of bootlegs, but I have a few on my hard drive, along with Live From The Vault #4, and they don't stand up to this concert (although LFTV 4 is great, and has a really good energy to it).

[direwolf74]

Forgot to mention another favorite moment from this album: Gord Sinclair's bass tease of Come As You Are at the end of The Luxury.

[Moof_Milker]

Shoutout to Johnny’s naked ass in the album photos!

[sean.bonner]

Courage with China Girl and Montreal....

Best version that I know of IMO

When all the vinyl reissues were announced, this was the one I had to own first.

[potsie]

What really could have put this album over the top for me would have been a full version of Montreal. If they had no intention of ever releasing it (at least at that time), what a great opportunity to get a version recorded for posterity. I would have doubled my listening time with LBU if that was on it.

[mark]

did you hear that, man? did you fucking here that?! look out! Jesus Christ, it's a big fucking bear!