lambchops's Full Review: Up to Here by The Tragically Hip
Hailing from the great white north, the Tragically Hip have been around for fifteen years. Yet, few people (even music fans) have so much as heard of the band outside of Canadian borders. It took until my Canadian roommates in college for me to hear of them. And it was in that context that I first found an appreciation for a band I’d actually heard a few songs from.
The Hip (as they are widely known) formed when five friends from Kingston, Ontario got together in 1986 to form a band. The guys, Gord Downie (vocals), Gord Sinclair (bass), Paul Langlois (rhythm guitar), Rob Baker (lead guitar), and Johnny Fay (drums) have recorded nearly ten albums in their career and have garnered a large, devoted following reminiscent of that of the Dave Matthews Band. They’ve toured with the Rolling Stones, Robert Plant and Jimmy Page and even played Saturday on the main stage at Woodstock 99. Yet, few people have heard of them.
What people may recognize is the band’s music. Most notably are songs like ”Ahead By A Century” and ”New Orleans is Sinking”. The latter of these two songs had a spot on 1989’s Up to Here, the Hip’s major label debut. Since the release of that album, the band has slowly gained a following. They have even managed to sell over a million albums. That aside, the music is good, old-fashioned rock and roll. As with most albums, Up to Here has its good points and its bad points.
First up is ”Blow at High Dough”. The first thing that is striking is the sheer power of this song, it’s guitars, and Downie’s vocals. The sound that the Hip seem to embody is that of good ol’ fashioned blues-rock. This is a hard rocking song. It’s fast, hard, fun and actually reminds me a bit of ZZ Top. This is an exceptionally good way in which to start an album off.
”I'll Believe In You (Or I'll Be Leaving You Tonight)” is another blues-rock track. This time, it feels more like a country song than a rock song. The only saving grace is the fact that Downie’s voice is pure classic rock. He’s a very talented vocalist, and with the backing of such a strong band the song shines despite (yes despite) the country music influences. I prefer the first song over this one.
One of the first songs I ever heard from the Hip was ”New Orleans Is Sinking”. And, this song is actually the reason I purchased this album. The feel of this song is again blues-rock. The sound of this song was also embraced during the early 1990’s thanks to the infusion of grunge into the rock music scene. What is striking about this song is the guitar line as accented by Downie’s voice. The guitar sings, wails. It’s definitely a song that should be appreciated by guitar music lovers. Maybe that’s why I like it.
Soft, melodic guitars mark the beginning of ”38 Years Old”. The song is simply great. It’s much more a storytelling sort of song than the others on this album. I would have to say that as compared to the other tracks, this is one of the best. It even surpasses the pure joy of the previous track. The song actually tells the story of a convict just escaped from prison. It speaks to the shame and pain and problems associated with having a family member imprisoned. This is an awesome track.
”She Didn’t Know” is a guitar-driven rock track. With it’s guitar-driven melody, Downie sings along with his truly superb voice. The only real problem with this track is that there really isn’t anything special about it. It just sounds like any other Hip track. It’s good, just not great.
All I think about is John Mellencamp when the acoustic guitars start in ”Boots or Hearts”. That sidenote aside, this is a really great and refreshing track. The sound is emotional and driving and absolutely perfect. I would accuse the Hip of being a angst-ridden Midwestern band if I didn’t know better based on this track. This is a must-listen.
”Everytime You Go” is upbeat and much in the same vein as ”New Orleans is Sinking”. That being the case, I like the track. It’s only got a slight country/southern rock influence. Downie’s voice is lovely. The drums are heavy, and the guitars are skillfully loud. This is a great track for soon-to-be fans to start out at. One of the best on this album.
”When The Weight Comes Down” bores me. The sound isn’t as interesting or as emotional or for that matter as good as the other tracks on the album. It’s also mid tempo, something that either makes or kills a song. I’d have to say that this one is dead and bloated (yes, a Stone Temple Pilots reference). Skip this one.
I’m reminded momentarily of the Rolling Stones at the beginning of ”Trickle Down”. The song is a bit pompous like the Stones are known for. The guitars paired with the vocals prove to be a perfect compliment. There is raw emotion here. Sure, I don’t like it as well as some of the more upbeat tracks, but that blues-rock sound is a sure sell especially to fans of bands from that area of music.
”Another Midnight” sounds like the best of Hootie and the Blowfish. That said, I like it better than anything that Hootie ever did. The sound is darker, more intense, and actually just plain better than the American counterpart. The truly great thing with this song is the multiple guitar lines that so perfectly compliment Downie’s voice. Great. Believe me.
The last track of the album is also one of the last ones written for the album. ”Opiated” is supposed to be harder than the rest of the songs. I don’t really agree. It sounds forced and unrealistic to the real sound of the Tragically Hip. Some people may enjoy that extra edge, but as I said this is more a blues-rock band than straight rock n’ roll. It’s an okay song, just not what I would expect necessarily from an otherwise very talented band.
As you can see, I think this album is good. There are some really great tracks like ”New Orleans is Sinking,” “Another Midnight,” and “38 Years Old”. Most of the songs are mildly better than average and then there are also a few crummy ones (like ”Opiated”). Since the album is mostly good with a little bad thrown in for good measure, I will give it 4 stars. It’s not for fans of White Zombie or Britney Spears, but it’s good none the less.
If you’d like to find out more about Tragically Hip, check out their unofficial band page located at http://www.aheadbyacentury.com/.
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.