Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Some Hip For Ya
Here's a tune from The Tragically Hip's new album, We Are the Same. For the unitiated, The Tragically Hip are one of Canada's finest bands, and they are one of my all time favorite bands as well. Still a cult band here in the States, they've been filling arenas north of the border for two decades now. Anyway, the tune is "Morning Moon" and I've been digging on it for a couple of weeks now. It is relatively mellow compared to the Hip's usual bombast, but a lovely song nonetheless. Can't say the new record is all this great, but there are some real gems like this one and "The Last Recluse." Long live The Hip.
Bonus Hip: here's a clip of them doing one of my favorite tunes of theirs, "Nautical Disaster," on SNL sometime in the 1990's...
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13 comments:
I still vividly remember seeing these guys at Fitzgerald's in high school when they were touring for Up To Here. "New Orleans is sinking and I don't want to swim!" Who knew?
The Hip, that's who.
What a show! Were you there Dezmond?
What would you say is their best album since Road Apples?
Also, didn't the lead singer win a grammy for "Creepiest Crazy Eyes in Contemporary Rock?"
Yeesh.
Yes! One of my all time favorite shows. So great. I remember when they were doing "Long Time Running" and Gord went off on some strange stream-of-consciousness thing. I don't remember what he said, but I remember it as one of those great live moments I've seen.
Tough question you ask. They've got 12 studio albums thus far, and I really dig certain tunes on every one of them, but there is filler on each of them as well. I like a lot of 'Phantom Power.' And while it is less accessible than many of their others, 'Day For Night' has really grown on me over the years.
I could send you a great 2 disc "Best of The Hip" that I made recently.
I'd love a best of The Hip if it's not too much trouble!!
951 Fell St. #817
Baltimore MD 21231
Also, I remember the stream-of-conciousness thing too, but I'd forgotten the song. He told this story about his days as a police diver I think, which struck me as unlikely, and he had to swim down to some car wreck and pull out a rotting corpse. Strong emotions ensued. I may be remembering that very incorrectly, but i recall he as so drenched in sweat he was making puddles on the stage.
Cool that you remember the story. The Hip have a dedicated following, and Gord is famous for his stream-of-consciousness stories that he throws in the middle of songs. Evidently there is a very active tape trading community online, as the Hip encourage their fans to record and trade their shows.
I will make you The Best of The Hip and get it in the mail...
You Rock Ev... I mean Dez. When's Southern Exposure putting out their debut?
He's got a great voice. That's a nice find, that version of "Nautical Disaster" on SNL. I may steal it for the blog this week. The lyrics are great, and creepy as hell. On the live version you once gave me, he starts by talking about how the song is going to be adapted into a movie "starring Peter O'Toole as the curmudgeonly lighthouse keeper, and Jodie Foster in the role of Susan...It's called 'The Nurse Patient'." All of this will be repeated on my blog. I'm just making extra work for myself.
Anyway, if you have a new 2-disc set, I'd love to have it. That new song is pretty.
Sure, I will send a set your way too. was already in the stack of discs I'm sending you.
"Nautical Disaster" has always been a favorite of mine. It is about the sinking of The Bismarck. An unusual topic for a rock song.
Although, historically speaking, he's got the casualty numbers slightly wrong. But it captures the spirit of the event pretty well.
I also would like the DEZ EVANS "Hip" compliation disc. I have all the albums through...the one that has 100th Meridian on it. After that, I kind of lost track. My favorite is Road Apples, for sure, but I love all of those first couple.
I'll send my address by wombat mail.
ANCIANT
The song Nautical Disaster is not about the sinking of the Bismarck. The Bismarck was sunk in May of 1941 after an 8 day Allied pursuit through the Atlantic. Nautical Disaster is about the Invasion of Dieppe (a Nazi-held French port town) that happened on August 19, 1942.
3,367 Canadians were either killed, wounded or captured; 275 British killed, one destroyer and 33 landing craft lost; 550 seamen dead, 106 aircraft downed. It was possibly the single most significant failure in Canadian naval warfare... EVER. The attack from the sea was launched at dawn but their cover was blown when a small German convoy spotted them coming and radioed for tanks and Luftwaffe backup. Allied air support failed miserably at locating the gun turrets burried in the cliffs along the 10 mile stretch of beach and so these mostly Canadian infantry were just like gun fodder for the Germans as they tried to make landfall just like the opening scene on Saving Private Ryan.
Before the remaining 500 or so were shot dead, wounded or captured, one of the commanders had the balls to go against orders and turned the 2nd wave of reserves around and headed back for Allied ground.... "back for home" as the song puts it.
You can look all this up if you don't believe me.
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