SOUNDTRACK: THE TRAGICALLY HIP-Live Between Us (1996).
This show was recorded live November 23, 1996 in Detroit. It’s kind of odd that these Canadian favorites would record their live album in the U.S.
In the intro to the album Downie thanks The Rheostatics for opening (you can hear the Rheos’ sets from other days on the tour, but not this night, at their Live site).
This concert is a great, strong set of songs, and an excellent way to experience the Hip live. Downie is practically a loose cannon with his extemporaneous ramblings…he’s funy, weird and clever and he’s a charismatic front man. And the band sounds great (no overdubs on the disc, and none are needed).
The set list is a wonderful selection of tracks from all five of their albums (none from the first EP). Two each from the first two, Three from Fully & Day and the first four tracks from Trouble (which is probably why I like the beginning of Trouble so much more than the end).
True, any fan will complain about the lack of certain songs on here (no “38 Years Old,” no “Little Bones” no “Unplucked Gems” no “Hundred Meridian” or “Fifty Mission Cap” no “Fire in the Hole”–wow, that’s a lot of great songs to leave off, shows just how many great songs the Hip have). But with only 14 songs to choose from, they made a great set list and you don’t even miss those songs until you realize they’re not there.
The audience is very responsive and the band seems to feed off it. If you’re new to the Hip, this is a great place to start. It’s sort of like a greatest hits of the early years, but it will leave you wanting more too.
[READ: January 26, 2011] “Summer Plum (Winter Version)”
This was the final of seven stories in The Walrus‘ Summer Reading Issue 2004, and it was the final flash fiction. This story is a bizarre whirlwind from the get go.
It opens with a belief that shredded coconut can make you fly and ends with a paean to a plum. In between Keds are glued to a driveway and there’s a lot of repetition of “plump plum plump plum.”
I admit I have no idea what this story was supposed to be saying. It seemed more like a sort of evocative poem, relishing the textures of life. And yet there’s that whole thing about being glued to the driveway which kind of throws a wrench into that interpretation. (more…)
I Just Read About That... 