After YEARS of searching, I finally found it! I went to this show at The Fillmore in San Francisco in 2004, where I got this AMAZING and GORGEOUS poster. Unfortunately on one of my moves the moving company "lost" it, aka stole it. I've been searching on and off for at least a decade. Every single time it was either $500+, the auction would end I discovered it, or the poster would get delisted and disappear.

Well after almost 20 years I have the poster again. I am going to hang this on the wall of the recording studio I am building. I thought other Hip fans would appreciate the set and the understand when it means to a Hip fan.

Hot off the presses. Episode one is finally here. Have a great long weekend and we'll see you on Monday. https://kite.link/CMGP1

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Give this one a spin today to celebrate!

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I have always had a special connection to the song Fully Completely. The two verses full of contradictions, that bend at the beginning of the second verse and an overall sense that their is something off putting about the song. When I describe it to friends I say it's almost mystical. Does anyone else feel this way? Or am I just feeling this song way too hard?

https://youtu.be/AbDEnIVu-zU?si=77ka1zyxsG6tf2-7

https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/tragicallyhip/whentheweightcomesdown.html

Hello everyone, I hope all is well. Today we are going back to 1989 with the band’s debut album Up To Here and we will talking about the eight track from the album titled “When the Weight Comes Down.”

Now when it comes to this album, I actually think “When the Weight Comes Down” is one of the more interesting songs. The song starts off with a one chord guitar strum that is backed by a solid drum beat that remains even when the guitar strum is done ringing out. This is just the song’s intro though as after a uick fill from Johnny we enter the main part of the verse. The main guitar riff is simple but it’s fun. Basically either Rob or Paul are playing a B power chord (on the A and D strings) but lifting up on the B note every now and again, leading them to playing the D string open. It’s extremely simple but it’s a type of riff that I would write because it’s fun and easy to play.

Lyrically, this is where the song becomes a puzzle. Gord starts off the song with lyrics about a guy wearing rubies on his head while he’s “shifting.” The rubies on his head make me think of him wearing a crown like a king. Then Gord sings “and he's hearing something she never said. On his way back home, under his bed.” Between this line and the “shifting” line I feel like so far this song is on the darker side. Just based on this first verse I wonder if this song is about a doomed relationship as the guy is “hearing something she never said.” But as the song continues I’m less convinced about that theme.

We then arrive to the chorus where we get a slight change to the chord progression. Lyrically the chorus is simple as Gord just sings the title of the song. But the way Gord sings the chorus is incredibly catchy. His phrasing is longer and smooth and you get either Sinclair or Paul providing some fitting backing vocals. And lyrically I feel like the title of this song is suppose to convey something bad that has happened that makes it feel as if the weight of the world is coming down on you.

In the second verse the story gets even more confusing. Gord sings about a girl with ragged sleeves and about someone who is about to grieve. Then we have this guy telling the girl about the biblical story of Adam and Eve which seems pretty random at first. But after another chorus we get the lyric “and a girl walks by the burning bush.” The burning bush is another biblical reference; it was a bush that was on fire but was not consumed by the flames. So I think Gord may be going with the metaphor here that people who have the weight of the world on their shoulders are still standing, just like how the bush can’t burn away despite the flames. But the following lyrics about the girl asking the guy “what’s wrong here” and then “opening wide” are still a mystery to me. Is it more religious references? What I do know is that Gord is singing this verse in a higher and more exciting octave in his vocal range.

It’s after this verse though where the music becomes really appealing. We get a guitar solo from Rob that starts off like an 80’s hair metal solo, but in a good way. I like it because it doesn’t sound like a typical Rob solo. It starts off ferocious and then becomes more melodic. And then we get some great dynamics coming out of the solo. The guitars drops out and it’s just the drums and bass while Sinclair plays some melodic lines. Then we get Paul playing some pretty arpeggios while Rob is doing some basic strums. The energy comes to a slow down while Gord starts singing.

This last verse though lyrically is just as confusing as the rest of them. This time the narrator dreams of a “candy coated train” with a little girl arriving at their door. Followed by the line “you know a letter washes up to the shore, that I cannot read and I probably should ignore.” I think that’s probably the best line in the song. For me it conjures up imagery of regret and knowing you can’t go back in time to fix things. And that fits well with the title of the song. But I’m not sure how it fits the other narratives like the religious tones. Someone online said that they interpret this song about drug abusive but with these lyrics I feel that’s kinda a stretch.

Then the band absolutely kills the outro of the song. The backing vocals during the last chorus become even more prominent and Gord adds a lot of grit and passion to his vocals. Rob goes back to that chugging guitar solo riff from before and as he’s hitting some harmonics, Gord goes crazy with his vocals! He’s yelling “get out!” with so much power that it reminds me of what would come to be on “Locked in the Trunk of a Car.” This whole outro has the energy of songs from future albums like Road Apple and Fully Completely and it’s definitely my favorite part of this song.

Overall I do think this is one of the more electric songs on Up to Here. There are some production choices that hold this song from being on the level as other songs from future albums. And I feel like Gord was getting closer to his genus level of story telling lyrics and his more historical/abstract lyrics. But there’s moments on this song that definitely shine and besides the singles, it’s probably one of my favorites from the album and it should have been played more than ten times live.

But what do you think of this song from the band’s debut album? What do you think the song is about? Favorite lyrical or musical moments? And did you ever catch it live?

We've released a special sneak preview of Discovering Downie for those who have added our podcast to their feed. You can get the episode and subscribe here: https://kite.link/sneakpreview

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https://www.hipmuseum.com/dirtyabac.html https://www.hipmuseum.com First we'll climb a tree And maybe then we'll talk I will touch your cunt You will touch my cock Then we'll be married Then we'll be man and wife No dress rehearsal This is our life

But that's where the hornet stung me And I had a feverish dream With revenge and doubt Tonight we smoke them out You are ahead by a century You are ahead by a century You are ahead by a century

You are ahead by a century You are ahead by a century You are ahead by a century So disappointing you's getting me down So disappointing you's getting me down So disappointing you's getting me down

Rob Baker told me there were 300 of them when he was signing mine on Record Store Day. I didn't know they were hand numbered until I got home. I ended up with #84 for myself and #200 for a friend. If you were lucky enough to get one of the tapes or if you've heard any stories about low or significant numbers out there what do you got? I think my '84 is pretty cool...

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I know this is probably an insane long shot but it’s worth a shot lol

Just got back from the tour opening Pearl Jam show in Vancouver tonight and during “Daughter”, Vedder sang a small part of “Bobcaygeon” towards the end and after the song mentioned Gord. It was one of many moments tonight that were just perfection.

Much to his chagrin (falls)... Bobby carries the Hip cap to the Mission line!

This is all in good fun. Just curious to those who listened to it all what takes from the guys made you go what the heck? For me it’s:

Glossing over Something On. Perhaps one of the most fun songs the band has to me.

Being really good at discussing lyrics, but Leave, a song I think is Gord’s lyrical masterpiece, they hardly even discussed.

Cordelia boring guitar? I get it’s early Hip, but Cordelia is one of my favourite riffs from them of all time.

Not trying to ruffle any feathers. I really enjoyed the podcast. It made me dive into some songs that I maybe neglected a bit. Nice to get some more outside views. Thanks for the podcast!

A heads-up to those that bought the Live at CBGB's '94 special Record Store Day lp. The slipmat might be toxic to your lp. I only say this because it has happened to other releases -- namely the 1995 release of Boss Hog -- https://www.discogs.com/release/2173976-Boss-Hog-Boss-Hog -- The slipmat included in that package was notorious for out-gassing and clouding the record and in some cases making it unplayable.

A friend of mine told me about this because it happened to him. So I am keeping it stored outside the lp cover, in it's own plastic protector.

I have two tickets to see the sold out concert by Grace 2 in London this Saturday evening (May 4, 2024) at Aeolian Hall, Dundas. The concert starts at 8pm and is scheduled to run until 1030. The tickets are not side by side, but are close to one another. Will sell indivually or as a set,

Hey folks, just curious, does anyone know the meaning or any background behind the art on the yer favourites album?

I’ve always really liked the depression suite and morning moon so last night I tried listening to the whole album back to back. And it’s only just really hit me The lyrics on not just those two songs but all of them are so deep. What was going on with them then?

Also do you know what was the thinking behind all of the night time semantic fields do you think?

Years back around the release of we are the same 2009ish Gord did an interview on studio Q. It use to be in YouTube but I can’t find it any where now. Does any one have it? The interview from around now for plan A is still on YouTube.

I’m seeing a lot of different dates online lol

https://youtu.be/11y1trf0Ml0?si=6Cw38azJw8ngvBkt

https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/tragicallyhip/worldcontainer.html

Hello everyone, I hope all is well. Today we are heading back to the band’s tenth studio album World Container, released in 2006, and we are going to be talking about the closing title track “World Container.”

“World Container” ends this mostly rock and heavier album on a slightly quieter note. This time around the closer is a ballad of sorts. The song actually begins with some piano, faint guitar arpeggios, a little bass and some hi hat action all wrapped up in a waltz 6/8 time signature. The piano intro isn’t too surprising as the album has other piano appearances like in “Yer Not the Ocean” and “Pretend.” But the 6/8 time signature is interesting as there’s not a ton of Hip songs in time signatures other than 4/4.

When Gord vocals enter the mix he sings “there's a world container with your name on it. And a billion ways to go berserk.” Now the first thing I think of when I hear Gord sing the word “berserk” is the lyric from “My Music at Work” where he sings “the rain came down berserk.” But I think the more important lyric here is the phrase “world container.” But in order to figure out its meaning I feel we have to get context from the rest of the song.

When Gord sings “when the country quits on you it must be dinner. And the Himmler on this one is there's no dessert” it almost appears as a comical line. Like a funny way to described the feeling of being ostracized. But I did some digging and the reference of Himmler belongs to Heinrich Luitpold Himmler. It may not surprise you to learn he was a German politician who was a member of the Nazi Party and was one of T he main “architect” of the Holocaust. His country quite literally quit on him as he was rejected by his former comrades at the end of the war. And when he was captured he used a cyanide pill to kill himself.

So when Gord sings “he's the one who couldn't imagine all the people living life in peace” it’s not that hard to imagine this line was about Himmler as well as a nod to John Lennon’s song “Imagine.” It’s also during this line where the chord progression changes as a sort of pre chorus, although the band transitions back into an another verse.

As the music starts to swell with strings and a full drum beat from Johnny, Gord sings “good news! You get to vanish. Go to Cleveland, be an indie smash.” At first this seems to be a complete shift in lyrics, with maybe the narrative being about a person who is trying to reinvent their life. They go to Cleveland to start an indie band, but as Gord sings, “the good news is now you're smaller. The bad news is you can be smaller than that.”

But I think he was also being tricky with this random Cleveland lyric. I did some digging and there was a Nazi camp guard named John Demjanjuk. He was on multiple trials, one for being a Nazi camp guard, another for possibly being Ivan the Terrible. But before his trials, he actually escaped to America with his family, and more specifically, they moved to Cleveland. I’m not entirely sure if this was pure coincidence from Gord but this would fit with those Holocaust themed lyrics.

The problem is some people online think this song is entirely about Nazis and the Holocaust. They think lyrics like “been past the 'No Attractions Past This Point' sign” is a reference to signs you’d see at the death camps. Or how “don’t forget” is a saying used when talking about the Holocaust. Which leads people into thinking that a “world container” could be a metaphor to either a casket or a gas chamber, as dark as that may be.

But I’ve seen other interpretations of this song aren’t as grim or historical. There’s an idea that the “world container” is a metaphor for something that is holding back someone from fully living their life. That’s why in the second verse Gord gives some advice like “be a reader, get used and laugh at a funeral or two.” It’s almost as if he’s telling this person to go outside their comfort zone. Or maybe the phrase “world container” is another way of saying that the world is in your hands.

The lyric “and laugh til all the chameleons turn black” is a reference to how chameleons will turn black when they feel threatened. And “laugh and laugh til you're told 'please don't come back'” seems to be in reference to the earlier line about laughing at a funeral. It’s a pretty funny lyric given the backdrop of a funeral.

Gord eventually sings “then fake incredulous, say 'I just can't believe! How'd it get so late so early?’” which to me seems like Gord is calling out fake people with no substance who say non sequiturs like “how’d it get so late so early?” or “ain’t life a grand?” I do find the lyric “I’m in awe of ya’ll” to be interesting because a version of that lyric was later altered and added into songs like “Hot Mic” and “In a World Possessed By the Human Mind” where it’s swapped to “I’m (we’re) in awe of no one.”

Then we have the chorus where the main lyric is “where all songs are one song and that song is ‘Don't Forget.’” It seems like that could be a reference to the song “Don’t Forget” by singer songwriter Martha Wainwright. It was released in 2005 on her self titled album that funny enough was only released in Canada. Although I’m not sure the importance of the song other than the fact that Gord might have loved this song. Or the title could be a song by the earlier indie band from Cleveland in this very song. How meta.

Taking a break from the lyrics for a minute, I want to discuss how this song continues to build. The song started off as a piano ballad, but by the second verse we have full instrumentation including some killer backing vocals from Paul. I also think Sinclair’s bass is mixed quite nicely on this song, definitely louder than it would be on We Are The Same. There’s also some fantastic dynamics when Gord sings the “ain’t life a grand” lyric where Johnny’s drums drop out only to come back in with some heavy ass drum fills. That, mixed with the guitar solo and dual guitar lines, makes this song a definite Bob Rock product, but not necessarily in a bad way. It’s one of those songs that only the band could have created with Bob.

The last thing I will say is that this song used to be my least favorite on this album. And although it still may be my least favorite, this deep dive is one reason why I’m enjoying it way more. Learning all the historic facts that inspired this song was intriguing. But then also digesting the different meanings like “living live through experience” was able interesting and relatable. The lyric “what we have here are all flaws in progress” is the lyric that best sums up that sentiment. This song isn’t the simple ballad that I once thought, it can be a song about growing up and life in general or even the downfall of Nazis! Plus I always see people on here praising this song and that’s also made me appreciate it more.

But what do you think about this song? Is this a perfect album closer? What do you think the song is about? Favorite lyrical or musical moments? And have you ever seen it live?

write about words I drink and stay up late When I read what I wrote It says, “I do what I hate.” I write about words I push words around I don’t really trust words I just like how they sound