Anniversary Albums
6 illinoisentertainer . com december 2024
THE TRAGICALLY HIP Up to Here Deluxe 4xLP ( UMe )
Timed with the band ’ s 40th anniversary this year , the first significant splash by Canadian musical icons The Tragically Hip is celebrated in this expanded reissue . The band ’ s enduring status was cemented over ensuing decades of thrilling performances , impactful humanitarian and philanthropic pursuits , and by a catalog that uniquely reflected the contemporary Canadian experience through singles like “ Bobcaygeon ,” “ Ahead by a Century ,” and “ Fifty Mission Cap .” The Hip ’ s initial string of six full-length albums , culminating in 1998 ’ s Phantom Power , represents a rarely matched run of creative evolution and prime quality . For a segment of the Kingston , Ontario quintet ’ s devoted fanbase , however , the first two longplayers that capture the group as Stonesy roots-rockers are permanent favorites .
1989 ’ s full-length debut Up to Here is captured in this deluxe set , remastering the original album alongside additional material from the period that will make this box a must even for fans with well-preserved copies of the original LP . The 4xLP deluxe set arrives on heavyweight 180-gram vinyl . The first platter includes the remastered main album . Rob Baker ’ s snarling slide guitar adds a laughing counterpoint to Gord Downie ’ s ferocious vocal during the lead single “ Blow at High Dough .” The song references the 1968 Elvis film Speedway as a framework for portraits of characters moving too fast for their own good . Guitarist Paul Langlois locks into a muscular groove with bassist Gord Sinclair for the grim blues of “ New Orleans is Sinking ,” while Johnny Fay ’ s snare drum cracks the band ’ s collective spine like a whip . The song became famous among concertgoers as a launching pad for Downie ’ s excursions into off-kilter exposition as the band ebbed and flowed along with his stream-of-consciousness storytelling . Songs as notable as “ Ahead by a Century ” and “ Nautical Disaster ” could trace threads to origins as mid-song jams during “ New Orleans is Sinking .” From the present vantage , it ’ s worth noting that the song predated the disaster of Hurricane Katrina by 16 years .
The third single , “ Boots or Hearts ,” rides an acoustic guitar foundation and hand-clap rhythm , recalling John Mellencamp a la “ Pink Houses .” “ When it starts to fall apart , it really falls apart ,” sings Downie wryly in the chorus .
The band ’ s prized reputation as a monstrous live act is documented in the three album sides and Blu-ray film , including the Live at the Misty Moon performance recorded for Much Music in Halifax , Nova Scotia , on April 6 , 1990 . The hour-long set includes performances of seven songs from Up to Here , in addition to the coveted non-album track “ Get Back Again ” ( introduced by Downie as “ a weepy little thing ”). The band ’ s loose and bristling performance of “ Trickle Down ” beats the album version and shows the band ’ s interlocking essence in their true element . Downie delivers a vocal that swings between sly and feral . “ Three Pistols ,”
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