The Hip at their peak
Common Sense | 08/07/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Their best album is Road Apples, but this comes in at a close second.
It was the last straight rock album before venturing into the obscure with Day for Night. At this time the band would sell out colosseums 3 nights in a row, and be the main attraction at outdoor festivals, building the crowd into a frenzied sea of bobbing heads, jumping up and down in unison as Gordon Downie balanced on top of the speakers on stage, held the microphone stand over his head and passionately screamed out lyrics while the band rocked their way to the climax.
Check out "Locked in the Trunk of a Car"."
Classic Canadiana, But That's OK With Me
D. Bowles | Planet Earth | 05/04/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Gordon Downie's prowess as a lyricist has always astounded me. His songs, from the "inside jokes" that no one outside a small group of people is supposed to get to the lyrics that make me go "What the F^#$ is he talking about?", I always appreciate his genius. This album is chock full of all of that.
There is a bit of a dark side to this album, but there is enough levity and pace to counterbalance it. From the opener to the closer, this album contains enough of the quntessential Hip quirkiness to satisfy the long-time fans, but also has enough mainstream substance to attract the casual fan. The acoustic "Wheat Kings" gently reflects on life on the Canadian prairies, but the songs that stand out on this recording are the rockers - "Looking For A Place To Happen" and "At The Hundredth Meridian" open the album, but it is "Locked In The Trunk Of A Car" that emerges as one of the top rock songs ever to come out of the frozen North with its sizzling guitar solos and great driving beat."