Customer Reviews

Day for Night

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Music is really funny... many reviews will say "Band X is the greatest band out there. I don't see why people just don't like Band X?" Well, one problem is the rate of exposure "Band X" receives.

Take for example, Buffalo New York. The inhabitants of Buffalo are blessed with the good fortune of being able to tune in both Buffalo stations and stations eminating from Canada. Now, Canadian stations like CFNY 102.1 had been playing the Tragically Hip for years. Those lucky few who had the inclination to tune into those Canadian stations were treated to hear the Tragically Hip.

Now, Buffalo stations play The Hip and when the Hip is in town, hold themselves out as "The Hip Station." The lesson? If you come across a review of a band you never heard of and people say "Band X is the best out there!" You should give Band X a try.

That is what many of my closest friends did when I put them on to the Tragically Hip's "Day For Night."

"Day For Night" is a rarity in music - a COMPLETE ALBUM that flows from beginning to end. There is a logical progression of sonic and emotional energy to the album. You would swear that it is possible that some songs were written around a word picked out at random from the dictionary (See,"Apartment Song" from the Hip's album "Trouble at the Hen House" for a possible example - the random word there being "esthete").

I find "Day For Night" to be the easiest Tragically Hip album to reccomend and it is that rare piece of music that I find can be almost universally recommended.

In short, if you are reading this, you should seriously think about either buying this album or somehow getting your hands on this album so that once you listen to it, you would buy it.

Song Highlights (i.e. my favorites):

1) "Nautical Disaster" - A bare, stripped down son at the beginning that turns into a rocker at the end. It also is the single most fascinating and intellectually stimulating songs I have ever heard.

2) "Yawning or Snarling" - Sometimes, it is GOOD to write a song about SOMETHING. There is a story behind "Yawning or Snarling" and makes interesting listening when combined with "38 Years Old" from the Hips "Up to Here Album."

3) "Grace, Too" - A staple of the Hip's live show it showcases lead singer Gordon Downie's unique vocal stylistics.

4) "Scared" - Talk about telling a story, the lyrics of the song tell you that the song is telling a story...

5)Inevitability of Death - A great rocker after the simmering on "Thugs" and features the great lyric, "We don't go to hell, just our memories do/ And if you go to hell, I'll still remember you"

This is the singularly most important album I have ever heard. I am a huge HIP fan and this set is the peak of their greatness. I agree with the other reviewers that this is the rarest of albums in that you must listen to it in its entirety. Very seldom does a set come along that must be experienced as a whole. I compare this opus to "Dark Side" by Pink Floyd or "Sgt. Pepper" by The Beatles in that it's separate tracks are awesome but the whole fifty-five minutes is the true gift. The band could perform this set live in its entirety in a concert and the audience would not be disappointed. "Grace Too" is the best live song I have ever experienced and "Thugs" and "Nautical Disaster" are on my top ten greatest songs of all time. This is the greatest gift that any Canadian band has given to the world. I am proud to say that my native country Canada spawned the best live band I have seen (ten times). The Hip rule!

From the opening, swelling moments of "Grace, Too", to the final, driving chords of "Impossibilium", the Tragically Hip capture moments of sheer sonic majesty throughout this, their greatest album, and one of the very best albums of its decade. The centerpiece, "Nautical Disaster", captures in music the absolute manic psychosis of a nightmare with lucidity seemingly impossible in any other medium. "Grace, Too" captures Gord Downie's most vulnerable yet defiant vocal performance on record, and the amazing ascending-then-descending guitar and bass riff rivals any in rock history. "Scared" is hauntingly beautiful; simple, poetic, yet chilling. "Titanic Terrarium" carries a similar vibe, yet with a more overtly ominous tone. Perhaps the only misstep is the slightly vapid "An Inch An Hour", but that only stands out because every single other song on the record is just so incredibly strong that even a slightly less than stellar effort strikes the ear as impure. The Hip may be one of music's best kept secrets, their albums diamonds in an ever-increasing rough, and 'Day For Night' sparkles most brightly. Do yourself a favor and buy this album!

This recording is a no miss from beginning to end. First time listeners unfamiliar with the group may have a difficult time digesting this work and therefore this may not be the best introduction to this great band. On the other hand, those familiar with The Hip's exceptional catalog may recognize this as the masterpiece that it is. From the hypnotic opening of "Grace Too" and throughout the recording, the listener is absorbed into a dreamy yet edgy sound punctuated by Gordon Downie's vocals. The Tragically Hip have often been compared with R.E.M. which is somewhat inaccurate. The Hip are far more interesting and their work more significant than anything R.E.M. has done in quite some time. This album is well worth adding to your collection.

I will keep this short as there are lots of reviews for this one. Why? Because this record grabs you like no other they have done! Thoughtful, intense, intellegent and provoking. This is the second CD I got from this band. Try Road Apples if you want something more commercial that is really good, but this one takes the cake! Gordon should have stuck with the band! Great spin!!!

As a big fan of Gord Downie's story songs, I have to admit I bought this album purely for the song Nautical Disaster. As ususal with the Hip, the entire album is a great piece of work. It's wonderful to see that as their trademark sound has evolved they've never lost their underlying rock 'n' roll heart. The comparisons to REM are completely unfounded--Mr. Stype ought to wish he had Downie's song writing abilities, and if he doesn't he's a fool. How this band isn't a bigger hit in the US is beyond me.

First of all I don't give out 5 stars easily. Second of all, this is a 4 and 1/2 star album but we aren't allowed to chose halves. Third, this is the Hip's most epic music, with nearly every song stretched to it's maximum capacity. Finally, few albums by any band in the nineties were this "big", and I'll be damned if I can think of a better "big" rock album. Every song runs seemlessly into the next, and every song at one time or another can be your favorite on the album. The sound the Hip have gone with here is more "alternative" (whatever that means)than the first four albums, and it comes closer to capturing their live sound. There are four unmitigated Hip classics here, and a whole albums worth of great songs. "Grace Too" and "Nautical Disaster" have remained constants in the live sets to this day and are the cornerstones of this album. "Grace Too" is one of the great album openers of the decade, opening gently and building to anthemic proportions, with cascades of intense layers of guitar ringing out of the speakers. "Nautical Disaster" is one of Gordon Downie's great story songs, but at the end we don't know if it is story or reality, as the character awakes from his vivid nightmare of tragedy at sea to feel the "fingernails scratching on my hull". "Scared" is stark and beautiful, eerily congering up dark images of fear before bowing out by saying "it's been a pleasure doing business with you". The sometimes underappreciated "Thugs" is the other gem, with it's driving percussion smothered in more layers of guitar magic. Downie's lyrics creatively convey the way all living things in the world use each other for their own benefit, and Ruby, honey, you should not be mad at your man, he's only human, and it's natural he should also use you sometimes for his own benefit. There are many other highpoints here, such as the drowning "Daredevil", and the ferocious "An Inch An Hour". The only song that doesn't live up to the album's high standard is the senseless "Fire In the Hole", it's just not as smart as the rest of the album. This is the album that should have broken them in America, but I guess the same argument could be made for all of their albums. With "Day For Night" the Tragically Hip have given the world a dark and wonderful masterpiece, it's too bad that so few people outside of Canada have found it.

This CD is just plain great. Gordon Downie again graces us with his fabulous lyrics, and he and Gord Sinclair write excellent music. This CD has a drive that I have never found on any other CD. It is truly fabulous. It is, however, a bit mistefying, as a line pops up a couple of times, in "Emergency" and "Imposiibilium: "Her Finger Starts to Wiggle, and Landscapes Appear" What does it mean? In my opinion, the best of The Hip, which is really saying a lot.

Well being a Canadian I am a huge fan of The Hip. They are in many ways the best kept secret of our music scene. This album is great and for the first timers it represents a turning point for the band. Their stuff previous to this album was a raw, southern, almost 70's rock sound. This album touches all the spectrum and starts to show the great diversity in the bands sound. A strong album that touches many emotions and sounds. I strongly recommend to any one who is not familiar with this band,make this the first album of theirs to pick up. Gordon's voice is suburb and if anyone gets to see them live, jump at the chance. They are powerful.

Very happy with price and how quick I received product thank you. Highly recommend buying from this dealer. Tragicaly hip CDs are hard to find or over priced hopefully more from this dealer.