Trouble at the Henhouse [ENHANCED]

The Tragically Hip

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 14, 1996)
• Original Release Date: June 1996
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced
• Label: Atlantic / Wea
• ASIN: B000002J9N
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #221,355 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Hip Turn A Corner For Better And For Worse, January 9, 2005

By	Supernova (Canada) - See all my reviews

Up until 1996, The Tragically Hip had been a cult (yet extremely successful) hard-rock band from Canada, seemingly played in every Canadian teen's-20s basement with wood paneled walls, shag carpet and a huge red maple leaf hung on the wall. Canadian through and through. As Canadian as maple syrup, mounties, beavers, Gordon Lightfoot, Anne Murray and Wayne Gretzky. Their music was called grungy, alternative and had a "cult" following. Lead singer Gord Downie was reknowned for his ad-lib, bizarre stage performances and the lyrics were some of the most complex, yet eerily strange compositions ever heard. Then 1996 happened and "Trouble At The Henhouse" arrived.

I consider this recording as the turning point for the band. Essentially, they grew up. Sure, the complex lyrics were still there but there was an "adult" acoustic sound that began to creep its way into their repetoire. The hard-driving guitars were mellowed in favour of a more kinder, inclusive sound that sought to bring in a wider audience. Exhibit A: The massive success of "Ahead By A Century", a song that crossed from AOR over to Contemporary Hit Radio. The result was a widening of their audience (something that mushroomed with their next CD "Phantom Power"). It was an acknowledgement that not only was the band getting older but their fan base was as well.

This is not to say that this CD was the beginning of the end of the band or that they "jumped the shark". It is one of those seminal recordings where you get the sense that, after years of doing the same type of sound, the creativity has been tweaked and the band has turned a corner that will result in change - good or bad. The acoustic wanderings on this CD are fitting for such a recording that has such an "earthy" feel to it. The sounds of lulls and high points in the music are typically dramatic for The Hip and they again work on this set. Every song is memorable for certain lyrics and a challenge to comprehend. The music is professional but not so polished as to make it redundant. This is a fine record and, with "Phantom Power", the peak of their commercial success - reward for years of "cult" Canadian fame.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Full agreement, September 10, 2004

By	David Torres (Westfield, New York USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is one of my favorite albums.
The hip are one of the things that made growing up in rural Western New York really special. The Canadian radio that filters in across Lake Erie introduced me to this truly great band.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A 4.5 star rating is unavailable..., March 23, 2003

By	Martin P. McCarthy (North Chili, New York) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Trouble at the Henhouse (Audio CD)

Since there is no medium between a 4 star and 5 star rating, I am giving this album the benefit of the doubt in order to set it apart from albums by others that are truly worthy of only a 4 star rating.

The Hip are a tough listen. They are not immediately accessible as the songs, the melodies and the riffs take a while to sink in. What is required by the listener approaching The Hip in general and this album in particular is an open mind and a committment to listen to the album more than once before making any sort of judgment.

With that said, the one song that is immediately accessible is "Ahead By a Century." With its subtle lyrics and its equally subtle acoustic guitar it stands out as something you have surely never heard before.

Then there is a song like "Springtime in Vienna" which requires several listens and a trip to the library to check out a book called "A Nervous Splendor: Vienna, 1888-1889" by Frederic Morton to fully understand what Gordon Downie means when he repeats the refrain, "We'll live to survive our paradoxes."

All in all, "Trouble at the Henhouse" is not "Day For Night" but then again, no Tragically Hip album really sounds like a copy of another.

Give "Henhouse" a chance