Trouble at the Henhouse

The Tragically Hip | Format: Audio Cassette

Product Details

• Audio Cassette (May 14, 1996)
• Label: Atlantic / Wea
• ASIN: B000002J9O
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,740,560 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Gift Shop

2. Springtime in Vienna

3. Ahead by a Century

4. Don't Wake Daddy

5. Flamenco

6. 700 Ft. Ceiling

7. Butts Wigglin

8. Apartment Song

9. Coconut Cream

10. Let's Stay Engaged

11. Sherpa

12. Put It Off

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

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

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.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Greatest album of my youth, June 25, 2007

By 

KingBoris "Starving Student" (Sacramento, CA USA) - See all my reviews

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

Flamenco is the greatest tragically hip song ever written, i think the album overall is their best, and they have made alot of great albums - before and since.

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

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.