Customer Reviews

Trouble at the Henhouse

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

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

Of all the Hip CD's I have, this one grew on me the fastest. Generally, they take a long time to get into your head, but this one was there, like one of the other reviews said, from the first notes of "Gift Shop." Everything on here is stellar. I love "The Apartment Song," as Gord admonishes his listener "What our apartment does when we're not around/ Does not concern us..." Wow! Never thought of it that way, or at all, really, and you feel like you should, and you just LOATHE the horrible esthete by the end of the song. A classic in every way.

Trouble at the Henhouse was the Hip's 6th album, and, back in 1996 when it was issued, they were the undisputed rulers of the Canadian airwaves. The Tragically Hip captured the Zeitgeist during the 90's from Road Apples (1991)[Canadian slang for beers consumed on a long highway journey], Fully Completely (1992), Day for Night (1994), and completed by this effort and 1998's Phantom Power. These 5 albums form the core of the Hip's legacy with Trouble at the Henhouse being the last of them which conveyed a sense that the Hip were invincible.

The 21st century however has not been nearly as kind to them. Music at Work (2000) onwards is a different phase in their career, and though there is much good in their second full decade, it is their first where they rocked in a way that only the great bands can. What made the Hip great was the quirky and insightful observations of their lead singer, Gordon Downie (for example from "Springtime in Vienna": 'we live to survive our paradoxes'; from "Flamenco": 'maybe a prostitute could teach you how to take a compliment' etc). Even though the lyrics are poetic, even though there is a cleverness to Downie's turns of phrase, these songs are songs about the common man and the common man's problems with the common man.

The first five songs are individually stunning and collectively amazing. Standing by themselves they would serve to make Trouble in the Henhouse a great work; however, what makes it a classic is that, save for "Coconut Cream" and "Put it Off", the rest rate 5-stars. Perfect for the beach on a lazy hot day: let the Hip infect you with that childlike sense of wonder, allow the music to envelop you and soon Gordon Downie will have you singing along. Five ***** stars.

The Tragically Hip have really set the bar high with this album. Their song writing is fantastic and unique. This album should absolutely be included in any list of greatest albums of all time. Gordon Downie has proven to have the skills to capture some of the most wonderful and idiosincratic moments of life. He writes in such a way that their songs have a wonderful originality to them.

This is the Hip at their most competent and most assured. Every song on this album is fantastic, and listening to the songs in a row together makes each one even better!

The Tragically Hip's 'Trouble in the Henhouse' is probably the best, yet most underrated album. On first listen, it sounds quite boring. For me, it was near impossible to pay attention through the whole thing. It has a very special quality though that most albums don't have. You'll never get sick of it. It grows on you. The more you listen to it, the more you like it. You'll love it forever. It grips you completely unlike any other 'soft-rock' album ever could, and you crave it whenever you're not listening to it. It's addictive and hypnotic. It's a very solid album as well. There's not one song not worth listening to over and over again. All the rough edges have been smoothed, and the grit has been completely removed. Tragically Hip was definitely trying something new here, and it was a complete success, making Trouble in The Henhouse their best album to date.

If you buy only one Hip disk, make it this one. Although, once you buy this one, you'll want more. The best way to listen is straight through, preferably on a long car trip. This disk ranks up there with DMB's "Under the Table and Dreaming" in my book.