An oral history of The Tragically Hip’s surprise new-old album Saskadelphia – National

After relentless touring behind their debut album, As much as Right here, The Tragically Hip travelled to Kingsway Studios in New Orleans to report their second album armed with a few dozen strong songs. However as soon as they arrived, The Hip couldn’t appear to cease writing new materials. Earlier than lengthy they made extra songs they might use for a second album.

Producer Don Smith’s type was to have the recorders rolling on a regular basis simply in case artistic lightning struck. He insisted that the band report all the things that they’d, committing all the things to reels and reels of two-inch analogue tape.

As soon as the periods have been full, some robust decisions needed to made to slender issues right down to 12 songs for an album that may finally be known as Highway Apples. The album was an enormous hit, reaching primary on the Canadian charts and finally promoting greater than one million copies. Any selections made about what songs to incorporate on the album have been clearly the precise ones.

However what about these songs that didn’t make the minimize? And what occurred to the tapes from these periods? Therein lies an interesting story. I had an opportunity to speak to the 4 remaining members of the band and that is the oral historical past of the brand new Saskadelphia album. These interviews have been edited for size and readability.

Rob Baker: We needed to ensure that the follow-up to As much as Right here was nearly as good or higher. We went armed with numerous songs. As is Don’s type, he’s all in regards to the microphone placement and getting everybody arrange in the precise place after which simply recording all the things nonstop. Throughout this time, we have been simply working by way of materials. And there have been numerous songs. And there have been numerous songs we haven’t discovered but.

Gord Sinclair: Johnny made numerous journeys to our storage web site on a bunch of various events. There was one batch the place he was capable of finding 20 of the, I believe, 65 reels of two-inch tape, for Highway Apples. They have been labelled, in order that was very easy. However we knew that there have been extra. They have been all in numerous areas. The subsequent batch concerned evaluating handwriting, searching for the handwriting of engineer Bruce Barris on the backbone of the bins. They weren’t labeled as The Tragically Hip. We nonetheless haven’t discovered 25 of them. It’s been a very loopy course of.

You’ll suppose utilizing library science they’d be simple to seek out. However they have been unfold throughout. One was in a “miscellaneous” field with quite a lot of completely different artists.

Johnny Fay: Some have been at Richard Branson’s mastering home in California. We additionally discovered some tapes in Pennsylvania in an deserted mine shaft, which is a giant place for storing two-inch tapes as a result of they take up numerous actual property.

Paul Langlois: (After the Highway Apples periods), we have been simply on our approach. We have been touring on a regular basis. Touring, recording, writing. We weren’t pondering of Highway Apples outtakes in any way for 30 years.

Gord Sinclair: That was simply of the time. It was superb going by way of this course of and stumbling on songs we didn’t even bear in mind recording.

Johnny Fay: One of many guys who does Rick Rubin’s stuff stated for those who raise the lid on a tape field and it smells form of acidic or vinegary, you then’ve obtained one go at rehabilitating the tape. You must bake it. In any other case, the tape can really depart the adhesive so for those who don’t get it to the precise temperature and switch it straight away you may not get one hear out of it.

The oven you utilize appears like an Straightforward-Bake Oven. It sucks all of the humidity out of the tape. And you then’ve obtained your cross at (transferring the contents) in a few 12-hour interval.

Rob Baker: It has been tough on some ranges. You already know, satisfying to listen to songs that have been so pricey to us 30 years in the past and 30 years go by and also you haven’t heard them. Nevertheless it’s like Gord is within the room. It’s onerous to listen to Gord within the room and be transported again like that.

Gord Sinclair: It was like stepping right into a time machine.

Paul Langlois: We have been up on the cottage and I had the recordings. I actually didn’t wish to push “play.” It was within the night and I used to be similar to, “I don’t know.” These songs didn’t make the report and I hadn’t heard them in 30 years. What’s this going to be like? I used to be anticipating to be disillusioned, but it surely was completely the other. Whoa. Wow. Instantly, I used to be again at Kingsway. “Proper. This track rocked!” It was way more rocky than I anticipated and approach higher than I anticipated. There was an emotional response to it. It was fairly inspiring.

Gord Sinclair: We form of had the tiger by the tail at that time. As much as Right here had completed very well and we have been taking part in in Europe and throughout North America. It was additionally the beginning of a very artistic interval for us when ditched the thought of individually writing and actually beginning to get our chops collectively and writing collectively. I believe that’s a part of the rationale we had so many songs entering into and why we continued to put in writing in New Orleans.

Rob Baker: We had toured loads within the previous two years, three years, 4 years. And you end up not figuring out what city you’re in. Somebody made the joke, “I believe we’re in Saskadelphia.” We thought it was a humorous title for an album. However the U.S. report firm stated, “Yeah, too Canadian. We are able to’t do this.” That’s what led to Highway Apples — which they didn’t get in any respect. In my dad and mom’ era. They might exit and play street hockey with a bit of frozen horses**t. These are “street apples.” “We’re going to name our personal album ‘Horsesh**t” and beat the critics to it.

Gord Sinclair: There are extra songs. There’s a ton of stuff on tape — as soon as we discover it. Some we multitracked and labored time and again.

Johnny Fay: There’s undoubtedly different tapes. We all know there are a number of variations of all the songs from Highway Apples. After which there are these outtakes that we didn’t find yourself utilizing. There are a few tapes which are undoubtedly lacking. Perhaps some will resurface at a later date, however who is aware of?

Paul Langlois: With Absolutely Fully, I believe we’ve launched all the things. However we recorded loads. Like a lot. I can’t even think about … like at our studio (The Bathhouse exterior of Kingston), relying on the report, there’s numerous further stuff. We’ll actually need to deal with a report at a time. It takes bodily discovering stuff and for everybody to be pondering, “OK, what did we report?” In all probability the later in our profession it obtained, the much less we bear in mind. However that’s why we’re doing this. It honours Gord (Downie) as a result of he was a giant a part of it. He was there. It was the 5 of us. This was our first run at it and everybody’s pleased with it. The search will proceed.

Johnny Fay: The legacy goes to dwell past us. We created this factor and it’s simply going to dwell on. If we are able to get all the things so as, it may well simply form of come out. And we’re going to have the ability to inform our story approach higher than anybody else as a result of we have been there. That’s what’s necessary to us.

Paul Langlois: There’s been discuss of a e-book for years now. It’s an thought floating round. Ultimately, most likely, it’ll occur.

Saskadelphia tracklisting:

1. Ouch (Not included on Highway Apples due to its similarity in type and really feel to Twist My Arm and Cordelia.)
2. Not Obligatory (A bit of too near Little Bones.)
3. Montreal (Reside) (The track dates again to the Highway Apples period, however it is a dwell recording from a gig on the Bell Centre in December 2000.)
4. Crack My Backbone Like a Whip (A former set opener and encore favorite.)
5. Simply as Nicely (Circulated as a bootleg for many years.)
6. Reformed Baptist Blues (One of many oldest songs in total The Tragically Hip canon. That is the one recording of the track in existence.)

—
Alan Cross is a broadcaster with Q107 and 102.1 the Edge and a commentator for International Information.

Subscribe to Alan’s Ongoing Historical past of New Music Podcast now on Apple Podcast or Google Play