What is Hip? by Marc Shapiro

Author:Marc Shapiro
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Riverdale Avenue Books
Published: 2017-04-20T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

Hip in a Hard Place

But were The Tragically Hip on the verge of losing their mojo? There were two sides to this story going into 1998. Quite simply, the diehard fans loved everything the band put out. But lurking in the critical caverns of the last two studio albums and the live album were decidedly mixed reviews that seemed to indicate that while The Hip could not be matched in a live setting, their studio sound had often seemed compromised by the emerging technology. Catch the always candid Hip in interview and there would be hints that they got the picture and were doing a lot of woodshedding in an attempt to bring their studio output up to the level of Road Apples and Fully Completely.

“This was the record we had to make at this juncture in our career,” Downie told Canadian Musician Magazine. “We had the time to approach it with a ‘no stone unturned’ philosophy. We had the time to work on things and bring our ideas to fruition.”

The first step on the road to Phantom Power was to stay at home. The band had loved the idea of recording at their Bathouse Studio on their previous studio album and it was clear that their next album would also be created there. And while they now felt confident around the recording studio, they felt a practiced hand turning the knobs would be the way to go.

They found what they needed in producer and Los Lobos musician Steve Berlin. Berlin, who had produced a number of Canadian acts during the early 90’s, got up close and personal with The Tragically Hip when Los Lobos was asked to join the band during the 1997 Another Roadside Attraction series of shows. It did not start out as a de facto audition for Berlin and the band but, according to Berlin during a Maclean’s conversation, from his point of view that’s what it turned out to be.

“Watching them [The Hip] work every night on stage for a month and getting to know them all, that’s when we became much closer.”

Shortly after Another Roadside Attraction, Berlin was officially asked to ramrod the album that would be Phantom Power. “All the work they’ve done and what they represent culturally is unique,” assessed Berlin. “Frankly, all of that was something I had to ignore in order to make a good album with them. I couldn’t be worrying about tarnishing a legend.”

Berlin’s arrival came at a perceived turning point in The Tragically Hip’s musical odyssey. After spending their entire career plowing the fields of pure and basic rock and roll energy, The Hip was moving forward and embracing abstraction and acoustic sensibilities. In their own way, the band was trending economically yet in a highly stylized and progressive way. And, by association, becoming a bit more pop oriented.

Berlin went into the Phantom Power sessions ready to move in any direction. There were no discussions with the band and the producer, most certainly, did not have a personal agenda.

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