The Tragically Hip have always taken a certain modest pride in their Canadian roots.
The group wanted to title their third album "Saskadelphia," but the record label found it "too Canadian." The group then suggested Road Apples, local slang for frozen horse-droppings, and the record label, unaware of its meaning, liked it.
Don't let the title fool you; Road Apples is some of the best of the Hip's best work.
Recorded in New Orleans under the watchful eyes of producers Don Smith and Bruce Barris, Road Apples is a more polished effort than the group's previous two albums.
Smith and Barris have created a cleaner, more efficient sound that complements lead singer Gord Downie's manic energy.
Equally impressive is the work of guitarist Bobby Baker.
The Southern twang on "Twist My Arm" as well as the raw power of "Little Bones" and "Long Time Running" illustrate Baker's skill and dexterity.
The ballad "Fiddler's Green" is a pleasant departure and is as effective as any of the other tracks on the album.
All in all, the straight-ahead roots rock of Road Apples is a perfect example of why the Tragically Hip are legends north of the 49th parallel.
American audiences have yet to catch on, but they would be doing themselves a favor by not stepping aside Road Apples.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Little BonesThe Tragically Hip | The Tragically Hip | Play | 04:45 | 10 MB | 31 MB |
| 2 | Twist My ArmThe Tragically Hip | The Tragically Hip | Play | 03:56 | 9 MB | 26 MB |
| 3 | CordeliaThe Tragically Hip | The Tragically Hip | Play | 04:10 | 9 MB | 26 MB |
| 4 | The LuxuryThe Tragically Hip | The Tragically Hip | Play | 03:40 | 8 MB | 21 MB |
| 5 | Born in the WaterThe Tragically Hip | The Tragically Hip | Play | 03:25 | 7 MB | 23 MB |
| 6 | Long Time RunningThe Tragically Hip | The Tragically Hip | Play | 04:23 | 10 MB | 23 MB |
| 7 | Bring It All BackThe Tragically Hip | The Tragically Hip | Play | 04:41 | 10 MB | 28 MB |
| 8 | Three PistolsThe Tragically Hip | The Tragically Hip | Play | 03:48 | 8 MB | 26 MB |
| 9 | FightThe Tragically Hip | The Tragically Hip | Play | 05:59 | 13 MB | 38 MB |
| 10 | On the VergeThe Tragically Hip | The Tragically Hip | Play | 03:54 | 8 MB | 25 MB |
| 11 | Fiddler's GreenThe Tragically Hip | The Tragically Hip | Play | 04:25 | 10 MB | 24 MB |
| 12 | The Last of the Unplucked GemsThe Tragically Hip | The Tragically Hip | Play | 02:03 | 4 MB | 11 MB |
| 49 mins | 112 MB | |||||
| 49 mins | 308 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rob Baker | Group Member, Guitar |
| 2 | Bruce Barris | Engineer, Mixing |
| 3 | Malcolm Burn | Accordion, Musician |
| 4 | Malcome Burn | Accordion |
| 5 | Scott Campbell | Assistant Engineer |
| 6 | Gordon Downie | Group Member, Vocals |
| 7 | Johnny Fay | Drums, Drums (Snare), Group Member |
| 8 | Anne Fishbein | Photography |
| 9 | Jim Herrington | Photography |
| 10 | Ted Jensen | Mastering |
| 11 | Phil Jones | Tambourine |
| 12 | Phil & Debi Jones | Musician, Tambourine |
| 13 | Paul Langlois | Group Member, Guitar, Vocals |
| 14 | Pail Lanlois | Guitar, Vocals |
| 15 | Jonas Livingston | Art Direction |
| 16 | Billy Lobo | Design |
| 17 | Ken Sabatini | Photography |
| 18 | Gord Sinclair | Bass, Group Member, Vocals |
| 19 | Don Smith | Mixing, Producer |
| 20 | Benmont Tench | Musician, Piano |
| 21 | The Tragically Hip | Composer, Primary Artist |
| 22 | Mark Vreeken | Crew |
The Tragically Hip
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |