An introduction
Welp, it’s been it’s been well over a year, and I think I found enough creative juices to hammer out another review.
To open things up, given that at the time of writing it had recently been the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, I just wanted to link a charity that feels correct to bring up. https://downiewenjack.ca/.
This is a story of one of the great Canadian songwriters of years past. Back in the early 90s, a certain Canadian rock group was performing at a Californian venue known as The Roxy. It was here that a certain performance of a classic of theirs would go down in notoriety as one of the strangest and most memorable live performances for the group to date. It is here that I present to y’all, New Orleans Is Sinking (Live At the Roxy May 3, 1991) AKA The Killer Whale Tank Version by The Tragically Hip.
A Story From The Killerwhaletank
Full disclosure, it took me way too long to truly appreciate and recognize what the Tragically Hip (hein referred to colloquially as “The Hip”) brought to the Canadian music scene. Over and over I get reminded that many Canadian artists of the current generation derive inspiration from The Hip. However, none that I know of have truly captured their mesmerizing, albeit strange songwriting skills and stage presence. I originally found out just how energetic and crazed The Hip, or more specifically frontman Gord Downie, could be by another one of their live albums, That Night In Toronto. But, I must focus back on the subject of today’s review, because The Hip live performances are another can of worms all together.
The subject of today’s review, New Orleans Is Sinking, is already a staple to Canadian airwaves. A wicked hook and Gord’s varied vocal styles are already ingrained into the ears of many. But, this live version was once played on radios, at least according to those who were around to listen to it. This version contains some tweaked lyrics and instrumentals, but its defining feature is a 4-minute long tale as presented by Gord. These tales are not unique to New Orleans Is Sinking, as a few other tracks include tales not included on their studio counterparts (Highway Girl, All Canadian Surf Club), but New Orleans Is Sinking has been the most memorable of the bunch.
To explain how this version has become so memorable, we must delve into spoilers.. Now I would rather not spoil how this tale progresses, as I would not be able to do it justice whatsoever. All you need to be is familiar to the original first before listening to the live version.
All done? Great! Now you better understand the difference between the two.
The Tall Killer Whale Tale
As mentioned, the most important difference between this and the studio version is the Killerwhaletank story. Gord opens the second verse with a tangent on a previous job of his, namely that one time he worked for a huge aquarium with lots of money from the government. This story is, as far as I can tell, entirely fictional. However, we can use this as an example for what can make a live track stand on its own.
The story is not just humorous, but presented in a way that enthralls your ears, and fleshes out its characters with minimal time spent on exposition. We’ve got Gord as a clean and scrub man, and our orca couple, Shamu and Bartholomew, and that’s all the setting we really need. We enter this tale with an understanding that this is not a normal presentation of New Orleans is Sinking, and, in turn, subject to the same methods of critique.
A Lesson Comes Alive
It would be really easy for me to fall into the trap of critiquing a live track with the same methods I would a studio track. However, I would like to use this as a lesson, in that live tracks should be graded on their memorability and presence, NOT the construction of the studio version. New Orleans Is Sinking (studio) is something that deserves to be recognized for its own merits, and the Roxy version for its own additions. As much as I would like to delve into lyrical and story devices and other words that I don’t know the meaning of, I wouldn’t be able to do it justice. If a story can captivate a wandering mind like mine, odds are it’s got something good going for it.
No Numerical Grading On This One
I would rather switch grading to a simpler method, whether I would recommend listening or not. Of course, criticisms for works of art are entirely subjective, therefore my opinions are not the definitive answers to what music is “good” and “bad”. I would rather spin it as whether I think a song is worth spending time and thought over. From here on out I will grade music based upon whether I think that you, my dear reader, will enjoy it or not. However, no matter how much trash or praise I may talk about an artist, album, or song, give it a listen before formulating your opinions.
Give it a listen
Long story short, this version of New Orleans is Sinking is worth a listen for those familiar with the original. For new listeners, check the original first, then move onto the live version. I find that the live version stands well enough on it’s own to warrant its own discussion, and I give it a lot of respect for that
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