I remember the day the play copy of the Tragically Hip’s ROAD APPLES came into the store in 1991. I loved Up To Here and was stoked to see if they were going to worship the “Sophomore Slump” myth and fail hard or kick it into high gear. And then Paul Langlois’ opening riff from Little Bones exploded across the store like it was kicking in a door. Holy Fuck. Nothing makes me bang my head more than that song. And every tune that came after it was equally as awesome. Just a joyously exhausting listen from end to end. And Fiddler’s Green – good god it ate me up and spit me out. Anyway, it’s become a Canadian classic and it’s the 30th anniversary of it’s release today. Watching and hearing Gord in the video below is a poignant reminder of his stunning magnetism – both lyrically and physically – and a tragic memento of an icon lost too soon. Listening again for the first time.

Also, I bought 24 of these, because, well, The Hip.