''Double Live'' is a 1997 album by

Rheostatics Rheostatics are a Canadian indie rock band. They were formed in 1978, and actively performed from 1980 until disbanding in 2007. After a number of reunion performances at special events, Rheostatics reformed in late 2016, introducing new songs a ...

. It collects a variety of live performances by the band, ranging from intimate club settings to record store sessions to their arena tour with

The Tragically Hip The Tragically Hip, often referred to simply as the Hip, were a Canadian rock band formed in Kingston, Ontario in 1984, consisting of vocalist Gord Downie, guitarist Paul Langlois, guitarist Rob Baker (known as Bobby Baker until 1994), bassi ...

in 1996.Nick Krewen, "Rheostatics like to keep busy". ''

Waterloo Region Record The ''Waterloo Region Record'' (formerly ''The Record'') is the daily newspaper covering Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada, including the cities of Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge, as well as the surrounding area. Since December 1998, the ''Re ...

'', December 18, 1997. The album includes a number of tracks which have never appeared on any previous Rheostatics album. One of these tracks, "Good Canadian", was improvised on the spot, while the version of "Record Body Count" was recorded in the lobby of

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

's Uptown Theatre after the end of their show there, when the band decided on the spur of the moment to run out and play an extra encore for the fans as they left the venue. The Hip's live album '' Live Between Us'', released the same year, documents a show for which Rheostatics were the opening band.

Gordon Downie Gordon Edgar Downie (February 6, 1964 – October 17, 2017) was a Canadian rock singer-songwriter, musician, writer and activist. He was the singer and lyricist for the Canadian rock band The Tragically Hip, which he fronted from its forma ...

acknowledges and thanks Rheostatics at the beginning of that album. It was the second-biggest selling album of the band's entire career, behind only their major label debut '' Melville'', and was the #1 album of the entire year on Canada's

campus radio Campus radio (also known as college radio, university radio or student radio) is a type of radio station that is run by the students of a college, university or other educational institution. Programming may be exclusively created or produce ...

charts.

Cover

On the cover of the album,

Martin Tielli Martin Tielli is a Canadian singer-songwriter. He was a member of the Rheostatics, and has also released material as a solo artist and with the side project Nick Buzz. As well, he has appeared as a guest musician on albums by Barenaked Ladies, ...

is playing a double neck guitar which he painted himself with a "never quite presented idea" for the new Canadian flag designed by

A.Y. Jackson Alexander Young Jackson LL. D. (October 3, 1882April 5, 1974) was a Canadian painter and a founding member of the Group of Seven. Jackson made a significant contribution to the development of art in Canada, and was instrumental in bringing toget ...

Critical response

Tom Harrison of ''

The Province ''The Province'' is a daily newspaper published in tabloid format in British Columbia by Pacific Newspaper Group, a division of Postmedia Network, alongside the ''Vancouver Sun'' broadsheet newspaper. Together, they are British Columbia's only ...

'' praised the album, writing that "the quintessential thinking Canadian band might have gone overboard with two CDs that log more than two hours but it would be hard to deny the group's feeling that this collection of live recordings taken from a variety of sources is a defining statement. Always literate, maybe too intelligent for their own good, Rheostatics can make complex music that is both beautiful and imploring, simple country songs by smart city boys that have real compassion and hard rock that serves as essays on pop sociology, all the while communicating a Canadian character that exhibits a real love and appreciation of our culture. The true north strong and free of jingoism." For the

Southam News Postmedia Network Canada Corp. (also known as Postmedia Network, Postmedia News or Postmedia) is a Canadian media conglomerate consisting of the publishing properties of the former Canwest, with primary operations in newspaper publishing, new ...

service, Ted Shaw wrote that "Rheostatics have never been zany enough to compete with the likes of the

Barenaked Ladies Barenaked Ladies is a Canadian rock band formed in 1988 in Scarborough, Ontario. The band developed a following in Canada, with their self-titled 1991 cassette becoming the first independent release to be certified gold in Canada. They reach ...

, or career-oriented enough to take on the mainstream with

. But this live CD, recorded during the band's spring tour of 1997, shows they have elements of what makes both those other bands successful. If the Hip are the musical equivalent of an

Atom Egoyan Atom Egoyan (; hy, Աթոմ Եղոյեան, translit=Atom Yeghoyan; born July 19, 1960) is a Canadian filmmaker. He was part of a loosely-affiliated group of filmmakers to emerge in the 1980s from Toronto known as the Toronto New Wave. Egoyan m ...

film, Rheostatics would be Bruce McDonald." He concluded that "Double Live is the most honest, if not the most musically accomplished, CD yet from this hard-not-to-like Canadian band."Ted Shaw, "CD Reviews: Rheostatics, Double Live". ''

Windsor Star The ''Windsor Star'' is a daily newspaper based in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Owned by Postmedia Network, it is published Tuesdays through Saturdays. History The paper began as the weekly ''Windsor Record'' in 1888, changing its name to the ''Bo ...

'', April 23, 1998.

Track listing

As with many of the band's albums, the songwriting is credited to varying combinations of the band members:

Dave Bidini Dave Bidini (born September 11, 1963) is a Canadian musician and writer. Originally from Etobicoke, Ontario, he was a founding member of the rock band Rheostatics, and currently performs with Bidiniband. In addition, he has published several boo ...

and

Tim Vesely Tim Vesely (born 10 December 1963) is a Canadian musician and songwriter. He is best known as a founding member of the indie rock band Rheostatics, in which he shared vocal duties with bandmates Dave Bidini and Martin Tielli. Vesely wrote much ...

. (

Don Kerr Don Kerr is a Canadian multi-instrumentalist and record producer. He is the drummer, lead singer and front man of Toronto band, Communism. He plays in Ron Sexsmith's band,Dave Clark is also credited on some numbers. Songwriting credits for each track are listed below.

Disc one

#"Saskatchewan" (Dave Bidini, Martin Tielli) – 7:59 #"Feed Yourself" (Bidini) – 7:59 #"Shaved Head" (Bidini, Tielli) – 6:05 #"Torque, Torque" (Tim Vesely,

Paul Quarrington Paul Lewis Quarrington (July 22, 1953 – January 21, 2010) was a Canadian novelist, playwright, screenwriter, filmmaker, musician and educator. Background Born in Toronto as the middle of three sons in the family of four of Bruce Quarrington,

) – 1:39 #"Claire" (Vesely, Quarrington) – 5:50 #"Legal Age Life at Variety Store" (Bidini) – 4:07 #"Dead is the Drunkest You Can Get" (Tielli) – 2:57 #"Bees" (Bidini) – 1:46 #"Dope Fiends and Boozehounds" (Bidini, Tielli, Janet Morassutti) – 6:12 #"Song of Flight" (Bidini, Tielli, Dave Clark) – 1:54 #"Self Serve Gas Station" (Tielli) – 5:11 #"Horses" (Bidini) – 8:52 #"Dope Fiends (Ending)" (Bidini, Tielli, Morassutti) – 2:25 #"Record Body Count" (Tielli) – 3:34

Disc two

#"A Midwinter Night's Dream" (Tielli) – 9:03 #"The Royal Albert (Joey 2)" (Tielli) – 2:16 #"Introducing Happiness" (Vesely) – 3:13 #"Stolen Car" (Bidini) – 5:36 #"Jesus Was Once a Teenager Too" (Bidini, Tielli) – 4:25 #"Good Canadian" (Tielli) – 0:31 #"Bread, Meat, Peas and Rice" (Bidini, Clark) – 3:18 #"Christopher" (Tielli) – 4:37 #"The Ballad of Wendel Clark, Parts I and II" (Bidini, Clark, Tielli) – 5:16 #"Palomar" (Vesely) – 5:10 #"Triangles on the Wall" (Tielli) – 3:58 #"People's Republic of Dave" (Bidini) – 4:04 #"Regina" (Rheostatics) – 1:02 #"The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" (

Gordon Lightfoot Gordon Meredith Lightfoot Jr. (born November 17, 1938) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist who achieved international success in folk, folk-rock, and country music. He is credited with helping to define the folk-pop sound of the 1960 ...

) – 8:14 #"Desert Island Discs" (Bidini, Clark) – 3:54

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Double Live (Rheostatics Album) Rheostatics albums 1997 live albums