Up To Here

''Up to Here'' is the debut studio album by Canadian rock band The Tragically Hip, released in September 1989. It is one of the band's most successful albums, achieving Diamond status in Canada for sales of over a million copies, earning the band a Juno Award for Most Promising Artist, and also introduced fan-favourite songs such as "Blow at High Dough", "New Orleans Is Sinking", and "38 Years Old". The album reached on ''RPM''s Canadian Albums Chart, and both "Blow at High Dough" and "New Orleans is Sinking" reached on the ''RPM'' Canadian Content singles charts.

Background

The Tragically Hip toured extensively following their first release, the EP ''The Tragically Hip'', which had earned considerable airplay on Canadian FM radio and the MuchMusic video station. The band found an audience on US college radio as well and drew the attention of MCA representative Bruce Dickinson while performing at the CMJ New Music Festival in New York City in late 1988. That December Dickinson travelled to Toronto to see the band perform at the Toronto Music Awards, and MCA signed the band later that month.

Dickinson recommended the band record in Memphis, Tennessee, with producer Don Smith. The band entered Ardent Studios with a set of songs they had extensive experience playing live. Smith and the band further developed the arrangements in the studio before recording.

Release and reception

''Up to Here'' was released on 5 September 1989. It sold copies within its first year in Canada and ranked 14th Canadian Content album for 1989, fifth for 1990, and first for 1991. The album peaked at in February 1990 on ''RPM''s Canadian Albums Chart. The album went gold in Canada in January 1990 and platinum that March and later that year earned the band a Juno Award for Most Promising Artist. In 1999 ''Up to Here'' was awarded diamond status.

''Up to Here'' was the band's first release in the US. In 1990 the album peaked on the ''Billboard'' 200 album charts at and "New Orleans is Sinking" reached on '' Billboard''s Mainstream Rock singles charts. Despite strong sales and sustained popularity in Canada, the band and album failed to find a significant international audience; American sales of the album were in its first year and from 1991 to 1997 amounted to copies. The Tragically Hip's relative lack of success in the US has been a frequent topic by commenters and interviewers, to the irritation of members of the band.

The songs are credited to the whole band. The band's instrumentalists typically had the most influence on the music composition of the album while lead singer Gord Downie came up with his poetic lyrics separately, writing them in a notebook and incorporating them when the band was ready.

Singles

The hard-rocking lead single "Blow at High Dough" was released in April 1989, before the album's release. It had a strong presence on Canadian radio and was the band's first charting single, reaching on the ''RPM'' singles chart and on the ''RPM'' Canadian Content singles charts. "Blow at High Dough" was the theme song to the CBC comedy drama ''Made in Canada'' (1998—2003).

In November 1989 the second single was released, "New Orleans Is Sinking", a loose jam piece which had been a key part the band's live shows. In the midst of "New Orleans" the band often débuted new songs or gave Downie the spotlight to improvise. Like "Blow at High Dough", it reached on the ''RPM'' Canadian Content singles charts, and on the ''RPM'' singles charts. Music videos were released for both "Blow at High Dough" and "New Orleans is Sinking".

"Boots or Hearts" came out as the third single in February 1990, and "38 Years Old" followed in April 1990 as the fourth, peaking at on the ''RPM'' singles charts. Downie's memories of a jailbreak in at the maximum-security Millhaven Institution inspired the lyrics to "38 Years Old", whose ringing acoustic guitar backing is overlaid with distorted electric guitar leads.

Touring

The Tragically Hip went on tour from June 1989 prior to the album's release. The band continued to tour Canada and the US through 1990, and made its first European appearance at a sold-out headlining show in Rotterdam. The band gained a reputation for its energetic live shows and the enthusiasm of its fans.

The band introduced new material while touring which appeared on their next album '' Road Apples'' in 1991, along with numerous songs that have never been officially released.

Track listing

Personnel

Band

* Gord Downie – vocals
* Rob Baker – guitar
* Gord Sinclair – bass, vocals
* Johnny Fay – drums
* Paul Langlois – guitar, vocals

Recording personnel

* Bruce Barris – engineer, mixing
* Jeff DeMorris – assistant engineer
* Paul Eberson – assistant engineer
* Stephen Marcussen – mastering
* Don Smith – engineer, mixing, producer
* Andy Udoff – assistant engineer

Other

* Jeanne Bradshaw – design
* Michael Going – photography

Year-end charts

Notes

References

Works cited

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Up To Here
1989 debut albums
The Tragically Hip albums
MCA Records albums