This latest disc marks the second time in the Odyssey that I've finished all the albums by a particular artist - both times it was three albums by a Canadian folk artist (the first was Captain Tractor).
Disc 255 is...Tripping Up The Stairs
Artist: Spirit of the West
Year of Release: 1988
What’s Up With The Cover?: The band is seen sitting in some coffee shop. How very westcoast-folk of them! I like this cover. It edges close to pretentious, but stays far enough away to just feel appropriately artsy.
How I Came To Know It: I purchased this album after hearing it at UVIC back in the late eighties. I don't think this one had any hits, but I might have heard it on the juke box in the Student Union Building pub. Back in the day, the pub used to be in the basement, and you could play Tetris while having a pint. This was because the Tetris game was ALSO a table. Could a match be more heavenly? Those were heady days, my friends, heady days indeed. But I digress...
How It Stacks Up: I have three Spirit of the West albums, and they are all pretty equal in my mind - I like each for different reasons - but I'm going to say the other two edge this one by a hair, and so I'll reluctantly put it third. I still love you, "Tripping Up the Stairs" but hard decisions had to be made. Also, as per my Captain Tractor review, I'll now also give a synopsis of the full collection, in order of preference
1a. Save This House: 4 stars (reviewed at Disc 91)
1b. Political: 4 stars (reviewed at Disc 23)
3. Tripping Up The Stairs: 3 stars (reviewed right here)
Rating: 3 stars, but almost 4.
As I've already reviewed this band twice, I'll just summarize that Spirit of the West (SOTW) is a folk protest band from Vancouver, which had a degree of popularity in the late eighties and early nineties. Their lead singer, John Mann, has gone on to a small acting career (he plays a Viper Pilot in the Battlestar Galactica reboot pilot. Spoiler alert - when the cylons attack, it doesn't go well for him).
In any case, like the coffee shop they are seen in the photo above, I would suggest, SOTW is a fine blend - in their case of political commentary, Canadian folk sensibilities and more traditional Celtic sounds.
"Political" is their most protest filled album, and "Save This House" is their most radio friendly. "Tripping Up The Stairs" is their most straightforward folk album, with a much greater focus on traditional jigs and reels mixed in.
Listening to it with the benefit of hindsight, you might be tempted to say that this Celtic feel is because they are still finding their voice, but I think that would be a mistake. Yes, the album has a more traditional feel, but it is still very distinctly SOTW, with the liberal (and successful) use of penny whistle and Celtic drum mixed with Canadian pop sensibilities.
The arrangements are more sparse than later efforts, but I actually think this sparseness suits them well. It lets their natural energy flow through - almost giving the album a live feel without sacrificing any preciseness in the playing.
In particular, "Our Station" has a similar feel to the much more famous "Home For A Rest" from "Save This House". I am convinced "Our Station" is a song about the Railway Club in Vancouver. I've always meant to find out, but have never definitively proved the theory. In any case, it is a fun song, albeit a bit more gentle in tempo to "Home For A Rest".
I'm also a fan of "The Crawl" a song about a pub crawl through the North Shore by a bunch of good old boys on an autumn afternoon. If you've ever done a pub crawl with a bunch of buddies, this song will sound very familiar. To jog your memory, it starts like this:
"We planned to have a gay old time, the cash we did not spare,
We left all the cars at home and paid the taxi fare;
I got out to Horseshoe Bay a little after five,
From a table in the corner I heard familiar voices rise."
And it ends like this:
"We arrived out at The Raven just in time for the last call,
The final destination of this the first annual crawl;
We dug deep into our pockets there was no money to be found,
Nine miles home and for walking we are bound."
I would also not be completely honest if I failed to note that I love all these local references.
In addition to fun pub songs, "Tripping Up The Stairs" has the requisite amount of political music, including songs about the working class dream of winning the lottery in "An Honest Gamble", and a variety of other topics. As I noted back when I reviewed "Political" whether you agree with all, some or none of their opinions, you can enjoy a well written song regardless.
I'm not sure "Tripping Up The Stairs" has the polish of "Save This House" or the emotional depth of "Political" and so I ranked it slightly lower, but it is a good record, that I put on a fair bit - and will put on even more now that I've been recently reminded of its quality.
Best tracks: An Honest Gamble, Our Station, The Crawl, When Rivers Rise, Be Right.
Disc 255 is...Tripping Up The Stairs
Artist: Spirit of the WestYear of Release: 1988
What’s Up With The Cover?: The band is seen sitting in some coffee shop. How very westcoast-folk of them! I like this cover. It edges close to pretentious, but stays far enough away to just feel appropriately artsy.
How I Came To Know It: I purchased this album after hearing it at UVIC back in the late eighties. I don't think this one had any hits, but I might have heard it on the juke box in the Student Union Building pub. Back in the day, the pub used to be in the basement, and you could play Tetris while having a pint. This was because the Tetris game was ALSO a table. Could a match be more heavenly? Those were heady days, my friends, heady days indeed. But I digress...
How It Stacks Up: I have three Spirit of the West albums, and they are all pretty equal in my mind - I like each for different reasons - but I'm going to say the other two edge this one by a hair, and so I'll reluctantly put it third. I still love you, "Tripping Up the Stairs" but hard decisions had to be made. Also, as per my Captain Tractor review, I'll now also give a synopsis of the full collection, in order of preference
1a. Save This House: 4 stars (reviewed at Disc 91)
1b. Political: 4 stars (reviewed at Disc 23)
3. Tripping Up The Stairs: 3 stars (reviewed right here)
Rating: 3 stars, but almost 4.
As I've already reviewed this band twice, I'll just summarize that Spirit of the West (SOTW) is a folk protest band from Vancouver, which had a degree of popularity in the late eighties and early nineties. Their lead singer, John Mann, has gone on to a small acting career (he plays a Viper Pilot in the Battlestar Galactica reboot pilot. Spoiler alert - when the cylons attack, it doesn't go well for him).
In any case, like the coffee shop they are seen in the photo above, I would suggest, SOTW is a fine blend - in their case of political commentary, Canadian folk sensibilities and more traditional Celtic sounds.
"Political" is their most protest filled album, and "Save This House" is their most radio friendly. "Tripping Up The Stairs" is their most straightforward folk album, with a much greater focus on traditional jigs and reels mixed in.
Listening to it with the benefit of hindsight, you might be tempted to say that this Celtic feel is because they are still finding their voice, but I think that would be a mistake. Yes, the album has a more traditional feel, but it is still very distinctly SOTW, with the liberal (and successful) use of penny whistle and Celtic drum mixed with Canadian pop sensibilities.
The arrangements are more sparse than later efforts, but I actually think this sparseness suits them well. It lets their natural energy flow through - almost giving the album a live feel without sacrificing any preciseness in the playing.
In particular, "Our Station" has a similar feel to the much more famous "Home For A Rest" from "Save This House". I am convinced "Our Station" is a song about the Railway Club in Vancouver. I've always meant to find out, but have never definitively proved the theory. In any case, it is a fun song, albeit a bit more gentle in tempo to "Home For A Rest".
I'm also a fan of "The Crawl" a song about a pub crawl through the North Shore by a bunch of good old boys on an autumn afternoon. If you've ever done a pub crawl with a bunch of buddies, this song will sound very familiar. To jog your memory, it starts like this:
"We planned to have a gay old time, the cash we did not spare,
We left all the cars at home and paid the taxi fare;
I got out to Horseshoe Bay a little after five,
From a table in the corner I heard familiar voices rise."
And it ends like this:
"We arrived out at The Raven just in time for the last call,
The final destination of this the first annual crawl;
We dug deep into our pockets there was no money to be found,
Nine miles home and for walking we are bound."
I would also not be completely honest if I failed to note that I love all these local references.
In addition to fun pub songs, "Tripping Up The Stairs" has the requisite amount of political music, including songs about the working class dream of winning the lottery in "An Honest Gamble", and a variety of other topics. As I noted back when I reviewed "Political" whether you agree with all, some or none of their opinions, you can enjoy a well written song regardless.
I'm not sure "Tripping Up The Stairs" has the polish of "Save This House" or the emotional depth of "Political" and so I ranked it slightly lower, but it is a good record, that I put on a fair bit - and will put on even more now that I've been recently reminded of its quality.
Best tracks: An Honest Gamble, Our Station, The Crawl, When Rivers Rise, Be Right.
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