Tragically Hip unearth lost ‘Road Apples’ recordings for new album

TORONTO – The Tragically Hip is giving their fans something to sing about with a new album of long-lost recordings.

The Kingston, Ont., band says they recently discovered six unreleased tracks,mostly from studio sessions for their 1991 album "Road Apples."

The Hip will release the collection Friday under the name "Saskadelphia," a nod to the original working title of their chart-topping second album, which included "Little Bones" and "Long Time Running."

"Saskadelphia" includes lead single "Ouch," a gritty barroom fireball with the late Gord Downie growling lyrics against a wall of guitars, and "Crack My Spine Like a Whip," among the band's most effervescent rock tracks.

The album is roundedout with a live version of "Montreal," a song the band says was written shortly after the 1989 massacre at École Polytechnique.

Recorded at what's now known as the Bell Centre on Dec. 7, 2000, the day after the 11th anniversary of the massacre, Downie introduces "Montreal" as a song about "the identification process."

Guitarist Rob Baker says he believes Downie was referring to the identification of a dead body, as the lyrics recount a family preparing their daughter for her funeral.

"Saskadelphia" will be released on streaming services, vinyl and CD on Friday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 20, 2021.

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version did not include the complete song title, "Crack My Spine Like a Whip."