The Hard Road

The Hard Road is the fourth studio album by Australian hip hop group Hilltop Hoods. Released on 1 April 2006 by Obese Records,[1] it debuted at number one on the Australia ARIA Albums Chart,[2] and was the first album by Australian artists to achieve that position. It contains the top 20 single "Clown Prince". It achieved Gold status (35,000 units) on 8 April 2006, a week after release, and has now surpassed Platinum status (70,000 units).

For other uses, see Hard Road (disambiguation).

The Hard Road
Studio album by
Hilltop Hoods
Released1 April 2006 (2006-04-01)
Recorded2003–2005 Hilltop Hoods Studios
GenreAustralian hip hop
Length50:27
LabelObese
ProducerHilltop Hoods
Hilltop Hoods chronology
The Calling
(2003)		 The Hard Road
(2006)		 The Hard Road: Restrung
(2007)
Singles from The Hard Road
  1. "Clown Prince"
    Released: 20 January 2006
  2. "The Hard Road"
    Released: 3 August 2006
  3. "What a Great Night"
    Released: 2006
  4. "Recapturing the Vibe"
    Released: 2007
Reissue Cover
2009 reissue cover.

At the J Award of 2006, it won the Australian Album of the Year.[3] announced on 1 December. It was also nominated for four awards at the ARIA Music Awards of 2006, winning Best Independent Release and Best Urban Release.

Five of the album's songs placed on the annual Triple J Hottest 100 chart announced on 26 January 2007: "Recapturing the Vibe" (#77), "Stopping All Stations" (#56), "What a Great Night" (#41), "Clown Prince" (#23) and "The Hard Road" (#3). "An Audience with the Devil" samples the spoken parts (the interview between Suffa and the Devil) from the Millennium episode "Somehow, Satan Got Behind Me".

Background

The Hard Road's lead single, "Clown Prince", reached the top 30 on the related ARIA Singles Chart.[4] This featured guest verses from New York rapper, Omni, and British MCs, Mystro and Braintax.[5] Hilltop Hoods received the inaugural Australian Independent Record (AIR) Award for Independent Artist of the Year and Best Performing Independent Album for The Hard Road in 2006.[6] The track, "The Blue Blooded", is a collaboration with Australian MCs: Funkoars, Hau from Koolism, Mortar, Vents, Drapht, Muph & Plutonic, Pegz and Robby Balboa.[5] On 27 April of the same year, Hilltop Hoods performed at the Bass in the Grass music festival in Darwin alongside fellow hip hop group, The Herd. That same day they issued a second single, the title track from the album. Its music video includes fellow members from the Certified Wise Crew – Cross Bred Mongrels, Terrafirma and Funkoars.

Following the success of The Hard Road Tour in early 2006, the Hilltop Hoods began their second national tour for the year, The Stopping All Stations Tour, which visited more regional areas of Australia as well as the capital cities. They were supported by Koolism and Mystro. Late that year, Hilltop Hoods released their third single from the album, "What a Great Night". The video shows the group at a club with camera shots panning up and down to reveal a new location. It used special effects and is one of the most expensive video clips for an Australian hip hop group, mirroring the group's rise in success and popularity. Also late in the year the band won the J Award for best album of the year from Triple J.[7] They performed the Homebake Festival and Falls Festival before the end of the year. The Hard Road received the AIR Award for Best Independent Hip Hop/Urban Release in 2007.[6]

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[8]
Soul Dungeon[9]

Track listing
CD hidden track[10]
No.TitleLength
0."Ya Feel Big?"3:45
No.TitleLength
1."Recapturing the Vibe"3:26
2."Clown Prince"3:52
3."The Hard Road"4:06
4."Stopping All Stations"3:52
5."Conversations from a Speakeasy" (featuring Omni)3:28
6."What a Great Intro"0:24
7."What a Great Night"3:07
8."City of Light"3:40
9."Obese Lowlifes" (featuring Mystro and Braintax)2:24
10."Circuit Breaker"3:29
11."Breathe"3:15
12."The Blue Blooded" (featuring The Blue Blooded Allstars)4:47
13."Monsters Ball"4:19
14."An Audience with the Devil"4:06
15."The Captured Vibe" (featuring DJ Reflux)2:12
Golden Era Records deluxe edition bonus track[11]
No.TitleLength
16."I Can't Take It"4:00

Secret track and extra material
  1. Video clip of the first single "Clown Prince" is available for viewing on the CD.
  2. Untitled secret track ("Ya Feel Big?", which works only on some stereos) - to access this track, start on track 1, "Recapturing the Vibe", and scan backwards. The song is about Hilltop Hoods' rise to fame and the struggles they endured because of this rise.

Singles
  1. "Clown Prince" (2006)
  2. "The Hard Road" (2006)
  3. "What a Great Night" (2006)
  4. "Recapturing the Vibe" (2007)

Song credits

Due to the MCs Suffa and Pressure performing different verses and choruses of varying songs, the sections done by DJ Debris and the large number of guest artists featured on the album, what follows is an extensive list of song credits.

  1. "Recapturing the Vibe" - 3:26
    • Produced by Suffa
    • Verse 1: Pressure
    • Verse 2: Suffa
    • Scratches by DJ Debris
  2. "Clown Prince" - 3:52
  3. "The Hard Road" - 4:06
    • Produced by Suffa
    • Verse 1: Suffa
    • Verse 2: Pressure
    • Verse 3: Suffa
    • Scratches by DJ Debris
    • Contains a sample of "Out in the Woods" by Leon Russell
  4. "Stopping All Stations" - 3:52
    • Produced by Suffa
    • Performed by Pressure
    • Scratches by DJ Debris
    • Contains samples of "Ego Trippin' (Part II)" by De La Soul and "1-800 Suicide" by Gravediggaz
  5. "Conversations from a Speakeasy" featuring Omni - 3:28
    • (M. Lambert/D. Smith/B. Francis/J. McDonald)
    • Produced by Suffa
    • Verse 1: Pressure
    • Verse 2: Omni
    • Verse 3: Suffa
    • Scratches by DJ Debris
    • Contains a sample of "You Gots to Chill" by EPMD
  6. "What a Great Intro" - 0:24
  7. "What a Great Night DNR" - 3:06
    • Produced & performed by Suffa
    • Scratches by DJ Debris
    • Contains a sample of "For Pete's Sake" by Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth
  8. "City of Light" - 3:40
    • Produced by Suffa
    • Verse 1: Suffa
    • Verse 2: Pressure
    • Scratches by DJ Debris
    • Bass guitar by Chris Lambert
    • Electric guitar by Nick Lambert
  9. "Obese Lowlifes" featuring Mystro and Braintax - 2:24
    • (M. Lambert/D. Smith/B. Francis/K. Dafarmo/J. Christie)
    • Produced by Suffa
    • Verse 1: Mystro
    • Verse 2: Pressure
    • Verse 3: Braintax
    • Verse 4: Suffa
    • Scratches by DJ Debris
    • Contains samples of "These Walls Don't Lie" by Promoe
  10. "Circuit Breaker" 3:29
    • (M. Lambert/D. Smith/B. Francis/D. Rankine)
    • Produced by Trials
    • Verse 1: Suffa
    • Verse 2: Pressure
    • Scratches by DJ Debris
    • Contains samples of "Professor Booty" by Beastie Boys and "Buddy" by De La Soul
  11. "Breathe" - 3:15
    • Produced by Suffa
    • Performed by Pressure
    • Scratches by DJ Debris
    • Bass Guitar by Chris Lambert
    • Trumpet by Phil Ingram
    • Contains a sample of "Unbelieveable" [sic] by Notorious B.I.G.
  12. "The Blue Blooded" featuring Blue Blooded Allstars - 4:47
    • (M. Lambert/D. Smith/B. Francis/R. Mortimer/D. Rankine/A. Baker/L. Latukefu/P. Ridge/J. Laroner/D. Young/T. Staff/R. Warren/M. Honson)
    • Produced by Suffa
    • Introduction: Trials
    • Verse 1: Suffa
    • Verse 2: Mortar
    • Verse 3: Trials and Sesta
    • Verse 4: Hau
    • Verse 5: Drapht
    • Verse 6: Vents
    • Verse 7: Muphin and Pegz
    • Verse 8: Robby Balboa
    • Verse 9: Honz
    • Verse 10: Pressure
  13. "Monsters Ball" - 4:19
    • (M. Lambert/D. Smith/B. Francis/A. Simmons)
    • Produced by Simplex
    • Verse 1: Suffa
    • Verse 2: Pressure
  14. "An Audience with the Devil" - 4:06
  15. "The Captured Vibe" featuring DJ Reflux - 2:12
    • (M. Lambert/D. Smith/B. Francis/D. Yates)
    • Produced by Suffa
    • Scratches by DJ Reflux
  16. "I Can't Take It" (deluxe edition Bonus Track)
    • (M. Lambert/D. Smith/B. Francis/D. Rankine)
    • Produced by Trials
    • Verse 1: Suffa
    • Verse 2: Pressure

Chart positions
Year Chart Position
2006 Australian ARIA Albums Chart 1

References
  1. dUSK (16 April 2006). "Hilltop Hoods The Hard Road". Sputnik Music. Sputnikmusic.com. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
  2. Kathy McCabe (19 March 2012). "Hilltop Hoods first Australian act to debut at number one on ARIA album charts with Drinking From The Sun". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
  3. "The J Award 2006". Triple J. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 2006. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
  4. Hung, Steffen. "Discography Hilltop Hoods". Australian Charts Portal. Hung Medien (Steffen Hung). Retrieved 6 December 2012.
  5. The Hard Road (Media notes). Hilltop Hoods. Obese Records. 2006. OBR 042.CS1 maint: others (link)
  6. "Independent Music Awards – History". Independent Music Charts. Australian Independent Record Labels Association (AIR). Retrieved 8 December 2012.
  7. "The J Award 2006". Triple J. Retrieved 20 May 2009.
  8. Allmusic review
  9. Soul Dungeon review
  10. "Hilltop Hoods - The Hard Road". Discogs. Retrieved 29 October 2016.
  11. "Hilltop Hoods - The Hard Road". Discogs. Retrieved 29 October 2016.
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