The Blue Hysteria is a 1996 album by Rheostatics

Rheostatics

Rheostatics was a Genie Award-winning Canadian indie rock band, active from 1980 to 2007.Although they had only one Top 40 hit, "Claire" in 1995, they were simultaneously one of Canada's most influential and unconventional rock bands, a band whose eclectic take on pop and rock music has been...

.

"Bad Time to Be Poor", a protest song about life in Ontario

Ontario

Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

 during the government of Mike Harris

Mike Harris

Michael Deane "Mike" Harris was the 22nd Premier of Ontario from June 26, 1995 to April 15, 2002. He is most noted for the "Common Sense Revolution", his Progressive Conservative government's program of deficit reduction in combination with lower taxes and cuts to government...

, was the album's first single. The band also contributed this song to the compilation album GASCD

GASCD

GASCD, an initialism standing for Governments Accountable to Society & Citizens = Democracy, is a compilation album put together in May 2001 by songwriter and activist Chris Brown and released in 2002...

in 2001 to support citizen media

Citizen media

The term citizen media refers to forms of content produced by private citizens who are otherwise not professional journalists. Citizen journalism, participatory media and democratic media are related principles.-Principles of citizen media:...

 and social justice

Social justice

Social justice generally refers to the idea of creating a society or institution that is based on the principles of equality and solidarity, that understands and values human rights, and that recognizes the dignity of every human being. The term and modern concept of "social justice" was coined by...

 groups in protesting the Quebec City Summit of the Americas

Quebec City Summit of the Americas

The 3rd Summit of the Americas was a summit held in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada, on April 20--22, 2001.This international meeting was a round of negotiations regarding a proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas...

.

To support the album, the band were invited on tour as the opening act for The Tragically Hip

The Tragically Hip

The Tragically Hip, often referred to simply as The Hip, is a Canadian rock band from Kingston, Ontario, consisting of Gordon Downie , Paul Langlois , Rob Baker , Gord Sinclair and Johnny Fay . Since their formation in 1983 they have released 12 studio albums, two live albums, and 46 singles...

. At the beginning of the Hip's 1997 live album Live Between Us

Live Between Us

Live Between Us is the first full-length live album by Canadian rock band The Tragically Hip. It was released in May 1997.The album was recorded in Detroit, Michigan in 1996, during the tour supporting Trouble at the Henhouse....

, singer Gordon Downie

Gordon Downie

Gordon Edgar Downie is a Canadian rock musician, writer and occasional actor. He is the lead singer and lyricist for the Canadian rock band The Tragically Hip. He has released three solo albums, Coke Machine Glow in 2001, Battle of the Nudes in 2003; and The Grand Bounce in 2010...

 acknowledges the Rheostatics, and towards the end of the album, Downie works a verse from "Bad Time to Be Poor" into "Nautical Disaster".

The 1997 Rheostatics album Double Live

Double Live (Rheostatics album)

Double Live is a 1997 album by Rheostatics. 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 in 1996....

also partially documents the band's tour with the Hip.

"Bad Time to Be Poor" was covered by The Weakerthans

The Weakerthans

The Weakerthans are a four-piece Canadian indie rock band.-History:The band was formed in 1997 in Winnipeg, Manitoba by John K. Samson, after he left the punk band Propagandhi to start a publishing company. Samson joined forces with bassist John P...

 on the 2007 Rheostatics tribute album The Secret Sessions

The Secret Sessions

The Secret Sessions is a tribute album to Canadian indie rock band Rheostatics, released March 16, 2007 through the web label Zunior. The album was released to coincide with the band's farewell show scheduled for March 30, and features Canadian indie rock artists performing Rheostatics songs...

. Their version reached #1 on CBC Radio 3

CBC Radio 3

CBC Radio 3 is a radio station that consists of two parts devoted to Canadian arts and music: a radio service which is available on Sirius Satellite Radio and streaming audio, and several daily and weekly podcasts from the CBC Radio 3 website...

's R3-30

The R3-30

The R3-30 is a weekly record chart show on CBC Radio 3, which counts down the week's top indie rock singles as determined by airplay , listener feedback , and other criteria . The show, hosted by Craig Norris and produced by Pedro Mendes, airs at 11 a.m Eastern time The R3-30 is a weekly record...

chart.

Track listing

All songs are credited to the full band.

1. "All the Same Eyes" – 3:53
2. "Motorino" – 4:01
3. "Something the Committee Thought You Should Hear" – 0:34
4. "Fat" – 6:56
5. "To Catch a Thief" – 0:11
6. "Bad Time to Be Poor" – 4:56
7. "Sweet, Rich, Beautiful, Mine" – 4:03
8. "Four Little Songs" – 5:52
9. "An Offer" – 4:33
10. "Never Forget" – 4:54
11. "The Idiot" – 3:38
12. "Connecting Flights" – 2:46
13. "Feed Yourself" – 6:18
14. "The 'You Are Very Star' Journey" – 1:12
15. "A Midwinter Night's Dream" – 8:22
16. "My First Rock Concert" (hidden track) – 4:09