Jom
12-10-2005, 01:34 PM
It's no surprise across MX that I'm the biggest BNL mark to ever grace this forums. Combined with Doctor Robert, there is a grand total of two BNL fans on MX, although Burt could possibly be a third, even though he dislikes their later works. Together, we're trying out the task of reviewing the entire BNL discography, along with this other fellow named TheChaplain, who I haven't seen at all recently. So, hooray for Doctor Robert and BNL!
This little write-up (that isn't really all that little, hopefully, but you get the idea) that I'm going to share with you isn't intended to get you to automatically like them. This isn't going to be a persuasive essay by any means, but hopefully you'd be interested in giving the band a legitimate shot in the sampler that I'll send out. I'm not going to go into tons and tons of detail (because you'll get bored, I think), but I'll try to hone in on the essentials and the basics.
First, I should talk about why I love the Barenaked Ladies so much. One reason I will give is that they don't really fall under any specific genre. Sure, they're definitely pop-rock, but ever since their formation, BNL have played genres from pop-rock to blues, to hard rock to even country, first making their start on college radio stations, and accordingly working their way up to mainstream success, all the while releasing high-quality music. The lyrics and instrumentation are certainly highlights to their albums, especially if one is a fan of BNL's trademark humor that they implement voraciously into their songwriting. The wonderful thing about this band is that they can sing about any topic, be it serious or comical, and have the sheer power to encapsulate the song in the lyrics and the instrumentation without faltering. Both their serious songs and their humorous tracks are fun listening experiences. Lastly, they can be listened to on pretty much any occassion, especially when you need something soft-to-moderate to listen to. This is why Barenaked Ladies are constantly #1 on my Last.fm charts; I'm always listening to them while I study or do uni coursework.
///
Beginnings
To begin, the Barenaked Ladies came to life in 1988 in Toronto, Canada. The band was originally a duo of suburban childhood friends Steven Page and Ed Robertson. Ironically, the two formed at a band camp held in Scarborough, where they were camp counselors.
Their early days as an indie band aren't going to be an interesting read; I'd rather get into their official discography. However, I will say that the earliest BNL tapes featured just Page and Robertson. They were recorded in Robertson's mother's basement when the duo were teenagers. During their live improv and comedy musical performances, the brothers Creeggan, Andy and Jim, joined the band to form a quartet. After Andy left the band to study abroad, Tyler Stewart joined the band, keeping the drumming position, even after Andy's return from Ecuador. The band continued to perform improv comedy music across Canada, eventually leading up to their first indie release, Yellow Tape, the first indie record to achieve platinum status in terms of record sells in Canada.
The Gordon, Maybe You Should Drive, and Born on a Pirate Ship Years
Prior to the band's first major release, Gordon, then-mayor of Toronto, June Rowlands, refused to let BNL perform a local gig in Toronto because she felt that the band's name was "sexist and demeaning to women." The band's name came up at a Bob Dylan concert that Page and Robertson attended in their heyday, as a joke between the two. But when Robertson told gig bookers that his new band was named as such, the name stuck.
Gordon was released in 1992 and features some of BNL's most popular tracks. The album itself is quirky, diverse, and extremely catchy. The instrumentation can feature a solid hard rock act to a Spanish horn trio to a shaker. The band's ability to make a goofy song and then turn around and make a serious song is impeccable. Notable tracks include "Be My Yoko Ono," "If I Had $1000000," "Grade 9," and "Brian Wilson." "$1000000" is a straightforward acoustic medley, where Page and Robertson go back-and-forth singing about what they would buy their loves with that sum of money. This also sparked the throwing of macaroni at BNL shows, which the band has since discouraged. "Grade 9" was not released as a single, but jokingly depicts the dread and fear of beginning high school. While the lyrics are indeed intended to make one chuckle, the instrumentation is what is most admirable: allusions to Rush's "Tom Sawyer," Vince Guraldi's "Linus and Lucy" (Peanuts theme) modulated up a few steps, and the main line of Rush's "Spirit of the Radio" (on an acoustic guitar) can be heard. "Brian Wilson" is so popular today, that even Brian Wilson covered it at a live show of his. Twenty-four hours after this album was released, it sold 80,000 copies in Canada.
The band's follow-up, Maybe You Should Drive, was not as wildly successful, despite a number of college-friendly tracks such as "Jane" and "Alternative Girlfriend." The perceived failure of this second album drove Andy away from the band to finish pursuing his academic interests in college. Kevin Hearn would then jump ship to BNL as the full-time keyboardist. Born on a Pirate Ship would follow up two years later, in 1996, and BNL jumped right back into the spotlight, appearing in shows such as Beverly Hills 90210 to perform over the course of the show. "The Old Apartment" is the most popular track from the album, although "When I Fall," a song about a man with a dead-end job contemplating suicide, is arguably one of the best acoustic tracks BNL has ever conceived.
Rock Spectacle: pronounced "Rock-Speck-Tack"
This was BNL's first live album, exhibiting what BNL are most famous for: their live acts. Returning to their roots of improv comedy music and rapping that made them famous in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the album went on to become their first gold-certified album. The album encompasses a typical BNL show incredibly well, from the audience's involvement in "If I Had $1000000" to Robertson's rap about his Uncle Elwyn to the slower, to the more somber tracks being the most beautiful and the zany, upbeat tracks being just as tremendous live.
Stunt, Maroon, and All Their Greatest Hits
Released in 1998, Stunt is arguably BNL's best album and their best-known. Featuring songs such as the hook-laden "One Week," to the "Price is Right" mentioning in "It's All Been Done" to the party song entitled "Alcohol," the album is solid throughout. My personal favorite track is"Some Fantastic," which represents BNL's ability to mix seriousness and humor into the same song without losing the brilliant instrumentation. Here's a small portion:
One day I will build a fountain
Drink and never grow old
Then I’ll market an elixir
That will eliminate the common cold
Find your sickness on my list
Pay up front and make a wish...
... one day I’ll construct a satellite and I’ll name it after you
'Cause you were the greatest friend of all
Except for when you split my lip in two
To see the look upon your face
As I launch you into space
There’s a lot I will never do
Some fantastic, I know it’s true
But none as much as my want to be with you
Bye-bye self-respect
I haven’t had much of it since you left
I missed out on the best of you
As the band went out on tour to promote Stunt, Hearn was diagnosed with leukemia. At his request, the band continued to tour, with Greg Kurstin and Chris Brown alternating on-and-off as Kearn's replacement. Six months later, after extensive and intensive recuperation, Hearn was declared free of any and all cancerous cells in his system, and he triumphantly returned to begin recording the next album.
Maroon would follow two years later, in 2000. Notable tracks include the singles "Too Little Too Late," "Falling for the First Time," and of course, "Pinch Me" with its beautiful improv'd guitar outro. It's music like this that showcases BNL's talents, and bassist Jim Creeggan particularly shines throughout the track as well. The hidden gem on the record is "Sell Sell Sell," even though the pop-culture references are somewhat outdated, even though the War in Iraq still remains at the forefront of the world's conscience, whether or not you agree with it. Maroon differs a bit from Stunt in that there are a couple weaker tracks on the former, while the latter is full of tracks that can stand on its own. Regardless, Maroon provides an easy-listening music experience. BNL were Grammy-nominated for their performance for "Pinch Me."
Disc One: All Their Greatest Hits is a nineteen-track collection of their biggest hits from the previous albums, coupled with live performances of the ever-popular "Brian Wilson" and "What a Good Boy."
This little write-up (that isn't really all that little, hopefully, but you get the idea) that I'm going to share with you isn't intended to get you to automatically like them. This isn't going to be a persuasive essay by any means, but hopefully you'd be interested in giving the band a legitimate shot in the sampler that I'll send out. I'm not going to go into tons and tons of detail (because you'll get bored, I think), but I'll try to hone in on the essentials and the basics.
First, I should talk about why I love the Barenaked Ladies so much. One reason I will give is that they don't really fall under any specific genre. Sure, they're definitely pop-rock, but ever since their formation, BNL have played genres from pop-rock to blues, to hard rock to even country, first making their start on college radio stations, and accordingly working their way up to mainstream success, all the while releasing high-quality music. The lyrics and instrumentation are certainly highlights to their albums, especially if one is a fan of BNL's trademark humor that they implement voraciously into their songwriting. The wonderful thing about this band is that they can sing about any topic, be it serious or comical, and have the sheer power to encapsulate the song in the lyrics and the instrumentation without faltering. Both their serious songs and their humorous tracks are fun listening experiences. Lastly, they can be listened to on pretty much any occassion, especially when you need something soft-to-moderate to listen to. This is why Barenaked Ladies are constantly #1 on my Last.fm charts; I'm always listening to them while I study or do uni coursework.
///
Beginnings
To begin, the Barenaked Ladies came to life in 1988 in Toronto, Canada. The band was originally a duo of suburban childhood friends Steven Page and Ed Robertson. Ironically, the two formed at a band camp held in Scarborough, where they were camp counselors.
Their early days as an indie band aren't going to be an interesting read; I'd rather get into their official discography. However, I will say that the earliest BNL tapes featured just Page and Robertson. They were recorded in Robertson's mother's basement when the duo were teenagers. During their live improv and comedy musical performances, the brothers Creeggan, Andy and Jim, joined the band to form a quartet. After Andy left the band to study abroad, Tyler Stewart joined the band, keeping the drumming position, even after Andy's return from Ecuador. The band continued to perform improv comedy music across Canada, eventually leading up to their first indie release, Yellow Tape, the first indie record to achieve platinum status in terms of record sells in Canada.
The Gordon, Maybe You Should Drive, and Born on a Pirate Ship Years
Prior to the band's first major release, Gordon, then-mayor of Toronto, June Rowlands, refused to let BNL perform a local gig in Toronto because she felt that the band's name was "sexist and demeaning to women." The band's name came up at a Bob Dylan concert that Page and Robertson attended in their heyday, as a joke between the two. But when Robertson told gig bookers that his new band was named as such, the name stuck.
Gordon was released in 1992 and features some of BNL's most popular tracks. The album itself is quirky, diverse, and extremely catchy. The instrumentation can feature a solid hard rock act to a Spanish horn trio to a shaker. The band's ability to make a goofy song and then turn around and make a serious song is impeccable. Notable tracks include "Be My Yoko Ono," "If I Had $1000000," "Grade 9," and "Brian Wilson." "$1000000" is a straightforward acoustic medley, where Page and Robertson go back-and-forth singing about what they would buy their loves with that sum of money. This also sparked the throwing of macaroni at BNL shows, which the band has since discouraged. "Grade 9" was not released as a single, but jokingly depicts the dread and fear of beginning high school. While the lyrics are indeed intended to make one chuckle, the instrumentation is what is most admirable: allusions to Rush's "Tom Sawyer," Vince Guraldi's "Linus and Lucy" (Peanuts theme) modulated up a few steps, and the main line of Rush's "Spirit of the Radio" (on an acoustic guitar) can be heard. "Brian Wilson" is so popular today, that even Brian Wilson covered it at a live show of his. Twenty-four hours after this album was released, it sold 80,000 copies in Canada.
The band's follow-up, Maybe You Should Drive, was not as wildly successful, despite a number of college-friendly tracks such as "Jane" and "Alternative Girlfriend." The perceived failure of this second album drove Andy away from the band to finish pursuing his academic interests in college. Kevin Hearn would then jump ship to BNL as the full-time keyboardist. Born on a Pirate Ship would follow up two years later, in 1996, and BNL jumped right back into the spotlight, appearing in shows such as Beverly Hills 90210 to perform over the course of the show. "The Old Apartment" is the most popular track from the album, although "When I Fall," a song about a man with a dead-end job contemplating suicide, is arguably one of the best acoustic tracks BNL has ever conceived.
Rock Spectacle: pronounced "Rock-Speck-Tack"
This was BNL's first live album, exhibiting what BNL are most famous for: their live acts. Returning to their roots of improv comedy music and rapping that made them famous in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the album went on to become their first gold-certified album. The album encompasses a typical BNL show incredibly well, from the audience's involvement in "If I Had $1000000" to Robertson's rap about his Uncle Elwyn to the slower, to the more somber tracks being the most beautiful and the zany, upbeat tracks being just as tremendous live.
Stunt, Maroon, and All Their Greatest Hits
Released in 1998, Stunt is arguably BNL's best album and their best-known. Featuring songs such as the hook-laden "One Week," to the "Price is Right" mentioning in "It's All Been Done" to the party song entitled "Alcohol," the album is solid throughout. My personal favorite track is"Some Fantastic," which represents BNL's ability to mix seriousness and humor into the same song without losing the brilliant instrumentation. Here's a small portion:
One day I will build a fountain
Drink and never grow old
Then I’ll market an elixir
That will eliminate the common cold
Find your sickness on my list
Pay up front and make a wish...
... one day I’ll construct a satellite and I’ll name it after you
'Cause you were the greatest friend of all
Except for when you split my lip in two
To see the look upon your face
As I launch you into space
There’s a lot I will never do
Some fantastic, I know it’s true
But none as much as my want to be with you
Bye-bye self-respect
I haven’t had much of it since you left
I missed out on the best of you
As the band went out on tour to promote Stunt, Hearn was diagnosed with leukemia. At his request, the band continued to tour, with Greg Kurstin and Chris Brown alternating on-and-off as Kearn's replacement. Six months later, after extensive and intensive recuperation, Hearn was declared free of any and all cancerous cells in his system, and he triumphantly returned to begin recording the next album.
Maroon would follow two years later, in 2000. Notable tracks include the singles "Too Little Too Late," "Falling for the First Time," and of course, "Pinch Me" with its beautiful improv'd guitar outro. It's music like this that showcases BNL's talents, and bassist Jim Creeggan particularly shines throughout the track as well. The hidden gem on the record is "Sell Sell Sell," even though the pop-culture references are somewhat outdated, even though the War in Iraq still remains at the forefront of the world's conscience, whether or not you agree with it. Maroon differs a bit from Stunt in that there are a couple weaker tracks on the former, while the latter is full of tracks that can stand on its own. Regardless, Maroon provides an easy-listening music experience. BNL were Grammy-nominated for their performance for "Pinch Me."
Disc One: All Their Greatest Hits is a nineteen-track collection of their biggest hits from the previous albums, coupled with live performances of the ever-popular "Brian Wilson" and "What a Good Boy."