Barenaked Ladies
Country of origin:
Canada
Type of music generally:
Comedic alternative pop
Status:
Most recent release, Fake Nudes (2017)
See also:
Barenaked Ladies' site
Comparisons:
They Might Be Giants
Covers/own material:
Own and covers
General comments:
Their first cassette and Gordon are both superb recordings in all aspects... It took me a longer time to warm up to Maybe You Should Drive, which is definitely weaker than Gordon—until I broke it into two pieces—slower stuff and faster stuff—and listened to them separately—then the whole thing made sense. (mjmjminla@yahoo.com)Last week i heard the new Barenaked Ladies single "One Week" (from Stunt)...i guess that they are really moving into the fun-frat-rock arena...it was a bit of a mix between reggae, rap, and rock...steven page and ed what's-his-name sharing LOTS of rapid-fire lyric spittings...actually kinda reminded me of that song "Informer" by Snow...although not as forgettable :) (paul2k@aol.com)
I love these guys! Hope this album (Stunt) doesn't put them further into the mainstream. (Riphug@aol.com)
Comments about live performance:
I saw them perform last week. The show was loads of fun. The crowd was enthusiastic and most people were dancing and singing along, which I found mostly funny, but, occasionally, very very annoying. Their music is (dare I say it) poppish, but they give a lot of prominence to the bass player and I think that makes them more interesting. The music usually isn't just a blur of words and guitar playing. The band's enthusiastic antics and jokes made the concert lively and, as has been mentioned here, lots more fun than listening to their cd. (1996, HARTBARB@Mattel.com)bnl were a gas. i got a copy of their five-song cassette years ago and it's damn funny. _gordon_ and whatever the other album they've released is called lacked the tape's spontaneity and freshness, but they shine on stage. (1994, woj@smoe.org)
totally agreed! saw them twice at the bottom line and i must admit i don't enjoy their recordings half as much as seeing them live! (1994, JC214@aol.com)
Barenaked Ladies took the stage. I wasn't that into it—the few songs of theirs I had heard on the radio, while amusing didn't do much for me at all. But live is another story. This is definitely a band that is NOT to be missed live—they're beyond funny. They're improv comedy with instruments. They do stuff like come out with covers of Duran Duran songs for encores, and stop songs in the middle to go off on ridiculous tangents that usually end up falling hysterically flat when they can't come up with that one final rhyme for the punch line. Their fans do stuff straight out of Rocky Horror audience participation: when they sing the line about "I won't need to eat Kraft dinner" in "If I Had A Million Dollars", scores of boxes of Kraft Macaroni And Cheese come flying at the stage.
In short, these guys are great. I still wouldn't buy their albums (unless they were live recordings), but I will definitely go see them again. (c. 1994, meth@smoe.org)BNL was fantastic as usual, but this time their concert was a HUGE production with big sets and costume changes and stuff...a far cry from when I saw them at Pearl Street In Northampton, MA at a 200 person club. (7/1999, paul2k@aol.com)
These guys improvise as well as Cindy Lee Berryhill. One of the most amusing and entertaining shows I saw all year. Never have heard one of their albums though. (neal)
Recordings:
- Gordon (1992)
- Maybe You Should Drive (1994)
- Born on a Pirate Ship (1996)
- Rock Spectacle (1996)
- Stunt (1998)
- Maroon (2000)
- Disc One: All Their Greatest Hits (1991-2001) (compilation, 2001)
- Everything to Everyone (2003)
- Barenaked for the Holidays (2004)
- As You Like It (2005)
- Barenaked Ladies Are Me (2006)
- Barenaked Ladies Are Men (2007)
- Talk to the Hand: Live in Michigan (2007)
- Snacktime! (2008)
- All in Good Time (2010)
- Hits From Yesterday & the Day Before (compilation, 2011)
- Stop Us If You've Heard This One Before (compilation, 2012)
- Grinning Streak (2013)
- Silverball (2015)
- BNL Rocks Red Rocks (live, 2016)
- Ladies And Gentlemen: Barenaked Ladies And The Persuasions (live with The Persuasions, 2017)
- Fake Nudes (2017)
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