|
 In
a world of mediocre melodies and less-than-inspired lyrics, the
alternative pop genre has more than enough room for cleverly crafted
double-entendres and grin-inducing wit. Although They Might Be Giants
probably hold the reigning title as kings in this area, Canadian
popsters Barenaked Ladies surely might be considered heirs apparent.
The germination of BNL began with lead singer Steven Page and guitarist
Ed Robertson in the Toronto suburb of Scarbourough where the two grew
up. Although acquainted as children, the real connection took place in
1988 when both worked as counselors at a summer music camp. Playing
small gigs around town, the duo caught the ears of camp alumni Jim and
Andrew Creeggan, and Barenaked Ladies suddenly had a bassist and
keyboardist; the addition of drummer Tyler Stewart rounded out the
line-up in 1990. The quintet recorded a five-song, self-titled cassette
(known to BNL fans as "The Yellow Tape") that eventually made Canadian
music history as the first independent recording to sell over 80,000
units. A deal with Sire led to the 1992 debut album Gordon, which set
the tone for the group's tongue-in-cheek humor, youthful pop-culture
lyrics and upbeat tempos. The 1994 sophomore album Maybe You Should
Drive reflected both a musical and personal growth with more
sophisticated (yet still loopy) content and sound. Though Andy Creeggan
left the band to go back to school in 1995, Kevin Hearn was recruited as
a replacement. On BNL's 1996 Reprise release Born On A Pirate Ship the
band continued with more mature themes without ditching their
irrepressibly playful style.
Barenaked Ladies Links
As they prepared
to release 1998's Stunt, the Barenaked Ladies seemed poised to make
their biggest commercial splash yet thanks to the omnipresent hit "One
Week." But no one, not even the band, was prepared for the album to make
an astounding debut at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, selling more than
140,000 copies in its first week and remaining in the top 10 for weeks
to come.
However, the celebrating was dampened by the news that Hearn had been
diagnosed with leukemia. Although he couldn't join the band on tour,
after a bone marrow transplant, the musician was given a clean bill of
health from his doctors.
BNL returned in 2000 with Maroon, which featured the hit "Pinch Me." The
album scored the group a Juno award, while the single earned it a Grammy
nomination.
With the cleverly
titled Disc One: All Their Greatest Hits (1991-2001), BNL summed up the
first decade of their career. The band returned with new material in
October 2003 with Everything To Everybody. |
