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Barenaked Ladies
The Barenaked Ladies were probably driven by the desire to put a totally goofy name on the marquee to attract a lot of walk-in traffic. Imagine the expression on some sailor's face when he walked into a club expecting nudity and got five fully clothed musicians. Of course, with a name like that they weren't going to win any awards or get inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame. That thought likely never crossed their minds. BNL did get a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Performance in '98, but lost. The Grammy powers weren't ever going to allow BNL to have one of those little statues. Not with that appellation. To have some low-rent actor shout "Barenaked Ladies" from the podium of the nationally televised program made the Grammy faithful cringe. Even with an audience in tuxes, where's the dignity? No Grammy for them. Then again, just being nominated is reward enough. Or at least that's what the losers have been claiming.
You could tell where Barenaked Ladies were coming from. Canada . Forming in the late '80s, BNL toured extensively playing their quirky songs. In the early '90s, they found themselves featured on The Coneheads soundtrack ("Fight The Power") and the Friends soundtrack ("Shoe Box").
Barenaked Ladies left cult-status with the "Stunt" CD. It contained two classics; the Trip-Hop/Rock "One Week" and the retro "It's All Been Done Before." "One Week," was a love song with a ton of pop culture references ranging from Leanne Rimes to the "The X-Files." "It's All Been Done," aside from a great vocal hook, nailed a musician's dilemma. The song dealt with trying to be creative and getting your efforts shrugged off. On '00 release "Maroon," the humor was still there, just a little deeper. The group skewered Hollywood ("Sell, Sell, Sell") and war ("Helicopters") while still managing to deliver the off-the-wall lines fans had come to expect.
"Everything To Everyone" landed in '03 with the comical lead-off single "Another Postcard." The group showed a more serious and sedate side with their '06 effort "Barenaked Ladies Are Me."
"Stunt" arriving in '98 with "One Week" and "It's All Been Done" is Barenaked Ladies most commercially successful CD. It's not their best but it's close. "Gordon" has that honor with "Brian Wilson," "New Kid On The Block" and "Boxed Set." The '96 release "Born On A Pirate Ship" containing "Shoe Box" is also highly recommended. Combining wit and Rock is a difficult proposition, but they pull it off. "Rock Spectacle" is a very good live album. "Maroon" with "Too Little Too Late" is not as instantly accessible as "Stunt," (which probably left their newfound fans disappointed) but there's sharp lyrical bite as the band tones down (just a notch) its inherent goofiness. '03 release "Everything To Everyone" references the usual BNL topics. The set opens with the somber yet biting "Celebrity" ("Call me a zero but I'm gonna be a hero, I'll be incorporated, I'll be imitated"). A rhythm guitar and sharp vocal harmonies provide the backdrop as the song skewers fame and fortune. "Another Postcard" was an attempt to generate an uptempo, catchy pop hit like "One Week." But the CD's highpoint is "Shopping" where the soothing vocals extol the "virtues" of rampant consumerism ("everything's gonna be all right when you go shopping").
Seems BNL is channeling the acoustic side of fellow Canadian Neil Young on "Barenaked Ladies Are Me." There are clever story-songs told from unconventional viewpoints, like a driver on a holdup ("Bank Job") but there's no real joyous lunacy. And Neil handles sincerity so much better. With songs like "Easy," it almost sounds like the Barenaked Ladies are trying to grow up. Yikes!
As it stands, "Rule The World With Love" has a nice '60s idealistic feeling while BNL rouse themselves to produce "Wind It Up" and the jangling "Bull In A China Shop."