Born on a Pirate Ship

Born on a Pirate Ship
Studio album by Barenaked Ladies
Released	March 19, 1996
Recorded	April-July 1995 The Gas Station, Toronto Reaction Studios, Toronto Manta Eastern, Toronto Right Tracks Studio, Saskatoon
Genre	Alternative Rock
Length	51:39
Label	Reprise
Producer	Barenaked Ladies, Michael Phillip Wojewoda
Professional reviews
Allmusic link
Barenaked Ladies chronology
Maybe You Should Drive (1994) Born on a Pirate Ship (1996) Rock Spectacle (1996)

Born on a Pirate Ship (sometimes abbreviated BOAPS^[1]) is the third full-length album by Barenaked Ladies. Its well-known tracks are "Shoe Box", "The Old Apartment", "When I Fall" and "Break Your Heart." "The Old Apartment" would become BNL's first US hit in 1997 and began the process of winning many new American fans.

Tracks recorded for this album but left off the finished record are: "Trust Me" (earlier recorded for Maybe You Should Drive but left off the album -- included on the Shoe Box EP) and "Back" (included on the "Brian Wilson 2000" single). As with each of their early albums, the band recorded one song completely naked. On this album, "Back" was the "naked track".

The front cover features a boy in a newspaper hat pulling at his cheeks, in reference to the childhood prank alluded to by the album's title. Contrary to popular belief, this is not a childhood picture of BNL bassist Jim Creeggan, but simply an actor hired for the photos.

The band was a four-piece during the recording of this album. Kevin Hearn was asked to join the band for the 1995 tour that preceded the album's release and first appears on the live album Rock Spectacle. He is thanked in the liner notes for "injecting new spirit."

The album is also an enhanced CD. The data track contains audio samples from the band's previous two CDs, a short montage of press photos, several of the band's music videos, a short trivia quiz, and a pair of "behind the scenes" videos from the band. Similar content was included and expanded upon on the Shoe Box E.P., however, the format of the enhanced CD used in the creation of that CD renders the data track inaccessible on modern operating systems.

Although a hit in Canada, the album only managed #111 in the US. Born On A Pirate Ship was awarded gold status in the U.S. in 2000, after the band became more popular there.

Track listing

1. "Stomach vs. Heart" (Page, Robertson) – 2:29
2. "Straw Hat and Old Dirty Hank" (Page, Robertson) – 3:23
3. "I Know" (Page, Robertson) – 3:02
   • includes a sample of televangelist Robert Tilton saying "and you have faith! You just need to use it, saith the Lord."
4. "This Is Where It Ends" (Page, Robertson) – 2:53
5. "When I Fall" (Page, Robertson) – 4:04
6. "I Live with It Every Day" (Duffy, Page) – 4:30
7. "The Old Apartment" (Page, Robertson) – 3:29
8. "Call Me Calmly" (Page) – 2:52
9. "Break Your Heart" (Page) – 4:57
10. "Spider in My Room" (Creeggan) – 4:03
11. "Same Thing" (Robertson) – 4:01
12. "Just a Toy" (Page, Robertson) – 3:42
13. "In the Drink" (Creeggan) – 5:12
14. "Shoe Box" (Page, Robertson) – 2:57
15. "If I Had $1000000" (Page, Robertson), (edit version, appears on UK edition only)

Personnel

Barenaked Ladies

• Jim Creeggan - vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, dobro, fiddle, piano, electric double bass, percussion
• Ed Robertson - vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, pedal steel guitar, bass, cowbell
• Steven Page - vocals, electric guitar, piano, percussion
• Tyler Stewart - piano, vibraphone, drums, xylophone, shaker, tambourine, percussion, background vocals

Additional personnel

• Bryan Adams - yells
• Chris Brown - organ
• Mark Fewer - violin
• Gene Hardy - tenor saxophone, saw
• Hugh Marsh - fiddle
• Murray McLauchlan - harmonica
• Michael Phillip Wojewoda - sound effects, background vocals, tambourine
• Tony Rapoport - viola
• Tim Walsh - trombone

Production

• Producers: Barenaked Ladies, Michael Phillip Wojewoda
• Engineer: Michael Phillip Wojewoda
• Assistant engineers: Jeff Elliott, Tom Heron, Dale Morningstar
• Mixing: Michael Phillip Wojewoda
• Piano preparation: Robin Billinton, Steven Page

Singles

Charts

Album

Singles

References