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Rock Spectacle

 
Album Review: Rock Spectacle

  • Artist: Barenaked Ladies
  • Rating: StarStarStarStar
  • Release Date: November 19, 1996
  • Type: Live
  • Genre: Rock

Review

As if to acknowledge that Barenaked Ladies' third album, 1996's Born on a Pirate Ship, was a blunder that wouldn't do much to advance the Canadian group's U.S. image, Reprise Records quickly followed it up with the live set Rock Spectacle. This was a wise move, as years of nearly nonstop touring had helped the group transform from a jokey folk-rock group into a talented pop group with both musical chops and stage presence to burn. Though the album doesn't include much of what makes Barenaked Ladies such a unique live act, singer-guitarists Steven Page and Ed Robertson are masters of improvisational humor, and a good chunk of any Barenaked Ladies show is given to often hilarious extemporaneous bits -- it certainly makes the point that the group is an underrated source of pure pop delights. This album's superior live take of 1992's "Brian Wilson" became Barenaked Ladies' first U.S. radio hit, setting the stage for the across-the-board success of 1998's excellent Stunt. ~ Stewart Mason, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track TitleComposersPerformersTime
Brian Wilson (Lyrics) Steven Page Barenaked Ladies (4:46)
Straw Hat and Old Dirty Hank (Lyrics) Steven Page, Ed Robertson Barenaked Ladies (3:33)
Break Your Heart (Lyrics) Steven Page Barenaked Ladies (5:06)
Jane (Lyrics) Stephen Duffy, Steven Page Barenaked Ladies (3:58)
When I Fall (Lyrics) Steven Page, Ed Robertson Barenaked Ladies (4:23)
Hello City (Lyrics) Steven Page, Ed Robertson Barenaked Ladies (3:13)
What a Good Boy (Lyrics) Steven Page, Ed Robertson Barenaked Ladies (4:47)
The Old Apartment (Lyrics) Steven Page, Ed Robertson Barenaked Ladies (3:21)
Life, in a Nutshell (Lyrics) Steven Page, Ed Robertson Barenaked Ladies (2:40)
These Apples (Lyrics) Ed Robertson Barenaked Ladies (3:59)
If I Had $1,000,000 (Lyrics) Steven Page, Ed Robertson Barenaked Ladies (11:48)

Credits

Barenaked Ladies (Main Performer), Jeff Elliot (Digital Editing), Jeff Elliot (Mixing Assistant), Dan Glomski (Assistant Engineer), Marcel Gounin (Engineer), Michael Phillip Wojewoda (Engineer), Timothy R. Powell (Assistant Engineer), Tyler Stewart (Drums), Tyler Stewart (Vocals), Jim Creeggan (Guitar (Bass)), Jim Creeggan (Vocals), Jim Creeggan (Double Bass), Steven Page (Guitar (Acoustic)), Steven Page (Guitar (Electric)), Steven Page (Vocals), Mycle Konopka (Assistant Engineer), Ed Robertson (Guitar (Acoustic)), Ed Robertson (Guitar (Electric)), Ed Robertson (Vocals), Tom Heron (Mixing Assistant), Don C. Tyler (Mastering), Kevin Hearn (Accordion), Kevin Hearn (Guitar (Electric)), Kevin Hearn (Keyboards), Kevin Hearn (Vocals), Neil Prime (Design), Neil Prime (Photography), Bernoit Baruvin (?), Bernoit Baruvin (Assistant Engineer)
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Wikipedia: Rock Spectacle
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Rock Spectacle
Live album by Barenaked Ladies
Released November 19, 1996
Recorded Spring 1996
Genre Alternative Rock
Length 49:09
Label Reprise
Producer Michael Phillip Wojewoda
Professional reviews
Barenaked Ladies chronology
Born on a Pirate Ship
(1996)
Rock Spectacle
(1996)
Stunt
(1998)

Rock Spectacle (1996) is the fourth full-length album by Barenaked Ladies and their first live release. This was the album that finally broke the American market for BNL, with the live version of "Brian Wilson" and a release of "The Old Apartment" from Born on a Pirate Ship featuring this live version becoming hits, and Rock Spectacle selling over a million copies there alone. The record was recorded at two concerts at the Riviera Theatre in Chicago and at The Olympia in Montreal during the Born on a Pirate Ship tour.

A live version of "Shoe Box" was on promotional and advance copies of this record, but was left off at the last second. This particular recording of "Shoe Box" appears on the "One Week" CD single. At the very end of the "$1000000" track, there are two bonus tracks. One is a banter about an elderly woman Ed ran into in Chicago. Part of this story is referenced in the "$1000000" song, which must have originally occurred after this banter at the Chicago concert. The second is an improvised song/rap about Ed Robertson's (the band's vocalist/guitarist) Uncle Elwyn. There is some question as to whether this "Uncle Elwyn" is a real person.

This disc is an enhanced CD, which means it will display special multimedia features when played on a computer. It includes a program called "BNLTV", a faux collection of various-themed TV programming.

Contents

Track listing

  1. "Brian Wilson" (Page) – 4:46
  2. "Straw Hat and Old Dirty Hank" (Page, Robertson) – 3:33
  3. "Break Your Heart" (Page) – 5:06
  4. "Jane" (Duffy, Page) – 3:58
  5. "When I Fall" (Page, Robertson) – 4:23
  6. "Hello City" (Page, Robertson) – 3:13
  7. "What a Good Boy" (Page, Robertson) – 4:47
  8. "The Old Apartment" (Page, Robertson) – 3:21
  9. "Life, in a Nutshell" (Page, Robertson) – 2:40
  10. "These Apples" (Robertson) – 3:59
  11. "Grade 9/If I Had $1000000" (Page, Robertson) – 11:48
    • Contains a hidden track with some anecdotes and a song "Uncle Elwyn".

Personnel

Production

  • Engineers: Marcel Gounin, Michael Phillip Wojewoda
  • Assistant engineers: Bernoit Baruvin, Dan Glomski, Mycle Konopka, Timothy R. Powell
  • Mixing assistants: Jeff Elliot, Tom Heron
  • Mastering: Don C. Tyler
  • Digital editing: Jeff Elliot
  • Design: Neil Prime
  • Photography: Neil Prime

Charts

Album

Year Chart Position
1996 Heatseekers 1
1997 The Billboard 200 86

Singles

Year Single Chart Position
1997 "Brian Wilson" The Billboard Hot 100 68
1998 "Brian Wilson" Adult Top 40 37
1998 "Brian Wilson" Modern Rock 23
2000 "If I Had $1000000" Adult Top 40 37

 
 
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Album Review. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Rock Spectacle" Read more