Not entirely a pile of .... (Born On A Pirate Ship - Barenaked Ladies)

Member Name: kitschkitty

Product:	Born On A Pirate Ship - Barenaked Ladies
Date:	15/12/08 (144 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Some standout classic BNL tracks

Disadvantages: A few weak tracks

Born on a Pirate Ship was the first album that introduced me to Barenaked Ladies so I still have a fondness for it years on from when I first listened to it. In case you don't get the joke in the album's title, there's a handy reminder on the front of the cover to remind you of the daft game I used to play as a child. Try pulling your face and saying 'I was born on a pirate ship' and all will become apparent!

Born on a Pirate is the third studio album from the Barenaked Ladies (BNL) who are a quirky rock outfit hailing from Canada. As I said in a previous BNL review, you might think you've never heard of them, but you probably have. Their most successfully single to date was One Week (remember 'Chickity China the Chinese chicken'?) and It's All Been Done was a recurring theme on the Argos TV ads for a while. More recently, BNL feature on the theme tune for The Big Bang Theory. This album takes us back to the roots of BNL with fantastic melodies and a brilliant combination of heartfelt and emotional tracks with madcap humour and quips.

BNL have never been a band to take themselves seriously but Born on a Pirate Ship shows they are more than just a comedy act. Steven Page's vocals are tuneful and sincere and all the songs on this album have a richness and depth to them which means the album has endured the test of time. After all, how many rock bands have a double bass on the permanent lineup and regularly feature violas in their tracks? Spider in my Room even includes Tyler Stuart playing a Fisher Price xylophone to great effect. That said, BNL are definitely on the softer side of rock taking rock rhythms and riffs and giving them a relaxed and altogether more gentle feel than many other rock bands.

The album has spawned some classic BNL songs including Shoe Box, The Old Apartment, When I Fall and Break Your Heart and those four tracks alone show the diversity of the album. There's also the infamous If I Had $1000000 tagged on to the end of the UK version of the album. On first listen, it's easy to get carried away by the upbeat melodies and ignore the humour and quirkiness behind a lot of the lyrics. Ignoring the lyrical content could make When I Fall sound like a melancholic ode to unrequited love when in fact it's more of a melancholic ode from a window cleaner. It might sound a strange subject for a song and you might think George Formby sang all there is to be sang about cleaning windows but no subject is left untouched when you enter the spectacular world of Barenaked Ladies.

There are unfortunately some weak tracks on the album including Spider in My Room and Same Thing which are verging on dull and a big disappointment. I certainly wouldn't recommend them unless you're already a firm fan of BNL in which case you might be a little more forgiving. But despite the downturn in some of the songs on Born on a Pirate Ship, it's still an album I come back to, regularly reigniting my love of BNL and bringing back fond memories of my sister and me singing The Old Apartment as children, affectionately changing the lyrics to reflect our old address, 42 London Road.

Born on a Pirate Ship has spawned some fantastic and unforgettable BNL tracks, Shoe Box and The Old Apartment being two of my favourite BNL tracks of all time. It's more of an album to appeal to an established fan and I probably wouldn't recommend it as an introduction to the band. Whilst Greatest Hits albums are a little bit of a cop out, BNL have plenty of genius songs in their repertoire to have produced a brilliant greatest hits album that would be far more suitable to a virgin BNL listener. I'll still keep hold of my copy of Born on a Pirate Ship for the purposes of nostalgia but BNL have far better albums in their back catalogue if you're looking to relish their tuneful upbeat melodies and fun and quirky lyrics.

Track Listing

1. Stomach Vs. Heart
2. Straw Hat and Old Dirty Hank
3. I Know
4. This Is Where It Ends
5. When I Fall
6. I Live With It Every Day
7. Old Apartment
8. Call Me Calmly
9. Break Your Heart
10. Spider in My Room
11. Same Thing
12. Just a Toy
13. In the Drink
14. Shoe Box
15. If I Had $1000000

Summary: One best left for the die hard BNL fans