Raw Talent vs Experimentation (Born On A Pirate Ship - Barenaked Ladies)

Member Name: Insane Tommy

Product:	Born On A Pirate Ship - Barenaked Ladies
Date:	21/08/02 (176 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great Background Music, Some real gems, Limited edition videos

Disadvantages: A few duds, Not got mass appeal

Okay, here it is, the latest instalment of my Barenaked set of opinions. Released way back in 1996, Born on a Pirate Ship (BOAPS) is the Barenaked Ladies? third album. For me BOAPS is a transitional album, the music is still catchy and upbeat for the most but the music looks more at the serious sides of life like relationships breaking up, than previous albums. In my opinion BOAPS is probably the weakest BNL album I own but it?s still very easy to listen to and is pretty good without being exceptional.

The Barenaked Ladies are a Canadian band, who released their first album in 1992, with a distinct style best described as ?geek/jangle pop?. The BNL?s are Steve Page, Jim Creegan, Ed Roberston, Tyler Stewart and, having replaced Andy Creegan, Kevin Hearn. BOAPS was the first album without Andy Creegan and though Kevin Hearn doesn?t feature in all the songs he was becoming more involved with the band when BOAPS emerged. The CD cover is pretty mundane, a photo of some little brat who looks suspiciously like Jimmy C pulling a face, the insert has all the lyrics of the songs as you?d expect. Don?t ask me what the title of the album means though, I?ve heard mentioned that ?Pirate Ship? is meant to sound like ?Pile of S***? but they were probably taking the mick ? anyone with any input, leave me a comment. At this point I ought to add that I purchased the normal CD album rather than buying the limited edition one. Ok I guess I?m a consumer flump but if you get the chance go out and buy the limited edition ? not only does it have the standard 15 tracks but you get a few additional tracks from their earlier albums as well as numerous videos and clips that can be accessed through your computer.

The album opens with ?Stomach vs Heart? a typically high tempo track, switching between a quick paced chorus and slower verses. It?s one of my least favourite tracks and seems to be an attempt at producing a song just for the sake of producing one. It could
just be that I can?t fathom the lyrics, not the best opening in the world. Track 2 is pretty decent though. ?Straw Hat and Old Dirty Hank? is a soft paced little tune with a country feel to it. Now the song is about a stalker who?s in love with some lass called Anne Murray (I think she was a singer) but it can also be taken as a song about some country lad loving a city lass and not really getting anywhere. Track 3 is ?I know? and to be honest does nothing for me. Ed does the lead vocals on this one but tries too hard to copy Steve?s style, he?s much better when he does his own thing (a la ?One Week?), I guess that?s why I call it a transitional album because they try these things and have since learnt from them. To be honest I haven?t got a clue what it?s about, though a few lyrics do make me chuckle; ?I?ve heard them say a man with a beard may frighten children or dogs??, only the gentle guitar playing at the beginning and the steady beat prevents me from skipping past it. The opening to the album is poor by BNL standards but still ok for the background and a little bit catchy, if I?m in the mood I?ll listen to them but often I skip right through to the good stuff.

And track 4 is the good stuff, ?This is Where it Ends?. For me the Barenaked Ladies are at their best when they are singing about the end of something good, in this case it?s a relationship. It?s not as fast paced as the previous tracks but still retains some catchiness to the chorus. Steve?s vocals are mellow but you can hear a bit more emotion than normal, nice to listen to wherever, but perfect for background music. Track 5 is ?When I Fall? and tells the story of a person ready to jump off a very tall building. It?s very very mellow, one of the few songs where Ed gets away with whispering through the lyrics. It?s quite a sombre affair and gets me thinking about the point of everything. Peculiarly it is revealed that the subject of the song is in fact a high-rise window washer,
clarifying exactly what the song is about. Not about a person who is fearful of heights (I did consider this when I first listened to it) but one who is bored with his mundane life and wishes he had done more with his life. Pretty damn good if you ask me! Disappointingly it?s followed up by ?I Live With it Everyday?, a song that tells the story of how a man is still feeling guilt for accidently killing a friend during his childhood. It should work but I don?t like it, the lyrics are spot on, it does accurately describe the guilt but I think the song is a little upbeat for such subject matter, not enough emphasis on the piano and too much on the bass I think.

In stark contrast Track 7 ?The Old Apartment? is one of my fav?s. It typifies everything I like about the BNL?s. On first listen the song is about a bloke returning to his old house, where he had lived with his partner who has since departed to see what changes she had made, on further listening it could be so many things. For me it?s not about the bloke returning to a house and getting upset over the changes made but it?s about a bloke who hasn?t got over the relationship in question and isn?t happy that his ex has. I?ve even heard mentioned that it?s a song about reclaiming childhood, it can work on so many different levels. It?s not too fast, it?s not too slow. Not that I know but the drumming seems excellent and the guitar playing compliments the lyrics perfectly.

Track 8, ?Call me Calmly? is a song about an experience with a hooker. I don?t really understand the lyrics and it all seems a little too stop-start for my likeing. Track 9 is ?Break my Heart? and is another of my all time favourite Barenaked Ladies tracks. It?s a break up song pure and simple. It?s really slow with some excellent organ work as well as some subtle saxophone type stuff. The softly softly approach makes it an excellent song to put on when you want to wallow. Steve?s vocals are fantastic. For the
most he sings quietly, it?s so calm he almost conjures exactly how low you?d be feeling. As the song ends Steve seems to open up his emotions totally and literally screams the lyrics ?don?t waist my time?. My mate reckons it spoils the songs but for me it is the perfect ending to the perfect break up song. Track 10 is ?Marmite? ? no no I?m only joking it?s ?Spider in my Room? and you either love it or hate it, I sway towards the latter, I just can?t see the point. I don?t rate Jim as lead vocal and whilst I?m sure the Stoney Park People are a great group their vocal chanting in this track just doesn?t work ? this is what skip buttons were designed for.

?Same Thing? is track 11 and is nice little number, the instrumental is nice and mellow whilst Ed pretty much speaks the words rather than sing them. Nice couple of piano moments, a pleasant track about nothing in particular, smashing for the backgrond to a dinner party.

As you might have gathered the album has a few poor songs which are inevitably followed by a touch of brilliance, well Track 12 is smashing ad amazingly intelligent. ?Just a Toy? takes a bit of listening to, but once you?ve cracked it you realise just how clever these guys are. The song is about a wooden puppet in the same workshop as Pinocchio who becomes jealous of all the attention Pinocchio is getting. It?s a song about jealousy, perhaps one of your ex?s has a new boyfriend or something, I don?t know it touched me, which is surprising because it?s a bit of an experiment. The song opens loudly with crochendoes of sound and a fast beat throughout. The vocals are not normal BNL, it?s like they?re singing with coffee cups over their mouths. Anyways it is certainly a bit different but an excellent track. It?s followed by ?In the Drink? which is nice on the ears especially if you like slow guitar playing before the song diverges into a fast pace hill billy type tune. It?s nice that?s all I can say.

Track 14 is
?Shoe Box?, which was used on the TV show Friends. It?s typical BNL, it?s fast paced with Steve enthusiastically singing along. I guess it?s about how telling lies will be kept in a ?Shoe Box? that could be opened at anytime but it?s more the instrumental bits that make it. Hell any song that employs the Tambourine to such good effect has to be ok. The last song is a bit of a bonus, it?s ?If I had a Million Dollars?. There are plenty of versions around, this one being the UK edit version apparently. I don?t know if there are any set words or not, I?ve heard quite a few different versions but it?s basically a rant about what they would do if they were millionaires, a bit redundant as they probably are by now.

BOAPS is most definitely a transitional album, that?s only going to really appeal to Barenaked nuts like myself. If you?re after the raw humorous stuff then you should look at their first album ?Gordon?, the more upbeat stuff can be found in ?Stunt?. For every average song there is one that is pure brilliance but its not as consistent as the later albums and not as raw as the previous albums. For me it?s the perfect album to have on in the background, you can?t always sing along to all the tunes. It has a couple of gems on it but a couple of songs that really don?t do it for me. If you?re into bands like the ?Might Be Giants? then you should seriously look at some or the Barenaked Ladies stuff though I?d suggest checking out a later album.

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