Barenaked Ladies Album: “Born on a Pirate Ship”

First of all, the title: hold your tongue when you say it. (I'll give you a hint: "pirate" is meant to sound like "pile of".)

I was prepared to say that this is my least favorite BNL album, and certainly it's the one I've listened to the least, but... each time I do listen to it, some subtlety, some previously undiscovered nuance, some secret meaning jumps out at me and blows me away.

It first happened when I realized that "Straw Hat and Old Dirty Hank," a bouncy little tune, was actually about a stalker hunting down the object of his obsession. Much deeper and disturbing than I had guessed. Cool! Then I realized "I Live With It Every Day" was about a man haunted by a friend he had (accidentally?) killed when he was a child. Pretty obvious, but I had never really listened to the lyrics. Then -- hey, "Call Me Calmly" is actually a hooker talking to a john! How clever is that? "When I Fall" (which I think is the most beautiful song ever from BNL) is about a window washer! And (this one took the longest to register) "Just a Toy" -- it's about a lifeless puppet in Gepetto's workshop, fiercely jealous of all the affection the living Pinocchio is getting! ("Look at his face, somewhat like mine/But look at his nose, you can always be sure that he's lying... I call him liar, you call him son/If I could move, I'd set him on fire and I'd run.") That one still amazes me. What level is your brain working on to come up with a song like that?

A lot of people call this the best BNL album -- mostly because, I think, it was the first one those people had ever heard. "Shoe Box" was played on Friends and appeared on the Friends soundtrack, "The Old Apartment" had a video directed by Jason Priestly, BNL showed up on Beverly Hills 90210 to sing it... and suddenly people everywhere were on the BNL bandwagon.

I'm not saying they're wrong for liking this album. But it's certainly not the best thing BNL has ever done. While there are a number of stunning tracks here, Pirate Ship is not nearly as fun as Gordon, Maybe You Should Drive, or Stunt, nor nearly as consistent. I don't want to make it sound like I can only appreciate the fun tracks, or that I can't accept darker or more challenging songs from BNL. "Straw Hat," "Just a Toy," and "When I Fall" are different and darker than many other BNL tunes (you always worry that window washer is going to jump), and they're as good as BNL gets. It's just that some of the songs ("Call Me Calmly" or "Same Thing," for example) simply don't come together the way their best work does; they're far more clever in conception than they are enjoyable in their execution.

I do think I'll be listening to this album more often. This may still be my least favorite BNL album... but it's still better than most anything else.

The first BNL album I ever bought - and I loved it. Not all of it, though; a couple of the tracks seem a little sameish and, while all have lyrics worthy of the Ladies' wit, some of the tracks clearly stand out from the others as great musical pieces.

Stomach Vs. Heart, I Know (the first verse of which reminded me, horror of horrors, of Australia's own Pauline Hanson - "I know why I like you, it's because of your clothing, and your haircut - and 'cos you're rascist"), When I Fall, Spider In My Room and Shoe Box are amongst the classic tracks of this album.

If I Fall stands out particularly as the mellowest track among a collection of more middle-of-the-road rock songs; Stomach Vs. Heart and Shoe Box, with loud beats and joyous thumping choruses, stand out as the opposite. Spider In My Room is a musical joy, combining great lyrics with amazing vocal pieces to make something truly unique. Shoe Box was certainly worthy of an Ep release, although The Old Apart! ment is a puzzle; apparently the hit single from this album, it really is hardly more than an above-average rock effort.

All in all, its a great album, but while none of the tracks are really duds, the half dozen or so which smack you across the ears and writhe into your brain make the other efforts seem a little mediocre by comparison. Still, well worth a listen, and definitely a strongly recommended buy.

My first true exposure to BNL came via this album, which remains quite good several years later. Obviously more "adult-oriented" than their previous work, it contains several great tracks - "Shoe Box" (which sounds even better in the "radio remix version"), "Straw Hat & Old Dirty Hank" (a happy song about an unhealthy obsession), and "When I Fall" are my favorites, plus bonus points for making "Same Thing" work, even though it shouldn't on paper. That said, the album can sound rather samey all the way through, and although there's nothing inherently wrong with them, several tracks just don't rate ("Stomach vs Heart" and "Spider in My Room"). A few more truly catchy numbers would have helped, too. Still, a worthwhile album.

BNL is my favorite band, and although this is my least favorite album, it is only because when you get goofy like me and rate all this stuff, something always has to be at the bottom. Still, this is a great collection of the Ladies' songs. My favorites are "Break Your Heart" where the character in the song is trying to end a relationship without feeling the guilt that always comes with being the breaker-upper. "I Live With It Every Day" is something to behold as it changes styles without breaking the mood of the piece. "Straw Hat And Old Dirty Hank" is probably my favorite because of the definitely creepy subject matter. This is a great album, but purchase "Stunt" or "Gordon" first to see if this is the band for you.

The Barenaked Ladies have a clever style. Super vocal harmonies and snappy arrangements highlight many of their recordings. Whereas Born On A Pirate Ship is certainly strong in the above mentioned categories, the songs are truly hit and miss.

The Old Apartment, Break Your Heart, and Shoebox are clearly the highlights of this CD. Love the steady rock beat of Apartment and Break Your Heart features an outstanding lead vocal by Stephen Paige. Shoebox is a jolly pop tune with fine harmonies.

However, the remaining other songs are either OK or really nothing too special. In The Drink is a little interesting but does drag on a little too long. Oh yes the arrangements are quite clever but the melody on Spider In My Room is fairly unmemorable and even annoying. Same Thing is oh so bland. Other songs like Stomache vs Heart sound like inferior versions of better tunes by this band.

Truthfully, purchase Stunt, then Maroon or even Rock Spectacle but you can certainly live without Born On A Pirate Ship.