Barenaked review

I rarely review music on this blog.  I tend to think that music is so individual, that whatever I say will annoy someone!  However, I feel that I need to talk about a new album by Barenaked Ladies to rid myself of this nagging bad feeling...
  

I am a Barenaked Ladies fan - I own every album and many official live "bootlegs".  When I heard that the band was to release a rarities collection, I was genuinely excited.  I thought to myself, "I know that there are a few unreleased songs, many b-sides, some charity songs, many many acoustic versions, hundreds of live tracks and ad-libbed songs and probably dozens of demos".  However, what has been released is a lazy collection that has missed a massive opportunity.
  
So "Stop Us If You've Heard This Before" came out last week and I downloaded it, even knowing that the track listing was lacking.  There are a few interesting unreleased songs, an unnecessary remix of "One Week" and one demo.  I am not sure what the band was thinking - this is a poor CD and they have clearly missed  out on sharing many more interesting tracks.
  
For example, there is a lovely song called "The Sound Of Your Voice" that was written by multi-instrumentalist Kevin Hearn but sung on an album by Steven Page. I have heard Kevin sing the song accompanied by an acoustic guitar and it's stunning.
  
Another example is their version of the John Lennon track "Oh Yoko" that appeared on a charity album.  And what about songs that were bonus tracks for specific websites, the b-sides that have never been available as downloads and alternative mixes, let alone the reworked "Brian Wilson".  They have recorded acoustic versions of tracks for radio stations, so they would have been available and you cant tell me that demos do not exist.
  
I just don't get it!  With so many options available to them, they didn't just take the easy route, they didn't even decide on a route.  And so I will wait for the next release, but in the meantime, I will scour the net to find the true rarities along with many other fans.

Barenaked again

I have been in London all day today at The Gherkin and am struggling to keep my eyes open now!

Last night Pete and I attended a gig by Barenaked Ladies - as previously mentioned, it was the second show by them in two days due to the freebie tickets in Hyde Park! And what a great show it was. Considering it was their 4th show in four days(!) - I was very impressed at their musicianship and humour. They really do seem to love what they do. The venue was The Koko next to Mornington Crescent tube - not somewhere I have been before. It must have been an old music hall and the layout helped build a buzzing atmosphere.

So we got home and to bed around midnight. I need far more than 6 hours sleep!

Here is a video I made, not of one of their well known tracks and not with the usual singer, Ed. The keyboard player/guitarist (Kev) had unusually spent the whole show at the back of the stage and the others had sarcastically commented on that, hence his statement at the start of the clip.

And the next gig is on Friday!

Hard Rock Calling

Yesterday, Pete and I ventured into London in the oppressive heat to Hyde Park (along with around 50,000 other people) to watch some live music.  The headline, Rod Stewart, was not a consideration.  We were there to see Barenaked Ladies (the first of two shows we are seeing) and Stevie Nicks.

Stevie has a great voice still and played a great set.  It was a joy to see her playing London again - the first time in over 20 years!!!  I only have a a couple of small critisms.  If you only have an hour, you need to play shorter arrangements and songs that the crowd are likely to know.  Anyway, here are a couple of poor images... more to follow of 'the lads' I saw in the crowd.

Beer, beer and food

We have just got back from the Greek restaurant in town.  We enjoyed a lovely Meze, accompanied by a wonderful Cypriot beer that I have enjoyed for many many year called Keo.

Despite Pete struggling to eat with a full arm cast, we figured that we deserved a night out as we haven't been out for a while.  Also, neither of us has been sleeping well.

In fact, in the early hours of last night, at 3.15am to be precise, I was woken by the old lady in the house behind shouting "here kitty kitty".  Our 80 year old neighbour has been cat sitting two moggies and I assume had mislaid one.  I was awake until 5am.  The previous night wasn't much better.  I am now exhausted.

In more positive new, the next 2 weeks is our own music festival.  We already had tickets to see the Barenaked Ladies in London on Monday, but today Pete won two tickets to Hard Rock Calling in Hyde Park in London - so I get to see Stevie Nicks!  Next weekend is the festival at the hop farm in Kent with The Eagles headlining and one of my favourite bands, Death Cab For Cutie.  And we have our annual Rhythms of The World festival the weekend after!

Too much music?!

Top tracks - Barenaked Ladies

Like most people, I first heard about Barenaked Ladies when One Week was a hit in 1998 and I bought the album the track came from called Stunt. To my surprise, the album had nothing similar in style but had well crafted songs with an acoustic feel.

Over the next few months I purchased their 3 other albums and discovered some wonderful music including Brian Wilson and The Old Apartment.  I have immediately bought the subsequent releases on the day that they are released.

The band is Canadian and built up a strong following in their homeland before international success and genuinely seem to enjoy what they do.  Last year, singer-songwriter Steven Page left the band after 20 years, but they regrouped and recently released All In Good Time.  I was sceptical that they could maintain the quality without Steven Page, but the album is pretty good.

I have seen them live 5 times (the first time at Glastonbury) and they are one of the best live acts I have seen.  Not only are they great musicians, but they are witty too.  Their adlib songs can be brilliant, though not always.

The 25 songs that I have selected cover their whole career:

1. Brian Wilson (Gordon)
2. One Week (Stunt)
3. Too Little Too Late (Maroon)
4. The Old Apartment (Born On A Pirate Ship)
5. Wind It Up (Barenaked Ladies Are Me - Deluxe Edition)
6. Pinch Me (Maroon)
7. Straw Hat And Old Dirty Hank (Born On A Pirate Ship)
8. Alcohol (Stunt)
9. Easy (Barenaked Ladies Are Me - Deluxe Edition)
10. Aluminium (Everything To Everyone)
11. Break Your Heart (Born On A Pirate Ship)
12. Jane (Maybe You Should Drive)
13. What A Good Boy (Gordon)
14. Maybe Not (Barenaked Ladies Are Me - Deluxe Edition)
15. Every Subway Car (All In Good Time)
16. Be My Yoko Ono (Gordon)
17. You Run Away (All In Good Time)
18. Falling For The First Time (Maroon)
19. Maybe Katie (Everything To Everyone)
20. If I Had $1000000 (Gordon)
21. It's All Been Done (Stunt)
22. Upside Down (Everything To Everyone)
23. Baby Seat (Maroon)
24. Call And Answer (Stunt)
25. Another Postcard (Everything To Everyone)

Here is a link to the iTunes mix, so you can hear snippets of the tracks (except for the 3 tracks from Barenaked Ladies Are Me that do not appear on iTunes in the UK for some strange reason).

Other 'best of' entries for other artists can be found here.

Pieces of paper

On Sunday, Pete and I spent the day in Cambridge with a series of events linked by bits of paper...

Piece 1 - A postit note featuring the scrawl "Grafham Road" which is a place in Cambridge where you can park free on Sunday that was typed into the Satnav.  Traffic and parking in Cambridge is a nightmare, which is why we usually get the train.  On arrival we went shopping.

Piece 2 - Printout of the cinema tickets we had purchased online.  We went to see Scott Pilgrim vs. the World which is a crazy film.  I think I enjoyed it, but I'm still not sure!  A few funny lines though when Scott is talking to his 17 years old girlfriend...

Knives Chau:  I've never even kissed a guy before.
Scott Pilgrim:  Hey... me neither.
 
Piece 3 - A Google map showing the walking route from the cinema to Ask restaurant.

Piece 4 - A voucher for Ask that provided us with a three course meal for £12.95 each.  Bargain!

Piece 5 - Printout as proof of purchase to pick up tickets to see Barenaked Ladies at the Cambridge Corn Exchange.

The gig was excellent, as always, and they didn't miss Steven Page who left the group a while back too much.  They played a lot of their rockier songs and a great time was had by all.  The old Corn Exchange is a strange venue that I am sure could suck the atmosphere from lesser groups. 

In the next blog posting, I will continue the series of 'top tracks' with a rundown of my favourite BNL songs.

I asked, I was answered

Following on from the blog post I sent before my holiday asking a few open questions, some answers have appeared all by themselves:

Will a four piece Barenaked Ladies work?

Well the band has played a show and the reviews were "OK". But, for the first time in history, they didn't play Brian Wilson! A huge loss to the set I think.

Will the Beatles ever release remastered tracks online?

The answer was better than just digital tracks - we are getting completely remastered and repackaged CD's! The CD sound on the first few albums was mushy, so new stereo mixes using the latest technology is welcome.

This was a quick posting as I should be studying for 2 forthcoming exams - both investment related.

And for the record, I have a tooth ache and last night was ****ing painful. I hate the dentist, but I will have to book an appointment!