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Hello NMD, today I would like to talk to you about the Barenaked Ladies. Those of you that are smart and have taste already know about them, and the fact that they are amazing and can do no wrong (unless they're Ed). Warning, to the uninitiated -- the Barenaked Ladies have a lot of songs that are very good, but most of them are by founding member and former frontman Steven Page, and none of them are the ones I linked in that parenthetical, so you probably shouldn't click on those. Some of the rest of you might not be aware of how good the Barenaked Ladies, and in particular ex-lady Steven Page, are, and so I'm here entirely of my own free will to tell you about a really excellent and underappreciated group that technically doesn't exist anymore. I'll contain the next comment to a single sentence: The BNL debut album, Gordon, was what would prove to be a trademark blend of light-hearted humor, self-deprecatory satire, and a sense of genuine introspection. Unfortunately (perhaps), it was the jocular nature of the band that caught fire with the public, and so the poor souls who bear fond feelings towards BNL are forever met with "really? the joke band?" Despite the depth the aforementioned amazing and do-no-wrong Page lent to the band in the form of his struggles with addiction and mental illness, BNL had the odds against it from the start, given that Ed was like "hell yes, a fake joke name is perfect for my new musical group!". If you clicked the BNL wikipedia link earlier, you don't have to worry about following that one. It's the bit about Ed abruptly calling the group the Barenaked Ladies and Steven not being on board. Well, Steven regardless continued to produce songs that were as pithy as they were insightful, and managed to keep the group floating along as somewhat more than a flash in the pan. I am not at all biased, nor am I an enormous fan of Steven Page himself. Shame on you for thinking such. You can click on all the links in this paragraph. The joke name and pan-flashes are not good though. Ed did some good stuff too, and much of it leaned on his own fights with depression. He's relatable too, I guess, and often has a smart turn of phrase, but his lyrics are just... lazy, sometimes. Come on man. Give it more than ten seconds' thought. Surely you don't need to rhyme "sticks and stones" with "mobile phones." Also you're the worst and ruined everything, I wish Steven were still in the band. I've run out of narrative, here are a bunch more BNL songs that I like, and most of them are from Steven probably. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rseecmTF_Q https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJO931kbicI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLOxRHV35Ic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoFMRXlNJ6Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zs3xXlXSOKk
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Apr 15, 2017 02:28
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| # ¿ May 4, 2024 21:02 |
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I respect your incorrect opinion, friend
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Apr 15, 2017 23:33
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all-Rush mixtape posted:The fact that 'Maybe You're Right' hasn't been used in a movie's climax is a crime. DC Murderverse posted:Favorite Barenaked Ladies fact: Paul McCartney is a fan, to the point where he said "Their harmonies are right on. They could outsing us any day of the week. I don’t think John and myself ever had the sort of range they do." This song and this quote are both things I meant to include in the OP and didn't. Thanks friends  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYrfl_HpZpc
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Apr 16, 2017 21:42
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Here's another song I forgot to put in the OP, from Born On A Pirate Ship: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUt-wGmklWI I think Pirate Ship is my favorite studio album, Everything to Everyone was a really strong contender but Another Postcard just... really torpedoed that whole thing. Thoughts?
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Apr 18, 2017 21:57
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DC Murderverse posted:Everything to Everyone is a bunch of lame songs with a few truly great songs (For You, War on Drugs, Have You Seen My Love?). I like quite a few of the songs on EtE but looking back over the tracklist you're not wrong, there are several really poor showings. I totally forgot that Shopping was on this album because I removed it from my iTunes list  The only Pirate Ship song I usually skip is In The Drink, less due to dislike and more that it's just very... meh. Break Your Heart is one of my absolute favorites, and I like Straw Hat a lot too. "I'll catch you, spread my tiny wings and fly away" is a really  mental image to me despite the context and being in the middle of a song about a delusional murderous stalkerhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHT-7rMJ5WI
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Apr 19, 2017 18:56
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Yeah I gotta admit I put yourDC Murderverse posted:I can listen to [Maroon] without skipping 
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Apr 20, 2017 02:12
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Okay BNL friends I have a question for you. Here's It's Only Me, from the greatest hits album, in case you hadn't heard it recently -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3woCrJgJebU I am pretty sure it is just about being a narcissist but I also know a person that thinks it is about masturbation??  Please advise.
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Apr 28, 2017 19:05
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CLAM DOWN posted:Well now I think it's about masturbation... YOU'RE WELCOME
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Apr 29, 2017 01:19
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Hedrigall posted:Okay now let's talk rare b-sides. How many of you have heard Powder Blue? It was a Stunt era b-side I think, and it's one of their absolute best songs. Mmmm, that's the good stuff. Re: Maroon: I've found that it's great for putting on for long drives etc where I don't want to be fussing around skipping tracks or suffering through something like "I Know," but it doesn't have any real stand-out songs for me. Which is weird because it's like 95% Steven but the world is a mystery 
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May 14, 2017 23:18
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Honestly I literally don't understand why I don't like it as much as all of you guys do. It's clearly something wrong with me 
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May 14, 2017 23:29
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Tonight I went to my FIRST EVER karaoke session and the only people there were the staff and my friends and me so we all got really weird with it. It was super fun but also INCREDIBLY EMBARRASSING and I discovered that when your choices of BNL tunes are not available on youtube in karaoke edition you really shouldn't settle for Brian Wilson, it's only upbeat by Steven standards and also not in your key. Props to random equally awful dude who showed up out of nowhere and duoed with me after I started getting embarrassed
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Jun 11, 2017 04:44
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Hedrigall posted:Okay now let's talk rare b-sides. How many of you have heard Powder Blue? It was a Stunt era b-side I think, and it's one of their absolute best songs. Hi BNL thread, here's a reminder that this song exists, because I remembered it tonight and it's extremely good  Why isn't this on the actual album again?
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Jul 4, 2017 05:17
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Edward Mass posted:Disc One was released after Maroon, and includes Pinch Me on it. That being said, here's my list of 20 songs I like released since Disc One: I can't comment on the post-Steven albums but from EtE you're missing Upside Down and Unfinished at the very least  For You and War on Drugs as well but they are probably both too depressing for a greatest hits album. Maybe You're Right and Sound of Your Voice from Are Me should be on there too. I nominate we cut Another Postcard and Shopping. You madman.
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Jul 4, 2018 20:59
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Diet Poison posted:Excuse me, but do you know where the Brian Street Theatre is? I think I really like it, actually. It's not the quality I would have expected from him ten years ago but I mean, ten years is a long time. I prefer it to Instinct for sure. Also I have tickets to see him at the end of the month I'VE ONLY BEEN WAITING FOR THIS MOMENT FOR FIFTEEN YEARS, gently caress e: I should add that -- credit where it's due -- the track Feelgood Summer feels shockingly close to vintage Page. And gently caress yes, that operatic comment, BonoMan. Steven's voice when he's really feeling it just does something super primal for me I've yet to get from another singer. LITERALLY A BIRD fucked around with this message at 06:40 on Nov 10, 2018 |
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Nov 9, 2018 23:41
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oh 👏 my 👏 god 👏 you 👏 guys It was amazing. I am amazed. Oh my god. His voice is unbefuckinglievable in person and he is SO loving NICE I nearly died.
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Nov 26, 2018 18:58
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zakharov posted:Steve's solo shows are incredible though. Seriously. You can tell how much he loves singing and man is he good at it. Semi-relatedly, he's been doing weekly "Live From Home" shows since a bit after the pandemic started, and while virtual shows aren't really my thing I'm still on his LFH mailing list so I see the odd gif or whatever. He looks super happy these days, it's really cool. LITERALLY A BIRD fucked around with this message at 06:49 on Jan 15, 2022 |
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Jan 15, 2022 06:43
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Listening to Maroon all the way through for the first time in years. It's great stuffLITERALLY A BIRD posted:Re: Maroon: I've found that it's great for putting on for long drives etc where I don't want to be fussing around skipping tracks or suffering through something like "I Know," but it doesn't have any real stand-out songs for me. Which is weird because it's like 95% Steven but the world is a mystery you'll come around, past me
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Nov 20, 2023 23:10
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| # ¿ May 4, 2024 21:02 |
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Cemetry Gator posted:It’s especially great for long drives when Tonight is the Night I Fell Asleep at the Wheel comes on.  I can understand a passenger becoming disconcerted by this, yes.
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Nov 22, 2023 05:01
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