REVIEW: Barenaked Ladies, Maybe You Should Drive (Sire)
- Bob Gajarsky
Remember the high school and college buddies, the ones you hung out with? The good times you had with them? And how some of those buddies have gotten three kids and changed so much from what you remember?
Well, Canada's Barenaked Ladies have imitated those college buddies. Their first album, Gordon, showed the wit and quirkiness of college - and their second, Maybe You Should Drive, has the maturity, but is more laid back, just like that father of three.
The rise of the Ladies is one which is both exciting and heartwarming. The band formed in 1988 and toured extensively throughout Canada and England, with an enthusiastic fan base growing at each stop. The band was known to busk (perform) outside clubs on the same evening, to entice passers-by to come in and watch the show. And, at that point, the people would be hooked.
Catchy titles immersed some of their works, such as the (never recorded) song "I'm In Love With A McDonald's Girl". The 1991 released of their independent five-song EP became the best selling independent album in Canadian history.
Five Canadian hits (and many awards) later, the band had established a solid foothold in their native Canada, but couldn't break into the United States. The American perception of the band was as a novelty act, based on the radio airplay of "Be My Yoko Ono" and "Brian Wilson". Musical references in the first album also included the New Kids on the Block (not in a positive way) and Milli Vanilli, and snippets of music based on (but not sampled from) the Housemartins, Rush, Styx and the Peanuts theme. At their shows, including four sold out shows at New York City's Bottom Line, the band flawlessly performed a cover of Public Enemy's "Fight the Power" and a medley of current pop hits in a perfectly timed dance.
But, at that show, it was evident the band was determined to change the American image - that the band wasn't "serious" enough. One of the songs played on the "Mr. Rockin's All-You-Can-Eat Salad Bar Tour" was a cover of the Bruce Cockburn track, "Lovers In A Dangerous Time". Another song first performed on this tour, which appears on Maybe You Should Drive, is the haunting "You Will Be Waiting". With a slight resemblance to XTC, this could be one of *the* big adult contemporary hits of late 1994 / early 1995.
So, how is the rest of Drive? There are three songs which really grabbed my ear - "A", which keeps all of the pop references and humor of Gordon intact ("A is for Fonzie - cuz he was very cool"), "Alternative Girlfriend" - which will probably be the group's second single, and "Life In A Nutshell" , where "Her Barbie's always did it on the first date". They're all upbeat, and irresistibly catchy.
However, from someone who just loved bopping around to "Grade 9", that fun is removed from the Barenaked Ladies. The first single, "Jane", may succeed in getting people to take the Ladies seriously, but it shouldn't be the album's first single. "Everything Old Is New Again" is a Paul McCartney sounding song, with inspiration from Lennon - but at age 45, instead of 25.
And that's what's right and wrong with the new Barenaked Ladies album. In the quest to be accepted as serious artists, they've lost some of the wit and humor that made them such a special act. The musicians ARE good - and fun. I can guarantee that the band's concerts in support of Drive will be outstanding - they can't have lost the ability to crack jokes in between the songs, and their dance medley on their last tour was priceless. But, while their last album created a pop euphoria, their new album conjures up images of James Taylor, Tracy Chapman and Paul McCartney.
It's not bad at all. And if you liked "What A Good Boy" or "The Flag" from Gordon, you'll definitely love Maybe You Should Drive. It's just not what I was expecting from one of the freshest new bands in music.
