Barenaked Ladies Are Men

Last updated
Barenaked Ladies Are Men
BNLMen.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedFebruary 6, 2007
RecordedOctober 2005–April 2006
Genre Alternative rock
Length60:11
Label Desperation
Producer Barenaked Ladies
Barenaked Ladies chronology
Extended Versions
(2006)
Barenaked Ladies Are Men
(2007)
Talk to the Hand: Live in Michigan
(2007)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Popmatters Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [2]

Barenaked Ladies Are Men (sometimes abbreviated BLAMen or Are Men) is the eighth full-length original-material studio album by Barenaked Ladies, and the second release of material from the 29-song session that bore the companion album Barenaked Ladies Are Me . The two albums (or at least their material) were released together under the Are Me title in several "deluxe" release methods before Are Men received its own proper official release in February 2007. In this way, Are Me and Are Men together may be considered the band's seventh full-length original-material studio album. The album's artwork was created by Team Macho who also did similar artwork for the Are Me releases. The title is an extension of the Are Me title. During touring for the two albums, a pre-show video showed an unidentified hand adding various other extensions to the Barenaked Ladies Are Me title.

Contents

The formal release of the album is an Enhanced CD, and contains software and individual tracks that allow the owner to remix three of the band's songs. An advanced release of the album, exclusive to Canadian Starbucks, was released on October 3, 2006. This version lacked the Enhanced CD feature, as well as final four tracks, which at the time were deemed "bonus tracks" for the Are Me release, both in its single-album form, and its 25-track deluxe form. The Starbucks version, however, included the two singles at the time from Are Me.

Upon its release, Barenaked Ladies Are Men reached No. 102 in the US and No. 39 in the band's native Canada.

Are Men is the second full-length release by the Barenaked Ladies on their own record label. [3]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Steven Page and Ed Robertson, except where noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
1."Serendipity"Kevin Hearn Kevin Hearn 4:12
2."Something You'll Never Find" Steven Page4:57
3."One and Only"Ed RobertsonEd Robertson3:48
4."Angry People" Steven Page4:02
5."Down To Earth" Ed Robertson3:47
6."Beautiful" 
  • Steven Page
  • Ed Robertson
2:36
7."Running Out of Ink" Steven Page3:59
8."Half a Heart" Ed Robertson4:28
9."Maybe Not" Ed Robertson3:01
10."I Can, I Will, I Do" Steven Page3:09
11."Fun and Games" Ed Robertson3:46
12."The New Sad" Steven Page2:33
13."Quality" Ed Robertson4:16
14."Another Spin"Ed RobertsonKevin Hearn4:05
15."What a Letdown"Ed RobertsonEd Robertson3:50
16."Why Say Anything Nice?"
Steven Page3:43

Personnel

Barenaked Ladies

Additional personnel

Critical reception

AllMusic called the album "just a bit more energized" [1] than its companion album, saying it had "just a bit more wit, sparkle, and pop." [1] They also stated that Are Men had more memorable hooks than Are Me and that, when viewed together with Are Me, "Barenaked Ladies Are Me and Barenaked Ladies Are Men should not only stand as a creative high point for the Canadian rockers, but a truly superb would-be double-album." [1] The album was given a 4 out of 5 stars score by AllMusic reviewer Matt Collar. [1] Sputnik Music stated that "[Barenaked Ladies] has provided their best set of songs since... well, quite possibly ever" [4] and went on to call the album "a flawless pop record" [4] and "the high point of the Barenaked Ladies' career." [4]

Hybrid Magazine, however, called the release a "largely a by-the-books, forgettable Barenaked Ladies album that rarely recalls the more accomplished work in the band's back catalog." [3] They disliked Steven Page's vocals, saying that without them the album lacked an "emotional undercurrent", and that even when Page is at his best on the album, the compositions seem "mechanical". [3] Hybrid finished by describing the album as "the sound of a group of musicians having fun and enjoying their time out of the limelight." [3]

Related Research Articles

Barenaked Ladies Canadian band

Barenaked Ladies is a Canadian rock band formed in 1988 in Scarborough, Ontario. The band developed a cult following in Canada, with their self-titled 1991 cassette becoming the first independent release to be certified gold in Canada. They reached mainstream success in Canada when their debut with Reprise Records, Gordon, featuring the singles "If I Had $1000000" and "Brian Wilson", was released in 1992. The band's popularity subsequently spread into the US, beginning with versions of "Brian Wilson" and "The Old Apartment" off their 1996 live album Rock Spectacle, followed by their fourth studio album Stunt, their breakout success in 1998. The album featured their highest-charting hit, "One Week", as well as "It's All Been Done". Their fifth album, Maroon, featuring the lead single "Pinch Me", also charted highly. In the 2010s the band became well-known for creating the theme song for the sitcom The Big Bang Theory.

<i>Barenaked Ladies</i> (EP) 1991 EP by Barenaked Ladies

Barenaked Ladies, is the Barenaked Ladies' third indie tape release, after Buck Naked in 1989 with just Ed Robertson and Steven Page, then Barenaked Lunch in 1990, with bassist Jim Creeggan and percussionist Andy Creeggan. It was recorded in 1991 at Wellesley Sound by Walter Sobczak in Toronto.

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Born on a Pirate Ship is the third full-length studio album by Barenaked Ladies (BNL), featuring the songs "Shoe Box", "The Old Apartment", "When I Fall" and "Break Your Heart". "The Old Apartment" would become BNL's first US hit in 1997.

<i>Stunt</i> (album) 1998 studio album by Barenaked Ladies

Stunt is the fourth full-length studio album by Barenaked Ladies. Their most successful album, it entered the US charts at No. 3 and sold over 4 million units by the end of its chart run. Its first single, "One Week" became the band's breakthrough single in the US market by hitting No. 1. The song also reached No. 5 in the UK, and helped revitalize their career in the band's home country of Canada, where their fame had diminished since the days of their debut album Gordon. In addition, follow-up singles "It's All Been Done", "Alcohol" and "Call and Answer" were each successful to some degree.

<i>Maroon</i> (Barenaked Ladies album) 2000 studio album by Barenaked Ladies

Maroon is the fifth full-length studio album by Barenaked Ladies. The album was the follow-up to 1998's Stunt, the band's most successful album in the United States. Maroon debuted at No. 1 in Canada and No. 5 on the U.S. Billboard 200. In its first week, the album sold 17,800 copies in Canada and just under 128,000 in the U.S. It has sold at least 1 million copies in the U.S. alone. The album spawned three hit singles : "Pinch Me", "Too Little Too Late" and "Falling for the First Time".

<i>Disc One: All Their Greatest Hits (1991–2001)</i> 2001 greatest hits album by Barenaked Ladies

Disc One: All Their Greatest Hits (1991–2001) is a greatest hits compilation album by Barenaked Ladies which spans their first decade as a band. It contains released singles, plus new songs "It's Only Me " and "Thanks That Was Fun", the latter which was released as a single. Disc One was released in November 2001 to a warm commercial reaction and was certified gold in the United States. The title itself is a tongue-in-cheek reference to a line from the "Box Set" off the album Gordon, which is about a box set release from a has-been band: "Disc One – it's where we've begun/It's all my greatest hits/And if you are a fan then you know that you've already got 'em." The album was released two months after the September 11 attacks, and is dedicated to the victims. The album was among the top 50 best-selling albums of 2001 in Canada and the fourth best-selling album of the year in Canada by a Canadian artist.

<i>Barenaked for the Holidays</i> 2004 studio album by Barenaked Ladies

Barenaked for the Holidays is a holiday-themed studio album released by Canadian band Barenaked Ladies on October 5, 2004. The album includes Christmas and Hanukkah songs as well as "Auld Lang Syne", which is traditionally sung on New Year's Eve. There are also several songs that are simply about the winter season. The album was the first album recorded at Steven Page's studio, Fresh Baked Woods and was the first released independently by Barenaked Ladies' Desperation Records label. It was the band's first studio album for which a "naked track" was not recorded. This album achieved Gold status in Canada.

Kevin Hearn Canadian musician (born 1969)

Kevin Neil Hearn is a Canadian musician who is a member of Barenaked Ladies, and his own group, Kevin Hearn and Thin Buckle. He primarily plays keyboards and guitars. He is also a former member of Rheostatics.

Jim Creeggan Musical artist

James Raymond Creeggan is the bassist for Canadian alternative rock band Barenaked Ladies (BNL) and occasional back-up vocalist for the rock band Ottawa Valley Heavy Pucks. His most used double bass is named "Grammah", after the Ladies' tour manager nicknamed him "Grampah" for always complaining and not wanting to get up.

Steven Page Canadian musician, singer and songwriter (born 1970)

Steven Jay Page is a Canadian musician, singer and songwriter. Along with Ed Robertson, he was a founding member, lead singer, guitarist, and a primary songwriter of the music group Barenaked Ladies. Page left the band in 2009 and has since pursued a solo career.

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Barenaked Ladies Are Me is the seventh full-length original-material studio album by Barenaked Ladies. It was their first original-material album since Everything to Everyone in 2003. It was released in September 2006 internationally. The album was also the first full-length original-material album from the band following their decision to become independent rather than re-sign with Reprise. The cover art was created by a group of artists called Team Macho. The name has been cited by the band as a double entendre for "Barenaked Ladies Army".

Too Little Too Late (Barenaked Ladies song) 2001 single by Barenaked Ladies

"Too Little Too Late" is a single by the Barenaked Ladies from their 2000 album, Maroon. The single included a remix of another single from Maroon, "Pinch Me". Another version was also released as a "Special Enhanced CD Single" with album art work based on the song's music video. The song is also featured on the band's 2001 compilation album, Disc One: All Their Greatest Hits. The song was written by Ed Robertson and Steven Page, and sung by Page.

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The Canadian alternative rock band Barenaked Ladies released five demo tapes before being signed to Reprise Records.

<i>Stop Us If Youve Heard This One Before</i> 2012 compilation album by Barenaked Ladies

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Collar, Matt. "Barenaked Ladies: Barenaked Ladies Are Men". Allmusic . Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  2. Raper, Dan (3 May 2007). "Barenaked Ladies: Barenaked Ladies Are Men". Popmatters . Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Barenaked Ladies: Barenaked Ladies Are Men". HybridMusic. Hybrid Magazine. Retrieved 2013-06-23.
  4. 1 2 3 TheChaplain (March 28, 2007). "Barenaked Ladies: Barenaked Ladies Are Men". Sputnik Music. Retrieved 2013-06-23.

Barenaked Ladies Are Men at MusicBrainz (list of releases)