Rock Spectacle

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Rock Spectacle
Barenaked Ladies - Rock Spectacle.jpg
Live album by
ReleasedNovember 19, 1996
RecordedApril 17, 1996
May 23, 1996
Venue Riviera Theatre, Chicago
Olympia, Montreal
Genre Alternative rock
Length47:45
Label Reprise
Producer Michael Phillip Wojewoda
Barenaked Ladies chronology
Born on a Pirate Ship
(1996)
Rock Spectacle
(1996)
Stunt
(1998)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [2]
Entertainment Weekly A [3]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [4]

Rock Spectacle is the first live album by Barenaked Ladies. It was also the first major success for the band in the United States, selling over one million copies and producing a hit single in the country in its version of "Brian Wilson." The album was recorded at two concerts: at the Riviera Theatre in Chicago and at The Olympia in Montreal during the Born on a Pirate Ship tour.

Contents

A live version of "Shoe Box" was on promotional and advance copies of this record, but was ultimately deleted. The recording would eventually be released on the "One Week" CD single. The album contains two bonus tracks. The first is a banter about an elderly woman Ed Robertson ran into in Chicago. The story is later referenced in "If I Had $1000000". The second is improvised banter about Robertson's Uncle Elwyn.

This disc is an enhanced CD, which means it will display special multimedia features when played on a computer. It includes a program called "BNLTV", a faux collection of various-themed TV programming.

Commercial performance

By July 1998, Rock Spectacle had sold 775,000 copies in the United States and 80,000 copies in Canada. [5] In September 1998, the album was certified Platinum in the United States. [6]

Track listing

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

No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
1."Brian Wilson"PageSteven Page4:46
2."Straw Hat and Old Dirty Hank" Steven Page3:38
3."Break Your Heart"PageSteven Page5:06
4."Jane"Steven Page3:58
5."When I Fall" Ed Robertson4:23
6."Hello City" Steven Page3:13
7."What a Good Boy" Steven Page4:47
8."The Old Apartment" Steven Page3:21
9."Life, in a Nutshell" Steven Page2:40
10."These Apples"RobertsonEd Robertson3:59
11."Grade 9"/"If I Had $1000000"
  • Steven Page
  • Ed Robertson
6:08
12."The Sweetest Woman (banter)" (hidden track) 
  • Steven Page
  • Ed Robertson
1:09
13."Uncle Elwyn (banter)" (hidden track) 
  • Steven Page
  • Ed Robertson
2:37

Personnel

Barenaked Ladies
Production

Charts

Singles

YearSingleChartPosition
1997"Brian Wilson" Billboard Hot 100 68[ citation needed ]
1998"Brian Wilson"Adult Top 4037[ citation needed ]
1998"Brian Wilson"Modern Rock23[ citation needed ]
2000"If I Had $1000000"Adult Top 4037[ citation needed ]

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [10] Platinum1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

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References

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  3. Cheng, Kipp (December 13, 1996). "Spinning Pretty". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved April 2, 2012.
  4. Wolk, Douglas (2004). "Barenaked Ladies". The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). New York: Simon & Schuster. pp.  44-45. ISBN   0-7432-0169-8.
  5. "Good Morning America's going Naked". July 4, 1998. Archived from the original on September 3, 2000. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
  6. "GOLD & PLATINUM". riaa.com. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
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  8. "Barenaked Ladies Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
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  10. "American album certifications – Barenaked Ladies – Rock Spectacle". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved February 15, 2021.