Born on a Pirate Ship
Encyclopedia
Born on a Pirate Ship is the third full-length album by Barenaked Ladies
. Its well-known tracks are "Shoe Box", "The Old Apartment
", "When I Fall" and "Break Your Heart." "The Old Apartment" would become BNL's first US hit in 1997 and began the process of winning many new American fans.
This was the first album recorded following the departure of keyboardist Andy Creeggan
, who had considered leaving before the recording of their previous album, Maybe You Should Drive
. BOAPS was recorded as a four-piece. Kevin Hearn
is not credited on the album, but joined the group for the 1995 tour that preceded the album's release in time to be thanked in the liner notes for "injecting new spirit."
Steven Page
and Ed Robertson
returned to writing together, as they did upon the band's formation, but had abandoned following the release of Gordon
, Tracks recorded for this album but left off the finished record are: "Trust Me" (earlier recorded for Maybe You Should Drive
but left off the album—included on the Shoe Box
EP) and "Back" (included on the "Brian Wilson 2000" single). As with each of their early albums, the band recorded one song completely naked. On this album, "Back" was the "naked track".
The front cover features a boy in a newspaper hat pulling at his cheeks, in reference to the childhood prank alluded to by the album's title. Contrary to popular belief, this is not a childhood picture of BNL bassist Jim Creeggan
, but simply an actor hired for the photos.
The album is also an enhanced CD
. The data track contains audio samples from the band's previous two CDs, a short montage of press photos, several of the band's music videos, a short trivia quiz, and a pair of "behind the scenes" videos from the band. Similar content was included and expanded upon on the Shoe Box
E.P., however, the format of the enhanced CD used in the creation of that CD renders the data track inaccessible on modern operating systems.
Although a moderate #18 hit in Canada, the album only managed #111 in the US. Born On A Pirate Ship was awarded gold status in the U.S. in 2000, after the band became more popular there.
saying "and you have faith! You just need to use it, saith the Lord."
‡ edit version, appears on UK
edition only
Additional personnel
Singles
Barenaked Ladies
Barenaked Ladies is a Canadian alternative rock band. The band is currently composed of Jim Creeggan, Kevin Hearn, Ed Robertson, and Tyler Stewart. Barenaked Ladies formed in 1988 in Scarborough, Ontario, then a suburban municipality outside the City of Toronto...
. Its well-known tracks are "Shoe Box", "The Old Apartment
The Old Apartment
"The Old Apartment" is a song by the Canadian alternative rock group Barenaked Ladies. It was the band's first American hit, and appears on the albums Born on a Pirate Ship, Rock Spectacle and the compilation album, Disc One: All Their Greatest Hits...
", "When I Fall" and "Break Your Heart." "The Old Apartment" would become BNL's first US hit in 1997 and began the process of winning many new American fans.
This was the first album recorded following the departure of keyboardist Andy Creeggan
Andy Creeggan
Andy Creeggan is the former Piano player, percussionist and occasional guitarist for the Canadian pop band, Barenaked Ladies, from 1990–95...
, who had considered leaving before the recording of their previous album, Maybe You Should Drive
Maybe You Should Drive
- Singles :* "Jane"** Released: 1994** Formats: CD, cassette* "Alternative Girlfriend"** Released: 1995** Formats: CD- Charts :Album...
. BOAPS was recorded as a four-piece. Kevin Hearn
Kevin Hearn
Kevin Neil Hearn is a Canadian musician who is currently the keyboardist of Barenaked Ladies and his own group, Kevin Hearn and Thin Buckle. He is also a former member of Rheostatics.-Early life:...
is not credited on the album, but joined the group for the 1995 tour that preceded the album's release in time to be thanked in the liner notes for "injecting new spirit."
Steven Page
Steven Page
Steven Jay Page , is a Canadian musician. Along with Ed Robertson, he was a founding member, lead singer, guitarist, and a primary songwriter of the music group Barenaked Ladies ; he left the band in 2009 to pursue a solo career....
and Ed Robertson
Ed Robertson
Lloyd Edward Elwyn Robertson , better known as Ed Robertson, is the Canadian lead singer, as well as a guitarist and songwriter in the band, Barenaked Ladies...
returned to writing together, as they did upon the band's formation, but had abandoned following the release of Gordon
Gordon (album)
Gordon is the debut album by Canadian band Barenaked Ladies. It was released through Sire Records on July 28, 1992. After The Yellow Tape was certified platinum in Canada, the group won a contest hosted by a local radio station. With the winnings, Barenaked Ladies were able to hire producer Michael...
, Tracks recorded for this album but left off the finished record are: "Trust Me" (earlier recorded for Maybe You Should Drive
Maybe You Should Drive
- Singles :* "Jane"** Released: 1994** Formats: CD, cassette* "Alternative Girlfriend"** Released: 1995** Formats: CD- Charts :Album...
but left off the album—included on the Shoe Box
Shoe Box
"Shoe Box" is a song by Canadian band Barenaked Ladies, released as a single from their 1995 album, Born on a Pirate Ship. It is notable for being featured on the first soundtrack to the television series Friends, as well as the last track on the band's Born on a Pirate Ship album...
EP) and "Back" (included on the "Brian Wilson 2000" single). As with each of their early albums, the band recorded one song completely naked. On this album, "Back" was the "naked track".
The front cover features a boy in a newspaper hat pulling at his cheeks, in reference to the childhood prank alluded to by the album's title. Contrary to popular belief, this is not a childhood picture of BNL bassist Jim Creeggan
Jim Creeggan
James Raymond Creeggan, better known as Jim Creeggan , is the bassist for Canadian band Barenaked Ladies...
, but simply an actor hired for the photos.
The album is also an enhanced CD
Enhanced CD
Enhanced CD, also known as CD Extra and CD Plus, is a certification mark of the Recording Industry Association of America for various technologies that combine audio and computer data for use in both Compact Disc and CD-ROM players....
. The data track contains audio samples from the band's previous two CDs, a short montage of press photos, several of the band's music videos, a short trivia quiz, and a pair of "behind the scenes" videos from the band. Similar content was included and expanded upon on the Shoe Box
Shoe Box
"Shoe Box" is a song by Canadian band Barenaked Ladies, released as a single from their 1995 album, Born on a Pirate Ship. It is notable for being featured on the first soundtrack to the television series Friends, as well as the last track on the band's Born on a Pirate Ship album...
E.P., however, the format of the enhanced CD used in the creation of that CD renders the data track inaccessible on modern operating systems.
Although a moderate #18 hit in Canada, the album only managed #111 in the US. Born On A Pirate Ship was awarded gold status in the U.S. in 2000, after the band became more popular there.
Track listing
† includes a sample of televangelist Robert TiltonRobert Tilton
Robert Tilton is an American televangelist who achieved notoriety in the 1980s and early 1990s through his infomercial-styled religious television program Success-N-Life, which at its peak in 1991 aired in all 235 American TV markets , brought in nearly $80 million per year, and was described as...
saying "and you have faith! You just need to use it, saith the Lord."
‡ edit version, appears on UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
edition only
Personnel
Barenaked Ladies- Jim CreegganJim CreegganJames Raymond Creeggan, better known as Jim Creeggan , is the bassist for Canadian band Barenaked Ladies...
- acoustic guitarSteel-string acoustic guitarA steel-string acoustic guitar is a modern form of guitar descended from the classical guitar, but strung with steel strings for a brighter, louder sound...
, electric guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, dobroDobroDobro is a registered trademark, now owned by Gibson Guitar Corporation and used for a particular design of resonator guitar.The name has a long and involved history, interwoven with that of the resonator guitar...
, fiddleFiddleThe term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, electric double bassDouble bassThe double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration... - Ed RobertsonEd RobertsonLloyd Edward Elwyn Robertson , better known as Ed Robertson, is the Canadian lead singer, as well as a guitarist and songwriter in the band, Barenaked Ladies...
- vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, keyboards, pedal steel guitarPedal steel guitarThe pedal steel guitar is a type of electric guitar that uses a metal bar to "fret" or shorten the length of the strings, rather than fingers on strings as with a conventional guitar. Unlike other types of steel guitar, it also uses pedals and knee levers to affect the pitch, hence the name "pedal"...
, bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, cowbell - Steven PageSteven PageSteven Jay Page , is a Canadian musician. Along with Ed Robertson, he was a founding member, lead singer, guitarist, and a primary songwriter of the music group Barenaked Ladies ; he left the band in 2009 to pursue a solo career....
- vocals, electric guitar, piano, percussion - Tyler StewartTyler StewartTyler Joseph Stewart is the drummer for the Canadian music group Barenaked Ladies. He was the last of the original five Barenaked Ladies to join the band.-Role in Barenaked Ladies:...
- piano, vibraphoneVibraphoneThe vibraphone, sometimes called the vibraharp or simply the vibes, is a musical instrument in the struck idiophone subfamily of the percussion family....
, drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, xylophoneXylophoneThe xylophone is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars struck by mallets...
, shaker, tambourineTambourineThe tambourine or marine is a musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zils". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though some variants may not have a head at all....
, percussion, background vocals
Additional personnel
- Melodie Crittenden, Kim Parent, Rebecca Sweet - backing vocals and handclaps on "Shoebox"
- Chris Brown - organOrgan (music)The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
- Mark Fewer - violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
- Gene HardyGene HardyGene Hardy is a Canadian multi-instrumentalist and vocalist. He performs on saxophone, violin, musical saw and theremin.-Career:Hardy's early music training began in Victoria, British Columbia—first on violin at age 9, then on saxophone a year later. After studies at the Victoria Conservatory of...
- tenor saxophoneTenor saxophoneThe tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble...
, saw - Hugh MarshHugh MarshHugh Marsh is a violinist from Toronto, known for his electric violin sound. Marsh was nominated for a 2007 Juno Award in the best contemporary jazz album category.-Early days:...
- fiddle - Murray McLauchlanMurray McLauchlanMurray McLauchlan, CM is a Canadian singer, songwriter, guitarist, pianist, and harmonica player.-Biography:Born in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland, he emigrated to Canada with his family when he was five years old...
- harmonica - Michael Phillip WojewodaMichael Phillip Wojewoda-External links:*...
- sound effects, background vocals, tambourine - Tony Rapoport - violaViolaThe viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
- Tim Walsh - tromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
Production
- Producers: Barenaked Ladies, Michael Phillip Wojewoda
- Engineer: Michael Phillip Wojewoda
- Assistant engineers: Jeff Elliott, Tom Heron, Dale Morningstar
- Mixing: Michael Phillip Wojewoda
- Piano preparation: Robin Billinton, Steven Page
Singles
| Single information |
|---|
| "The Old Apartment The Old Apartment "The Old Apartment" is a song by the Canadian alternative rock group Barenaked Ladies. It was the band's first American hit, and appears on the albums Born on a Pirate Ship, Rock Spectacle and the compilation album, Disc One: All Their Greatest Hits... "
|
| "Shoe Box Shoe Box "Shoe Box" is a song by Canadian band Barenaked Ladies, released as a single from their 1995 album, Born on a Pirate Ship. It is notable for being featured on the first soundtrack to the television series Friends, as well as the last track on the band's Born on a Pirate Ship album... " |
Charts
Album| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Heatseekers | 4 |
| 1996 | The Billboard 200 | 111 |
Singles
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| "The Old Apartment" | The Billboard Hot 100 | 88 |