Maybe You Should Drive
| Maybe You Should Drive | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 16, 1994 | |||
| Recorded | 1994 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 45:46 | |||
| Label | Reprise | |||
| Producer | Ben Mink | |||
| Barenaked Ladies chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Maybe You Should Drive | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [2] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [3] |
Maybe You Should Drive is the second studio album by Barenaked Ladies. It was released in August 1994 and went double platinum in Canada, reaching No. 3 upon its release. It was also their first album to chart in the US, peaking at No. 175 on the Billboard 200. Unlike on their previous album Gordon, Steven Page and Ed Robertson did not collaborate as frequently.[4]
As with each of their early albums, the band recorded one song, "Intermittently", completely naked. Tracks cut from the album include "Break Your Heart" and "Trust Me", both of which were later re-recorded for Born on a Pirate Ship; the former was re-worked and appeared on that album, while the latter was cut again, and appeared as a B-side on the Shoe Box EP.
Of the recording session, Page said "We did most of the last record in Burnaby, a cold and industrial wasteland, with a huge budget we really didn't need [...] All a huge budget does is put you further in debt. Imagine if they raised your VISA limit to $5,000 and then you had to give your card to a professional shopper — let's call him a producer in the case — and he said, 'OK, let's spend the whole thing.'"[4]
Page added that keyboardist/percussionist Andy Creeggan considered leaving the band during album rehearsals, but was convinced to stay for its completion and subsequent promotional tour.[4] Creeggan did indeed depart the band and entered McGill University's music program. He has since recorded four albums with his brother Jim (who is also bassist for Barenaked Ladies) under the name The Brothers Creeggan.
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Jane" | Steven Page | 4:04 | |
| 2. | "Intermittently" | Page | Steven Page | 3:05 |
| 3. | "These Apples" | Ed Robertson | Ed Robertson | 3:10 |
| 4. | "You Will Be Waiting" | Page | Steven Page | 3:45 |
| 5. | "A" | Page | Steven Page | 4:20 |
| 6. | "Everything Old Is New Again" |
| Steven Page, Ed Robertson | 4:13 |
| 7. | "Alternative Girlfriend" |
| Steven Page | 4:23 |
| 8. | "Am I the Only One?" | Robertson | Ed Robertson | 4:49 |
| 9. | "Little Tiny Song" | Andy Creeggan | Andy Creeggan | 1:02 |
| 10. | "Life, in a Nutshell" |
| Steven Page | 3:14 |
| 11. | "The Wrong Man Was Convicted" |
| Steven Page | 5:06 |
| 12. | "Great Provider" |
| Ed Robertson | 4:35 |
Personnel
[edit]Barenaked Ladies
- Steven Page – lead vocal (1, 2, 4–7, 10, 11), background vocals (1), acoustic guitar (1), electric guitar (2, 7), lead electric guitar (3), harmony vocal (12)
- Ed Robertson – acoustic guitar (1, 3, 4, 6–8, 10–12), electric guitar (1, 2, 3, 5), background vocals (1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 10, 11), lead vocal (3, 6, 8, 12), pedal steel guitar (3, 6), bass drum (2, 6), banjo (3), mandolin (4), electric mandolin (2), mandola (12)
- Andy Creeggan – piano (2–6, 8–11), percussion (3, 5, 8), background vocals (1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11), lead vocal (9), electric piano (5, 7, 12), keyboards (5, 12), cymbals (2, 6), organ (7), hammered dulcimer (1), timpani (2), accordion (6), reed organ (6), tambourine (7), cuica (9)
- Jim Creeggan – bass guitar (1, 2, 3, 5, 7), double bass (4–6, 8, 10–12), background vocals (1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11), cello (2, 5, 11), arco bass (2)
- Tyler Stewart – drums (1–7, 10–12), snare drum (2, 6, 11), cowbell (5), laffs (5), cymbals (8)
Charts
[edit]Album
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Heatseekers | 8[citation needed] |
| 1994 | Billboard 200 | 175[citation needed] |
Retrospective analysis
[edit]In a 2016 interview with Toronto radio station Boom 97.3, Stephen Page remarked that the album remained one of his favourite Barenaked Ladies records.[5] Conversely, in an interview with VICE that same year, Ed Robertson stated that it was "easily" his least favourite of the band's records. Robertson cited "fractured" dynamics and communication issues within the group; the difficulty of following up the success of their previous album, Gordon; and difficulty dealing with the 1993 death of his brother as factors that made it difficult for him to feel attached to the songs on the album.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ Allmusic review
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b c Punter, Jennie (June 1996). "Barenaked Ladies: Spontaneity And Surprise". Impact. Archived from the original on June 11, 2004. Retrieved March 1, 2010.
- ^ "Behind the Vinyl: "Jane" with Steven Page former frontman of Barenaked Ladies". YouTube. November 15, 2016.
- ^ "Rank Your Records: Barenaked Ladies Vocalist ed Robertson Puts the Band's Ten Albums in Order". July 14, 2016.
