Customer Reviews

Barenaked for the Holidays

5 star:		(58)
4 star:		(34)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(17)

 

 

BNL joins the tired ranks of groups to release Christmas albums. Of course, they do it in true BNL fashion, and are not content to simply record a bunch of slightly-warmed-over standards. Some of the songs are original compositions, such as "Christmastime (Oh Yeah)," and some are standards done up in BNL's jazzy, rock style. Still others sound as if they are being played on your Grandmother's old electric organ, complete with tacky drum machine. (I have to wonder if this last is a peek into their early Christmas traditions.) And lastly, there are some very off-the-wall tunes, like "Deck the Stills" and "Sleigh Ride" that pretty much sound like the guys screwing around.

All of the tracks are well-polished, and the entire album evokes a holiday spirit. So in that sense, this album is a huge success. I only subtract 1 star because if you're not a fan of the band, you won't be too interested in their interpretation of the standards, and the novelty songs will probably be a bit of a turn off. However, if you like BNL, this is a must-have, even if you skip a few of the songs after listening to them once.

Every year I get a Christmas CD for my collection. I like it to be different, new songs, new or unusual arrangements of old songs, and BNL fit the bill. They are their usual irreverent selves and their humor can be found in this CD as with all their others. I like their version of "Do They Know It's Christmas" and I know they were having fun recording "I Have a Little Dreidel".

As has been said before, if you are not a BNL fan, some of the songs on this CD will not be up your alley. But those of us who do enjoy them - will enjoy this collection of Christmas songs. I recommend you add it to your collection.

I've actually been a fan of the Ladies since their first major release and I have to say that the people who don't like this album are clearly not familiar with the Ladies as they truly are. Clearly you have all been brainwashed by the more commercial and polished BNL that, while it is still very good, is not really the pinnacle of their work.

The originals on this album are brilliant, Green Christmas and Elf's Lament are now two of my favorite holiday songs (of course I'd heard Green Christmas before since it was on The Grinch soundtrack, but still...)

I'll admit that I don't care much for Kevin Hearn's synth songs, but they are short and they do grow on you. They are effective segues between the more substantial portions of the record.

"Carol of the Bells" however is spectacular, probably the coolest sounding version of it I've ever heard. Plus, it features all of the Ladies in someway or another. A very trippy piece and it sounds even cooler if you listen to it on a good set of headphones.

You can tell that this album was thrown together fairly quickly. Probably much of it was recorded during session for "Everything to Everyone," but this haphazard arrangement to recording really captures the essence of BNL's style. It makes the album seem more like their live shows, off the wall and ad libbed. I'm sure many of you who have taken the time to criticize this album haven't seen them live and thus wouldn't know.

I will admit that this isn't my favorite BNL album ever, but much of it isn't original, so it's hard to feel too loyal to it. Regardless, it's still a very cool album and brings new life to all of those cliched and annoying holiday songs that we've all gotten tired of. It also gives us a few new gems for the holidays filled with all of the mirth of folly that have made BNL global celebrities and concert dynamos.

I fully respect the opinion of all you cynics crying "sell-out" even if you are powerfully wrong in your beliefs :-)

My wife, being a Christmas Junkie, buys around 5 new Christmas albums each year. Starting mid-November, pretty much the only music in the house, in the car, in the portable CD player is christmas music. Since we're BNL fans, this was one of the ones she chose this year. It is very consistent with their musical style - the quirky semi-ad libbing kinda thing they do.

The problem (for us) is that the quirkiness is funny the first time you hear it on a Christmas album, but having heard it once, there's no reason to hear it again. For instance singing the Happy Birthday Song to Jesus would be great if you were at a concert and everyone sang along campily (and to be honest, our kids, 4 and 2, are still singing happy birthday Jesus). Or inserting the age-old "Jingle Bells, Batman Smells, Robin laid an Egg."

This isn't an album that we are likely to listen to more than once a year (if at all in the future), and when you're paying that much for an album with so little replayability, it's somewhat discouraging. If you like to get a lot of mileage out of your albums, this probably isn't one to get. If you're looking for something to play for a college Christmas party where everyone will hear it once and get a real kick out of some of the silliness, then this album is probably for you.

Barenaked Ladies' first Christmas album is pretty good. The best songs are the traditional carols that BNL have "sillied" up. For instance, in "Jingle Bells" they've changed one verse to the old kids' favorite: "Batman smells, Robin laid an egg..." There's also a funny rendition of "Deck the Halls" in which the only lyrics are "Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young" repeated over and over again. There is also a track in which the band sings "Happy Birthday" to Jesus. My only complaint is that the original songs written by BNL aren't as great as the traditional carols, and don't really sound much like Christmas songs. But all in all, the album has enough BNL fun to satisfy any fan of the band.

This collection of Christmas (and 3 Hanukkah songs) from the Barenaked Ladies is pretty much what you'd expect from this group. There are also a few orignial tunes by the group, and they're pretty consistent with their style, some being better than others. Many of the other songs are 'barenaked' versions of Christmas songs we've come to know and love (God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen / We Three Kings being a highlight), while others are... a bit more reflective of this group's irreverant style (if you've seen them in concert, you know what I mean). Some of it's rather funny (using only the words "Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young" on a version of Deck the Halls), other times it's almost sacreligious (i.e. singing "Happy Birthday to You" to Jesus - mostly benign, but it doesn't seem quite appropriate). One other thing that kept this from getting 5 stars were their interpretations of some songs, where they used an instrumental synthesizer version (like "O Holy Night." This is especially a shame because anyone who knows BNL knows Steven Page could really sing this one well.)

Overall, a good album, with some minor faults that really make it a buy for BNL fans only. Anyone not familiar with this group's style or wanting a more traditional Christmas album will probably want to steer clear of this one. Since I can't give it 3 1/2 stars, I'll be nice and give it a 4.

I have to admit I'm a little biased, having seen BNL 6 times so far this year, with 7 & 8 coming up next week. That being said, there are some great songs on this cd. And it is a true "holiday" cd as it has 3 songs for Hanukkah, including a very sweet song written by Steve called "Hanukkah Blessings". My other favorite is the Ed penned tune "Elf's Lament". As for the rest, I love the quirkyness of many of the songs. I've seen some other reviewers comment on the quality of the recording. All I can say is it sounds great in my car, and from my home theater system. If you are a true BNL fan, you will like this disc. If you are new to BNL, this gives a great flavor for what they are like live, quirky yet musical. I can't stop listening to it :)

Some of these songs just make me laugh. If you're a BNL fan, I think you'll truly appreciate their antics on this album. If you're looking for traditional holiday favorites, you won't find them here. If you're sick to death of the traditional holiday favorites and want something that'll put a smile on your face, I suggest giving this one a shot.

I've been a fan of BNL since just before Maybe You Should Drive (I think I'm one of the 14 or so people in the world who loves that album), and have come to expect something different from the Ladies with each release. If they released the equivalent of Stunt 2, Stunt 3 and Stunt 4, for the sake of the masses and the band's popularity and commercial success, that schtick would get old really quick, and fans would criticize them for selling out.

So, while Maroon was a bit of a departure from Stunt, if you appreciate their experimentation with different sounds, it grows on you; it's truly a solid effort. Everything for Everyone, well, is half great/half mediocre (I'm resisting saying "terrible") -- rather, it seems like the band just threw something together to get their record label off their backs. (This is what I like to believe; the converse, that the band actually LIKED some of those songs and thought they were good, is too frightening to consider.)

So, here we have their holiday album. If Everything for Everyone seems thrown together, this project just reeks of a studio exec thinking "BNL's fame is waning; let's get them to release a 'Christmas' album right before the holidays, and squeeze as much money from their loyal fans as possible."

Folks, no matter how much I'd like to say otherwise, this CD is pretty bad. Now, I know I'm going to get a lot of "not a helpful review" comments from the BNL faithful, but they're not listening to the album. Listening to the entire thing is a chore; thankfully it's fairly short, so the pain is over quicker.

The best song on it -- "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" recorded backstage with Sarah McLachlan in 1996 -- is TRULY wonderful (hence the 2nd star). It's loose, relaxed, and a great take on an Xmas tune that can be pretty boring to listen to if done more traditionally. But, that song is available on a MUCH BETTER album put out by Nettwerk in 2000, entitled "Christmas Songs". There you get great tunes by the likes of Dido, Delirium, and Matthew Ryan, as well as Sarah McLachlan's wonderful cover of Gordon Lightfoot's "Song For A Winter's Night"...

Do yourself a favor. Pick up Nettwerk's "Christmas Songs", or save your money for a show the next time BNL is in your area...

This is a Christmas CD for people who enjoy fun Christmases (if that's word!). In typical BNL fashion it is bright, happy, uptempo, and extremely fun to listen to if you're a BNL fan. For those non-BNL fans, some of the songs may bother you because they're not the way you're used to hearing the typical Christmas songs. The original songs on this album are just so-so, which is why I give it only 4 stars, but then again every rock/pop/mainstream artist who makes a Christmas album fills it up with so-so new Christmas songs which I doubt anyone actually listens to annually.

The reason to buy this CD is if you're a Barenaked Ladies fan and you want to hear what they do to some of your old Christmas faves. They make 'em fun and enjoyable so I recommend this CD.