Barenaked for the Holidays

Barenaked Ladies

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 5, 2004)
• Original Release Date: October 5, 2004
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Nettwerk Records
• ASIN: B0002XED3A
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (125 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #16,474 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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  Music > Miscellaneous > Holiday > Opera & Vocal

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Few bands are better suited than the Barenaked Ladies to take obnoxious old Christmas jingles to an entirely new level of obnoxiousness. The Canadian pop group does a smack-up job on this generous collection, where they tackle children's relics like "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," curious seasonal fare such as Band-Aid's Ethiopian charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas," and a handful of tongue-in-cheek originals that share the bookish humor of the band's hits like "One Week" and "Brian Wilson." Even the inclusion of three Hannukah songs doesn't raise the bar for reverence. The disc also includes collaborations with Sarah McLachlan and Michael Buble. --Aidin Vaziri

Product Description

Barenaked Ladies celebrate the holiday season with their ninth major release, Barenaked For The Holidays. This release features many holiday favorites, including "Do They Know It's Christ- mas"(written by Bob Geldof )and "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," performed with Sarah McLachlan, and seven original tracks including BNL’s new holiday single "Elf ’s Lament," featuring Michael Bublé. Ed Robertson and Steven Page"s distinctive vocals give a fresh sound to traditional holiday classics. Barenaked For The Holidays is sure to be a holiday favorite that is fun,witty and dynamic.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

63 of 66 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Off-beat Beats for the Holidays, October 5, 2004

By	Lavode (Sacramento, CA USA) - See all my reviews

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.

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Oh Come On People.. Don't Be So Serious!!, November 2, 2004

By	Shed "schedvi" (EDINA, MN United States) - See all my reviews

If you are not a fan of BNL, then you should probably skip this offering. If however, you are a true fan of BNL, and you are able to "enjoy the humor of the situation", then you will like this CD.

BNL has long been a band that has offered up a full spectrum of song styles, including downright goofy/light-hearted ones (i.e "Shopping", "Back", "Yoko Ono", etc). The goofy songs off of this disc are no different. BNL's interpretation of "Oh Holy Night" and "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" are about as cheesey as they come, and are reminiscent of songs that you would expect to hear at 10pm on a Saturday nite at a bowling alley during a holiday snowstorm.

There's truly something for every BNL fan on this disc. In addition to the mandatory goofyness, there are several touching songs, as well as songs that showcase the groups amazing harmonizing abilities.

If you are a fan of BNL and already have a collection of holiday discs, then do yourself a favor and purchase this one to add to your holiday repertoire.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Now for something out of the ordinary, November 17, 2005

By	Christene Ostrom "music lover" (Wisconsin) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.