In 1994, I discovered a band called the Barenaked Ladies. I had been listening to the radio, when “Jane” came on. I was immediately hooked by the vocals. The man singing had a voice like none other I had heard. Of course the man I am referring to is Steven Page. Well anyways, I immediately ran out and bought the albums that were available, which were “Gordon” and “Maybe You Should Drive”. I even got my hands on an old album called “Buck Naked”, where it was just Steve and Ed. Cool stuff.
So needless to say, for the last 16 years or so, I have eaten up everything the band dished out. And happily did so. I bought the CD’s. I supported their live shows several times. I bought numerous things from their merchandise outlet. I pushed them on any friend who would give a listen. As the years went on I grew a deep appreciation for the banter that would happen between Steve and Ed. And their live shows were just fantastic.
When I heard the news last year that Steven would be leaving the band, I was devastated. I mean really upset. Here’s a band I gave so much dedication, falling apart. The band agreed to continue without Steven. Which I would be ok with, if they changed their name and their style a bit. Steve and Ed ARE the Barenaked Ladies. It started with them. Everyone that came after was to complete the band, in my opinion. So without Steven, would it even remotely be the same? Would the live shows have that same magic?
The short answer is, no. Soon after the announcement of Steven’s departure, the rest of the band put on a live show. They offered it as a free download, so I gave a listen out of curiosity. What I heard was kind of a train wreck. I mean, Ed was still in great form, but seemed kind of lost without his perfect partner. They are giving Jim more vocal time, which is ok I guess. The guy isn’t bad, he just doesn’t fit the BNL vocal stylings. The biggest travesty, however, is that they basically replaced Steven with Kevin Hearn. WTF. Kevin can’t sing. He sounds like a drunk child suffering from a bad head cold. If you’re gonna give the boot to Steven, at least have the courtesy to leave his vocals alone. Don’t toss them to easily the worst singer in the band. Keep him on the instruments and in the back of the stage. And definitely don’t ever let Hearn near “Brian Wilson” again. Ever.
Earlier this year BNL put out its first official album without Page. Out of past loyalty, I got the album. There are some highlights. Mostly the Ed songs. “Four Seconds” is easily the best song on the disc. Very catchy and upbeat, but I can tell Steven is missing from it. The song “You Run Away”, while beautiful, pisses me off. It’s a blatant attack on Page, and I get the feeling that they are implying it’s all Steve’s fault. That Steve is to blame, and Ed is innocent. Not cool. As a loyal fan of Page, that offends me. Anyways, there are some other decent tunes on the disc, but I can tell you this. It’s not the Barenaked Ladies people have loved for years. It’s hollow and lacks the passion that Page brought to the table. He brought out the best in all of them.
Which leads me Page’s new disc. That’s right, not long ago Steven put out his first official post-BNL album. Cleverly, the disc is entitled “Page One”. From the first seconds of the disc you are hooked. There is that voice that was missing that embodied the passion of the old BNL. A lot of the songs remind me of early BNL albums. Albums like, “Maroon” and “Maybe You Should Drive”. The lead track from his new CD addresses his departure from the band head on. While BNL’s song “You Ran Away” comes across mean and hurtful, Page’s “A New Shore” views the departure as melancholy yet liberating. He sings that while he didn’t really want to leave, he was forced to start anew. The album is about new beginnings. And that message clearly shines through. Like I said before, “Page One” is a perfect title for the disc.
The bottom line is, BNL’s new disc struggles to find a new identity without Page but at the same time tries to recreate the past. It doesn’t work. Page’s new disc is experimental and bold. He tries many different styles and pulls most of them off effortlessly. Not a bad beginning of his “fresh start.”
So for my final thought that I have been telling people for awhile now... “Steven Page does not need the Barenaked Ladies, but the Barenaked Ladies sure need Steven Page.”
~ Wilson
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