Gordon (album)

Gordon is the debut studio album by Canadian band Barenaked Ladies. It was released through Sire Records on July 28, 1992.

Gordon
Studio album by Barenaked Ladies
Released	July 28, 1992
Recorded	1992
Studio	Le Studio, Morin-Heights, Quebec
Genre	Alternative rock college rock folk rock comedy rock
Length	59:15
Label	Reprise/Sire
Producer	Michael Phillip Wojewoda
Barenaked Ladies chronology
Variety Recordings (1991) Gordon (1992) Maybe You Should Drive (1994)
Sire Records cover
Cover from Sire Records/Reprise Records release

After their self-released 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 Phillip Wojewoda and record the album at Le Studio, north of Montreal, Quebec, Chalet Recording Studios, and Reaction Studios (both in Ontario). Though most of the album was recorded without incident, difficulty with "The King of Bedside Manor" caused the band to record the track naked—a tradition they would continue on other albums. Horn parts, guest vocalists, and nods to other bands including Rush allowed Barenaked Ladies to expand on the sound they had developed while touring. "They had a real clarity about what they wanted [the album] to be ... I just captured what it is they do", said Wojewoda.^[1]

Background and recording

In 1991, after the gold certification of The Yellow Tape—an independently recorded and manufactured cassette^[2]—Barenaked Ladies won Discovery to Disc, a contest hosted by CFNY-FM, a Toronto-based rock radio station. With the prize winnings of $100,000, the band hired Michael Phillip Wojewoda to produce the album. Wojewoda felt the band had potential, specifically demonstrated with the track "The Flag", "there was definitely some wisdom in their young years."^[3] To get better acquainted with the band Wojewoda invited Barenaked Ladies to sing back-up vocals for "California Dreamline" during the recording of Rheostatics's Whale Music. While in the studio the band met Rush drummer Neil Peart,^[4] who had influenced some of the Barenaked Ladies.^[5] The band selected 14 songs out of 20 candidates that they had written to record in the studio. "[T]hey didn't need a lot of shaping. It was ... a matter of shifting through a lot of great moments and finding the ones which fit best on the record", said Wojewoda.^[6] With the tracks selected, Wojewoda and the band drove to Le Studio. The band worked on the album for ten- to twelve-hour sessions each day, with little conflict among members. At night the band would commute to their house by skiing in the moonlight.^[7]

After some difficulty recording "The King of Bedside Manor", it was suggested that the band members record the song naked. Wojewoda and engineer Jean Diamont were also required to remove their clothes; said Wojewoda, "I think the recording has this totally over-the-top nervous energy as a result of being naked."^[8] Led by Jim and Andy Creeggan, the band developed horn parts for "Enid", "Wrap Your Arms Around Me", and "Box Set".^[9] Guest musicians are used throughout the album including Lewis Melville, Chris Brown, and members of the Bourbon Tabernacle Choir. "I don't think there're many musicians from Toronto who aren't on Gordon", said Brown.^[10] The album was mixed in March 1992. Before the album's release, Sire Records had to receive clearance from various parties for music that Barenaked Ladies had included on various tracks of Gordon. Having developed the songs during live performances, Barenaked Ladies integrated themes from Styx, Rush, The Housemartins, and Vince Guaraldi into various tracks.^[11]

Artwork

Two covers of this album were released. The original Sire Records cover features all five band members amongst large grey letters which spell "Gordon." The band's name appears in front of a red and blue ball with a stripe on it. The Reprise Records cover features a similar ball as seen on the Sire Records cover in front of an indigo background with black stripes. The band's name is written above the ball on this cover and the album's title is featured below the ball. The Sire Records cover is featured on the top right of the back cover of the Reprise Records version. Both versions feature a disc stylized to look like the ball seen on both releases.

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[12]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[13]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[14]
Select	[15]

Jon Pareles of The New York Times wrote, "It's not easy to be hyperactive, brooding, and whimsical all at once, but the Barenaked Ladies do just that."^[16] MacKenzie Wilson of AllMusic wrote that the album approaches, but does not cross the "boundaries of silliness."^[12] She went on to call the "shared vocals ... refreshing and upbeat", concluding that "Gordon is a great introduction to the Barenaked Ladies' sweet comic relief".^[12] The Miami Herald called the album "funny and punny, more inventive than you might expect", stating that "it switches directions on you just when you're least expecting it".^[17]

Gordon sold 80,000 copies in Canada during its first 24 hours of release, topping the Canadian charts for eight consecutive weeks. In the United States, initial album sales were stronger in larger cities, however, a spike in sales was not seen until the releases of Rock Spectacle and "One Week".^[18] Gordon was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America in August 1998.^[19] According to Steven Page, the number of "fans who know every word of every song" outnumbers the number of units sold by four times.^[20] "Gordon must be the most bootlegged album in [United States] history", said Page.^[20] In 2000, the album achieved diamond status in Canada, selling over one million copies.^[21]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Lead vocals	Length
1.	"Hello City"		Steven Page Ed Robertson	3:22
2.	"Enid"		Steven Page	4:07
3.	"Grade 9"	Page Robertson Andy Creeggan Jim Creeggan Tyler Stewart	Steven Page Ed Robertson	2:53
4.	"Brian Wilson"	Page	Steven Page	4:47
5.	"Be My Yoko Ono"		Steven Page Ed Robertson	2:45
6.	"Wrap Your Arms Around Me"	Page Robertson J. Creeggan	Ed Robertson	4:35
7.	"What a Good Boy"		Steven Page	3:52
8.	"The King of Bedside Manor"		Steven Page Ed Robertson	2:24
9.	"Box Set"	Page	Steven Page	4:48
10.	"I Love You"	Page Robertson A. Creeggan J. Creeggan	Steven Page Ed Robertson Andy Creeggan Jim Creeggan	4:08
11.	"New Kid (On the Block)"	Page Robertson Scott Dibble	Steven Page	4:13
12.	"Blame It on Me"		Steven Page Ed Robertson	3:54
13.	"The Flag"	Page	Steven Page	3:53
14.	"If I Had $1000000"		Steven Page Ed Robertson	4:27
15.	"Crazy"	Robertson Tim Wilson	Ed Robertson	4:08
16.	"Dat Fodder" (hidden track)			0:38

All tracks are written by Steven Page and Ed Robertson, except where noted

Note

• "Hello City" is from Barenaked Recess.
• "Wrap Your Arms Around Me", & "New Kid (On the Block)" are from Variety Recordings.
• "The King of Bedside Manor" is from Buck Naked (4th edition).
• "Blame It on Me" is from most demo tapes other than all Buck Naked editions.
• "The Flag", & "Crazy" are from Barenaked Recess, & Variety Recordings.

Personnel

Barenaked Ladies Steven Page – vocals (all tracks), guitar (tracks 4, 7, 8), shaker (track 8), wat-ups (track 1), moronic intro synth (track 2), cartoon noises (track 8), secret noises (track 15) Ed Robertson – guitar (all tracks), vocals (all tracks), shaker (track 8), cowbell (track 9), bionic intro synth (track 2), crowd noise (track 3), funky mouth (track 3) Jim Creeggan – double bass (tracks 1–12, 14–15), arco double bass (track 13), vocals (tracks 1–6, 8, 9, 10, 12–15), shaker (track 8), secret noises (track 15) Andy Creeggan – organ (tracks 3, 7), piano (tracks 1–3, 7, 9–11, 14–15), conga (tracks 1, 4, 5, 8, 9, 11, 12), tambourine (tracks 5, 6, 8) triangle (track 6), vocals (tracks 1–6, 8–15), Claves (track 9), cuíca (track 2), shaker (tracks 6, 8, 11, 12), mark tree (track 6), güiro (track 9), finger cymbals (track 6), cabasa (track 6), vibraphone (track 9), scat (track 10), wat'ups (track 1), marimba (track 12), mbira (track 12), suitcase (track 13), secret noises (track 15) Tyler Stewart – drums (tracks 1–12, 14, 15), vocals (tracks 3, 8), shaker (track 8), wat'ups (track 1), bass drum (track 13), snare drum (track 13) The Jimmy Crack Horns (track 2) Nic Gotham – baritone saxophone Gene Hardy – tenor saxophone Chris Howells – trumpet Tom Walsh – trombone The Horn Cuskers (track 9) Nic Gotham – alto saxophone, baritone saxophone Gene Hardy – tenor saxophone Additional Personnel Dave Allen – fiddle (track 14) Chris Brown – organ (track 10) Chris Howells – flugelhorn (track 6) Catherine MacDonnell-Stephens – bassoon (track 6) Lewis Melville – pedal steel guitar (tracks 2, 6, 11, 14) Martin Tielli – guitar solo (track 15) Tom Walsh – trombone (track 1) Tim Wilson – bagpipes (track 15) Bob Wiseman – accordion (track 14) Michael Phillip Wojewoda – tambourine (track 2), Teutonic intro vocal (track 2), shaker (track 8), stupid keyboard bass (track 3), secret noises (track 15) Production Michael-Philip Wojewoda – Producer, Engineer, Remixing Greg Calbi – Mastering

The Suburban Tabernacle Choir (track 14) Dave Allen Mike Barber Gregor Beresford Arlene Bishop Chris Brown Erica Buss Meryn Cadell Naida Creeggan Matthew DeMatteo Kate Fenner Gene Hardy Natalie Herbert Shelley Hines Sally Lee Lewis Melville Jason Mercer Janet Morassutti Moxy Früvous Keith Nakonechny Blair Packham Matthew Page Steve Pitkin Jason Plumb Rheostatics Wilma Robertson Tannis Slimmon Earl Stokes Wayne Stokes Bob Wiseman

Charts

Album Year Chart Position 1992 Canadian Albums Chart 1[16][22]

Singles Year Single Chart Position 1992 "Be My Yoko Ono" Canadian Singles Chart 77[citation needed] 1992 "Enid" Canadian Singles Chart 2[23] 1992 "Grade 9" Canadian Singles Chart 53[citation needed] 1992 "If I Had $1,000,000" Canadian Singles Chart 13[citation needed] 1993 "Brian Wilson" Canadian Singles Chart 18[citation needed] 1993 "What a Good Boy" Canadian Singles Chart 34[citation needed]

Certifications

Certifications for "Gordon"

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[24]	Diamond	1,000,000^
United States (RIAA)[25]	Gold	500,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Myers 2001, pp. 96, 99
2. Myers 2001, p. 76
3. Myers 2001, p. 92
4. Myers 2001, p. 93
5. Myers 2001, pp. 20, 49
6. Myers 2001, p. 94
7. Myers 2001, p. 97
8. Myers 2001, pp. 97–8
9. Myers 2001, p. 99
10. Myers 2001, p. 100
11. Myers 2001, pp. 101–102
12. Wilson, MacKenzie. "Gordon: Review". Allmusic. Retrieved May 18, 2009.
13. Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
14. 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.
15. Scott, Danny (August 30, 2014). "Barenaked Ladies: Gordon (Sire/Reprise)". Select: 67. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
16. Myers 2001, p. 102
17. "Frozen North sends a Surprise: Barenaked Ladies". The Miami Herald. December 30, 1992. p. 7E.
18. Myers 2001, pp. 102–3
19. "Search: Barenaked Ladies". Recording Industry Association of America. August 28, 1998. Retrieved May 18, 2009.
20. Myers 2001, p. 103
21. "Gold Platinum Database: Barenaked Ladies – Gordon". Canadian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved December 24, 2011.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
22. "Barenaked Ladies: A World-Wide Deal". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on March 20, 2012. Retrieved May 18, 2009.
23. "RPM 100 Hit Tracks – October 3, 1992". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
24. "Canadian album certifications – Barenaked Ladies – Gordon". Music Canada.
25. "American album certifications – Barenaked Ladies – Gordon". Recording Industry Association of America.

Works cited

• Myers, Paul (2001). Barenaked Ladies: Public Stunts, Private Stories. New York City: Fireside Books. ISBN 0-7432-3835-4.