Barenaked Ladies Albums Ranked

Barenaked Ladies is a Canadian rock band formed in 1988 in Scarborough, Ontario. The band developed a cult following in Canada, with their self-titled 1991 cassette becoming the first independent release to be certified gold in Canada. They reached mainstream success in Canada when their debut with Reprise Records, Gordon, featuring the singles “If I Had $1000000” and “Brian Wilson”, was released in 1992. The band’s success was subsequently translated into the U.S., beginning with versions of “Brian Wilson” and “The Old Apartment” off their 1996 live album Rock Spectacle, followed by their 1998 fourth studio album Stunt which was their breakout success. The album featured their highest-charting hit, “One Week” as well as “It’s All Been Done”. Their fifth album, Maroon also charted highly featuring the lead single “Pinch Me”. In the 2010s, the band became well-known for creating the theme song for the sitcom “The Big Bang Theory”. The band’s style has evolved throughout their career, and their music which began as exclusively acoustic quickly grew to encompass a mixture of an array of styles including pop, rock, hip hop, rap, etc. The band’s live performances feature comedic banter and free-style rapping between songs. They have won multiple Juno Awards and have been nominated for two Grammy Awards. The group has sold over 15 million records, including albums and singles, and were inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in March 2018. Here are all of Barenaked Ladies albums ranked.

Enjoy listening to this Canadian rock band. Click below and enjoy the alternative and folk-rock fusion music of Barenaked Ladies.

10. Barenaked Ladies Are Men (2007)

“This album is every bit as good, if not better, than Are Me. Smartly crafted, sonically unique and tirelessly aggressive, this is not the Ladies resting on their laurels. And here’s the beauty of it; neither is Are Me! These are career milestones, in my opinion. Not quite a double album, not a package of extras, but pure creative adrenaline put to music. I’ve spun the new one several times since, and even played the two of them back to back. This is my prognosis: it was very wise of them to release Are Me first, because the power of this latest album might have overwhelmed the fragile, yet intense beauty of the first one. Song for song, this might actually be better than Are Me. It’s unfolding like a puzzle.”

9. Grinning Streak (2013)

“This album truly shows off how multi-faceted the Ladies really are. The range of instruments and sounds used is amazing. The fact that they are all vocalists and multi-instrumentalists has never been more apparent than on this album. his album has a great mix of different styles, including blues, country, rock, and pop. The transition from one song to the next is a total surprise. Although Ed takes lead vocals on all but one song (“Dreamin'” is a classic Kevin song), all of the guys are vocally present on this CD with very cool backing vocals.”

8. Rock Spectacle (1996)

“Rock Spectacle shows the passion and great songwriting skills of the Barenaked Ladies. When this was released they were on the cusp of breaking through in the States. “Brian Wilson” and “The Old Apartment” were excellent songs that were huge in Canada and only got some decent buzz here. The band would explode with the quirky “One Week” hitting #1 with their next album, Stunt.”

See more: Jethro Tull Albums Ranked

7. All In Good Time (2010)

“All In Good Time, Barenaked Ladies’ 11th studio album, is by far their best and strongest effort. From the angry rockin’ “I Have Learned”, to the true and meaningful “I Saw It”, and from the extremely catchy sing-a-long “Four Seconds”, to the mellowed “Watching The Northern Lights”, there is quite a range to be enjoyed here. I honestly believe this could be the band’s most successful album since “Stunt”.

6. Born On A Pirate Ship (1996)

“This is BNL’s darkest album, but it still has a good sense of humor and style. Musically, this has to be the best album of their collection to this point. They have deep texture and a professional styling that seems to have been lacking in their other album. However, most listeners take this as removing all of the “fun” from their recordings. You can’t picture them jumping around the studio when they were record, you see them studying what they are playing with great intensity. Plus you also have to wonder who the woman was that ripped Steven’s heart out of his chest.”

5. Maybe You Should Drive (1994)

” The songs have meaningful lyrics, and a tone that BNL has never used in any of their albums since. Maybe that is why true BNL fans really love this album. The sincerity really shines through on this album. The opening track, “Jane,” similar to “Enid” on ‘Gordon,’ is a song describing Jane, and how she can’t open up to guys. The humorous note is when the listener hears the lyric that states he discovered Jane while shoplifting form the store. “Intermittently” sounds like a 1960s British swingers anthem.”

See more: Joni Mitchell Albums Ranked

4. Disc One: All Their Greatest Hits (1991–2001) (2001)

“Barenaked Ladies have a great place in music. They release songs that are funny, catchy, and thought-provoking. This collection captures the ones that made it to the radio. Sometimes, that’s not what you want as an introduction to a band, but occasionally it works. This compilation definitely works.”

3. Maroon (2000)

“Maroon, it would seem, is an important step forward from BnL, moving them from a quirky garage band to true superstar status. It takes the best of BnL’s early albums (i.e., the quirky sense of humor, the deft lyrics) and mixes them with the best of “Stunt” (the catchy pop riffs) and manages to do so without resurrecting any of the negative qualities that may have occasionally marred any of those previous efforts and the result, quite naturally, is one of the best CDs of the year and debatably the best of BnL’s career so far.”

2. Stunt (1998)

“There is no question that BNL are the most original and talented band to hit the scene in a long, long time. This album is destined to become a classic in the tradition of their previous three studio efforts- the already classic”Gordon”, it’s dynamite follow up “Maybe you should Drive” and the groundbreaking “Born on a Pirate Ship”. And like the inimitable “Rock Spectacle”, “Stunt” is a MUST purchase. Perhaps what makes BNL such a breeze to listen to is their simple, flowing melodies and intelligent(if not quirky) lyrics, driving behing a band personality you can actually hear in the songs.”

1. Gordon (1992)

“One sudden listen to Gordon and the listener would assume s/he was listening to a rock band veteran 5-10 years with mature music, wits, and clever song writing. It’s true that Gordon has all of that, but it’s their debut album for a major label! The listener simply assumes that because they sound so confident, charming, and funny that they must be an older band. They aren’t old, but they are confident, charming, and funny!”