Rock Spectacle

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Rock Spectacle
Live album by
ReleasedNovember 19, 1996
RecordedApril 17, 1996
May 23, 1996
VenueRiviera Theatre, Chicago
Olympia, Montreal
GenreAlternative rock
Length47:45
LabelReprise
ProducerMichael Phillip Wojewoda
Barenaked Ladies chronology
Born on a Pirate Ship
(1996)
Rock Spectacle
(1996)
Stunt
(1998)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic [1]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[2]
Entertainment WeeklyA [3]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[4]

Rock Spectacle is the first live album by Barenaked Ladies. It was also the first major success for the band in the United States, selling over one million copies and producing a hit single in the country in its version of "Brian Wilson." The album was recorded at two concerts: at the Riviera Theatre in Chicago and at The Olympia in Montreal during the Born on a Pirate Ship tour.

A live version of "Shoe Box" was on promotional and advance copies of this record, but was ultimately deleted. The recording would eventually be released on the "One Week" CD single. The album contains two bonus tracks. The first is a banter about an elderly woman Ed Robertson ran into in Chicago. The story is later referenced in "If I Had $1000000". The second is improvised banter about Robertson's Uncle Elwyn.

This disc is an enhanced CD, which means it will display special multimedia features when played on a computer. It includes a program called "BNLTV", a faux collection of various-themed TV programming.

Commercial performance[edit]

By July 1998, Rock Spectacle had sold 775,000 copies in the United States and 80,000 copies in Canada.[5] In September 1998, the album was certified Platinum in the United States.[6]

Track listing[edit]

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

No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
1."Brian Wilson"Steven PageSteven Page4:46
2."Straw Hat and Old Dirty Hank" Steven Page3:38
3."Break Your Heart"Steven PageSteven Page5:06
4."Jane"
Steven Page3:58
5."When I Fall" Ed Robertson4:23
6."Hello City" Steven Page3:13
7."What a Good Boy" Steven Page4:47
8."The Old Apartment" Steven Page3:21
9."Life, in a Nutshell" Steven Page2:40
10."These Apples"Ed RobertsonEd Robertson3:59
11."Grade 9"/"If I Had $1000000"
  • Steven Page
  • Ed Robertson
6:08
12."The Sweetest Woman (banter)" (hidden track) 
  • Steven Page
  • Ed Robertson
1:09
13."Uncle Elwyn (banter)" (hidden track) 
  • Steven Page
  • Ed Robertson
2:37

Personnel[edit]

Production[edit]

  • Engineers: Marcel Gounin, Michael Phillip Wojewoda
  • Assistant engineers: Bernoit Baruvin, Dan Glomski, Mycle Konopka, Timothy R. Powell
  • Mixing assistants: Jeff Elliot, Tom Heron
  • Mastering: Don C. Tyler
  • Digital editing: Jeff Elliot
  • Design: Neil Prime
  • Photography: Neil Prime

Charts[edit]

Singles[edit]

Year Single Chart Position
1997 "Brian Wilson" Billboard Hot 100 68[citation needed]
1998 "Brian Wilson" Adult Top 40 37[citation needed]
1998 "Brian Wilson" Modern Rock 23[citation needed]
2000 "If I Had $1000000" Adult Top 40 37[citation needed]

Certifications[edit]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[10] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Mason, Stewart. Rock Spectacle at AllMusic. Retrieved September 2, 2011.
  2. ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-85712-595-8.
  3. ^ Cheng, Kipp (December 13, 1996). "Spinning Pretty". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 2, 2012.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ "Good Morning America's going Naked". July 4, 1998. Archived from the original on September 3, 2000. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
  6. ^ "GOLD & PLATINUM". riaa.com. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
  7. ^ "Barenaked Ladies Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  8. ^ "Barenaked Ladies Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  9. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1998". Billboard. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  10. ^ "American album certifications – Barenaked Ladies – Rock Spectacle". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved February 15, 2021.