Album of the Day

Released on this day in 1996, BORN ON A PIRATE SHIP was the third album from Toronto alternative rockers Barenaked Ladies. After keyboardist Andy Creeggan jumped ship, the band was down to a four-piece for the Reprise collection, but BNL again delivers the goods. Principle songwriters Steven Page and Ed Robertson have come up with a set of songs that are as thoughtful as they are funny, with such highlights as “When I Fall,” “Shoe Box” and “The Old Apartment” (which would become the group's first Billboard Hot 100 single in the U.S.) Not that the guys can't get silly; “Spider in My Room” is gleeful madness, and the instrumentation includes saws, cowbells and a Fisher-Price xylophone. Well-produced (by the band and Michael Phillip Wojewoda), BORN ON A PIRATE SHIP reached #12 in Canada, setting the stage for even greater success to come.