Track Listing

1. Brian Wilson
2. Straw Hat and Old Dirty Hank
3. Break Your Heart
4. Jane
5. When I Fall
6. Hello City
7. What a Good Boy
8. Old Apartment
9. Life, in a Nutshell
10. These Apples
11. If I Had $1,000,000

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #55116 in Music
• Released on: 1996-11-19
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Enhanced, Live
• Dimensions: .21 pounds

Amazon.com
The band's goofy charm and sure-footed melodic sense is in full flower here, and the singalongs on "Brian Wilson" and "If I Had $1000000" are proof of the bond between band and audience. A hidden rap tribute to Ed Robertson's "Uncle Elwyn" is vintage Bill Cosby. --Jeff Bateman

Customer Reviews

Barenaked Ladies doing what they do best!
Barenaked Ladies is an excellent band. It especially shows during their live performances. Wow. So much life and energy and enjoyment that you can't help but dance around. Therefore, if I could I would give this CD a much higher rating than 5 stars because it captures the essence that is BNL during these live performances. If you're wondering whether you should buy this album, just do it. You will not be disappointed, as it is somewhat of a "greatest hits" album as well. Although I consider all the Barenaked Ladies songs to be wonderful, this is an excellent compilation of live material. Plus, the multimedia on the disc is worth the price alone. Classic.

Welcome to the Bryan Street Theater...
If you've only heard Canada's Barenaked Ladies as a result of the more radio friendly hits "One Week" and "Pinch Me," you probably only know them as a bunch of somewhat goofy guys who seem to specialize in pop cultural jokes. Of course, as any Barenaked Ladies fan knows, this is only about 25% of the story. 30% at the most! In fact, the Barenaked Ladies are extremely talented musicians whose songs -- while often humorous -- are also infused with an exhilirating mix of the two lead singer's differing styles of humor (i.e., Steven Page's morbidly cynical worldview balanced with Ed Robertson's goofy sense of fun). No where is this more obvious than in their legendary live shows where, without the technical polish of the recording studio and with the freedom to be totally and completely spontaneous, the Barenaked Ladies often prove themselves to be one of the greatest "garage" bands of all time. That is why it is indeed wonderful to have an oppurtunity to hear their live CD "Rock Spectacle," which I think ranks as, probably, their best release to this date. Along with their more familiar hits (Brian Wilson and If I Had a Million Dollars -- both of which have never sounded better), Rock Spectacle features some of their just-as-good, lesser-known songs like Jane, the jaunty Hello City, When I Fall (which features Page at his best), and my personal favorite -- The Old Apartment (a song which represents the ultimate combination of Page and Robertson's differing styles.) As well, the CD ends with three extra tracks which features a few random bits of stage banter between the band and their audience as well as an impromptu song called "Uncle Elwyn" which shows the strong bond between the Ladies and their audience (a bond that is another invaluable component to any BnL concert). This is, without a doubt, an amazing CD and it'll stand as the ultimate proof that BnL is one of the best bands playing today.

It's raining macaroni!
"The bare naked what?" my parents said the first time I mentioned the band. The BNL consists of Tyler Stewart, Steven Page, Ed Robertson, Jim Creggan and Kevin Hearn.

In a field of one-hit-wonder alternative bands, the Barenaked Ladies have a unique acoustic style in concert which isn't as apparent in hearing their radio hits.

The Rock spectacle is a LIVE cd consisting of BNL's best-loved classics. If you're a new BNL fan, THIS is the CD with which to start your journey.

Everyone loves "Brian Wilson" and "If I had a million dollars"- which brings raining macaroni from concert-goers when it's done live. But other classics are the tender "Break your Heart" and "Jane", and the creative "Farmer" and Hello City."

"Uncle Elwyn", a spontaneous rap, shows you how BNL loosens up and shows their well-known creativity in concert.

This album is a classic you'll play again and again.