Gordon (album)
| Gordon | ||||||||||
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| Studio album by Barenaked Ladies | ||||||||||
| Released | July 28, 1992 | |||||||||
| Recorded | 1992 | |||||||||
| Studio | Le Studio, Morin Heights, Quebec | |||||||||
| Length | 59:15 | |||||||||
| Label | Reprise/Sire | |||||||||
| Producer | Michael Phillip Wojewoda | |||||||||
| Barenaked Ladies chronology | ||||||||||
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| Allmusic |
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Gordon is the debut studio album by Canadian band Barenaked Ladies. It was released through Sire Records on July 28, 1992. After 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. 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.
In 1991, after the gold certification of The Yellow Tape—an independently recorded and manufactured cassette—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." 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, who had influenced some of the Barenaked Ladies. The band selected 14 songs out of 20 candidates that they had written to record in the studio. "...they 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. 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.
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Wikipedia