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

Disc One: All Their Greatest Hits (1991–2001) is a greatest hits compilation spanning Barenaked Ladies' first decade as a band; It contains a version of almost every single they had released to that point, along with two newly recorded tracks: "It's Only Me (The Wizard of Magicland)" and "Thanks That Was Fun", the latter of which was released as a single. Disc One was released in November 2001 to a warm commercial reaction (being certified gold in the United States). The title itself is a tongue-in-cheek reference to a line from the band's song "Box Set" off the album Gordon, which is about a box set release from a has-been band: "Disc One - it's where we've begun/It's all my greatest hits/And if you are a fan then you know that you've already got 'em." The album was released two months after the September 11 terror attacks, and is dedicated to the victims.

Album contents

The album compiles singles from the band's catalogue to that point, including two that had not been previously released on one of the band's studio albums: "Lovers in a Dangerous Time" (a cover of the Bruce Cockburn song from a 1991 Cockburn tribute album) and "Get in Line" (from the 1999 King of the Hill soundtrack). Several other singles have edits and alternate versions included, in place of their original album versions. Some of these versions had been previously released (such as the "Shoe Box" radio remix), while others had new mixes created. Initially the band was not sure if they would include both of their less popular singles - "Be My Yoko Ono" and "Alternative Girlfriend". They held a poll on their website and the result was a nearly 50/50 split. As a result, the band decided to include both songs, resulting in the album running over 73 minutes long. This may have contributed two 'new' versions used on the album. Though the radio mix of "The Old Apartment" was used, the instrumental intro was cut. Similarly, a new edit of "Pinch Me" was created using the radio edit's cropped intro, but leaving in the album version's guitar solo outro.

The album was touted as completely remastered, but as is the modern practice due to the loudness war (not employed to the same extent in the early 90's), all the tracks were mastered at a very high volume level, noticeably higher than any of the original recordings.

Two other tracks were recorded for this album, but omitted from the finished record: "I Don't Get It Anymore" (unreleased in a studio version) and "I Can, I Will, I Do" (held for the Shallow Hal soundtrack, but cut from it; re-recorded for Everything to Everyone, but cut from that album; re-recorded again for Barenaked Ladies Are Men).

Song releases

In line with the album's retrospective contents, the video for the single "Thanks That Was Fun" was a montage of all of the band's prior music videos (with singer's mouths altered to appear to be singing the new song). The band wanted to name the single "One Weaker", as a followup to the hit single "One Week", but management refused to allow it.

The album's other original song, "It's Only Me (The Wizard of Magicland)" was included on the soundtrack for the EA Sports video game NHL 2002, along with tracks from several other Canadian artists. In addition, the band members' names and faces were scanned into the game, and can be accessed by a creating custom players with their names.

During the band's Fall/Winter 2001 Greatest Hits Tour, both "Thanks That Was Fun" and "It's Only Me (The Wizard of Magicland)" were performed under the guise of a "new greatest hit", poking fun at the industry practice oxymoron of including several new songs as part of a greatest hits package.

Track listing

(Original studio album version unless otherwise noted)

1. "The Old Apartment" (Steven Page, Ed Robertson) – 3:22 (new edit of radio mix)
2. "Falling For The First Time" (Page, Robertson) – 3:39
3. "Brian Wilson" (Page) – 4:44 (Rock Spectacle live version)
4. "One Week" (Robertson) – 2:48
5. "Be My Yoko Ono" (Page, Robertson) – 2:44
6. "Alternative Girlfriend" (Stephen Duffy, Page) – 4:20
7. "It's Only Me (The Wizard of Magicland)" (Page, Robertson) – 2:34
8. "If I Had $1000000" (Page, Robertson) – 4:25
9. "Call and Answer" (Duffy, Page) – 5:48
10. "Get in Line" (Jim Creeggan, Page, Robertson) – 3:39
11. "It's All Been Done" (Page) – 3:26
12. "Jane" (Duffy, Page) – 4:04
13. "Lovers in a Dangerous Time" (Bruce Cockburn) – 4:05
14. "Pinch Me" (Page, Robertson) – 4:37 (radio edit without fadeout ending)
15. "Shoe Box" (Page, Robertson) – 3:09 (radio remix)
16. "What a Good Boy" (Page, Robertson) – 4:50 (Rock Spectacle live version)
17. "Too Little Too Late" (Page, Robertson) – 3:23
18. "Enid" (Page, Robertson) – 4:07
19. "Thanks That Was Fun" (Page, Robertson) – 3:39

Charts

Album

References