Pinch Me: Barenaked Ladies’ ‘Maroon’ Celebrates 20 Years with Expanded Vinyl

BNL Maroon 20
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After crossing over from Canadian cult act to international hitmakers through the ’90s, Barenaked Ladies entered a new decade with their fifth album Maroon in 2000. Next month, Rhino is expanding and reissuing the album, adding five rare tracks into the running order, pressing it on 180-gram, double (what else?) maroon-colored vinyl. The new pressing will be available in early 2021, while a digital version of the same set is now available to stream and download.

Maroon followed 1998’s Stunt, the band’s best-known album thanks to songs like the motormouthed smash “One Week” (which topped the Billboard Hot 100) and radio hit “It’s All Been Done.” Despite the success that followed, including Juno Awards for Best Group, Best Single and Best Pop Album, the era was bittersweet: keyboardist Kevin Hearn sat out most of the ensuing tour to battle leukemia. Once Hearn was in remission, the group reconvened with producer Don Was to record a follow-up.

Though songs like “Pinch Me,” “Too Little, Too Late” and “Falling For The First Time” weren’t as raucous as earlier works, they still possessed the smart, catchy melodies that made principal singer/songwriters Steven Page and Ed Robertson so respected in the Great White North. Ultimately, Maroon reached the pinnacle of the Canadian charts (their first to do so since debut album Gordon in 1992) and became their second Top 5 album in the U.S., again winning Best Group and Best Pop Album for their efforts.

The deluxe Maroon features three non-LP B-sides, a demo of “Falling For The First Time,” and the original version of the holiday original “Green Christmas,” as recorded for the 2000 live-action version of How The Grinch Stole Christmas. It’s presently only available to pre-order at the band’ s official store, but the digital version is available now at the links below.

Maroon: 20th Anniversary Edition (Reprise/Rhino, 2020)

Digital: iTunes / Spotify / Amazon

  1. Too Little Too Late
  2. Never Do Anything
  3. Pinch Me
  4. Go Home
  5. Falling For The First Time
  6. Conventioneers
  7. Sell Sell Sell
  8. The Humour Of The Situation
  9. Baby Seat
  10. Off The Hook
  11. Helicopters
  12. Tonight Is The Night I Fell Asleep At The Wheel
  13. Hidden Sun
  14. Powder Blue
  15. Inline Bowline
  16. Born Human
  17. Falling For The First Time (Demo)
  18. Green Christmas (Alternative Version)

Tracks 1-13 released as Reprise 9 47814-2, 2000
Track 14 from “Pinch Me” CD single – Reprise 9 16827-2, 2000
Track 15-16 from “Pinch Me” European CD single – Reprise 9362 44929-2, 2000
Track 17 previously unreleased
Track 18 from Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack – Interscope 069 490 765-2, 2000

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Mike Duquette
Mike Duquette

Mike Duquette (Founder) was fascinated with catalog music ever since he was a teenager. A 2009 graduate of Seton Hall University with a B.A. in journalism, Mike paired his profession with his passion through The Second Disc, one of the first sites to focus on all reissue labels great and small. His passion for reissues turned into a career, having written at and worked for all three major catalogue music labels and contributing to Allmusic, Billboard, Discogs, City Pages and Ultimate Classic Rock. He's penned liner notes for Verve, Chess, Mondo and Soul Music Records.

Born and raised in New Jersey, Mike lives in Astoria, Queens with his wife, a cat named Ravioli, twin daughters and a large yet tasteful collection of music.

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