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Barenaked Ladies -- Too Little, Too Late
Warner Bros. // Unrated // March 20, 2001
List Price: $9.99 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
I'm a Barenaked Ladies fan. I'm not ashamed to admit it despite the constant mocking by others, but I've been a die-hard fan of the Ladies since I first gave "Gordon" a spin in 1996. A concert a year later in a smallish club in Charleston remains the most energetic, spectacular live show I'd seen before or since. I was a little disappointed when their popularity skyrocketed the next summer with the release of "Stunt", in part because it was a fairly poor album, but mostly because I knew I'd never see them perform in a setting as intimate as a small, smoky club again. The band's fifth studio album "Maroon" still lacked the witty, intelligent lyrics of their earlier days, but they'd mastered the art of the pop hook. The first two singles from their latest, infectiously catchy album have been released on DVD courtesy of Warner/Reprise.
The video for Too Little, Too Late is a video about the filming of a video, though it diverges to filming a western and a slew of faux-vintage commercials. Maybe it's a statement about commercialism, a tongue-in-cheek response to those who have labeled Barenaked Ladies as sell-outs. I don't know, but it's a decent video, though frontman Steven Page seems to be trying too hard to be a rockstar. The band's other frontman, Ed Robertson, takes center stage in the fast-food themed video for Pinch Me. "Pinch Me" is fairly weak lyrically, and the cliché-packed video held little interest for me. It looked more like a Gap ad than a music video for a multi-platinum band.
Also included are a marginally shorter version of the Too Little, Too Late video and a mock-informercial promoting "Maroon" and starring keyboardist Kevin Hearn's cousin, actor Harland Williams.
Video: The two videos and the informercial are all presented full-frame. Both "Too Little, Too Late" and "Pinch Me" are visually spectacular, bursting with color. The image is flawless, with outstanding sharpness and detail. With as poorly as MuchMusic comes in with my digital cable package, it's nice to have such a great presentation of two videos by one of my favorite bands so easily accessible.
Audio: Though not remixed to Dolby Digital 5.1 as I was expecting, the stereo surround track is more than respectable, crisp and full with quite a bass kick. I didn't do an A-B comparison with the CD, but I was pleased with the audio, which unquestionably outclasses what MTV, VH1, or Much would broadcast.
Supplements: Considering that the DVD single is titled "Too Little, Too Late", I suppose the "Pinch Me" video, the mock-infomercial, and the alternate cut of the title track could all be considered extras. Including more than a single music video on a $10 disc should be expected, so I'll just consider the limited discography (which doesn't include any singles, EPs, or foreign releases) and the desktop backgrounds on the DVD-ROM portion of the disc to be the only real extras.
Conclusion: Though neither of the tracks on the DVD single represent what I consider to be what Barenaked Ladies is capable of, it's still nice to have the band's two most recent videos on DVD to watch whenever I get the urge. This disc would've been more appreciated if a comprehensive video compilation had already been released. With a singles compilation CD rumored for later this year and a video collection likely to hit stores alongside it, Barenaked Ladies' "Too Little, Too Late" DVD single is only recommended to the sort of die-hard fans who shudder at the thought of waiting another 7 or 8 months to see the band in their full MPEG-2-encoded glory. Recommended.
The video for Too Little, Too Late is a video about the filming of a video, though it diverges to filming a western and a slew of faux-vintage commercials. Maybe it's a statement about commercialism, a tongue-in-cheek response to those who have labeled Barenaked Ladies as sell-outs. I don't know, but it's a decent video, though frontman Steven Page seems to be trying too hard to be a rockstar. The band's other frontman, Ed Robertson, takes center stage in the fast-food themed video for Pinch Me. "Pinch Me" is fairly weak lyrically, and the cliché-packed video held little interest for me. It looked more like a Gap ad than a music video for a multi-platinum band.
Also included are a marginally shorter version of the Too Little, Too Late video and a mock-informercial promoting "Maroon" and starring keyboardist Kevin Hearn's cousin, actor Harland Williams.
Video: The two videos and the informercial are all presented full-frame. Both "Too Little, Too Late" and "Pinch Me" are visually spectacular, bursting with color. The image is flawless, with outstanding sharpness and detail. With as poorly as MuchMusic comes in with my digital cable package, it's nice to have such a great presentation of two videos by one of my favorite bands so easily accessible.
Audio: Though not remixed to Dolby Digital 5.1 as I was expecting, the stereo surround track is more than respectable, crisp and full with quite a bass kick. I didn't do an A-B comparison with the CD, but I was pleased with the audio, which unquestionably outclasses what MTV, VH1, or Much would broadcast.
Supplements: Considering that the DVD single is titled "Too Little, Too Late", I suppose the "Pinch Me" video, the mock-infomercial, and the alternate cut of the title track could all be considered extras. Including more than a single music video on a $10 disc should be expected, so I'll just consider the limited discography (which doesn't include any singles, EPs, or foreign releases) and the desktop backgrounds on the DVD-ROM portion of the disc to be the only real extras.
Conclusion: Though neither of the tracks on the DVD single represent what I consider to be what Barenaked Ladies is capable of, it's still nice to have the band's two most recent videos on DVD to watch whenever I get the urge. This disc would've been more appreciated if a comprehensive video compilation had already been released. With a singles compilation CD rumored for later this year and a video collection likely to hit stores alongside it, Barenaked Ladies' "Too Little, Too Late" DVD single is only recommended to the sort of die-hard fans who shudder at the thought of waiting another 7 or 8 months to see the band in their full MPEG-2-encoded glory. Recommended.
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