Shakespeare My Butt

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Shakespeare My Butt... is a 1991 album by The Lowest of the Low.

At the time of its release, the album briefly became the best-selling independent release in Canadian history, although it was eclipsed later the same year by Barenaked Ladies' The Yellow Tape. However, its melodic, jangly folk-punk has made it an enduring classic of Canadian music. In Chart's three Best Canadian Albums of All Time polls, Shakespeare My Butt... is one of six albums to have ranked in the top ten all three times. John K. Samson of The Weakerthans wrote the album's blurb in the 2005 poll, citing it as a major influence on his own music.

The album was also ranked 84th in Bob Mersereau's 2007 book The Top 100 Canadian Albums.

British author John Donoghue's 2004 book Shakespeare My Butt!, a humorous travel memoir of quirky destinations in Great Britain, also took its name from the album; Donoghue acknowledges the band's influence in the book, and the cover features a blindfolded image of William Shakespeare in homage to the blindfolded band photo on the album cover.

The album was remastered and re-released in 2010 on Pheromone Recordings, with an accompanying short film DVD "LowRoads" produced by the band's drummer, David Alexander.

Track listing

All songs written by Ron Hawkins, except where noted.

1. "4 O'Clock Stop" – 3:28
2. "So Long Bernie" – 3:55
3. "Just About 'The Only' Blues" – 4:29
4. "Salesmen, Cheats and Liars" – 3:28
5. "Rosy and Grey" – 5:03
6. "Kinda the Lonely One" – 2:51
7. "Eternal Fatalist" – 3:28
8. "For the Hand of Magdalena" – 3:35
9. "Subversives" – 3:14
10. "Bleed a Little While Tonight" – 5:17
11. "Bloodline" (Stephen Stanley) – 3:43
12. "St. Brendan's Way" – 4:10
13. "Letter from Bilbao" – 2:08
14. "Under the Carlaw Bridge" – 4:11
15. "The Taming of Carolyn" – 4:16
16. "Gossip Talkin' Blues" – 3:25
17. "Henry Needs a New Pair of Shoes" – 3:44

Cassette Tape (Canada)

1. "4 O'Clock Stop" – 3:28
2. "So Long Bernie" – 3:55
3. "Just About 'The Only' Blues" – 4:29
4. "Salesmen, Cheats and Liars" – 3:28
5. "The Taming of Carolyn" – 4:16
6. "Eternal Fatalist" – 3:28
7. "For the Hand of Magdalena" – 3:35
8. "Subversives" – 3:14
9. "Bleed a Little While Tonight" – 5:17
10. "Bloodline" – 3:43
11. "St. Brendan's Way" – 4:10
12. "Under the Carlaw Bridge" – 4:11
13. "Rosy and Grey" – 5:03
14. "Gossip Talkin' Blues" – 3:25
15. "Henry Needs a New Pair of Shoes" – 3:44

References