Editing Barenaked Ladies (section)

===Early Canadian success (1991–1992)===
Their first commercial release was 1991's ''[[The Yellow Tape]]''. A demo tape created for [[South by Southwest]], it was the first recording with all five members<ref name="Barenaked Truth bonus" /> and was turned down by every Canadian record label.<ref name="Distinguished Artists" /> They sold copies off the stage; people began asking for the tape at local stores, and it was released commercially.<ref name="Distinguished Artists" /> Sales increased due to word of mouth and the band's live shows.<ref name="Behind the Music" /> Page's father, Victor, founded the independent label Page Publications to manufacture and distribute the cassette.<ref>{{cite book|last=Myers|first=Paul|title=Barenaked Ladies: Public Stunts, Private Stories|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yTRuJKlUoHcC&pg=PP1|date=October 2003|publisher=Simon and Schuster|isbn=978-0-7432-3835-9}}</ref>

The band received radio airplay with a live cover of [[Dean Friedman]]'s "McDonald's Girl", which included a rap break incorporating lyrics from the [[Beastie Boys]]' "[[Hey Ladies]]".<ref>"Goofiness is its own reward for boys from the 'burbs". ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'', August 10, 1991.</ref> Barenaked Ladies contributed a cover of [[Bruce Cockburn]]'s "[[Lovers in a Dangerous Time]]" to the Cockburn tribute album ''[[Kick at the Darkness]]'' in November 1991, and it was the band's first Top 40 hit in Canada.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.canada.com/cityguides/vancouver/story.html?id%3Db5392b2e-b0c7-4143-a013-4645a0600fc6%26k%3D24078 |title=Barenaked Ladies feel 'a bit of anxiety' |access-date=2007-11-17 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071206013841/http://www.canada.com/cityguides/vancouver/story.html?id=b5392b2e-b0c7-4143-a013-4645a0600fc6&k=24078 |archive-date=December 6, 2007 }}</ref>

[[File:TylerStewart2.jpg|thumb|alt=Tyler Stewart onstage, holding a microphone|Tyler Stewart in 2005]]
The band was removed from the lineup of the 1991 New Year's Eve concert in [[Nathan Phillips Square]] outside [[Toronto City Hall]] because a staffer for Mayor [[June Rowlands]] believed that its name objectified women,<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto-mayor-says-sorry-to-miss-universe-1.550549 | title=Toronto mayor says 'sorry' to Miss Universe | publisher=CBC News | date=July 20, 2005 | access-date=August 12, 2014 | archive-date=August 16, 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140816012719/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto-mayor-says-sorry-to-miss-universe-1.550549 | url-status=live }}</ref> a decision affirmed by city councillor [[Chris Korwin-Kuczynski]].<ref name=newrules>"Barenaked Ladies ban prompts new city rules". ''[[Toronto Star]]'', February 25, 1992.</ref> The group booked another show at [[McMaster University]].<ref name="Barenaked Truth bonus" /> By February 1992, ''The Yellow Tape'' outsold [[Michael Jackson]]'s ''[[Dangerous (Michael Jackson album)|Dangerous]]'', [[Genesis (band)|Genesis]]' ''[[We Can't Dance]]'', and [[U2]]'s ''[[Achtung Baby]]'' at some downtown Toronto record stores.<ref>"Ladies don't have record deal yet". ''[[Toronto Star]]'', February 7, 1992.</ref> [[MuchMusic]] offered the band its second ''[[Intimate and Interactive]]'' special on 17 January<ref>"Looking for a hit". ''[[Toronto Star]]'', February 1, 1992.</ref> and the tape was the first [[indie rock|indie]] release to go [[music recording certification|platinum]] in Canada, selling 100,000 copies.<ref name="Behind the Music" />

By the end of February, the [[Toronto City Council]] revised its rules for event bookings at Nathan Phillips Square.<ref name=newrules /> The City Hall story has followed the band, with Robertson crediting it to a slow news week.<ref name="Behind the Music" /><ref name="Barenaked Truth" /><ref name="Distinguished Artists" />