They Might Be Giants: Rating the Albums
Submitted by ash_campbell on Fri, 08/29/2003 - 09:58
Tags:
- 1. Flood (1990)
- Their most cohesive work by far, each song adds into the overall effect of playful rock & roll that has largely been unmatched. Istanbul (Not Constantinople) is their best cover work and a major hit, but other songs, like Particle Man, the hilarious Minimum Wage and the mainstream Birdhouse in Your Soul will keep this a college fave for decades.
- 2. Apollo 18 (1992)
- The Guitar, with its clever play on The Lion Sleeps Tonight may be the highlight here, but the repository of songs that never came to fruition (endearingly called Fingertips) is an amazing look into their creative process.
- 3. They Might Be Giants (1986)
- The first album is really quite polished; Number Three shows that they don’t take themselves seriously, She’s an Angel shows they have real musical talent, and the hysterical Alienation’s for the Rich is a classic.
- 4. John Henry (1994)
- There may be a few too many songs on this album, but the strength of individual tracks like Sleeping in the Flowers, Dirt Bike, and the mellow ending song The End of the Tour still make this an above average disc.
- 5. Lincoln (1989)
- Solid output with the great Kiss Me, Son of God, this one lacks a lot of the depth that the others have, but is still pleasant in its own right.
- 6. Miscellaneous T (1992)
- A group of B-sides from a band most would consider to be B-sides, this has a few real winners (For Science, When It Rains It Snows), but also has some lesser quality tracks, like Hello Radio and Mr. Klaw.
- 7. Long Tall Weekend (1999)
- Their internet only release, this is hit or miss, with highlights being Samurai and Operators Are Standing By.
- 8. Factory Showroom (1996)
- Their weakest release (S-E-X-X-Y and XTC Vs. Adam Ant are both stupid), this just feels like they put it out to put it out. I do like James K. Polk though.
- N/A Mink Car (2001)
- Haven’t heard it.
- N/A No! (2002)
- I’ve heard that this is pretty amazing stuff. I’d like to get my hands on it.
Author Comments:
They Might Be Giants, otherwise known as the two Johns (Flansburgh and Linnell) are an irreverent, funny band with a great sense for rock & roll. A college favorite, they’ve hit mainstream consciousness with Birdhouse in Your Soul, but seem content just to make and play music for those who care to listen. This is how the albums rate.
Nice list, and one in my area of expertise! In case you're wondering, my ranking of the 8 would be:
1. John Henry
2. Lincoln
3. Flood
4. Apollo 18
5. They Might Be Giants
6. Factory Showroom
7. Miscellaneous T
8. Long Tall Weekend
Which isn't too far off from your list. The major difference is my love of John Henry. I don't think 20 songs is too many (c'mon, Flood has 19), and I think all of them except "Stomp Box" work. I love a good deal of the songs on the album as well, especially "End of the Tour", which might be my favorite TMBG song.
Oh, and if you hear "Mink Car", I think it'd rank towards the bottom of this list. It could use some editing of tracks like "Mr. Xcitement" and "Wicked Little Critta."
Have you heard the kids' album? I think this would be right up their alley...
Well, it's a kids' album. It's very good for a kids' album, but I don't think adults would get much out of it. It's not exactly like one of those Pixar movies with jokes for both kids and adults.