A User's Guide to They Might Be Giants: Melody, Fidelity, Quantity | ||||
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Compilation album by | ||||
Released | May 3, 2005 | |||
Genre | Alternative rock | |||
Length | 70:31 | |||
Label | Rhino Records | |||
Producer | Various | |||
They Might Be Giants chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [1] |
Pitchfork Media | (7.2/10) [2] |
A User's Guide to They Might Be Giants is a 2005 compilation album by the group They Might Be Giants.
In the April 29, 2005 "TMBG News" online newsletter, bandmember John Flansburgh describes the album as such:
Although Flansburgh referred to the album as a condensed version of Dial-A-Song: 20 Years Of They Might Be Giants, it includes two songs not on Dial-A-Song: "John Lee Supertaster" and "Clap Your Hands." Additionally, the album contains the original versions of both "Why Does the Sun Shine?" and "Don't Let's Start", as opposed to the live and single versions, respectively, found on Dial-A-Song.
All songs by They Might Be Giants unless otherwise noted
They Might Be Giants, often abbreviated as TMBG, is an American alternative rock band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years, Flansburgh and Linnell frequently performed as a musical duo, often accompanied by a drum machine. In the early 1990s, TMBG expanded to include a backing band. The duo's current backing band consists of Marty Beller, Dan Miller and Danny Weinkauf. They have been credited as vital in the creation and growth of the prolific DIY music scene in Brooklyn in the mid-1980s.
John Sidney Linnell is an American musician and one half of the Brooklyn-based alternative rock band They Might Be Giants with John Flansburgh, which was formed in 1982. In addition to singing and songwriting, he plays accordion, baritone and bass saxophone, clarinet, and keyboards for the group.
They Might Be Giants, sometimes called The Pink Album, is the debut studio album from Brooklyn-based band They Might Be Giants. It was released by Bar/None in 1986. The album generated two singles, "Don't Let's Start" and "(She Was A) Hotel Detective". It is included on Then: The Earlier Years, a compilation of the band's early material, in its entirety, with the exception of "Don't Let's Start", which is replaced with the single mix for the compilation.
Lincoln is the second studio album by the band They Might Be Giants. It was released by Bar/None in 1988. The album is named after John Linnell and John Flansburgh's boyhood home of Lincoln, Massachusetts. The album produced three singles—"Ana Ng", "They'll Need a Crane", and "Purple Toupee". It is included on Then: The Earlier Years, a compilation of the band's early material, in its entirety.
Apollo 18 is the fourth studio album by American alternative rock duo They Might Be Giants. It was released in 1992 through Elektra Records and was named after the cancelled Apollo 18 mission that was scheduled to have followed Apollo 17. The album was also associated with International Space Year, for which They Might Be Giants were declared the official "musical ambassadors" by NASA.
Then: The Earlier Years is a double album compilation by the band They Might Be Giants, released in 1997. Then contains the album Lincoln in its entirety, the albums They Might Be Giants and Miscellaneous T which are each missing one track, a few otherwise unreleased songs from their 1985 Demo Tape and other songs previously unreleased. The song missing from Miscellaneous T is "(She Was a) Hotel Detective " and the song missing from They Might Be Giants is the album version of "Don't Let's Start", as it was replaced in its appropriate place in the track listing by the single version of the same song from Miscellaneous T.
No! is the first children's album by alternative rock band They Might Be Giants, released in 2002 on Rounder Records and Idlewild Recordings.
Severe Tire Damage is a primarily live album by They Might Be Giants, released in 1998. It also features a few studio tracks, including a new single.
Dial-A-Song: 20 Years Of They Might Be Giants is a 2002 compilation album by American alternative rock band They Might Be Giants, issued by Rhino Records and compiled by the band's co-singer/songwriter and guitarist John Flansburgh. Despite its name, the compilation does not include tracks from the band's "Dial-A-Song" service. It is instead an anthology of various single, album and live tracks from the band's history, spanning their full career up to the time of its release. It includes tracks from every album starting with 1986's They Might Be Giants up through No!, their first children's album, which was released only three months before this compilation.
Miscellaneous T is a B-side and remix compilation album released by the alternative rock band They Might Be Giants in 1991. It is a US re-release of Don't Let's Start, with different cover art, track order, and the additional song "Hello Radio".
Live!! New York City 10/14/94 is a 1994 live album by They Might Be Giants which reproduced a concert given by the band on October 14 of the same year.
"Birdhouse in Your Soul" is a song by American alternative rock band They Might Be Giants. It was released in early 1990 through Elektra Records as the lead single from the album Flood, making the single the band's first release on a major label. "Birdhouse in Your Soul" is the band's highest-charting single in both the US and the UK, and is one of their best-known songs.
"(She Was A) Hotel Detective" is a song and single by alternative rock band They Might Be Giants. It was released as a single on May 5, 1988, two years after the release of They Might Be Giants, the album on which it originally appeared. The "Hotel Detective" title has become a somewhat recurring theme for the band.
"S-E-X-X-Y" is a single released in 1996 by musical group They Might Be Giants, alongside their sixth album, Factory Showroom. It was the lead single from Factory Showroom.
"The Guitar (The Lion Sleeps Tonight)" is a song and single by alternative rock band They Might Be Giants, released in 1992. The track is one of three singles from Apollo 18. The song has also appeared on several compilation albums, including Dial-A-Song: 20 Years Of They Might Be Giants and A User's Guide to They Might Be Giants.
Why Does the Sun Shine? is an EP by the alternative rock band They Might Be Giants, released in 1993. It is notable for being the band's first release with a full-band line-up, rather than only the two original members performing. It was also released as a single on 7-inch vinyl.
Best of the Early Years is a compilation album released by They Might Be Giants on November 29, 1999. It is a truncated version of Then: The Earlier Years, including 10 of the seventy-two featured on Then. It was released at the same time as Live, which itself was a condensed version of TMBG's live album Severe Tire Damage.
Don't Let's Start is a 1989 b-side and remix compilation album by the alternative rock band They Might Be Giants. It was only available in the UK and West Germany, and can be seen as the predecessor to Miscellaneous T, which includes all of the tracks from this release and an additional track, "Hello Radio". The tracks on here mostly originate as b-sides from various EPs released such as Don't Let's Start and (She Was A) Hotel Detective
Direct from Brooklyn is a compilation of music videos by American alternative rock group They Might Be Giants. It was released on VHS in 1999 and DVD in 2003. The title refers to the home of John Linnell and John Flansburgh, founding members of the band. Many of the music videos were filmed in Brooklyn and other parts of New York City.
Carmen Sandiego: Out of This World is a tie-in album to the children's television game show Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? Five of its ten songs, as well as the spoken track "A Brief Disclaimer," were performed by the show's host, Greg Lee. Lynne Thigpen, who co-starred on the show as The Chief, also contributed a song, as did the show's house band, Rockapella. Unlike its predecessor, it was marketed to both children and adults, owing to the inclusion of rock bands XTC and They Might Be Giants.