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.
Flood is the third studio album by Brooklyn-based alternative rock duo They Might Be Giants,released in January 1990. Flood was the duo's first album on the major label Elektra Records. It generated three singles:"Birdhouse in Your Soul","Istanbul ",and the domestic promotional track "Twisting". The album is generally considered to be the band's definitive release,as it is their best-selling and most recognizable album. Despite minimal stylistic and instrumental differences from previous releases,Flood is distinguished by contributions from seasoned producers Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley. John Linnell and John Flansburgh also took advantage of new equipment and recording techniques,including unconventional,home-recorded samples,which were programmed through Casio FZ-1 synthesizers. The album was recorded in New York City at Skyline Studios,which was better equipped than studios the band had worked in previously.
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.
"Ana Ng" is a song by alternative rock band They Might Be Giants. It was released as the lead single from the band's 1988 album Lincoln. Although the song was their first US chart appearance,hitting number 11 on the US Modern Rock chart,the single was never officially released in the US. It was only released for promotional purposes in the US,and it saw official releases in 1989 in the United Kingdom,Australia,and later,in 1991,in Europe.
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.
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.
"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.
"Particle Man" is a song by alternative rock band They Might Be Giants,released and published in 1990. The song is the seventh track on the band's third album,Flood. It has become one of the band's most popular songs,despite never having been released as a single. John Linnell and John Flansburgh performed the song,backed by a metronome,for their 1990 Flood promotional video. Although it was released over a decade before the band began writing children's music,"Particle Man" is sometimes cited as a particularly youth-appropriate TMBG song,and a precursor to their first children's album,No!,which was not explicitly educational. The song is partially influenced by the theme of the 1967 Spider-Man TV series.
"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.
"The Statue Got Me High" is a song by American alternative rock band They Might Be Giants. The song was released as the lead single from the band's 1992 album,Apollo 18. The song reached number 24 on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart. The B-sides "I'm Def" and "Which Describes How You're Feeling" are both taken from the band's 1985 demo tape,which was recorded using low-quality equipment.
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.
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.
"Can't Keep Johnny Down" is a song by American alternative rock band They Might Be Giants. The song was released as a promotional single from the band's 2011 album,Join Us. Like all the artwork surrounding the Join Us album,the cover art and labels for the disc were designed by the Office of Paul Sahre.
"Put Your Hand Inside the Puppet Head" is a song by alternative rock band They Might Be Giants,from their eponymous debut album They Might Be Giants. It has also been released on several compilation albums,including Then:The Earlier Years and A User's Guide to They Might Be Giants.
"James K. Polk" is a song by alternative rock band They Might Be Giants,about the United States president of the same name. Originally released in 1990 as a B-side to the single "Istanbul ",its first appearance on a studio album was 1996's Factory Showroom. It also appeared on their compilation albums Dial-A-Song:20 Years of They Might Be Giants and A User's Guide to They Might Be Giants. The song is about James K. Polk,11th President of the United States,beginning with a description of the 1844 Democratic National Convention and going on to cover some of the highlights of Polk's presidency. Although the band set out to write a song consisting entirely of historical facts,it includes a few errors or misstatements.
"Snail Shell" is a song by American alternative rock band They Might Be Giants. It was released on August 15,1994 as the lead promotional single off of their fifth album,John Henry. It peaked at 19 on the Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart. This was a commercial disappointment for the band,as the song was perceived by the band as having the potential to be as successful as their breakthrough hit,Birdhouse in Your Soul. The day after the single's release,the group put out the E.P. Back to Skull,which features the song along with a version remixed by The Dust Brothers entitled "Snail Dust".
