1983 Demo Tape

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1983 Demo Tape
Demo tape by They Might Be Giants
First released 1983
Release details / collectors: Show | Hide
Tracks 5 (known)
Label Unknown, likely none Length 10:18 (known tracks) Next demo tape 1984 Promotional Demo Tape

Little is known about the 1983 Demo Tape. Its existence was confirmed by They Might Be Giants in 2008 via Podcast 32A, which included five demo recordings. Aside from "Now That I Have Everything" (Then: The Earlier Years) and "Sally Boy Candy Bar" (TMBG Unlimited), the first five recordings below were officially released for the first time on Podcast 32A.

The band has also mentioned other recordings over the years as being from their first demo, which may be the same tape. Those tracks include "Cowtown" (mentioned in Podcast 46) and "Cabbagetown" (mentioned on Dial-A-Song).

Neither the correct track order nor the true number of songs are known.

Released in Podcast 32A[edit]

# Title Length  Lyrics Guitar Tab
1 Now That I Have Everything 2:20

 

2 Weep Day (Demo) 1:50

 

N/A
3 Sally Boy Candy Bar 2:28

 

4 Hell Hotel (1983 Demo) 2:01

 

N/A
5 I'll Remember 3rd Street 1:39

 

N/A

  • Note: "Now That I Have Everything" is the only song for which the correct track number is known, as the band has referred to it as the "first song on their first demo."

Potential tracks[edit]

# Title Length  Lyrics Guitar Tab
6 Cowtown (Original Demo) 2:23

 

N/A
7 Cabbagetown (Demo) 2:22

 

N/A

Trivia/Info[edit]

  • This demo tape was likely created for promotional purposes, and distributed to clubs in order to book shows. It is rumored that Hilly Krystal of CBGB may have owned a copy of this, or a similar tape.
  • "I'll Remember 3rd Street" was an early title of "Space Suit," which was rerecorded nearly a decade later for Apollo 18.
  • A flyer from the 1980s announced a 10-song cassette available for $1.50. It's unknown if this cassette is the same demo tape as that featured in Podcast 32A. The advertisement uses an image also found on a 1983 show poster, and the given street address roughly dates it to around 1983. This flyer was reproduced and sold on the band's online store in 2012.