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A User's Guide To They Might Be Giants: Melody, Fidelity, Quantity

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A User's Guide to They Might Be Giants: Melody, Fidelity, Quantity TMBG compilation cover
A User's Guide to They Might Be Giants: Melody, Fidelity, Quantity
Collection by They Might Be Giants
First released May 3, 2005
Full Release details / Collectors: Show / Hide 		Tracks 29
Label Rhino <8122-79540-2> Length 70:33


Back cover artwork
CD
UK magazine ad promoting the compilation, featuring a plug for No!
UK promo back
Promo insert art

[edit] Purchase

Seller Format Price Purchase!
Amazon CD $11.98 Purchase!

[edit] Description

John Flansburgh on User's Guide (from the April 29, 2005 newsletter):

Rhino is releasing the single disc compilation A User's Guide To They Might Be Giants - kind of a simple reduction of Dial-A-Song - on May 3. It is a very interesting introduction to the band. If you were looking for a single disc to lay on the uninitiated, this might be the one. The liner notes, put together with our pal Barbara Glauber, are quite extensive. We've tried to compile all the songs and all the shows since the band's inception. Obviously this was a bit of a research nightmare (I'm not even sure if the show list includes in-stores!) but it is a very interesting object to look at, especially if you have good near-field vision.

The liner notes contain a listing of every show (as of the album's release) TMBG played since 1985; compiled by the band. Also included is a timeline of events notable to TMBG fans, such as the election of James K. Polk and when worms evolved. Not only that, but it includes a full list of songs that TMBG has ever recorded as of the compilation's release, a list of other musicians that have worked with TMBG, and a lot of other meaningless graphs and charts including the frequency of TMBG gigs held in places beginning with "new", and an incorrect list of presidents mentioned in their lyrics.

[edit] Track listing

# Title Length  Lyrics Downloads Guitar Tab
1 Minimum Wage 0:46 
2 Meet James Ensor 1:53 
3 Particle Man 1:58 
4 Don't Let's Start 2:36 
5 She's An Angel 2:36 
6 Cyclops Rock 2:42 
7 Istanbul (Not Constantinople) 2:35 
8 Purple Toupee 2:38 
9 James K. Polk 3:05  N/A N/A
10 Birdhouse In Your Soul 3:19 
11 Ana Ng 3:21 
12 The Guitar 3:51 
13 Bangs 3:14 
14 The Statue Got Me High 3:06 
15 New York City 3:04 
16 Doctor Worm 3:02 
17 Boss Of Me 2:59 
18 Your Racist Friend 2:55 
19 Why Does The Sun Shine? (The Sun Is A Mass Of Incandescent Gas) 2:54 
20 They'll Need A Crane 2:31 
21 I Palindrome I 2:21 
22 Put Your Hand Inside The Puppet Head 2:10 
23 John Lee Supertaster 2:00 
24 Older 1:54 
25 We're The Replacements 1:50 
26 Dr. Evil 1:51 
27 No! 1:29 
28 Clap Your Hands 1:22 
29 Spider 0:51  N/A

[edit] Trivia/Info

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