TMBG Unlimited - December

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TMBG Unlimited - December tmbg compilation cover
TMBG Unlimited - December
Collection by They Might Be Giants
First released December 16, 2001
Release details / collectors: Show | Hide
Tracks 12 Last tmbg compilation TMBG Unlimited - November
Label They Might Be Records Length 26:15 Next tmbg compilation TMBG Unlimited - January 2002

Track listing[edit]

# Title Length  Lyrics Guitar Tab
1 Best Of Spin The Dial
Live October 21-31, 2001
8:34

 

2 Dan Hickey's Actual Drums 3:58

 

N/A
3 Red Red Intro / Drink! 2:56

 

N/A
4 Somnabulist Spy Improvisation
Live October 2001
3:01

 

N/A
5 Spin The Country Dial 2:28

 

N/A
6 Live Evil With Robin 2:32

 

N/A
7 Lines Upon A Tranquil Brow 1:48

 

8 The Biggest One (Live 1985) 1:28

 

N/A
9 Rhythm Section Want Ad (Live 1985) 2:57

 

N/A
10 Become A Robot (Live 1985) 1:21

 

N/A
11 Santa Claus 2:55

 

N/A
12 Feast Of Lights 2:35

 


Official description[edit]

Happy Holidays TMBG fans. As the Johns make their journey home from the "land down under," just in time for some egg nog by the Yule log, we bring you another exciting Giant offering. December's TMBG Unlimited has a little bit of something for everyone. Check back soon for more info from the Johns on this holiday recipe for merriment.

Happy holidays from They Might be Giants!
John Flansburgh here with our last original edition of Unlimited. This month dwells on some of the special improvised moments generated by our recent international touring. We have also included a track and an ecard from "They Might Be Giants In Holidayland" EP out now in finer record stores on CD, but available right here, right now for your hard drive pleasure via EMusic. Next months "farewell" edition will bring back some of our most notable archival tracks, so people who came in late can mop up some of the sweet stuff.

1. "The Best of Spin The Dial" Oct. 21-31 2001
Through the miracle of protools we've strung together some of the finer moment of this unique improvisational vehicle. The "Unreliable Narrator" is a pretty constant theme here. This track is long, but we assure you it's worth the wait.

2. "Dan Hickey's Actual Drums"
Here's the tour of twentieth century drumming direct from the drum kit of the very versatile and talented Dan Hickey. This comes out of the middle of "She's Actual Size" and it changes a bit every night, but we thought this was a good performance, and gives you an example of Dan's many strengths.

3. "Red Red Intro / Drink!"
One of the songs that has really come together in the live show is "Drink!" and this recording gives you a taste of it's mad flavah. The intro was generated from yet another spinning of the dial.

4. "Somnambulist Spy Improvisation" Live Oct. 2001
This is one of the trippier jams to come out of the Spy improvisations. The Dans and Linnell really shine in this psychotic journey thru the looking-glass of conducted jamming.

5 "Spin The Country Dial"
Another set of improvs, this time lingering on the country side of things.

6. "Live Evil" with "Robin "Goldie" Goldwasser Summer 2000
Recorded live last year with the Band of Dans, this song spotlights the startling talent of Miss Robin Goldwasser

7. "Lines Upon A Tranquil Brow"
This song is one of our earliest covers. The song was written by Walt Kelly, the cartoonist who created Pogo. This song is from the Pogo songbook "Songs of the Pogo". This recording comes from the EMusic ecard, so the fidelity is a little sketchy, but by popular request we are making it available here as an MP3.

From The Crypt
These recordings are from radio broadcasts from the early 90's and have lost their proper labels, but we liked 'em, and they were unusual titles that don't come up too often, so we thought we'd get 'em out to you now.

8. "I Am The Biggest One"
9. "Rhythm Section Want Ad"
10. "Become A Robot"

11. "Santa Claus"
This song was original recorded by the Sonics, one of the finest US "garage rock" combos from the '60s. I would recommend them to anyone who is interested in this kind of raw rock sound. Our version is a little stripped down, but the vocal is riffing on some of the originals nasty energy. Really an inspired piece of songwriting, with a manic chorus and unforgettable riff.

12. "Feast of Lights"
Here's a Chanukah song that was previously only available on the "Festival of Lights" compilation distributed by Windham Hill. It is also available now on our "They Might Be Giants in Holidayland" EP, but is yours to enjoy right now.