Talk:They Might Be Giants (Album)

Boat of Car ≠ Filler. Can I get an amen? --Benthorot 23:33, 21 Apr 2006 (CDT)

Amen! -Ganna

Amen Again! --Kris Wright 05:34, 7 June 2007 (UTC)

don't forget 32 footsteps! 32 footsteps is awesome too! --Antgeth 03:04, 31 October 2007 (UTC)

Who gave that review? It looks like the fans just threw it together without an attribution. VolatileChemical 16:59, 14 Jun 2006 (MDT)

I love the album art for this one... I always thought that the little house inside the aquarium looks just like the house from the Simpsons. Jade

Oh yes, the cover art is like, my favourite thing about it...next to the music. I also only just saw the back cover art. The little pictures of the Johns! --Sparkling_Omelets

Pictures, multiple? Not sure what you mean, but are you talking about on the dog? Cos yeh, that's pretty much the best thing ever. Hence it being what I'm getting tattooed next month. :D --Self Called Nowhere 01:20, 17 May 2010 (UTC)

Well, it's two Johns, so two pictures, no? I am infinitely amused by your desire to have John Linnell's unibrow etched into your skin. Why is chrome putting a red line under unibrow? -Apollo. 01:25, 17 May 2010 (UTC)

It's still one picture! Multiple things can be in one picture! Anyway, haha, it's not like he's just got a unibrow, it's one of those >:( kind of things. Because he is a cranky cranky man. --Self Called Nowhere 01:28, 17 May 2010 (UTC)

I don't really think it matters all that much. It's more of a >:{ face. Also, I think it's silly that he has a 12-bass accordion (though it looks more like 14-bass) which is totally pathetic! Haha. Yeah. I totally don't have a 12-bass. -Apollo. 01:36, 17 May 2010 (UTC)

Haha well if there were more bass keys the tattoo people would probably be all "OH NOES MORE DETAIL WE MUST MAKE IT EVEN BIGGER AND CHARGE YOU EVEN MORE MONEY." (They're already wanting it to be bigger than I expected.) And YES, if he did not have good hair I would sooooooooo not be able to do it. --Self Called Nowhere 01:46, 17 May 2010 (UTC)

Oh, yeah, because little dots are really tough. At least the corresponding number of piano-keys is right. You should just get a tattoo of just his hair. Like, from the Birdhouse video or something. And if you ever see him with the pompadour hair you can just hold your arm over his forehead. -Apollo. 01:55, 17 May 2010 (UTC)

Haha I know they're not complicated but seriously, these people. They're being all "We have to make it like 5 times bigger than you thought cos it's sooooooooo detailed and complicated" and I'm like "I didn't think it was that complicated..." Anyway, it's fine that there aren't enough bass keys cos it's not like he knows how to use them at all anyway, HA. Oh man, tattoo of just his hair would be pretty amazing, actually. Although I would probably have to do, like, multiple ones that way...the Birdhouse vid is the best of course but there are so many other good phases of John hair! So many! --Self Called Nowhere 02:20, 17 May 2010 (UTC)

I recently saw a new copy of this album at a local record store with a rykodisc green-tinted case. this made the other side of the back artwork visible, but it was just blank. just a weird little thing, is all... --Ehsteve14 04:08, 13 April 2007 (UTC)

Just got a vinyl copy of this... mint condition, baby! Anyone know where to get Lincoln and Flood in vinyl except for ebay? --Yamfox 8:11 pm, 15 February 2008 (My Time)

I think maybe sometimes you can get vinyl of the pink album at TMBG's store. http://tmbg-catalog.stores.yahoo.net/a1.html --Valerie 05:48, 16 February 2008 (UTC)

I've heard that the first edition of the CD version included a photo of John and John on the back cover sleeve -- anyone seen that/have a scan? - TODCRA 23:25, 17 October 2008 (UTC)

if by first edition you mean the ESD pressing, you'd have to ask Mr. CaptialQ. if i recall correctly he has said that it is essentially the same as the bar/none release apart from the logos --ant 23:45, 17 October 2008 (UTC)

I made a two-song mashup of the entire Pink Album. All tracks on the Pink Album are represented by at least one sample in one or both of the mashups. They can be found at [1] and [2]. HearingAid 00:49, 31 July 2011 (EDT)

Re-Release

Does anyone know if the re-release is distinguishable from the original release? Does the re-release not have the lyric insert? Also, perhaps something with the barcode on the back...If anyone has both of them, let me know. Thanks.

I have what I assume to be the re-release, and it doesn't have a lyrics insert. Other than that it looks identical to the scans on here, from what I can tell. --Valerie 20:09, 5 February 2010 (UTC)

AUS Rerelease

Can someone please add the bonus tracks listing from the new Australian rerelease like the page for Lincoln has?

Top Ten Songs

Based on the average ratings given by users, these are the current top ten songs off this album.

10: 32 Footsteps

9: Youth Culture Killed My Dog

8: Absolutely Bill's Mood

7: Hide Away Folk Family

6: Everything Right Is Wrong Again

5: Nothing's Gonna Change My Clothes

4: Put Your Hand Inside The Puppet Head

3: Rhythm Section Want Ad

2: She's An Angel

1: Don't Let's Start (No surprise there)

The average score is 8.2

I thought this would help new fans know what some of the most popular songs are.--MidoFS (talk) 14:56, 22 March 2017 (EDT)

Hello my friend! I did something like this a while ago when I scientifically calculated the best and worst TMBG albums based on rankings. Of course, Why? and My Murdered Remains had some songs that weren't on there, so I did not include them. Scientifically speaking, this album is the 12th best. The average rank that a song stands at on the rankings board is 381 out of 910. (I love useless information)--You&Me!! (talk) 13:13, 21 May 2021 (EDT)

My ratings

Welcome to You&Me!! rates albums, where my bad opinions are expressed to whatever 3 people give a damn about what I write! (aka I'm dumb and have gotten called out multiple times on the wiki because I'm dumb! Sorry to CapitalQ (I think it was capital q?) for making you do that. --You&Me!! (talk) 10:51, 21 May 2021 (EDT)

1. Don't Let's Start- Ok at least this one is obvious. One of John Linnell's best works.
2. Put Your Hand Inside The Puppet Head- Probably my older sister's favorite song off the album. It's amazing.
3. Rhythm Section Want Ad- JL's accordion near the middle is SO GOOD. I wish I knew how to play the accordion.
4. Everything Right Is Wrong Again- The slow section could use some work, but otherwise, spectacular.
5. Absolutely Bill's Mood- Underrated song about being trapped. Might have to interpret this at some point.
6. Nothing's Gonna Change My Clothes- My only complaint is Linnell's incoherent screaming.
7. I Hope That I Get Old Before I Die- No, the original 1985 Demo version is NOT the better version. This song is what Youth Culture Killed My Dog WANTS to be.
8. She's An Angel- Generally speaking, the most overrated TMBG song. Sure, it's a great song, but does it REALLY deserve to be above such songs like Erase, You're On Fire, When Will You Die, Doctor Worm, and The Communists Have The Music? Hell no!
9. 32 Footsteps- Good song. I don't have much to say about it.
10. Number Three- Not enough people like this song. Why isn't THIS considered a TMBG classic like Kiss Me Son Of God or She's An Angel?
11. Hide Away Folk Family- It's very weird, but in a good way. I like the flute.
12. She Was A Hotel Detective- For the sake of me not being a prick, I'm pretending that the version on the album is the single version, because the single version is better.
13. Rabid Child- Don't you just love when TMBG songs are about YOU?
14. Youth Culture Killed My Dog- I'm not the biggest fan of this song, as you can see, I put Rabid Child above it, but I like the concept behind it.
15. Boat Of Car- This is not a TMBG song. You cannot convince me it is one. There's a special love I have for it for that reason and that reason only.
16. Chess Piece Face- Much like Boat of Car, there's a weird love I have for the song due to it not sounding like a TMBG song.
17. Alienation's For The Rich- Weird song, Flansy's accent is weird, but I like Linnell's accordion part, so I can tolerate it.
18. The Day- May have to edit the Gender Issues page for this one. Did no one know that Marvin Gaye and Phil Ochs, you know, are both men? Whatever. Still not a very good song.
19. Toddler Hiway- Who is surprised? This song is legitimately the bane of my existence!

goal by the end of the year

Make an instrumental parody album of this entire album with the following track names:

1. Things That Were Wrong Are Not Right
2. Stick Yourself Inside The Whale Mouth
3. Another Song I Wrote
4. Let’s Just Start
5. Come Out Country Clan
6. A Number Of Steps
7. Ride Your Bike Down The Freeway
8. Kind Children
9. Someone’s Gonna Wash My Shirt
10. I Think She’s An Auberge Agent
11. This Guy’s The Devil
12. Moral Views Hurt My Hound
13. Your Car Is A Boat
14. Positively My Thoughts
15. Checker Looking Fella
16. I Want To Pass Away As A Grandfather
17. Saving Money’s For The Poor
18. Tomorrow, They Marry
19. We Want The Beat

--You&Me!! (talk) 11:32, 25 October 2021 (EDT)

ESD Releases

I recently picked up a copy of the ESD pressing online. It was shipped from somewhere in the US, but it has "Made In Australia by Disctronics" on it. According to this Discogs page, that's actually an Australian ESD release with US inserts, and this is the US release, lacking the Disctronics note on the CD. I'm just wondering if there's any way to know for certain if this is a US release or if it's actually an Australian release since it shipped from the states? I guess it's possible that it's an Australian import but that seems a bit unlikely... thedarkcave215 (talk) 20:14, 3 April 2022 (EDT)

we have it marked as an oz release here, but i do have my suspicions that it was manufactured there for release here. however, i have seen a handful of copies of it for sale down there, and also, the pacific ocean is a hell of a long way to ship things, so it's hard to say. it's possible some were sold in both places. would love to get to the bottom of it someday. -- 20:27, 3 April 2022 (EDT)

Yeah, it's quite mysterious... thedarkcave215 (talk) 21:45, 3 April 2022 (EDT)

More info on the design

Hey! I emailed Rodney Greenblat out of curiosity, asking about the design of the cover. He responded: "It’s weird but I have very little memory of the TMBG cover project. I only knew of them as a fun local band (East Village NYC) and had no idea they would break through. At the time I was making a lot of gallery art and was very busy. My inspiration was from Dr. Seuss." If anyone wants to add this in where fit, please do!!! Big Big Whoredom (talk) 18:27, 8 November 2024 (EST)