Difference between revisions of "Apollo 18"
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{{Album Info | {{Album Info | ||
| − | | Image = | + | | Image = Apollo18.png |
| Title = Apollo 18 | | Title = Apollo 18 | ||
| Artist = They Might Be Giants | | Artist = They Might Be Giants | ||
| Line 14: | Line 14: | ||
}} | }} | ||
'''''Apollo 18''''' is [[They Might Be Giants]]' fourth studio album, released in 1992. It was the band's second release with the major label [[Elektra|Elektra Records]]. | '''''Apollo 18''''' is [[They Might Be Giants]]' fourth studio album, released in 1992. It was the band's second release with the major label [[Elektra|Elektra Records]]. | ||
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| + | {{tocright}} | ||
=== Purchase === | === Purchase === | ||
{{Purchase Table Header}} | {{Purchase Table Header}} | ||
| − | {{ | + | {{Purchase TMBGShop|id=apollo-18-interstellar-black-white-180g-lp|format=Black & White Vinyl}} |
| − | {{ | + | {{Purchase TMBGShop|id=apollo-18-anniversary-picture-disk-vinyl|format=Picture Disc Vinyl}} |
| − | + | ||
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|} | |} | ||
=== Description === | === Description === | ||
| − | ====Background==== | + | ==== Background ==== |
| − | + | For the band's follow-up to the successful ''[[Flood]]'', [[Elektra]] approached {{wp|Elvis Costello}} to act as [[:Category:Producers|producer]]. John and John feared self-consciousness in the face of such an admired musician, and had assumed that ''Flood'''s accomplished fruition would serve as an indication that the band was mature enough to produce the album itself, as they had originally planned. This disagreement caused a rift between Elektra and the Johns, which took a while to heal. [[Flansburgh]], [[Linnell]], and [[Susan Drew]] of Elektra discuss this subject at length in bonus footage included on the ''[[Gigantic]]'' DVD. | |
| − | For the band's follow-up to the successful [[Flood]], [[Elektra]] approached {{wp|Elvis Costello}} to [[:Category:Producers| | + | |
| − | + | ''Apollo 18'' illustrates TMBG's first significant attempts at fleshing out the simpler sound employed on earlier albums. The album's accompanying tour, named the [[:Category:Don't Tread On The Cut-Up Snake World Tour (1992)|Don't Tread On The Cut-Up Snake World Tour]], was the band's first to use a live [[:Category:Backing Band Members|backing band]]. | |
| − | + | ||
| − | ''Apollo 18'' | + | |
| − | ==== | + | ==== Artwork ==== |
| − | Apollo 18 | + | [[File:Fate Magazine August 1958.jpg|thumb|''Fate'' magazine cover from August 1958, the source of Apollo 18's cover illustration.]] |
| + | The album's cover art, which depicts a giant squid locked in combat with a sperm whale in space, was sourced from an issue of the pulp science fiction magazine {{wp|Fate (magazine)|''Fate''}}. Art surrounding ''Apollo 18'' tended to have a space theme, and was designed by John Flansburgh under the pseudonym "[[Rolf Conant]]". While searching the NASA archives for graphics, John and John were approached by the NASA staff and selected as Musical Ambassadors for [[International Space Year]]. The logo for International Space Year is included on the back cover of the album. | ||
| − | + | The original Elektra Records atom-style logo from 1956 is used extensively throughout the record's packaging. | |
| − | + | ||
| − | [[ | + | ==== Fingertips ==== |
| − | [ | + | ''Apollo 18'' is an unusual album, mainly due to the "[[Fingertips]]" tracks: 21 short songs which average about 13 seconds in length. The liner notes state "The indexing of this disc is designed to complement the Shuffle Mode of modern CD players." This implies that the CD was designed for listening on shuffle—as you listen, the "Fingertips" tracks get interspersed among the songs of average length, creating a pleasant "musical collage". In most regions, "Fingertips" was properly divided into separate tracks for the CD; however, due to a mastering error at WEA, European and Japanese versions included the entire selection of "Fingertips" as one continuous track, a flaw which has continued to occur in more recent discs produced. |
| − | [[ | + | |
| − | }} | + | In the era of digital and streaming music, the unique nature of "Fingertips" has again proved problematic. According to Flansburgh{{ref|url=https://tmbgareok.tumblr.com/post/662948260935237632/i-just-tried-to-shuffle-apollo-18-on-spotify-for}}: |
| + | <blockquote>For some interval on iTunes, because of some entity involved not wanting to pay full publishing on all the individual tracks[, they] kept it [off] the site completely, and then they left the song off and finally a single song got posted. There were parallel issues with streaming sites for some time, but the single song seems to be the only working solution to whatever issues the short tracks kick up.<br><br> | ||
| + | Seems like miniature songs don't count as "songs" for some platforms — don't count as plays, don't trigger royalties. Can't say I fully understand but it is a workaround and seems kinda dumb, but then again I don't know what record [companies] or publishers feel about paying out on "skit" tracks on hip hop albums, which if counted as compositions could double the number of "delivered" tracks and "published" songs, which would be a very big financial liability for something that might not otherwise move the needle, or be respected in a contract.</blockquote> | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==== Sales and singles ==== | ||
| + | {{Chart Thumb|Align=right|Caption=A chart showing the historical performance of ''[[Apollo 18]]'' on the ''Billboard'' 200}} | ||
| + | ''Apollo 18'' debuted on the [[album Chart History|''Billboard'' 200 album chart]] the week of April 11, 1992; it spent 6 weeks on the chart, peaking at number 99. | ||
| + | |||
| + | The album generated three singles: ''[[The Statue Got Me High (EP)|The Statue Got Me High]]'', ''[[I Palindrome I (EP)|I Palindrome I]]'', and ''[[The Guitar (The Lion Sleeps Tonight) (EP)|The Guitar (The Lion Sleeps Tonight)]]''. "The Statue Got Me High" spent 8 weeks on the [[Singles Chart History|''Billboard'' Modern Rock Tracks Chart]], peaking at number 24. The other singles from the album failed to chart. [[Videos|Music videos]] were produced for "[[The Statue Got Me High]]" and "[[The Guitar]]", the former having a space theme consistent with the art surrounding the album, and the latter being the first TMBG music video [[Videos Directed By John Flansburgh|directed by John Flansburgh]]. | ||
| + | {{clr}} | ||
=== Track listing === | === Track listing === | ||
| − | {{ | + | [[File:Apollo 18 ad.png|thumb|UK magazine ad promoting the album]] |
| + | {{Track List Header}} | ||
{{Track|song=Dig My Grave|length=1:08}} | {{Track|song=Dig My Grave|length=1:08}} | ||
{{Track|song=I Palindrome I|length=2:22}} | {{Track|song=I Palindrome I|length=2:22}} | ||
| Line 66: | Line 73: | ||
{{Track|song=Hey Now Everybody}} | {{Track|song=Hey Now Everybody}} | ||
{{Track|song=Who's That Standing Out The Window?}} | {{Track|song=Who's That Standing Out The Window?}} | ||
| − | {{Track|song=I | + | {{Track|song=I Found A New Friend Underneath My Pillow}} |
{{Track|song=Come On And Wreck My Car}} | {{Track|song=Come On And Wreck My Car}} | ||
{{Track|song=Aren't You The Guy Who Hit Me In The Eye?}} | {{Track|song=Aren't You The Guy Who Hit Me In The Eye?}} | ||
| Line 83: | Line 90: | ||
{{Track|song=I Walk Along Darkened Corridors}} | {{Track|song=I Walk Along Darkened Corridors}} | ||
{{Track|song=Space Suit|length=1:36}} | {{Track|song=Space Suit|length=1:36}} | ||
| − | }} | + | {{Close Table|clr=yes}} |
| − | === Trivia | + | |
| − | * | + | === Trivia === |
| − | + | *''Apollo 18'' was released on [[vinyl]] in Europe in 1992, but not domestically, which made it the last TMBG album released on vinyl until ''[[The Else]]'' in [[2007]]. A vinyl reissue of the album was pressed in the US on [[Asbestos Records]] in [[2014]]. In late 2022, two vinyl variants of the album were released, one a picture disc with a zoetrope on the B-side, and the other a black-and-white swirl. | |
| − | *The [[Dial-A-Song]] number in the booklet is incorrect, stating the number as 718-963-6962. TMBG pointed this out to the audience at shows around this time. (The incorrect number was apparently for a warehouse.) | + | *The [[Dial-A-Song]] number in the booklet is incorrect, stating the number as 718-963-6962. TMBG pointed this out to the [[audience]] at shows around this time. (The incorrect number was apparently for a warehouse.) |
| + | *The original {{wp|Apollo program}} plan included lunar missions through Apollo 20, but further launches were cancelled after Apollo 17. Although the {{wp|Apollo–Soyuz Test Project}} is sometimes informally referred to as Apollo 18, the appellation remained officially unused. | ||
| + | *The photo on the back cover of the album's CD is an edited picture of astronaut {{wp|Alan Shepard}}. According to John Flansburgh, [[William Allen White]] was added "last minute" to the photo because Shepard would not allow the band to use his likeness.{{ref|url=https://www.instagram.com/p/CkZAdabuIPy/}} | ||
| − | ==== Information | + | ==== Information bulletins ==== |
{{Mailing List Nav}} | {{Mailing List Nav}} | ||
| − | The TMBG Online Information Bulletin run by Bo Orloff sent out five updates on the subject of this album: | + | The TMBG Online Information Bulletin run by [[Bo Orloff]] sent out five updates on the subject of this album: |
*[[Apollo 18/TMBG Online Information Bulletin 1.0|Bulletin 1.0 / February 1992]] - track listing and release schedule | *[[Apollo 18/TMBG Online Information Bulletin 1.0|Bulletin 1.0 / February 1992]] - track listing and release schedule | ||
*[[Apollo 18/TMBG Online Information Bulletin 1.1|Bulletin 1.1 / February 1992]] - press release | *[[Apollo 18/TMBG Online Information Bulletin 1.1|Bulletin 1.1 / February 1992]] - press release | ||
| Line 99: | Line 108: | ||
*[[Apollo 18/TMBG Online Information Bulletin 3.30.93|Bulletin 3.30.93 / March 30, 1993]] - Spring 93 Mini-Tour | *[[Apollo 18/TMBG Online Information Bulletin 3.30.93|Bulletin 3.30.93 / March 30, 1993]] - Spring 93 Mini-Tour | ||
| − | ===Image | + | ===Image gallery=== |
| + | ====CD==== | ||
| + | <div align="{{#ifeq:{{#skin:}}|monobook|left|center}}"><gallery perrow="5"> | ||
| + | File:A18CDback.png|Back cover artwork | ||
| + | File:Apollo 18 CD.png|Disc | ||
| + | File:Apollo 18 longbox.png|Longbox front | ||
| + | File:Apollo 18 longbox back.png|Longbox back | ||
| + | File:Apollo 18 CD hype sticker.png|Hype sticker | ||
| + | File:Apollo 18 CD Art Pg 1.png|Standard Jewel Case Liner Notes, Front | ||
| + | File:Apollo 18 CD Art Pg 2.png|Standard Jewel Case Liner Notes, Back | ||
| + | </gallery></div> | ||
====[[Vinyl]]==== | ====[[Vinyl]]==== | ||
| − | <div align="center"><gallery perrow= | + | <div align="{{#ifeq:{{#skin:}}|monobook|left|center}}"><gallery perrow="4"> |
File:A18lp.png|Front cover | File:A18lp.png|Front cover | ||
| − | File:A18vinylback.png|Back | + | File:A18vinylback.png|Back cover |
| − | File: | + | File:A18lyrics1.png|Lyric sheet (side 1) |
| − | File: | + | File:A18lyrics2.png|Lyric sheet (side 2) |
| − | File: | + | File:A18label.png|Side 1 label |
| + | File:apollo18picturedisc.png|Picture disc reissue front | ||
| + | File:apollo18picturediskback.png|Picture disc reissue back | ||
</gallery></div> | </gallery></div> | ||
| − | ==== | + | |
| − | <div align="center"><gallery perrow= | + | ====Cassette==== |
| − | File: | + | <div align="{{#ifeq:{{#skin:}}|monobook|left|center}}"><gallery perrow="4"> |
| − | + | File:A18cassette.png|Cassette cover | |
| − | File: | + | Apollo 18 Promo Cassette.jpg|Promo cassette |
| − | File: | + | </gallery></div> |
| − | File:Apollo 18 | + | |
| − | File:Apollo 18 | + | ====Promotional material==== |
| + | <div align="{{#ifeq:{{#skin:}}|monobook|left|center}}"><gallery perrow="4"> | ||
| + | File:Apollo 18 Poster.jpg|An [[Elektra]] poster promoting the album | ||
| + | File:Apollo 18 alt poster.png|A second poster | ||
| + | File:Apollo 18 flat.png|Back of a promotional flat | ||
| + | File:A18 postcard.png|Promotional postcard | ||
| + | File:A18 World Tour sticker.png|Sticker promoting the [[:Category:Don't Tread On The Cut-Up Snake World Tour (1992)|Don't Tread On The Cut-Up Snake World Tour]] | ||
| + | File:Apollo 18 ad 2.png|Magazine ad | ||
</gallery></div> | </gallery></div> | ||
Latest revision as of 18:59, 12 March 2025
 |
Studio album by They Might Be Giants | |||||
| First released | March 20, 1992 Release details / collectors: Show | Hide |
Tracks | 18 | Last album | Flood | |
| Label | Elektra <61257> | Length | 43:00 | Next album | John Henry | |
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Apollo 18 is They Might Be Giants' fourth studio album, released in 1992. It was the band's second release with the major label Elektra Records.
Purchase[edit]
Seller  |
Format | Price | Link |
| Black & White Vinyl | 
| ||
| Picture Disc Vinyl |
|
Description[edit]
Background[edit]
For the band's follow-up to the successful Flood, Elektra approached Elvis Costello to act as producer. John and John feared self-consciousness in the face of such an admired musician, and had assumed that Flood's accomplished fruition would serve as an indication that the band was mature enough to produce the album itself, as they had originally planned. This disagreement caused a rift between Elektra and the Johns, which took a while to heal. Flansburgh, Linnell, and Susan Drew of Elektra discuss this subject at length in bonus footage included on the Gigantic DVD.
Apollo 18 illustrates TMBG's first significant attempts at fleshing out the simpler sound employed on earlier albums. The album's accompanying tour, named the Don't Tread On The Cut-Up Snake World Tour, was the band's first to use a live backing band.
Artwork[edit]
The album's cover art, which depicts a giant squid locked in combat with a sperm whale in space, was sourced from an issue of the pulp science fiction magazine Fate. Art surrounding Apollo 18 tended to have a space theme, and was designed by John Flansburgh under the pseudonym "Rolf Conant". While searching the NASA archives for graphics, John and John were approached by the NASA staff and selected as Musical Ambassadors for International Space Year. The logo for International Space Year is included on the back cover of the album.
The original Elektra Records atom-style logo from 1956 is used extensively throughout the record's packaging.
Fingertips[edit]
Apollo 18 is an unusual album, mainly due to the "Fingertips" tracks: 21 short songs which average about 13 seconds in length. The liner notes state "The indexing of this disc is designed to complement the Shuffle Mode of modern CD players." This implies that the CD was designed for listening on shuffle—as you listen, the "Fingertips" tracks get interspersed among the songs of average length, creating a pleasant "musical collage". In most regions, "Fingertips" was properly divided into separate tracks for the CD; however, due to a mastering error at WEA, European and Japanese versions included the entire selection of "Fingertips" as one continuous track, a flaw which has continued to occur in more recent discs produced.
In the era of digital and streaming music, the unique nature of "Fingertips" has again proved problematic. According to Flansburgh[1]:
For some interval on iTunes, because of some entity involved not wanting to pay full publishing on all the individual tracks[, they] kept it [off] the site completely, and then they left the song off and finally a single song got posted. There were parallel issues with streaming sites for some time, but the single song seems to be the only working solution to whatever issues the short tracks kick up.
Seems like miniature songs don't count as "songs" for some platforms — don't count as plays, don't trigger royalties. Can't say I fully understand but it is a workaround and seems kinda dumb, but then again I don't know what record [companies] or publishers feel about paying out on "skit" tracks on hip hop albums, which if counted as compositions could double the number of "delivered" tracks and "published" songs, which would be a very big financial liability for something that might not otherwise move the needle, or be respected in a contract.
Sales and singles[edit]
Apollo 18 debuted on the Billboard 200 album chart the week of April 11, 1992; it spent 6 weeks on the chart, peaking at number 99.
The album generated three singles: The Statue Got Me High, I Palindrome I, and The Guitar (The Lion Sleeps Tonight). "The Statue Got Me High" spent 8 weeks on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks Chart, peaking at number 24. The other singles from the album failed to chart. Music videos were produced for "The Statue Got Me High" and "The Guitar", the former having a space theme consistent with the art surrounding the album, and the latter being the first TMBG music video directed by John Flansburgh.
Track listing[edit]
Trivia[edit]
- Apollo 18 was released on vinyl in Europe in 1992, but not domestically, which made it the last TMBG album released on vinyl until The Else in 2007. A vinyl reissue of the album was pressed in the US on Asbestos Records in 2014. In late 2022, two vinyl variants of the album were released, one a picture disc with a zoetrope on the B-side, and the other a black-and-white swirl.
- The Dial-A-Song number in the booklet is incorrect, stating the number as 718-963-6962. TMBG pointed this out to the audience at shows around this time. (The incorrect number was apparently for a warehouse.)
- The original Apollo program plan included lunar missions through Apollo 20, but further launches were cancelled after Apollo 17. Although the Apollo–Soyuz Test Project is sometimes informally referred to as Apollo 18, the appellation remained officially unused.
- The photo on the back cover of the album's CD is an edited picture of astronaut Alan Shepard. According to John Flansburgh, William Allen White was added "last minute" to the photo because Shepard would not allow the band to use his likeness.[2]
Information bulletins[edit]
Paper Archives
TMBG Info Club Mailings (1990-99) | Hello Recording Club Newsletters (1993-96)
Web Archives
The TMBG Online Information Bulletin run by Bo Orloff sent out five updates on the subject of this album:
- Bulletin 1.0 / February 1992 - track listing and release schedule
- Bulletin 1.1 / February 1992 - press release
- Bulletin 1.2 / February 1992 - band bio
- Bulletin 2.1 / May 1992 - live band tour launch
- Bulletin 3.30.93 / March 30, 1993 - Spring 93 Mini-Tour
Image gallery[edit]
CD[edit]
Back cover artwork
Disc
Longbox front
Longbox back
Hype sticker
Standard Jewel Case Liner Notes, Front
Standard Jewel Case Liner Notes, Back
Vinyl[edit]
Front cover
Back cover
Lyric sheet (side 1)
Lyric sheet (side 2)
Side 1 label
Picture disc reissue front
Picture disc reissue back
Cassette[edit]
Cassette cover
Promo cassette
Promotional material[edit]
An Elektra poster promoting the album
A second poster
Back of a promotional flat
Promotional postcard
Sticker promoting the Don't Tread On The Cut-Up Snake World Tour
Magazine ad
