TMBG Unlimited

Artist: They Might Be Giants
Released: 2001, 2002
Label: emusic.com

TMBG Unlimited is a collection of mp3-only albums that were available to subscribers of emusic.com's TMBG Unlimited service. It's all over now, and the files are no longer legally available. You can still hear a good number of them on TMBG Clock Radio and http://www.dialasong.com, though.

Track listing

Please note that track listings of releases from eMusic's TMBG Unlimited service were subject to change without notice, so there may be more than one version of any given release. - tmbg.org

January 2001

February 2001

March 2001

Theme From Unlimited
Clowntown
Monsters Of Mud
Violin
Lazyhead And Sleepybones
Clap Your Hands
O, Do Not Forsake Me (Richard Reagan Version)
When It Rains It Snows (live Frank O'Toole Version)

The Flood Show

April 2001

May 2001

The Ritz Show

June 2001

July 2001

Frankenstein (Live NYC 1994)
The Joker (Live NYC 1994)
Yellow Submarine (Live Chicago 1992)
Hi Honey I'm Home
Concrete And Clay
Mr. Me (Demo)
Outboard Part Of Man
Somebody's Body
Hope That I Get Old Before I Die / Cage And Aquarium Medley (Live 1993)
Ant (Demo)
Kings Of The Cave
1999 / Cowtown Medley
The Big Big Whoredom (Live Demo)
Sally Boy Candy Bar
Happy
Indiana Wants Me
Alienation's For The Rich (Demo)
7-11

August 2001

September 2001

October 2001

Disappointing Show - The Disappointers
Cut The Strings - Demchuk
Blind - Demchuk
Something You'd Like To See - Little Lisa Whitman
Kids Are Different Now - Spool 409
WMOB ID
O Tannenbaum
All Things Considered
To The Bubblecraft
Ultimate Battle For The Planet Of The Apes

November 2001

December 2001

Track descriptions

To accompany the MP3s given during every month of TMBG Unlimited, TMBG wrote blurbs about each song and other related topics. Now you can read all of it here, preserved for historical reasons, with original formatting and everything. Enjoy.

January 2001

Cyclops Rock - We've got one eye. Dig? This song is our tribute to fallen heros Richard Nixon and
Chuckie. Check out the Dans kicking the solo. This is a preview of our next album, but available now
for your MP3 pleasure.

Drink, Drink - This brand new drinking is an unsentimental view of life at the bottom at the glass,
from the far end of the bar. Sing along.

Robert Lowell - This song was recorded with the Elegant Too, who we are also working with on a
couple of tracks with Doughty from Soul Coughing slated for our next rock album. This recording will
be part of the McSweeney's literary magazine "Art and Music" issue to which we'll be contributing a
number of new tracks especially recorded to correspond to artwork or writings of other contributers.
The lyrics of this song are entirely from a poem by Robert Lowell (although they have been
"recontextualized" by TMBG for rock music purposes.)

I've Got A Fang - An instant minor classic from the festering brain of the original "Mr. Fleece" John
Linnell. It's about a guy with a fang.

Stormy Pinkness - "Love Version" recorded live in Berlin 1988 This recording was sent to us by a
German fan who recorded it from the crowd. Here them chant "Love" while we perform the song.

Did you know?

"The Edison Museum" is a longtime Dial-A-Song
favorite and was featured on "Long Tall Weekend" but
is fully realized here in full lo-fi splendor of the
emerging technology of the late nineteenth century,
the wax cylinder. We had to shorten the song slightly
to make it fit the time limitations of the wax format.
Visit the official Edison Museum site at
http://www.nps.gov/edis/

Did you know?

We had the privilege of recording a number of songs
on an Edison Wax Cylinder recorder the day we were
guests of the Edison site in West Orange NJ, including
the following song, "James K. Polk". For more
information about wax cylinder recordings check out
http://www.tinfoil.com/edison.htm

February 2001

"Hey everyone, February is a bumper crop month for TMBG Unlimited. We're including thirteen new
tracks. There is one of our collaborations with Doughty from Soul Coughing. There's new songs from
the next rock album. There's songs from our unreleased children's album. And there's songs
featured on McSweeney's Art and Music Issue. Enjoy!"
John F. "Guitar Guy"

"Bangs" - TMBG is calling the fashion trends, and we say it's bangs for spring. This song features
"Ana Ng" like trembling guitars and a melody that people have already asked us to remove from
their minds.

"Mr. Xcitement" with M. Doughty and the Elegant Too A good time was had by all on this high energy
track. Working with former Mono Puff DJ Phil Hernandez and Skeleton Key guitarist Chris Maxwell,
now known collectively as the Elegant Too, TMBG and Doughty cooked up this manic track. I get
name checked in the rap - a real first for me.

"Hovering Sombrero" You might have heard the short version of this on Dial-A-Song or seen the
streaming video for this in last months TMBG Unlimited issue, but now we have the full length song
for you. Long in the works, I am happy to report it's been worth the wait.

"Truth In Your Words", "Lincoln, Washington & That Jefferson Guy", "Down To The Bottom Of The
Sea", "It's Getting Late", "The Army's Tired Now", "Budnitz #1" These tracks, some almost
"Fingertips" length along with more regular length tracks, are all part of the new CD we just created
for McSweeney's Literary Journal. They are creating a special Art and Music Issue with a hard
bound book in full color, and a CD with something like 40 pieces of music on it by TMBG, and can be
ordered now at McSweeneys.net. This is a great magazine, and was a fascinating project to work on
we highly recommend everyone check it out.

"John Lee Supertaster", "In The Middle" with Robin "Goldie" Goldwasser are tracks from the
still-unreleased, and highly controversial children's album "No!" but are only available right here,
right now.

March 2001

Theme From UnLimited
This track shows the profound influence of the McG* directed movie version of "Charlie's Angels"
over the band. Former "Cannon" star William Conrad lays down some heavy flute on this fat, fat,
"pimptastic" track.

Clowntown
Flansburgh's unflinching fake German aspect, along with the unwelcome idea of clown nudity
uniquely qualifies this as an inappropriate song for kids. One of the first tracks for the children's
album, this song was deemed "too creepy" (by everyone) to be for kids, but not too creepy for you,
the Unlimited listener.

Monsters Of Mud
Another bonus track only available here. Linnell's voice is processed through his new digital trash
compactor. Look forward to more distorted and disturbing electronic sounds as we delve deeper into
the uncharted territory of unnatural processing.

Violin
With Garo Yellin and Krystof Witek on strings, this is one of the most winding journeys from the
"No!" album. The Chopping Block is preparing a enhanced CD version of the album that includes
their vivid computer animation of this song and others.

Lazy Head & Sleepy Bones
Inspired by the relaxed grooves of The Band, we lay all the way back on the couch to capture this
'70's folk-rock vibe. Dan Miller had his eyes almost completely closed as he delivered some highly
mellow slide guitar, while Dan Hickey created a thick drum and percussion bed in which to crash.

Clap Your Hands
Yet another groove we thought reserved for adults is turned into a track destined to be a fav with the
under 5 set. Little kids go mental when they hear this one.

O Do Not Forsake Me (Richard Reagan version)
The original songwriting demo, which was also featured on Dial-A-Song, this track's vocal is by an
unknown President of an unrecognized country.

When It Rains It Snows
This track was recorded in the institutional, tiled hallway of WFMU for the Frank O'Toole show in the
late 80's.

April 2001

Hello friends - John and John of They Might Be Giants
We are happy to announce a release date for our new album is August 15. We are working in the
studio this month and next with both the production team of Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley (who
we collaborated with on "Birdhouse In Your Soul" and other notable tracks off of "Flood") and with
Adam Schlesinger from Fountains of Wayne. We are also doing a number of shows, including a
special duo show with McSweeney's at the Bowery ballroom in New York on April 30th.

A Shooting Star Is Not A Star
Originally recorded by Tom Glazer for the album "Space Songs", the same disc where we found "Why
Does The Sun Shine?" this track has always been a favorite of ours. Dan Miller's beautiful guitar
playing is blowin' up all over this track.

Finished With Lies
This is a new demo of this song, with a fresh make-over with a tip of the musical hat to the
Knickerbocks '60's hit "Lies"

Wicked Little Critta
Forged in the crucible of an eastern Massachusetts junior high, this song expresses the dreams,
fears and hopes of a New England young adult. Remixed by the Elegant Two, the track celebrates
the enchanting "old school" sound of the mid-1980's inner city even as it invokes the "older
school" of early 1970's suburban Boston.

Ram On
When charged with the duty of covering a Paul McCartney solo track, we solemnly rose to the
responsibility but chickened out when it came to singing the words. The result is another
collaboration with The Elegant Two, and an extreme use of space echo.

Chopping Block Testimonial
Flansburgh makes a spontaneous testimonial, reaching out to corporate Americas web masters.

Oranges
This country tinged jingle was recorded for the fantastic graphic and web design company, the
Chopping Block for their current web site.

All the tracks below are previews of songs available on our children's album "No!" We are currently
playing "Sleepwalkers" in our live show, to which you are all invited.

Fibber Island
No!
I Am A Grocery Bag
Wake Up Call
Sleepwalkers

These tracks were recorded at the studios of WFMU in East orange NJ, where we made some of our
very first radio appearances on the Frank O'Toole Show. We thank him for his long term support and
interest in the band.

Medley: Where Your Eyes Don't Go / Why Does The Sun Shine?
It's Not My Birthday

May 2001

All McGyver On It
This short piece is about problem solving in the contemporary world. Incorporating the colorful
street slang of their native Brooklyn, They Might be Giants rapid-fire vocal delivery combined with
the pounding beat of the Band of Dans creates a spectacular effect.

Mink Car (demo)
This song, written quite spontaneously in the studio between tracking other songs with Adam
Schlesinger, is the demo version. Sharing the title of They Might be Giants' new album, coming out
in Sept. 2001, this song is the traumatic story of a man, hit by a mink car driven by a guitar. His
dramatic fall from grace finds his diamond wig being knocked off his head landing on the platinum
ground, in a thru-the-looking-glass chain of events that takes the listener on an ever spiraling trip
into their imagination.

Another First Kiss
Recorded with Schlesinger, this is a bold departure for the boys. Based on a rock song featured on
"Severe Tire Damage" this track has been completely reworked, with additional lyrics, a new chorus
and a mellow arrangement perfect for those "Quiet storm" evenings with the ladies.

Tigerella
There are some forces that cannot be tamed. And some things which can only be possessed at the
ultimate price. ..."Hey, come back...I just need to talk to you"...In a world where the only game is
getting and having, the one man who will stop at nothing to have what every man wants..."Here, kitty
kitty kitty!"...is the one who finds himself...caught in his own deadly trap. "Hey... you scratched me."
"Rairrr!" "AIIEEE!" Michael Douglas... "I don't know who you are... or WHAT you are... but..."
"Meow?" "No! No! Jesus!" "KA-BLOOOM!!" ...In a They Might Be Giants picture...Tigerella.

These tracks are all from a unique project They Might Be Giants embarked on with McSweeney's, a
fine literary journal that has just published their special "Art and Music" Issue featuring a disc of 44
tracks including 37 by They Might Be Giants. Many of the songs were written to directly correspond
with stories or artwork featured in the issue, while others ("Bangs" and "She Thinks She's Edith
Head") were used as a springboard to spark the imaginations of writers and artists also involved in
the issue. This full color, hardbound journal and CD set is destined to become a collectors item, and
is a must for TMBG fans. Available now directly, while quantities last at tmbg.com.

Dollar For Dollar
Theme from McSweeney's Issue #6
Ballad Of T. McSweeney
Mosh Momken Abadan
Even My T-Shirt

Battle For the Planet of They Might Be Giants
From a bootleg recording of the New Year's Eve Show in 1998 at Tramps in New York City we find
the Johns, the Dans and Jim O'Conner battling it out for musical supremacy. While Jim O'Conner is
apparently the only man standing by the end, it appears that only the audience is the clear winner in
this ugly and brutal contest.

Somebody Took My Eyeball
Originally written for Carole King, this startling excursion on the vocodor will leave listeners
confused and horrified that the cruelty of the world. "It was the only eye I had" Linnell pleads
through a chilling robotic voice-altering filter. Also from New Years 1998.

They Might Be giants (demo 1984)
One of the bands very first recordings, this four track recording bears a fair amount of similarity to
the final version that appeared on 1990 album "Flood" but slightly different lyrics, and a lot more
"out" improvisation. Flansburgh's double speed guitar work has never sounded snappier.

SHOW OF THE MONTH
The Ritz Raleigh, North Carolina
This famously "messed up" show found Linnell knocked around by the flu but hardly down for the
count as the band blazes through their current repertoire. Lots of chatting as John and john work the
best Smothers bros. routine to a deeply hypnotized crowd.

A BRIEF NOTE OF EXPLINATION FROM FLANSBURGH:
Dear TMBG Unlimited Subscribers- This live recording was recorded a little "hot" and has
occasional digital distortion. The fine folks at EMusic have done their best to clean it up, but are
concerned that they will get many complaints about the technical shortcoming of the recording.
Please leave them alone. It's our fault. But it was a great, fun show that I think you will all enjoy.
Thanks!
-JF

June 2001

Greetings to All
John and John here. We just got back from the UK where we've
been wrapping things up on "Mink Car" with super-producers Clive Langer
and Alan Winstanley. Clive and Alan, you may recall, produced some songs
back in 1989 that ended up on the Flood album, and this was the first time
we had worked with both of them since then. They are still fond of wine,
still like irregular song forms, and they are apparantly still enjoying
their jobs. We had a wonderful week finishing their four tracks at their
studio in West London. This month's selections feature some of the results
of those sessions, along with a spontaneously written song (and video)
we cooked up as we waited around for Clive and Alan to finish a mix.

My Man
This song is the story of someone having a chat with his own body after
he's become paralyzed. It's not meant to be sick or anything. Check out
the triangle and bongos.
Man, It's So Loud In Here Completely reorchestrated with the
help of producer Adam Schlesinger (who's also in Fountains of Wayne), this
song doesn't sound like anything we would have ever done by ourselves,
probably. It pays homage to one or two well known bands from the mid-1980's,
but we're hoping the song will be so successful that eventually people
will hear them and be reminded of us.

Yeah! Yeah!
There's this guy named Georgie Fame who had a hit with this song way
back when. He played jazzy electric organ and sang this melody, whose lyrics
were set to what was originally an instrumental jazz solo. This was the
preferred songwriting method of Dave Lambert and his pals Hendricks and
Ross. Nobody else really did that kind of thing. Our version retains some
parts of the original but the rhythm has been electronically tousled.

Mink Car (with Jim O'Conner)
We wrote this song while Adam was tinkering with Yeah! Yeah! in the
other room. Jim O'Connor who owns and operates a flugelhorn, expressed
some feelings he has been keeping in the freezer since 1966. Danny Weinkauf
made everybody burst into tears with his bass playing and that's Clem "Wildman"
Waldman pounding the skins and triangle. Clem is part of the Loser's Lounge,
a New York revue at the Westbeth Theater.

She Thinks She's Edith Head
After recording this with a high pitched, angst-drenched vocal (you
can hear that version on the CD that comes with McSweeney's issue 6) we
tried it again with this more subdued and creepy approach.

Anecdote
This is a live track of Flans telling an amusing story.
It was recorded clandestinely by one of you people out there and we found
it on the Internet. As a result, we have no ethical qualms about repirating
it here, though we give our thanks to the anonymous amateur recording engineer.

I'm Your Boyfriend Now (Demo)
Didn't make it onto Mink Car. Will
perhaps get a ride on some other car. It's all one road.

Museum of Idiots (5 Piece TMBG - Live)
Again, someone we don't know made this recording. Written especially
for our titanic brass orchestra shows, Museum of Idiots has only been performed
a few times in public. After we spent all our money paying the horn section,
we worked up this little version with our regular band.

North to Alaska (John Linnell And The Statesmen - Live)
Thank you, secret taper. Written and originally recorded by Johnny
Horton. The Statesmen on this track were: Dan Miller (guitar and mushing),
Mark Lerner (bass and vocals), and Mark Donato (drums, mushing).

Tender is the Mind - If you examine this carefully you can see the studio
where we mixed the Clive and Alan material. Right near the end you can
almost see Clive and Alan through the big window behind Flansburgh. The
cool thing is they have both British and American electrical outlets. Somebody
was thinking. As you can probably tell we made up this song right as we
were shooting this video.

July 2001

In celebration of our fine country's birthday and in response to some
requests from you the people we flew to our climate controlled walk-in
archive just outside the arctic circle and collected some of the obscure
titles from our past. Yes, grab your crash helmet and earplugs- we are
going back in time! Please, audiophiles, note: some of these tracks are
straight off live board tapes (cassettes) or the original Dial-A-Song tapes
(also cassettes) so they are ROUGH but they do not exist anywhere else.
Engineer extraordinaire Pat Dillett has fiddled with all these tracks to
make them more presentable, but we suggest you get high on the low fi in
a comfortable chair.

Indiana Wants Me
This song was recorded with the members of the
Turtlenecks: Karl Hecksher on drums, Julie Kantner on
bass, Fred Hickler singing harmony. This is a cover of a
relatively obscure Motown song that occasionally gets
played on oldies radio.

Alienation's for the Rich
The original version of the song that would ultimately
be on TMBG's first album. Dig the penny whistle solo.

Seven Eleven
This story of "breaking and buying" features John
Turner on drums, and a kinda sleazy Korg synthesizer
that seemed cheap but is beloved by Ebay people now.

John Flansburgh here. In response to some requests (and our insane
schedule taking us back to the UK to do some spontaneous press for our
July 16th show there and the looming breakout of "Boss of Me" over there)
we flew to our climate controlled walk-in archive just outside the arctic
circle and collected some of the obscure titles from our past. Yes, grab
your crash helmet and earplugs- we are going back in time! Please, audiophiles,
note: some of these tracks are straight off live board tapes (cassettes)
or the original Dial-A-Song tapes (also cassettes) so they are ROUGH but
they do not exist anywhere else. Engineer extraordinaire Pat Dillett has
fiddled with all these tracks to make them more presentable, but we suggest
you get high on the low fi in a comfortable chair.

August 2001

August 1
Brooklyn-based John Flansburgh and John Linnell of They Might Be Giants
are back with Mink Car, their first full-length studio album in five years.
With Mink Car, TMBG pulled out all the stops. Quenching their fans thirst
for a full-length album -- as well as satisfying the public's need for
more TMBG in their lives -- this album is bound to reawaken the world to
the magic of They Might Be Giants. Thankfully, the boys haven't strayed
too far from the brilliant insanity, infectious melodies, and pop-culture
intelligence that made us fall in love with them in the first place. Mink
Car is a surprising musical evolution that effortlessly combines the power
of the band's infamous stage show and the spirit of studio experimentation.
Download Mink Car here -- exclusively at EMusic.com -- almost six weeks
before it hits stores! Stay tuned to TMBG Unlimited for more all-new exclusive
TMBG music August 15th.

August 2
Greetings from TMBG!
Hope you are all enjoying this months first installment of "Mink Car"
We know some of you with slower computers might think you have already
downloaded some of these tracks by title, but let us assure you that virtually
all these recordings are "factory fresh" and are well worth the wait time.
"I've Got A Fang" has been completely made over, and "Cyclops Rock" rocks
on an entirely different level. Of ourse, you will discover this
when you receive your autographed CD in a few weeks, but if you were wondering-
there's your answer. This second installment features a very nicely recorded
live recording and a few notable rarities that we thought y'all would
appreciate.

COMING SEPTEMBER 1 TO TMBG UNLIMITED TMBG's BATTLE OF THE BANDS

The first part in an ongoing series where TMBG takes on alter-egos as
a variety of other, fake, bands. Based on an original concept by the great
band the Turtles, who created a project called
"Battle of the Bands" for a concept album in the late sixties. We always
liked the idea, and we are happy to use TMBG Unlimited as a forum for appropriating
it! Stay tuned...

FOR YOU EXCLUSIVELY: THE SECOND INSTALLMENT OF TMBG Unlimited for AUGUST

Show of the Month - Live In Chicago 1992

This show, recorded at the Cabaret Metro, captures TMBG Mk. II at the
height of it's powers, in a very tidy live recording made to multitrack
and mixed by Pat Dillett. Of special interest is the
"spacey" version of "Istanbul" followed by the sweet duo version of
"Kiss Me, Son of God" and the sample driven "Boat of Car"

Personnel: JL: accordion, keyboards, vocal, JF: guitar, vocals Kurt
Hoffman keyboards, saxophone, Tony Maimone: bass, Jon "J.D." Fienberg: drums

1. I Palindrome I
2. Twistin'
3. Boat Of Car
4. Statue Got Me High
5. Istanbul / Kiss Me, Son of God
6. Piece Of Dirt / Lucky Ball And Chain
7. Someone Keeps Moving My Chair

8. A Wax Cylinder Special: Maybe I Know
We recorded this version of Maybe i Know the same day we did "I Can
Hear You." It retains some of it's original charm, but it's the "damaged
in translation," or perhaps the "beyond the grave"
qualities of the wax cylinder recording process itself that is of real
interest here.

9. Indian Ocean
This "difficult" piece of music from the early '80s find John and John
at their Dekalb St. space singing into an electric fan. The influence of
San Francisco art rockers / mysterions the Residents
can heard directly in this unusual song. Enjoy.

10. Rocket Ship
Rocket Ship is the 1992 demo of a song that didn't get any further
than this, because the chorus was cannibalized to make "Spiraling Shape."
The verse is a rough idea for a lyric about how far
you can travel in outer space and never get anywhere, but the chorus
wandered in a more fruitful direction and suggested a better song.

September 2001

Battle of the Bands
The first part in an ongoing series, which is an homage/blatent rip-off
of a Turtles album of the same name that spawned their hit "Eleanor." A
way for us to write some songs with the wistful ambition of not sounding
like us. We're going to keep at this until we write "Eleanor" which may
take some time.

"Chaos By Design" performed by Colorwheel
Lisa and Liza are the ladies behind the mic and the computer screen,
and collectively they represent one of the coolest bands to emerge from
the "lo-fi" scene of the mid-90's. Always critics' darlings, even when
they are roadies for Human League, the lusher approach is reflected in
this brand new track.

"Save Your Life" performed by Bog Standard
Performed by Bog Standard, who are normally too shy to leave their
home in Shropshire and play their songs before the public. Ian and David
are usually absorbed in their collection of fancy mice, while Stewart likes
to stare out the window at the overcast sky and converse with his deceased
mum.

"Headless" performed by Naykid Eyez
Naykid Eyez is really a just a nom de rock for Eric Sheen, backed by
an ever shifting group of cohorts. Busting out of his Detroit garage with
a style as unpretentious as a trunk full of methamphetamine, "Headless"
is a sneak preview of the b-side of his next independently produced single.

"Too + 3 R One" performed by Too + 3
Too + 3 are easy to tell apart: Mikey is the one who doesn't bleach
the ends of his hair, JJ has pointy sideburns, Pauly B wears tinted glasses
and has a really big earring, Bruce is the handsome one who can dance the
best, and Jason is kind of short and sticks out his lips all the time,
even when the cameras are not rolling.

"Words Are Like" performed by The Crummer Family
Ida and Estil Crummer from the hyper-active North Carolina indie scene
have put aside the feedback and impenetrable attitude of their infamous
noise band Crummer Party to get back to their Americana roots. This track
was rejected by their self-run label, Flexcrumm Records but is available
here.

From the crypt:
"If I Wasn't Shy" (Live 1993)
This highly mellow rendition of this song, recorded at an industry
shindig in Germany, is a pretty good interpretation, although Flansburgh
messes up the lyric a bit-probably due to the inordinate stress of playing
a lyric driven song for an audience of non-English speakers.

"They Might Be Giants" (Rough Mix 1989)
This odd nugget comes from Pat Dillett's house. He duped this off at
the end of the night as the track was being recorded. An odd inside look
at the process of putting that track together. The scratch vocal still
has the old lyric from our original demo, and the music is missing the
fades and edits that the final version has.

"Cabbagetown" (Demo)
Another work in progress, this a song from the b-side of the "I Palindrome
I" single. Cabbagetown is in fact a real place, a quite dilapidated part
of inner-city Atlanta, and yet the description of dogs and porches is actually
completely accurate as Cabbagetown is one of the few remaining parts of
that city that is a throw back to its more rural vibe.

October 2001

Greetings from They Might Be Giants' Mink Tour Bus! John Flansburgh
writing to you directly from a cyber-cafe in Lincoln, Nebraska. Check out
tour dates as we conquer the Midwest and continue our march East. Wondering
what's in the long awaited October issue? There are nine new tracks, including
five riveting new tracks from our "Battle of the Bands" project. Plus, to fire
you up for the Holidays, we present our version of "O Tannenbaum" in MP3
for the first time, as well as four other selections from the TMBG sound
machine. Stay tuned for an interactive Boston-themed electronic greeting card,
featuring "Wicked Little Critta."

Exclusive MP3s
Battle Of The Bands:
The second part in our series, where TMBG creates songs for bands out of their
vivid imaginations, including:
-"Disappointing Show" by The Disappointers (live lead singer melt-down mix)
-"Cut The Strings" & "Blind" by heavy metal legends Demchuk
-"Something You'd Like to See" by Little Lisa Whitman
-"Kid's Are Different Now!" by hot for teachers, Spool 409

Other TMBG foliage turning delights include:
"To The Bubblecraft!" - They Might Be Giants and the Elegant Too
"WMOB ID" - Robin "Goldie" Goldwasser
"O Tannenbaum" - They Might Be Giants

From The Crypt:
"All Things Considered" - Mono Puff
When Mono Puff visted the Washington DC studios of All Things Considered,
they could resist cooking up this Puffed-up version of that shows memorable theme.
That's Mike "Killer" Kahn sitting in on the bass as switch hitter Dan Levine takes
charge of the trombone duties.

"Ultimate Battle for the Planet of the Apes" - They Might Be Giants
This is from a board tape, so you can barely make out the audience, but we wanted
to include it for it's quiet intensity and relentless manic intent.

November 2001

Hello, subscribers, hello. John Linnell here to give you the
rundown of this month's TMBG Unlimited selections. As you may know
we've been traveling around the USA nonstop for the past two
months, so curating and producing this series has been particularly
challenging to us of late, but we emphatically thank you for your
continued patronage and we hope that this latest edition was worth
the wait.

Along with some fine live recordings, we have dug deep into the
deep, deep heap of hitherto unauditioned recordings of demos going
back as far as the mid-1980's, and god bless us to heaven if we
haven't unearthed some interesting chestnuts. We have also included
a special mystery track, which we will not discuss further to
maintain its mystery status. After our big NYC show at Town Hall,
we're heading over to the UK and Australia to round out this year's
tour in support of "Mink Car," so check the tour dates on
theymightbegiants.com to find out if we'll be in your area.

1. "Tiny Doctors"

This song was written in amongst the songs that appeared on Flood
and has never before appeared anywhere in any form. Recorded
on-the-fly on a cassette which also included the original sketch
for "Particle Man." Usually a song is recorded this way moments
after being written, mainly so that we don't forget how it goes.
The next step would have been to make the demo version with some
kind of beefed up arrangement or production concept. Usually that
second draft would show up on Dial-a-song, but in this case it
never reached that stage.

2. "The Bloodboat"

The arrangement of this song is fussy enough to suggest that it was
heading somewhere, but this demo seems to have hit a dead end and
was never even featured on Dial-a-song. It recently emerged that
the word "bloodboat" is some kind of 19th century slang term for a
ship manned by tough sailors who like fighting, but as the song
makes plain, that usage is not applied here.

3. "Too Cool Girls" w/ the Velcro Horns

This instrumental shows off the snazzy horn attack of the Velcro
Horns, Jim O'Connor on trumpet and Dan Levine on the trombone. It
also has Dan Hickey giving up a more than tasty morsel of his Gene
Krupa-esk tom tom work. This original composition is part of our
arsenal of instrumentals that we have been compiling over the last
couple of years.

4. "Mystery Track"

5. "Particle Man" (demo)

The banjo was the only thing handy when this song was written, so
the "memorandum" version was inadvertently folky. Some of the words
and music weren't quite fixed yet, but the important thing was to
get it down. We both had plenty of experiences with having song
ideas we thought were keepers, only to draw a complete blank the
next day after failing to write it down or record it. At which
point we could only gesture impotently to indicate the magnitude of
the "big one that got away."

6. Spy (demo)

Another song memorandum, this first recording of Spy is simply the
naked flesh of the song which was eventually clothed in extremely
elaborate vestments. Check out Mr. Flansburgh's haunted vocal.

7. "Fingertips" (Live 2001)

Coming out of a discussion that ended up as a challenge, we have
finally master playing "Fingertips" live, and her is the exciting
evidence to prove it. This recording was made at one of our
long-time favorite venues- Pearl Street in Northampton, Mass.

8. "The Car Crash" (Live 1989)

This crash, recorded in Munich in 1989, is but one of many enacted
by our audience in the late eighties. The purpose of the Car Crash
was to keep the ball rolling in the event of equipment failure.
Tape could be wound back on to spools, guitars could be tuned,
accordion straps could be duct taped, all while the entertainment
continued seamlessly.

9. "Drinkin'" (Live radio broadcast 1993)

In the summer of 1993 WFMU DJ Nick Hill decided to broadcast his
usual "Music Faucet" program live from his own apartment in
Williamsburgh, Brooklyn. By a pleasant coincidence, about half of
the guests on his show were also living upstairs from him or
somewhere nearby. Nick and most of the performers were out on
Nick's deck, but microphones were also run up into Brian Dewan's
studio and also into the bathroom Brian shared with Mr. Linnell,
which is where John and John performed this instrumental. John F.
played guitar next to the sink, and John L played bass saxophone
within the reverberant bathtub.

10. "Istanbul (not Constantinople)" (Live 1990)

This was recorded live in Zurich at the Rote Fabrik in 1990. Before
we had a band we used play this song at a very brisk tempo. At some
point we started to stretch out the second "People just liked it"
break in an ad hoc fashion. It eventually got longer and stranger
with each performance, until eventually everybody's patience wore
thin. Here it is at an agreeably earlier stage.

11. "Mink Car" (Live 2001)

Another audience favorite that has finally made it to the show.
Again, recorded in Northampton.

December 2001

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. 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.

January 2002

A Collection of TMBG Unlimited 2001

Happy New Year, and a farewell to Unlimited from Flansburgh!

First, we want to thank every one who was a part of Unlimited. It
was an ambitious and exciting project. Jim and Alex have been
incredibly helpful, and everyone at EMusic deserves a big round of
cheers for providing this unique service. The folks at EMusic have
cooked up an amazing subscription plan that continues to grow in
scope every day. They are huge supporters of independent music and
we hope you'll all continue to subscribe and support EMusic--and
stay on for all their new offerings (and we will be back with
something interesting soon). There is more information about how to
keep rockin' Unlimited style at the bottom of this message.

TMBG Unlimited 2001 was a wild ride for me and John. We realized a
lot of projects in the process of working on Unlimited, including
all of Mink Car in demo form, the McSweeney's book, our Battle of
the Bands project along with our children's disc No! (which is
coming out in the spring, folks--with a massive enhanced section)
and got a chance to rummage around the long neglected vaults of the
TMBG secret mountain laboratory for live tracks and ancient
Dial-A-Songs. Keeping the issues "fat" and top quality led to some
late nights and wasn't always easy, since we were often on the
road, and often overseas, but I am really glad we did it.

Here's a set of unusual songs from Unlimited that you might have
overlooked or joined too late to get hold of. They are some of our
favorites, and have been made available here as one last look at
the TMBG Unlimited experience.

MONKEY FUR CAR
First up are a couple of tracks that almost made it to Mink Car.
(Actually, Your Mom's Alright is on the European album, in place of
Mr. Xcitement)
- Your Mom's Alright w/ Mike Doughty
- All McGyver On It

McSWEENEY's and McCARTNEY
Here are some nice tracks from the McSweeney's book (which is a
beautiful document forgetting about our contribution) and our track
from the "Listen to What the Man Said" compilation of McCartney
tributes that just came out.
- Truth In Your Words
- The Army's Tired Now
- Ram On

DIAL-A-SONGS
Here are some Dial-A-Songs, ranging in age from 3 months to fifteen
years. Hard to know what will become of these beyond this service,
so check 'em out while you can. (Concrete and Clay is a cover of a
great song from the sixties- kinda the other "Yeah Yeah" for me- by
an English band called the Unit 4 + 2)
- Tigerella
- I'm Your Boyfriend Now
- Concrete And Clay
- Outboard Part Of Man
- Somebody's Body

LIVE
Here are some live tracks for you listening pleasure. The first, I
believe, was recorded at the Pyramid of CBGB, and is our version of
the classic Prince song which was unidentifiable to many in the
small, disinterested crowd. Linnell takes on the mighty Johnny
Horton backed by the versatile Statesmen, and we've included the
other Spin the Dial compilation, spotlighting my "Angry Cowboy"
character.
- 1999 / Cowtown
- North To Alaska (John Linnell And The Statesmen)
- "Spin The Country Dial"

BATTLE OF THE BANDS
Here's some selections from our favorite Unlimited project, the
Battle of the Bands. The idea was inspired/stolen from a concept
album by the band the Turtles, but it was so tantalizing and
obviously open to further musical investigation we couldn't resist.
The Battle of the Bands is where John and I pretend we are other
people and write songs for imaginary bands. We hope to do more with
this project someday, but til then we have Unlimited to thank for
getting the ball rolling.
- Too + 3 R One - Too + 3
- Words Are Like - The Crummer Family
- Cut The Strings - Demchuk
- Something You'd Like To See - Little Lisa Whitman
- Blind - Demchuk
- Disappointing Show (Live) - The Disappointers

TMBG Unlimited

Contents

Track listing

January 2001

February 2001

March 2001

The Flood Show

April 2001

May 2001

The Ritz Show

June 2001

July 2001

August 2001

September 2001

October 2001

November 2001

December 2001

Track descriptions

January 2001

February 2001

March 2001

April 2001

May 2001

June 2001

July 2001

August 2001

September 2001

October 2001

November 2001

December 2001

January 2002

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