Have one to sell? Sell yours here
John Henry
 
See larger image
 

John Henry

They Might Be GiantsAudio CD
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (61 customer reviews)


Available from these sellers.


Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
MP3 Download, 20 Songs, 2008 $9.99  
Audio CD, 1994 --  
Audio Cassette, 1994 $9.99  

Listen to Samples and Buy MP3s

Songs from this album are available to purchase as MP3s. Click on "Buy MP3" or view the MP3 Album.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Samples
Song Title Time Price
listen  1. Subliminal (Album Version) 2:45$0.99 Buy Track
listen  2. Snail Shell (Album Version) 3:20$0.99 Buy Track
listen  3. Sleeping In The Flowers (Album Version) 4:30$0.99 Buy Track
listen  4. Unrelated Thing (Album Version) 2:30$0.99 Buy Track
listen  5. AKA Driver (Album Version) 3:14$0.99 Buy Track
listen  6. I Should Be Allowed To Think (Album Version) 3:09$0.99 Buy Track
listen  7. Extra Savoir Faire (Album Version) 2:48$0.99 Buy Track
listen  8. Why Must I Be Sad? (Album Version) 4:08$0.99 Buy Track
listen  9. Spy (Album Version) 3:06$0.99 Buy Track
listen10. O, Do Not Forsake Me (Album Version) 2:30$0.99 Buy Track
listen11. No One Knows My Plan (Album Version) 2:37$0.99 Buy Track
listen12. Dirt Bike (Album Version) 3:05$0.99 Buy Track
listen13. Destination Moon (Album Version) 2:27$0.99 Buy Track
listen14. A Self Called Nowhere (Album Version) 3:22$0.99 Buy Track
listen15. Meet James Ensor (Album Version) 1:32$0.99 Buy Track
listen16. Thermostat (Album Version) 3:11$0.99 Buy Track
listen17. Window (Album Version) 1:00$0.99 Buy Track
listen18. Out Of Jail (Album Version) 2:38$0.99 Buy Track
listen19. Stomp Box (Album Version) 1:55$0.99 Buy Track
listen20. The End Of The Tour (Album Version) 3:18$0.99 Buy Track


Amazon's They Might Be Giants Store

Music

Image of album by They Might Be Giants

Photos

Image of They Might Be Giants

Biography

They Might Be Giants are an alternative pop/rock duo formed in 1982 by John Linnell and John Flansburgh. The band are most renowned for their hit single "Birdhouse in Your Soul". Linnell and Flansburgh attended high school together in Lincoln, Mass., but after graduation they went their separate ways, forming the band after meeting up again in New York.

They released their debut album They Might BeRead more in Amazon's They Might Be Giants Store

Visit Amazon's They Might Be Giants Store
for 45 albums, 8 photos, 32 concert dates, discussions, and more.

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought


Product Details

  • Audio CD (September 13, 1994)
  • Original Release Date: September 13, 1994
  • Number of Discs: 1
  • Label: Elektra / Wea
  • ASIN: B000002HFL
  • Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (61 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #123,982 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

 

Customer Reviews

61 Reviews
5 star:
 (42)
4 star:
 (14)
3 star:
 (3)
2 star:
 (2)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (61 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite TMBG album., August 13, 2000
This review is from: John Henry (Audio CD)
TMBG graduate from drum machines and samples to a full band on this album, and the results are great. Purists label this TMBG's "bad" album, but I believe the full band lends these songs a shot of adrenalin. The lyrics are as good as ever, and they fit well into their new, energetic fixtures.

So many good songs -- the bells of "Destination Moon," the trippy distorted vocal on "Self called nowhere," the theremin on "AKA Driver." There are big rock songs and small gems throughout. Even a seeming throw-away like "Meet James Ensor" is a perfect pop confection (and probably the only song of that genre about a famous dutch artist).

I don't get the jibe "if that's your idea of clever" in the Amazon review. If an album that incorporates Alice Cooper, James Ensor, and Alan Ginsberg in the same 18 songs isn't clever, one wonders what is.

If you can deal with the fact that this album has a different sound than the first four TMBGs, you'll love this stuff.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Man against the Machine, August 13, 2004
This review is from: John Henry (Audio CD)
John Henry sounds as good as any TMBG effort, but on inspection, I think it also proves to be one of their deepest and most cohesive albums. Random cleverness is replaced by a subtle, consistent mood, total lyrical abstraction begins to give way to a message, and the individual songs are great. Besides, with a full twenty songs (almost an hour of music), there's bound to be something on here for everyone.

Most of the songs on Henry have a darker tone, whether explicitly (Why Must I Be Sad?; The End of the Tour) or subtly, coded into the lyrics (Destination Moon, Spy, Sleeping in the Flowers). The sound is also vaguely more _metal_ than the sort of candy-coated synthesizers and horns that characterized their earlier albums (not that there's any absence of horns), from the rough-edged harmonica opening of Subliminal to the grungy guitars on Sleeping In The Flowers and others. It may seem more commercial to some, but this sound is still entirely distinct.

As for the theme of the lyrics, it may seem hypocritical for a band which used to be more machine than man to entitle one of their albums John Henry ("a man aint nothing but a man / but before I let that steam drill beat me down / I'm gonna die with a hammer in my hand, yessir; etc.") and record a song like Thermostat, an impassioned plea against the dangers of modern automation. But the sentiment is real, and portraits of human alienation and loneliness (Spy) placed alongside villanous characterizations of machines (AKA Driver; Dirt Bike) suggest a unity which no TMBG album has had to date. The result is a deeper listening experience relying on more than puns for its effect.

As for the individual songs, the upbeat Destination Moon and James Ensor just sound terrific; some of my favorites. The End of the Tour is also powerful and genuinely touching. Some of the tracks are weaker, and I tend to skip Unrelated Thing and I Should Be Allowed to Think. Still, with this kind of quantity, the quality is very consistent.

All in all, TMBG has produced something really outstanding. Even people who dismiss them for their lack of substance (a charge that, you have to admit, is somewhat fair) should take note of Henry.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Best album ever, hands down., March 30, 2006
A Kid's Review
This review is from: John Henry (Audio CD)
Okay. I absolutely adore this album. Critics panned it, but screw them--what do they know? From the hard-rocking "Snail Shell", to the bouncy "Destination Moon", to the beautifully sad "The End Of The Tour", this album is awesome.

Now for a track-by-track analysis.

1. Subliminal (2:45) - Pretty good. The backwards portion at the end is really cool. 4/5
2. Snail Shell (3:20) - Awesome. This song rocks out loud, pure and simple. 5/5
3. Sleeping In The Flowers (4:30) - This song is just cool. The chorus is really different from the verses, but it works. 5/5
4. Unrelated Thing (2:30) - Everyone hates this one, but I think it's good. 4/5
5. AKA Driver (3:14) - Another song that just rocks. 5/5
6. I Should Be Allowed To Think (3:09) - This is a song about teen rebellion, I think, and somehow, it works. 5/5
7. Extra Savoir-Faire (2:48) - Eh. One of the weaker tracks. 3/5
8. Why Must I Be Sad? (4:08) - Cool, in a dark sorta way. 5/5
10. O, Do Not Forsake Me (2:30) - This one's weird, but I kinda like it. 4/5
11. No One Knows My Plan (2:37) - This one's good for dancing! 5/5
12. Dirt Bike (3:05) - Another slightly weaker one. 3/5
13. Destination Moon (2:27) - This is an awesomely bouncy song, but knowing TMBG, the lyrics are darker. I love it! 5/5
14. A Self Called Nowhere (3:22) - Another dark, yet REALLY cool one. 5/5
15. Meet James Ensor (1:33) - Weaker. 3/5
16. Thermostat (3:11) - This one's really catchy and cool. 5/5
17. Window (1:00) - Nice. Has a very theme song-ish quality. 4/5
18. Out Of Jail (2:38) - Another extremely catchy song, with a very twisted theme. 5/5
19. Stomp Box (1:55) - Awesome and hard. Probably TMBG's hardest song yet. 5/5
20. The End Of The Tour (3:18) - Best. Song. Ever. It's so sad...I want it played at my funeral.

In short, buy this album. You won't regret it.

By Anna Ng, a 13-year-old TMBG fan, and no, that's not her real last name
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews











Only search this product's reviews



Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 
(4)

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   
Related forums




SoundUnwound - the personal music encyclopedia

They Might Be Giants' album John Henry was produced by They Might Be Giants.
John Linnell, John Flansburgh, Tony Maimone, Marty Beller, Kurt Hoffman and four other artists have been a member of They Might Be Giants.

Passionate about music?
Learn more at SoundUnwound, the personal music encyclopedia, or challenge your friends with our Indie music quiz.

SoundUnwound Logo
You might be interested in MilitaryFairy's library
Some releases in MilitaryFairy's library
They Might Be Giants
With 23 releases, MilitaryFairy is a fan of They Might Be Giants
Their library contains 167 releases from artists including Eric Clapton and George Harrison

What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?



Look for Similar Items by Category


Look for Similar Items by Subject

Search Music by subject:







i.e., each title must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...