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Editorial Reviews
20 tracks.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
33 of 33 people found the following review helpful
Format: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.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format: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.
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.
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format: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
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
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Best TMBG Album
I would say that this is my favorite TMBG album. There are some close seconds, but this would have to be my favorite. Read more
Published on February 18, 2010 by strawberryp0cky
Peppy competence in spades rarely achieves more
Coming across as a lighter, nerdier Ween, this mid-career disc from the super quirky duo certainly is not short on bursts of hooky pop with just enough songwriting flair to perk... Read more
Published on December 22, 2007 by IRate
We're never gonna tour again.
This is They Might Be Giants fifth album, and it's their first album performing with a full band. The extra musicians definitely produce a "fuller" sound than their previous... Read more
Published on May 6, 2007 by Johnny Heering
get over it...this one's great
Apparently, some people have a problem with this album. That makes about as much sence to me as if there were actually people who prefer the quality of the BEATLES' "LOVE ME DO" to... Read more
Published on April 27, 2007 by J. Adam
My favorite by TMBG too
This one has everything you'd want from a TMBG cd. Plenty of variety. Melodic, quirky, rockin', existentialism, etc. Read more
Published on February 13, 2007 by M. gregory
This is their hardest album yet
You really get a full band feel throughout most of this album and they add horns to many of the tracks as well. Read more
Published on March 15, 2005 by alex bushman
One of the Best Albums of All Time
The songwriting on this album is absolutely brilliant. It's clever, witty, and even humorous at times.
Published on February 20, 2004
my favorite tmbg album
ok, read all the reviews on here by the fans who own all the tmbg albums, and guess which one's the best? if you guessed "flood," you should be hit on the head with a frying pan. Read more
Published on June 16, 2003 by "spsweetness"
Linnell rules on this oddly conventional effort
On their fifth album (and third major-label release), 1994's John Henry, They Might Be Giants are backed by a full band, resulting in their hardest-rocking, most... Read more
Published on January 13, 2003 by Gena Chereck
Not the best, but still great!
At first(like many others) I thought album was dull.But soon, it was always in my CD Player.Every night songs I skipped began to grow on me. And now I only skip 3 songs. Read more
Published on December 30, 2002
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