Customer Reviews

Severe Tire Damage

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The way I see it, live albums are even trickier business than tribute albums. On the latter, you have the benefit of hearing a beloved artist's tunes as covered by other artists; the former usually consists of the beloved artist offering new versions of their OWN tunes. But just the same, they threaten to become exercises in pointlessness unless the new recordings have something different to offer and can still stand proudly beside the originals. Which brings me to Severe Tire Damage (1998), the only live album (so far) by the Brooklyn-based alternative-pop duo They Might Be Giants. First of all, I must confess that I haven't yet seen Them in concert, but judging from the many articles and reviews I've read, I hear They put on a terrific show. This CD strips away the props, the dancing and bouncing around, the extended free-jams, the hilarious (and occasionally profane) stage patter, and "spin-the-dial," leaving us with just the songs.

We're eased into it with a pair of great-sounding new studio tracks: the exuberant (if lyrically strange) "Dr. Worm," featuring one of the sweetest performances by singer-keyboardist-accordionist-sax player John Linnell, and "Severe Tire Damage Theme," a jazzy and upbeat 40-second instrumental. Linnell kicks off the live portion of the disc with another new song, the high-energy blues-rocker "They Got Lost"; based on a true story about how the band lost their way en route to a radio-show appearance, this is quite possibly his most autobiographical song since 1986's "Rhythm Section Want Ad." About midway through the live tracks, singer-guitarist John Flansburgh offers the new song "First Kiss," a short and sweet power-pop number that he (bless his heart) wrote as a love song for his wife, Robin. At the end of the live portion, he also contributes a third new studio track, "About Me," a nice, torchy love ballad that makes its point in 40 seconds. But just when you think the disc is over, you're treated to several Planet Of The Apes-inspired tunes, spontaneously created live on stage: Flansy ventures into pop balladry (track 18, "The Planet of the Apes"), free-form jazz (track 19, "Return to..." -- so poorly recorded that its lyrics had to be included with the package), disco-funk (track 21, "Escape from...") and atonal art-rock (track 23, "Beneath..."); Linnell offers hammy arena-rock (track 20, "Conquest of...") and lounge-pop (track 24, "This Ape's for You"); track 22 ("Battle for...") is an instrumental duel in which the Johns' guitar and keyboards pit themselves against the rhythm section as the crowd chants "ape!" and "people!" Okay, so the "Apes" tracks won't be enduring classics in the TMBG songbook, but they're fitfully amusing and indicative of the Johns' improvisational skills.

Overall, it helps that the live tracks are actually a mix of stage performances and radio-show appearances (you can tell which tracks are which by the sound quality and the presence or absence of crowd cheers), and that all but one of them are performed with a full band. On the new recordings of 1986's "She's an Angel," 1988's "Ana Ng," the Flood hits "Birdhouse in Your Soul," "Particle Man" and "Istanbul," 1992's "She's Actual Size" and "Spider," and the 1993 single "Why Does the Sun Shine (the Sun is a Mass of Incandescent Gas)," the Johns' spirited vocals and the addition of a live rhythm section (bass and drums) make the original studio versions -- recorded as just a duo -- sound downright mellow. Among the tracks that were full-band songs to begin with, surprisingly, only Linnell's punkish "Till My Head Falls Off" doesn't differ much from the studio version (from 1996's Factory Showroom). As for "S-E-X-X-Y" ("This song is dedicated to my one true love ... the ladies") and "XTC vs. Adam Ant," the arrangements sound cleaner -- and Flansburgh's voice clearer -- here than on the Factory Showroom versions. Most remarkable is "Meet James Ensor"; a rocking full-band number on 1994's John Henry, here it's been stripped down to Flansy's lead vocal and Linnell's accordion and harmony vocal, with both Johns "singing" the guitar parts near the end. Of course, song selection is one of the most controversial aspects of live albums; this one in particular could have been a perfect introduction for beginning fans, if only the Johns had come up with one good live recording each of the beloved singles "Don't Let's Start" and "The Guitar," and I would love to hear what "Put Your Hand Inside the Puppet Head" (my personal favorite) sounds like with a full band.

The album as a whole -- with its hodgepodge of slick studio tracks and live recordings of varying sound quality -- suffers a bit when compared to the more cohesive It's Fun To Steal, released by Flansburgh's side band Mono Puff earlier the same year. And as a compilation disc, I think beginning fans would be better served by the 2-CD anthology Dial-A-Song: 20 Years Of They Might Be Giants (2002), which features 52 career-spanning tracks, including "Dr. Worm" and the live "Why Does the Sun Shine." However, if you're like me, an ardent fan who already owns most of the studio albums, you'll be more likely to treasure the new songs and the hidden "Apes" tracks, and to appreciate the differences between the studio recordings and live performances of songs you love. For anyone who simply can't get enough of the Johns, Severe Tire Damage is a fine way to augment your TMBG collection.
(P.S.: The two new live songs, "They Got Lost" and "First Kiss," were later recorded as ballads on the 1999 'Net-only release Long Tall Weekend and the 2001 CD Mink Car, respectively. Can't say much for the former, but I think Flansy's range is shown off nicely by both versions of the latter.)

Given that this isn't a recording of a single concert and thus doesn't capture the experience of seeing TMBG live, the value of the CD lies in how different these songs are from their album versions, and how good the new stuff is.

Of the five new songs, only three are really actual songs. the other two are less than a minute long and sound like lost "Fingertips." The three songs are great, though -- Dr. Worm is up there with the best, "They got lost" is funny and danceable, and "First Kiss" is good in the vein of "New York City" from Factory Showroom.

Of the 12 live versions of previously released songs, 8 sound substantially different from the album versions, and for the better. In general, they're sped up, with more instrumentation from the live band and a higher energy level.

The other 4 are close enough to the album versions that they're not particularly exciting. For example, "Birdhouse in your Soul" differs only in that Linnel's voice sounds strained and tired.

I haven't been able to get through any of the 7 "hidden" tracks. I'm sure in concert these are hilarious, but here they're just random and amelodic.

So, basically, you get 11 solid tunes for your money. Is it worth it? It would be worth it just for the punked-up "Why does the Sun Shine?" and "Dr. Worm." And for hearing S-e-x-x-y finally realize its potential. Pick it up knowing what you're getting into, and you won't regret it.

I must admit to not being the biggest fan of the live album format. "Hey! It's the same songs we've already released, but with less instruments and less polished vocals! Plus, there are screaming audience members in the background!" One thing that this kind of release is good for, however, is showing how a song can be reworked. Did this album do this? Sometimes. "She's Actual Size" and "Particle Man" have both been improved from the lethargic versions that appeared on previous albums. Other interesting contributions include a fast, rocking version of "Why Does The Sun Shine?", a trumpet-led arrangement of "Istanbul," and a minimalistic recording of "Meet James Ensor." Some of the songs just didn't seem to benefit much from the live treatment, though. In addition to the old favourites, this album also features a few new songs, including "Doctor Worm," "First Kiss," and some poorly-recorded but amusing tributes to the "Planet of the Apes" films. This isn't my favourite They Might Be Giants release, but it's definitely a worthy investment for fans.

They are my favorite band, and I have seen them live about a dozen times, I have all their stuff, etc. etc. What is so great about Them live, just isn't quite captured in this album. It's solid, musically, and contains a lot of their on stage arrangements and improvs, but I feel like it just skims the surface.

"She's an Angel" is one of my favorite "classic" Giants tunes, and the rendition on the album is magnificent, so I'm glad that's included. Also, as others have mentioned, "Dr. Worm" is a fun, upbeat song that really rocks - great horns. And unlike another reviewer, I thoroughly enjoyed the rockin' version of "Why Does the Sun Shine." Those are some of the high points.

What I didn't like, was the new song "First Kiss", nor the arrangement on "Birdhouse in Your Soul." They both felt flat, and that they weren't really into it. Also, the 6 "Planet of the Apes" improv pieces, IMO, take up valuable space that could have been used by other live songs.

All in all, a good purchase for any TMBG fan. I want to deemphasize the negative things I had to say about this, and only say: that's what keeps this from being a perfect album. Instead it's just really, really good.

Okay, like a lot of people I despise live albums because the groups screw up thier own songs. But, that being said, this album is fantastic, quite possibly my favorite TMBG album and I've got them all. This one captures a lot of the fun and energy of thier live performances ( if your a fan do what ever you have to to see them live, unbelievable ! )as well as introduces some new songs such as the happy gets-stuck-in-your-head Dr. Worm and They Got Lost a rocking little song a bit different than most of their playlist. The live versions of Why Does The Sun Shine, Istanbul(not Constantinople),Spider and S-E-X-X-Y are quirky and refreshing. Although many reviewers don't seem to like the hidden tracks at the end ( the infamous Planet of the Apes Suite) I Laugh my self silly at Conquest - Conquest, it's a type of quest,they called it a conquest of the planet of the apes. That's funny.They know it's ridiculous, they even say " well I think we can retire now" afterwards. Now that the Johns are doing the music for Malcolm in the Middle, hopefully they'll get some well deserved air play on something other than college radio. Also for those that don't know it yet, they are doing the music for the Big-screen version of the smart and funny sat morn cartoon Recess. I can't wait to see what they do next.

Upon first hearing that TMBG were releasing a live album, I was at first disgruntled. After all, they only release an album every other year and this year's offering would be merely a collection of old favorites! But I knew They would not let me down and this album proves once again that They cannot put out a bad record. The new songs are marvellous: Dr. Worm, STD Theme, They Got Lost, First Kiss and the 30-second About Me are all winners. But the amazing thing about the album is that unlike many live albums, this one does not simply showcase live versions of songs that may not sound any different or do not add anything to the original recording. These tracks sound so much fuller and let the listener know how the Giants rock when they hit the stage. The six hidden improv songs also add to the atmosphere of a real TMBG performance. Kudos to the Johns: they should release more live albums, although from now on in the year between studio ventures. A+!

They Might Be Giants produce another superb cd. Although some may knock it for a lack of new tunes, Dr. Worm surely makes up for it. "Till My Head Falls Off" and "Ana Ng" remain personal favourites though.

With this album, They Might Be Giants have given us their best tracks and made them better. Beware, though, this is not the same TMBG of the studio albums. This They Might Be Giants sing very, very loudly and infuse their songs with new emotion and new life. Which of course is all the more reason to buy this.

If you are just getting into TMBG this is an ideal album for you. If you're a dedicated TMBG fan, you should have bought this album years ago.

I am a rabid TMBG fan, but I am left somewhat dissapointed in some of the songs chosen for this album. Songs such as "XTC vs. Adam Ant" were terrible the first time and shouldn't have been included on this disk. "Spider" sounds good, but still isn't worth a track. There are some great songs on STD though. "Birdhouse in your soul" never sounded better, and the smae goes for an excellent, swingish version of "Istanbul(Not Constantinople)" and the very cool "Ana Ng". The single off of the mostly live album, "Dr. Worm", shows that They aren't done yet (and won't be till their heads fall off either) and that there is great talent still inside the Johns.

However, the lack of such great songs as "Mammal", "New York City" and "They'll Need a Crane" is quite appaling. And maybe using the infamous live countdown instead of the Ape tracks would have been better.

Sure, the album isn't another "Flood" or "They Might Be Giants", but it doesn't try to be. I suppose it's hard to choose what songs should go on a compilation when you have so many excellent ones! TMBG fans, this is a must purchase!

This is a mostly live album by They Might Be Giants. In addition to the live recordings, there are three new studio recordings. "Doctor Worm" is a great song that has become a favorite of TMBG fans. "Severe Tire Damage Theme" is a brief instrumental. "About Me" isn't so much a song as a song fragment. The live songs were recorded at various venues, as opposed to a live album that features songs from one specific concert. What's interesting to me is that the live versions of the songs have very different arrangements than their studio counterparts. Most of these live recordings are very good. There are six unlisted bonus tracks, which are all improvised live songs about Planet of the Apes, of all things. These ad libbed songs are not very good, to be frank. Overall, though, the album is quite enjoyable.