Customer Reviews

Users Guide to They Might Be Giants (Rpkg)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The biggest complaint here seems to be that this offers less than the "Dial-A-Song" collection does. Well that's true, but alot of fans don't want or need 52 tracks on 2 discs of They Might Be Giants. So, for the casual fan this is perfect, not to mention that this disc itself includes 29 songs. There's so much here it's insane, most of which is terribly catchy. Songs from movies and TV, songs for kids, alternative and pop songs, and all done very well. I would like another track or two from "Flood", but who can complain when this has "Don't Let's Start", "Ana Ng", "Particle Man", "Birdhouse In Your Soul", and 25 more. If you're looking for your first or only TMBG album, this is obviously it.

This has no new tracks, it is not designed for existing fans of the band, it is for you to make new fans with!!

As that, I think it will do pretty well, considering it has some of everything.

A good introduction to the band, 4/5.

I agree with what most of the other reviewers said. It's perfect for a TMBG-newcomer who doesn't want to spend twice the money on Dial-a-Song.
I would like to mention a couple of things about this CD that no one else has said yet, though. If it matters at all, track 19 "Why Does the Sun Shine? (The Sun is a Mass of Incandescent Gas)" on this album is the original glockenspiel version from the EP of the same name, not the "live" version that's included on the two-disc Dial-a-Song set.
Secondly, it may or may not be worth mentioning that the liner notes are pretty cool. They list "A Fairly Complete List of They Might Be Giants Gigs Since 1985," the date and city of every performance up to October 2004. There's also a "track related timeline" (for example: 1938 - U.S. minimum wage established) a list of every song recorded, and some other neat stuff (No lyrics , though). I realize most people won't buy this just for those ten pages if they already have the songs, but I thought someone should mention it for the sake of...mentioning it.

How to you compile "A User's Guide To TMBG"? Here's a band with a few songs with moderate airplay, no top 10 singles, yet have a devout following with lots of EPs and albums that AVERAGE about 20 songs each since 1982? A daunting task indeed. "User's Guide" does pretty much a good of a job as one could expect. Like any collection, there may be gripes like "James Polk" may be clever but not really worthy. Or where's the single for "Man It's So Loud In Here". But I don't think that's the point. The CD tries to highlight the best songs from the broad spectrum of albums. We get everything from the electric cheesy drum and keyboards from the early days (Don't Let's Start, Purple Toupee) through putting together an actual band with horn section (the rockin Dr. Worm), to selections from the children's album "No!". On that level, and being well remastered, the CD does its job. For anyone who has ever been curious about TMBG, this is an excellent place to start (after you laugh at them for not being so hip to them after all these years).

Let me start off by saying that I have always known about TMBG, but had never really had any experience with their music. Yes I am an adult... sad, I know. Anyway now that people are done laughing at me for not really knowing much about TMBG or any of their songs (other than the obvious Don't Let's Start and the like)I'd like to go on with my opinion of A User's Guide to They Might Be Giants.

I bought this album on a whim the other day after having just watched Gigantic: A Tale of Two Johns. The documentary got me really interested in TMBG, so when I saw this CD at the store while I was looking for something else, I decided to pick it up as a starting point. The disc is loaded with many TMBG favorites, and for me it was perfect. For someone who does not know much TMBG material I think this is a great start, and if you're curious about these guys and can handle their insane quirkiness, then I say pick this album up. It has gotten me interested in checking out others, and I'll probably start with Flood, and then Mink Car.

Anyway, it's a good starting point, but I could see die hard TMBG fans passing on this one because it's got a lot of the same songs that many of their other albums and compilations have. But, if you're like me and don't know much TMBG, but want to get to know them better then it's worth the money and highly recommended. You will easily be able to figure out whether you would want to purchase more of their albums by listening to this. Some people just can't handle them, or think they are too silly, this album can help you to decide which type you are.

"A User's Guide" is an entertaining and reasonably-priced intro to the fun and sometimes informative music of the Brooklyn-based band They Might Be Giants. Fun for songs like "Dr. Worm" (the story of a would-be rock drummer who's "not a real doctor" but is "an actual worm") and a cover of the classic "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)"; and informative for songs like the almost-historically accurate "James K. Polk" and maybe-not-so "Meet James Ensor" (Belgium's famous painter). TMBG offers a science lesson or two along the way as well--"Particle Man" introduces us in a way to particle physics (I did a reasonably well-received Karaoke version of this one); "The Sun Is a Mass of Incandescent Gas" explains the nuclear processes that go on in that important stellar body; and "John Lee, Supertaster" is kind of a cross between science, superheroes, and "names in the news", though I'd never heard of him. Their best-known song from the CD is the bouncy "Birdhouse in Your Soul", which some claim to be quite cryptic, but the spirituality of which seems obvious to me. If you like music that gives you a little to think about, but not too seriously, TMBG might be your band, and "A User's Guide" is a great introduction.

The only thing here that's not on D-A-S is John Lee Supertaster, which isn't all that great. But the tracks are still solid, and you get a list of every show the band's ever performed that they know of.

I've been listening to TMBG's since the beginning and have all of their early albums on vinyl. A kids band they're not, well any more than Shel Silverstein is. These 29 classic tracks represents the early form of TMBG at their finest! If you like the early They Might Be Giants music then this is the one to get.

Well, if you've never bought a TMBG CD before, this one could be really nice for you! It's a perfect view over the wide and funny range of TMBG.

But if you already own some CDs by TMBG (maybe even the Dial-A-Song compilation): why buy this? It doesn't contain ANY new song, not even one or two new songs, no, just NO new song... Could this really have been the wish of the 2 Johns, or was it just an idea of their record company? But why then in May, not for Christmas? I just don't understand it...

I love the music on this CD! Unfortunately, I cannot enjoy it! I have purchased 2 copies through Amazon, one used, one new. Both copies were defective. The sound quality is unacceptable! It is garbled and full of static! How can I get a good copy? Are there MP3 downloads? I am SO MAD!!