Customer Reviews

Why Does the Sun Shine / Jessica / Whirlpool / Spy

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It pains me to not recommend any TMBG album, but I have to disagree with consensus on this one. I liked this version of "Why does the sun shine?" unti I heard the faster, more rocked out version on "Severe Tire Damage." I liked the sparsely instrumented "Whirlpool," until I heard the 10-times better original. "Jessica" is fine, but not a compelling reason to buy an album. "Spy" is on John Henry, identical except for the improv at the end.

I would only recommend this to those who want everything TMBG's ever done. Kinda bugs me that this one is still available, but the GREAT EP's for "The Guitar" and "Istanbul" are not to be had.

It worked for Potsie on Happy Days.

You remember the episode: Potsie, unable to memorize anatomical terms for a school test, writes a song called "Pump Your Blood" and subsequently passes the test with flying colors.

"Why Does the Sun Shine?", the title song from this EP, does for astronomy what "Pump Your Blood" did for anatomy. Sample: "The sun is a mass of incandescent gas/A gigantic nuclear furnace/Where hydrogen is built into helium at a temperature of millions of degrees." Everyone!

The glockenspiel-driven ditty is actually from a 1959 educational recording called Space Songs, and the Giants play it deadpan. The result is perhaps the most hilarious or annoying song of the band's catalogue, depending on your sense of humor.

The disc also includes a peppy, instrumental rendition of the Allman Brothers' "Jessica" and an accordion-based version of the Meat Puppets' "Whirlpool".

Ultimately, the EP is a fine between-albums stopgap, but it falls short of the band's insanely catchy originals.

If you're in the market for something to drive folks nuts at parties, or you're the Potsie of the astronomy set, this one's for you.

You only get these TMBG songs on this stand-alone single, and it's worth it. "The Sun Is A Mass Of Incandescant Gas" is a great semi-childish song that features that educational ego that they have only done previously with "Mammal". The remake of the Almond Brother's "Jessica" is decent, but the backdrop remake of the Meat Puppets' "Whirlpool" is great, done with echoing horns. The alternate version of "Spy" is, in my opinion, better than the version on "John Henry". Get a great single and learn about how the Sun is a mass of incandescent gas...at the same time.

Listening to this quirky little maxi-single, you start to hear the cracking of the old Bell&Howell movie projector, and you half expect the film to rip as part of it melts on screen before your eyes.

TMBG has always had a sense of the abusrd, and they seem to work it best when shaping it with their peculiar sense of nostalgia.

This is nothing more than a silly old song about the sun, sung by TMBG.

Result, a delightfully endearing little ditty that leaves you longing for recess.

Why Does the Sun Shine? is brilliant music to celebrate by. Its fast-paced frenetic style gets you up and dancing. Also it's an excellent way to learn some salient facts about the sun! (If you are nerdy and want to know about the sun.)

One of my favorite educational songs ever. I'm 32 and I find myself searching for this one on the ipod when i want a quick pick-me-up (and the chance to sing "incandescent"). Plus, they pronounce "nuclear" correctly...

Let's not get too complex here. The title track is the sort of good humoured music other bands don't have the nerve to do. I sing this song to my small nephews and my niece. And my mother has used this tune at school for her 5 to 6 year olds. Try that with REM and the police will be calling. This song is in a similar vein to James K Polk on Factory Showroom: fun, finger tapping and, er, educational. Now that's value for money. And then we move onto a slightly extended version of Spy with its retro sounds. But perhaps the cream of the record is the excellent reworking of Jessica which some British readers will recognise as the theme tune to the motoring program, Top Gear. As well as being humourous and confident, the Giants are gifted arrangers. The set-up for Jessica is at once folksy and funky. The poignant and excellently sung Whirlpool finishes this odd and very special gem. I don't know what Whirlpool might be about, but if you've ever wondered if your life could be different, this is the song that expresses that odd fearful, sad wonder.

My kids love this cd because it has the "Sun" song on it!

Although their raucous live version on "Severe Tire Damage" is superior to this version it's still fun to listen to this album. The original version of "Spy" is here, but the real treasure is their cover of the Meatpuppets song "Whirlpool" with the spare saxophone supporting the vocals. The imagery and wackyness of that song, in particular, are what makes it interesting. It's one of my favorite songs by TMBG of all time.

"Why Does The Sun Shine?" managed to become one of They Might Be Giants most popular songs, without ever being released on an album. In fact, all four songs here were available excusively on this single. ("Spy" was later rerecorded for the John Henry album.) "Why Does The Sun Shine?" is a really fun ditty covered from an old children's album. "Jessica" is a solid version of an Allman Brothers instrumental. "Whirpool" is a Meat Puppets song that works well as a They Might Be Giants song. "Spy" is the only band written original here, and it's a worthy addition to their songbook. Recommended to They Might Be Giants fans.