Then: The Earlier Years

They Might Be Giants

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 25, 1997)
• Original Release Date: March 25, 1997
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Restless Records
• ASIN: B000003BLB
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #49,666 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Everything Right Is Wrong Again

2. Put Your Hand Inside the Puppet Head

3. Number Three

4. Don't Let's Start

5. Hide Away Folk Family

6. 32 Footsteps

7. Toddler Hiway

8. Rabid Child

9. Nothing's Gonna Change My Clothes

10. (She Was A) Hotel Detective

See all 35 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Ana Ng

2. Cowtown

3. Lie Still, Little Bottle

4. Purple Toupee

5. Cage & Aquarium

6. Where Your Eyes Don't Go

7. Piece of Dirt

8. Mr. Me

9. Pencil Rain

10. World's Address

See all 36 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Before they became a successful major-label act, New York smart-guy popsters John Flansburgh and John Linnell started out as a resourceful do-it-yourself duo, recording their wacky ditties at home and making them available to the public via their Dial-A-Song hotline. That playful, resourceful spirit is the order of the day on this 2 CD, 72-song compilation, which incorporates the contents of the early TMBG albums They Might Be Giants, Lincoln, and Miscellaneous T, plus a passel of previously unreleased oddities and some droll liner notes written by the artists. The wildly eclectic yet consistently accessible material (including the early hits "Don't Let's Start" and "Ana Ng") still sounds fresh and inventive, embodying the pair's trademark blend of smarts and silliness. --Scott Schinder

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The ultimate collection (but not the penultimate), December 14, 2000

By	Nathan M DeHoff (Absurd City) - See all my reviews

This album contains all of They Might Be Giants' first two albums, the self-titled one (sometimes called "the pink album") and Lincoln, as well as every song on Miscellaneous T (except for the single mix of "Hotel Detective"), and several bonus tracks. While I like almost all TMBG, there is a charm to this early stuff, with its emphasis on synthesizers, drum machines, samples, unusual instruments, and odd lyrics, that the band has never really reproduced. The first album has a haunting sound to many of its songs, and includes such TMBG classics as "Don't Let's Start" and "She's An Angel." Lincoln is my favorite TMBG album, with quite possibly the best running order of any of their albums, and more great songs than you could shake a stick (that big one they use for live performances of "Lie Still, Little Bottle," perhaps?) at. As for the EP B-sides, some of them were obviously B-sides for a reason ("Mr. Klaw," for instance), while others meet and even surpass the quality of album tracks. "It's Not My Birthday," for example, is one of my favorite TMBG songs. As for the previously unreleased tracks that found a home on this collection, well, many of them have a "for completists" only kind of feel to them. That's not to say that they're bad; such tracks as "Weep Day," and "Now That I Have Everything" are good songs, despite their low production value. There's not that much to many of them, though, and, since they're the only things that a person who already owns the pink album, Lincoln, and Miscellaneous T would really get from buying this, that might be a reason not to get it if you already have those albums. If you DON'T have those albums, though, and you're a fan of the band, get this! You'll save money, and have all of it in one handy package.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive review of early career is great, July 1, 2000

By	John M. Thompson (Albuquerque, New Mexico) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you like They Might Be Giants at all, this is well worth the investment as a glance into their storied past before they achieved moderate video airplay with "Birdhouse in Your Soul" from 1990's _Flood_.

It's not for everyone, necessarily - lyrics don't get more whimsical than wondering about whether angels congregate on the head of a pin to discuss you in pleasant terms, followed immediately by an aside about their space program. In addition, you can hear them learning about the recording process as the tracks progress; meaning, that if made-by-hand production values do not satisfy your expectations as a consumer, then leave this alone. Bob Clearmountain and Daniel Lanois need not fear for their reputations as engineers in the presence of Johns Linnell and Flansburgh.

If you're reading a review for anything by They Might Be Giants, you are probably at peace enough with your inner geek to disregard the cautionary statements listed above. You certainly won't find the first two albums and the unreleased material anywhere else at this price. If you're a novitiate to the wonder of the Giants, start first with their best and most accessible record, _Flood_.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun! Exciting! Silly silly silly!, May 25, 2000

By	C. S. Bloedorn "aurenta" (Catonsville, MD United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I was listening to one of these CDs today and was once again bowled over by how MUCH I love TMBG. This is the definitive early collection (when are they going to do "Now: The Later Years"?) and for those of us who used to listen to them on old copied tapes, this is a VAST improvement. Not to mention the extreme silliness of their lyrics and the amazing musical differences between the songs. The Giants always take musical risks--there's nothing I like better than a guitar and an accordian playing in concert.