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Track Listings

1	Doctor Worm
2	Severe Tire Damage Theme
3	They Got Lost
4	Why Does The Sun Shine? (The Sun Is A Mass Of Incandescent Gas)
5	Birdhouse In Your Soul
6	She's An Angel
7	XTC Vs. Adam Ant
8	Istanbul (Not Constantinople)
9	Ana Ng
10	First Kiss
11	Ana Ng. - (live)
12	Particle Man
13	She's Actual Size
14	S-E-X-X-Y
15	Meet James Ensor
16	Till My Head Falls Off
17	About Me
18	Untitled
19	Untitled
20	Untitled
21	Untitled
22	Untitled
23	Untitled
24	Untitled

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

America's seminal geek rockers They Might Be Giants have been outsmarting every other act on the college-radio scene since the late '80s. Severe Tire Damage is the band's first live album, and surprisingly, it manages to be whimsical without being self-indulgent. TMBG's nucleus of John Linnell and John Flansburgh up the ante of fun on old favorites like "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)," "Ana Ng," and "Birdhouse in Your Soul" while also offering us more realized versions of should've-been-hits like "XTC Vs. Adam Ant" and "She's Actual Size." The Giants' backing band adds unexpected depth to the material, which also includes five new songs (and a hidden epilogue of live improvisation themed around the Planet of the Apes films). Many of the old fans who wrote They Might Be Giants off after Apollo 18 are advised to come back to the fold and see what the boys have been up to. --Jason Josephes

Product details

Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 4.94 x 0.45 inches; 4 Ounces
Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ Restless Records
Date First Available ‏ : ‎ August 11, 1998
Label ‏ : ‎ Restless Records
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B000009NTL
Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1

Best Sellers Rank: #146,506 in CDs & Vinyl (See Top 100 in CDs & Vinyl)
- #3,008 in Indie Rock
- #13,232 in Alternative Rock (CDs & Vinyl)
- #65,572 in Rock (CDs & Vinyl)

Customer Reviews:
4.7 42 ratings

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4.7 out of 5

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Lunar Boulevard

The Johns Toss in a Bit of Everything

Reviewed in the United States on December 6, 2016

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Severe Time Damage follow in the footsteps of albums like U2's Rattle and Hum: it's part live, part studio and part greatest hits. While the premise is a bit more interesting than the actual results, there's still quite a bit to love here. The new material shines the brightest, with "Doctor Worm" being the natural highlight. We're also treated to full band versions of classics like "Birdhouse in Your Soul" and "Ana Ng", which fare better than might be expected. There are even bootlegged hidden tracks that appear after "About Me", which chronicle (or at the very least reference) the Planet of the Apes films. Hey, it's They Might Be Giants---they can get away with that kind of stuff. The rest isn't bad but it's also a bit unnecessary. They would have been better just doing a full-blown live album in front of a committed audience.

In the end it's a collection that only hardcore fans should invest in. It's enjoyable enough for what it is but the lack of focus and bizarre structure make it hard to recommend to the uninitiated. If you know what you're getting then it's a fun ride to take every now and then, if even it does wear on your tires.

One person found this helpful

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Thanks for the STD, you guys

Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2011

Verified Purchase

It's been a while since "Severe Tire Damage" came out and I'm still not sure what to think of it. It starts off great; I'll never tire of "Dr. Worm." The title track is neat, even if it lasts less than sixty seconds. From there on, things get spotty. The mix of new studio songs, in-concert songs and sound check songs doesn't sound thoroughly thought out.

The mixing sounds off. "Ana Ng," a personal favorite of mine, sounds musically sloppy and John Linnell's voice gets drowned out in places. "XTC vs. Adam Ant" isn't much of a song, but I like the guitar solo on this version. "S-E-X-X-Y" sounds better here than on "Factory Showroom." There are two new Flansburgh songs, but both are really subpar: "First Kiss" and "About Me." For the former, the version on "Mink Car" is better, though I'm not crazy about it in the first place. The latter is filler. For some reason, the track goes on for two more minutes after the song is over. Yep, silence.

As for these "Planet of the Apes" bonus tracks goes...I don't get it. Is that "Boogie Stop Shuffle" I hear in one of them? I really have no idea what's going on with any of them.

All said, it's just okay. By no means a great place to start for a newcomer, even though it has some of their best songs. I have the uneasy feeling that these songs were sharpened by the band AFTER they recorded this album - that this was less an accurate representation of how they were live and more of a novel idea meant to tide fans over until the next album.

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Richie

amazing

Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2012

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if you are a fan of they might be giants this is a must own album. Live versions of little birdhouse in your souland ana ng are awesome.

Reviewed in the United States on November 24, 1999

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I'm a fairly recent convert to TMBG. Flood really knocked me out, I liked nearly every song the first time I heard it. STD disappointed me at first, it takes a few more listens but ultimately I'm listening to STD more than Flood. TMBG lyrics are a hoot (especially The Sun), and the way they shift musical styles is amazing. Particle Man (New Orleans funk version) is worth the price of this CD.

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K. Overton

Great CD

Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2015

Verified Purchase

I found this band on Pandora. I really like this CD

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Gena Chereck

"Put your hands together for They MUST Be Giants!"

Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2003

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.)

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vaughn Michael Hanley

Doctor Worm Escapes From the Particle Planet

Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2015

This is a fantastic live cd and I hold it very fondly to my heart.
You see this was the first time I ever saw They Might Be Giants live and they performed Dr Worm and just put on one hell of a show.
They still don't disappoint as I just saw them in Pittsburgh, PA (2015).
Anyway I bought this cd at their show and really love it.
It's also got some silly Planet of the Apes songs at the end of the cd.

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Thisisntfalcor

Fantastic on every level

Reviewed in the United States on September 14, 2014

This album was my introduction to TMBG and I've never regretted buying it 16 years ago. Fantastic on every level.

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