Miscellaneous T:They Might Be Giants

Artist: They Might Be Giants

Date Released: 1991

Label: Bar/None

Produced By: They Might Be Giants / Bill Krauss

Tracklisting:
 * 1) Hey, Mr. DJ, I Thought You Said We Had A Deal
 * 2) Lady Is A Tramp
 * 3) Birds Fly
 * 4) The World's Address (Joshua Fried Remix)
 * 5) Nightgown Of The Sullen Moon
 * 6) I'll Sink Manhattan
 * 7) It's Not My Birthday
 * 8) Hello Radio
 * 9) Mr. Klaw
 * 10) Kiss Me, Son Of God (Alternate Version)
 * 11) The Biggest One
 * 12) For Science
 * 13) They Might Be Giants
 * 14) (She Was A) Hotel Detective (Single Mix)
 * 15) The Famous Polka
 * 16) When It Rains It Snows
 * 17) We're The Replacements
 * 18) Don't Let's Start (Single Mix)

Review: This is a compilation of the first four They Might Be Giants EPs -- or, well, kinda; the fourth EP that this includes, the Purple Toupee EP was slated for release but never actually came out; there's also a track that was on a special Bar/None label compilation that didn't appear on an EP. With the release of Then, this compilation has become mostly redundant EXCEPT for one thing -- this is the only place, other than the actual EP to get the far superior single mix of (She Was A) Hotel Detective (not to be confused with She Was A Hotel Detective). It's actually a dandy side of They Might Be Giants -- their B-sides are typically great (for example, you could compile an album of all the Apollo 18-era B-sides and you'd have as good a record as they'd put out), and it's cool to hear this side of the band -- loose, funny and experimental. Unlike many other bands, They Might Be Giants would typically record the EPs after the album, so these songs were always slated to be B-Sides -- which allows far more in the way of doing goofier stuff (like, "For Science" -- a two minute, multi-part rock opera about a space invasion). You could definitely do worse than picking this one up. Even though it's just they stuff they threw away, I love this release. - Rev. Syung Myung Me