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A User's Guide To They Might Be Giants
''A User's Guide to They Might Be Giants'' is a 2005 compilation album by the group They Might Be Giants. In the April 29, 2005 "TMBG News" online newsletter, bandmember John Flansburgh describes the album as such: :"Rhino is releasing the single disc compilation ''A User's Guide To They Might Be Giants'' – kind of a simple reduction of '' Dial-A-Song'' – on May 3. It is a very interesting introduction to the band. If you were looking for a single disc to lay on the uninitiated, this might be the one. The liner notes, put together with our pal Barbara Glauber, are quite extensive. We've tried to compile all the songs and all the shows since the band's inception. Obviously this was a bit of a research nightmare (I'm not even sure if the show list includes in-stores!) but it is a very interesting object to look at, especially if you have good near-field vision." Although Flansburgh referred to the album as a condensed version of ''Dial-A-Song: 20 Years Of They Might Be ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
They Might Be Giants
They Might Be Giants (often abbreviated as TMBG) is an American alternative rock band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years, Flansburgh and Linnell frequently performed as a duo, often accompanied by a drum machine. In the early 1990s, TMBG expanded to include a backing band. The duo has been credited as vital in the creation and growth of the prolific DIY music scene in Brooklyn in the mid-1980s; the duo's current backing band consists of Marty Beller, Dan Miller and Danny Weinkauf. The group have been noted for their unique style of alternative music, typically using surreal, humorous lyrics, experimental styles and unconventional instruments in their songs. Over their career, they have found success on the modern rock and college radio charts. They have also found success in children's music with several educational albums, and in theme music for television programs and films. TMBG have released 23 studio albums. ''Flood'' has b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Apollo 18 (album)
''Apollo 18'' is the fourth studio album by American alternative rock duo They Might Be Giants. It was released in 1992 through Elektra Records and was named after the cancelled Apollo 18 mission that was scheduled to have followed Apollo 17. The album was also associated with International Space Year, for which They Might Be Giants were declared the official "musical ambassadors" by NASA. The album marked the first conscious effort by John Linnell and John Flansburgh to branch out of their early sound, opting for more traditional rock rhythms and fuller arrangements. The duo adopted a backing band with live drums during the supporting tour. It was their last album recorded as a duo, and the band expanded to include a regular rhythm guitarist, bass player and saxophone player for their subsequent releases. ''Apollo 18'' also includes the "Fingertips" suite, a series of twenty-one short songs, most under thirty seconds long. The album generated three singles, " The Statue Got Me ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jimmy Kennedy
James Kennedy (20 July 1902 – 6 April 1984) was a Northern Irish songwriter. He was predominantly a lyricist, putting words to existing music such as " Teddy Bears' Picnic" and " My Prayer" or co-writing with composers like Michael Carr, Wilhelm Grosz and Nat Simon. In a career spanning more than fifty years, he wrote some 2000 songs, of which over 200 became worldwide hits and about 50 are popular music classics. Early life Kennedy was born in Omagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. His father, Joseph Hamilton Kennedy, was a policeman in the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC). While growing up in the village of Coagh, Kennedy wrote several songs and poems. He was inspired by local surroundings—the view of the Ballinderry River, the local Springhill House and the plentiful chestnut trees on his family's property, as evidenced in his poem ''Chestnut Trees''. Kennedy later moved to Portstewart, a seaside resort in County Londonderry. Kennedy graduated from Trinity Colle ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Istanbul (Not Constantinople)
"Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" is a 1953 novelty song, with lyrics by Jimmy Kennedy and music by Nat Simon. It was written on the 500th anniversary of the fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans. The lyrics humorously refer to the official renaming of the city of Constantinople to Istanbul. The song's original release, performed by The Four Lads, was certified as a gold record. Numerous cover versions have been recorded over the years, most famously a 1990 rock version by They Might Be Giants. Musical influences The song is said to be a response to "C-O-N-S-T-A-N-T-I-N-O-P-L-E" recorded in 1928 by Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra. The Four Lads original version "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" was originally recorded by the Canadian vocal quartet The Four Lads on August 12, 1953. This recording was released by Columbia Records as catalog number 40082. It first reached the ''Billboard'' magazine charts on October 24, 1953, and it peaked at #10. It was the group's first gold r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Don't Let's Start
"Don't Let's Start" is a song by an alternative rock band, They Might Be Giants from their 1986 eponymous debut album. It was the first single released from the album, released as a maxi-single. The single peaked at #94 on the Australian ARIA singles chart in 1988. It was re-released by Elektra in 1990 after the success of the band's third album, ''Flood''. Lyrical content The lyrics of "Don't Let's Start" include a number of dark, pointed statements, such as "everybody dies frustrated and sad, and that is beautiful." John Linnell has repeatedly insisted that some of the song's lyrical twists, though pondered extensively by fans, were constructed to complement the melody and were not necessarily meaningful. Asked about the origin of the song's obscure lyrics, Linnell replied "where did it come from? I made it up." Music video A music video was produced for the song, and it found some success at that time on MTV. It was included on MTV's 1999 list of the "100 Greatest Music Vid ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Particle Man
"Particle Man" is a song by alternative rock band They Might Be Giants, released and published in 1990. The song is the seventh track on the band's third album, ''Flood''. It has become one of the band's most popular songs, despite never having been released as a single. John Linnell and John Flansburgh performed the song, backed by a metronome, for their 1990 ''Flood'' promotional video. Although it was released over a decade before the band began writing children's music, "Particle Man" is sometimes cited as a particularly youth-appropriate TMBG song, and a precursor to their first children's album, ''No!'', which was not explicitly educational. The song is partially influenced by the theme of the 1967 ''Spider-Man'' TV series. They Might Be Giants' official YouTube account has the user name "ParticleMen", derived from the song title. Lyrical content The song describes four different "men": Particle Man, a microscopic being whose attributes are deemed "not important" enough ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
James Ensor
James Sidney Edouard, Baron Ensor (13 April 1860 – 19 November 1949) was a Belgian painter and printmaker, an important influence on expressionism and surrealism who lived in Ostend for most of his life. He was associated with the artistic group Les XX. Biography Ensor's father, James Frederic Ensor, born in Brussels to English parents, was a cultivated man who studied engineering in England and Germany. Ensor's mother, Maria Catherina Haegheman, was Belgian. Ensor himself lacked interest in academic study and left school at the age of fifteen to begin his artistic training with two local painters. From 1877 to 1880, he attended the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, where one of his fellow students was Fernand Khnopff. Ensor first exhibited his work in 1881. From 1880 until 1917, he had his studio in the attic of his parents' house. His travels were very few: three brief trips to France and two to the Netherlands in the 1880s, and a four-day trip to London in 1892 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Spy Who Shagged Me
''Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me'' is a 1999 American spy comedy film directed by Jay Roach. It is the second installment in the ''Austin Powers'' film series, after '' International Man of Mystery''. It stars franchise co-producer and writer Mike Myers as Austin Powers, Dr. Evil and Fat Bastard. The film also stars Heather Graham, Michael York, Robert Wagner, Seth Green, and Elizabeth Hurley. The film's title is a play on the James Bond film '' The Spy Who Loved Me'' (1977). The film centers on Dr. Evil returning again from cryostasis to strike at Powers from the past, using a time machine to remove Powers' charisma ("mojo") and deprive him of whatever qualities made him an effective secret agent so he can no longer interfere with Evil's plans. The most commercially successful movie in the Austin Powers series, the film grossed around $312 million in worldwide ticket sales, taking more money during its opening weekend than the entire box office proceeds of its predecesso ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Miscellaneous T
''Miscellaneous T'' is a B-side and remix compilation album released by the alternative rock band They Might Be Giants in 1991. It is a US re-release of ''Don't Let's Start'' (which was only released in the UK and West Germany), with different cover art, track order, and the additional song "Hello Radio". The album consists of all of the B-sides from the singles the band released between 1987 and 1989 (except " Ana Ng"), with the addition of the relatively new songs "The World's Address (Joshua Fried Remix)"—released beforehand only on ''Don't Let's Start''—and "Hello Radio", which was previously released on a promotional sampler. All of the songs, with the exception of "(She Was A) Hotel Detective (Single Mix)", are included on '' Then: The Earlier Years'', a compilation of the band's early material. ''Miscellaneous T'' is said to be named for the section in record stores where They Might Be Giants' albums were most often shelved in the band's early years.'' Then: The Earl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Don't Let's Start (EP)
"Don't Let's Start" is a song by an alternative rock band, They Might Be Giants from their 1986 eponymous debut album. It was the first single released from the album, released as a maxi-single. The single peaked at #94 on the Australian ARIA singles chart in 1988. It was re-released by Elektra in 1990 after the success of the band's third album, ''Flood''. Lyrical content The lyrics of "Don't Let's Start" include a number of dark, pointed statements, such as "everybody dies frustrated and sad, and that is beautiful." John Linnell has repeatedly insisted that some of the song's lyrical twists, though pondered extensively by fans, were constructed to complement the melody and were not necessarily meaningful. Asked about the origin of the song's obscure lyrics, Linnell replied "where did it come from? I made it up." Music video A music video was produced for the song, and it found some success at that time on MTV. It was included on MTV's 1999 list of the "100 Greatest Music Vid ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Long Tall Weekend
''Long Tall Weekend'' is the seventh studio album by American alternative rock duo They Might Be Giants, released in 1999. It was released exclusively online through the digital music service eMusic. The album was the band's first since their departure from the major label Elektra. ''Long Tall Weekend'' was also the first full-length album released exclusively on the Internet by an established major label band.''Gigantic (A Tale Of Two Johns)''. Dir. AJ Schnack. 2002. Plexifilm, 2003. Although the album's primary release was digital, CDs of the album were issued promotionally. Following the success of the album's release through eMusic, TMBG went on to issue a digital series of rarities collections — TMBG Unlimited — through their website. Song origins Many of the songs that appear on ''Long Tall Weekend'' existed as demos and selections from the band's Dial-A-Song service. "Drinkin'" was originally written six years prior to the release of the album. "Maybe I Know" had been in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Why Does The Sun Shine? (The Sun Is A Mass Of Incandescent Gas)
''Why Does the Sun Shine? (The Sun Is a Mass of Incandescent Gas)'' is an EP by alternative rock band They Might Be Giants, released in 1993. The EP is notable for being their first release with a full-band lineup, rather than only the two original members (John Flansburgh and John Linnell) performing. It was also released as a single on 7-inch vinyl. Songs The title song is a cover of a song by Hy Zaret from Tom Glazer's 1959 album '' Space Songs''. The lyrics for the refrain appear verbatim in the 1951 Golden Nature Guide ''Stars''. They Might Be Giants re-arranged the song in an uptempo version for their 1998 live album, '' Severe Tire Damage'', and their 2009 children's album, '' Here Comes Science'', on which they added the self-penned "Why Does the Sun Really Shine? (The Sun is a Miasma of Incandescent Plasma)", which corrects several factual inaccuracies in the original song. It was also included on the soundtrack to the children's game show '' Carmen Sandiego: Out of This ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
