''Lincoln'' is the second studio album by the band

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 ...

. It was released by

Bar/None Bar/None Records is an independent record label based in Hoboken, New Jersey. Early history Tom Prendergast started Bar/None in early 1986 in Hoboken, New Jersey. Having previously worked in pirate radio and booked and promoted bands in his n ...

in 1988. The album is named after

John Linnell John Sidney Linnell ( ; born June 12, 1959) is an American musician, known primarily as one half of the Brooklyn-based alternative rock band They Might Be Giants with John Flansburgh, which was formed in 1982. In addition to singing and songwri ...

and

John Flansburgh John Conant Flansburgh (born May 6, 1960) is an American musician. He is half of the long-standing Brooklyn, New York-based alternative rock duo They Might Be Giants with John Linnell, for which he writes, sings, and plays rhythm guitar. Commo ...

's boyhood home of

Lincoln, Massachusetts Lincoln is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Middlesex County, Massachusetts. The population was 7,014 according to the 2020 United States Census, including residents of Hanscom Air Force Base that live within town limits. The town, loc ...

. The album produced three singles—"

Ana Ng "Ana Ng" ( ) is a song by alternative rock band They Might Be Giants. It was released as the lead single from the band's 1988 album ''Lincoln''. Although the song was their first US chart appearance, hitting #11 on the US Modern Rock chart, the ...

", "

They'll Need a Crane "They'll Need a Crane" is a single and song by They Might Be Giants. In addition to vinyl and cassette releases, the single was released as a 3-inch CD. "They'll Need a Crane" was the first song the band performed on network television, in 1989 o ...

", and " Purple Toupee". It is included on '' Then: The Earlier Years'', a compilation of the band's early material, in its entirety.

Style

''Lincoln'' maintains the range of musical styles present on the previous album, ''

'', and lyrically attempts to merge

word play Word play or wordplay (also: play-on-words) is a literary technique and a form of wit in which words used become the main subject of the work, primarily for the purpose of intended effect or amusement. Examples of word play include puns, pho ...

into narrative songs. Lyrical themes are broadened with the inclusion of songs detailing troubled romantic relationships ("Ana Ng", "They'll Need a Crane", "I've Got a Match"),Mason, Stewart.
"Ana Ng - They Might Be Giants"

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

. Retrieved 2012-10-20.Mason, Stewart.
"They'll Need a Crane - They Might Be Giants"

. Retrieved 2012-10-20. and songs that verge on social or political

satire Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming ...

("Purple Toupee", "Kiss Me, Son of God"),Mason, Stewart.
"Purple Toupee - They Might Be Giants"

. Retrieved 2012-10-20.Mason, Stewart.
"Kiss Me, Son of God - They Might Be Giants"

. Retrieved 2012-10-20. whereas musically, the album explores a number of genres. For example, songs such as "Cowtown" and "Mr. Me" incorporate elements of

sea shanties A sea shanty, chantey, or chanty () is a genre of traditional folk song that was once commonly sung as a work song to accompany rhythmical labor aboard large merchant sailing vessels. The term ''shanty'' most accurately refers to a specific ...

, while "Lie Still, Little Bottle" suggests a

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

influence. Like previous releases, ''Lincoln'' does not utilize a full band arrangement. Instead, bass and drum tracks are entirely synthetic or sampled, with the exception of live drums on "Lie Still, Little Bottle". The drum tracks on the album were produced with an Alesis HR-16 drum machine. The album featured The Ordinaires, a nonet which was also signed to the

label, providing the arrangement for "Kiss Me, Son of God".

Release

As of 1999, the album had sold more than 200,000 copies, double the amount of the previous album.

Packaging

The cover art depicts a shrine built by

Brian Dewan Brian Dewan (born 14 June 1963) is an American multi-media artist, who produces music, audio-visual performances, decorative painting, furniture, poetry, filmstrips, illustrations, and musical instruments. He has released three albums of songs ...

, and photographed by Carol Kitman.''Lincoln'' liner notes. Two slightly different versions of the cover photograph exist: one that was used for domestic releases, and another that was used for all releases outside the United States, with the exception of the Australian releases and Italian CD. The two men pictured behind the lecterns in the shrine are John Linnell's great-grandfather, Lewis T. Linnell (left) and Flansburgh's maternal grandfather,

Brigadier General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

Ralph Hospital Brigadier General Ralph Hospital was born January 27, 1891, in Washington, D.C. He was commissioned in November 1913 as a Field Artillery officer and saw service with the 15th Cavalry Regiment during the Mexican Campaign in Douglas, Arizona and ...

(right). The artwork for the album was designed by John Flansburgh. The CD and LP labels feature diagrams of an accordion and accordion case, which were drawn by John Linnell.

Reception

''Lincoln'' received generally positive reviews. David Kissinger of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' called the album "every bit as eccentric as its predecessor, and even more eclectic", though this was supplemented with the disclaimer that " times this penchant for the bizarre leads them into pointlessly sophomoric zaniness". Robert Christgau of ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, th ...

'' described the band as "actively annoying even if intelligence is all you ask of your art-pop" and called the album's hooks "cleverness for cleverness's sake", nonetheless conceding that "damned clever they are." The album placed at number 78 on ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...

's ''100 Best Albums of the 1980s''. The album peaked at number 89 on the ''Billboard'' Top Pop Albums chart in 1989, spending 19 weeks on that chart. Its success led to They Might Be Giants' signing to the major label Elektra Records in 1990. ''Lincoln'' also generated the band's first charting single, "

", which peaked at number 11 on the ''Billboard'' Modern Rock Tracks chart. The single, which was only released promotionally in the United States, also received positive attention. Christgau praised it as "a beyond-perfect tour de force about a Vietnamese woman they never got to meet". The other singles from the album, "

" and " Purple Toupee", failed to chart, though both songs and the track "Kiss Me, Son of God" received praise from Stewart Mason of

Track listing

2013 Australian bonus tracks

Personnel

Track numbers refer to CD track list. They Might Be Giants *

– lead vocals (2, 3, 5, 7, 10, 12, 13, 15, 17), electric guitar (1, 2, 4–6, 8–12, 14, 16), trumpet (3, 13), backing vocals (4, 5, 7, 8, 13, 14, 18), acoustic guitar (6, 7, 9, 14, 17), melodica (17) *

– lead vocals (1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11, 14–16, 18), backing vocals (1, 5, 9, 10, 11, 12, 16, 17), accordion (1, 4, 7, 8, 11, 15–17), autoharp (1, 9), clarinet (2), keyboard (2, 6, 9–14, 16–18), baritone saxophone (3, 15), bass saxophone (5, 10, 13), bass harmonica (7), tenor saxophone (15), banjo (16) Additional musicians *Lisa Klapp – bridge monologue (1) *Kenneth Nolan – drums (3) *Unknown – glockenspiel (15) * The Ordinaires – arrangement (18) Production *

– cover art *Al Houghton – engineer *Carol Kitman – cover photography *Bill Krauss – producer

References

External links

*''

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincol ...

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