Dial-A-Song: 20 Years Of They Might Be Giants

Performer: They Might Be Giants
Artist: Peter Stampfel; Laura Cantrell
Engineer: TJ Doherty; Greg Thompson; Alex Noyes; Edward Douglas; David Robbins; Hiro Ishihara; Ed Thacker; Toshikazu Yoshioka; Alex Olsson; Tony Gillis; Cosmo Heidtman; Jason Spittle; Matt Gold; Danny Alonso; Paul Angelli; Katherine Miller; Al Houghton; Alan Ford; Albert Caiati; Mark Bishop; Pat Dillett; Roger Moutenot; Ben Bailes; Bill Krauss; Chris Laidlaw; Brent Sigmeth; Rich Lamb
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: They Might Be Giants: John Flansburgh (vocals, guitar, keyboards); John Linnell (vocals, accordion, saxophone, keyboards). Additional personnel includes: Peter Stampfel (vocals, banjo); Laura Cantrell, Robin "Goldie" Goldwasser, Margeret Seiler (vocals); Eric Schermerhorn (acoustic & electric guitars); Jay Sherman-Godfrey (acoustic guitar, slide guitar); Dan Miller, Lyle Workman (guitar): Mark Feldman (violin); Frank London, Charlie Splavida, Jim O'Connor (trumpet); Dan Levine (trombone); Kurt Hoffman (horns); Dan Weinkauf, Graham Maby, Tony Maimone (bass); Brian Doherty, Dan Hickey, Alan Bezozi (drums); Sue Hadjopoulos (congas, percussion); Luis Jardim (percussion). Producers include: They Might Be Giants, Pat Dillet, Adam Schlesinger, Bill Krauss, Clive Langer. Compilation producer: Gary Stewart. Includes liner notes by Sarah Vowell. All tracks have been digitally remastered. Personnel: John Flansburgh (vocals, guitar, keyboards); Peter Stampfel (vocals, banjo); John Linnell (vocals, accordion, saxophone, keyboards); Elma Mayer, Laura Cantrell, Amy Allison, Nicholas Hill, Robin "Goldie" Goldwasser (vocals); Eric Schermerhorn (guitar, acoustic guitar); Dan Miller (guitar, guitar synthesizer); Lyle Workman (guitar); Mark Feldman , Gregor Kitzis, Krystof Witek (violin); Ron Lawrence (viola); Garo Yellin (cello); Frank London, Mark Pender, Jim O'Connor (trumpet); Dan Levine , Tim Newman (trombone); Ron Caswell (tuba); Kurt Hoffman (horns); Adam Schlesinger (keyboards, programming); Steve Calhoon, Zachary Alford, Dan Hickey (drums); Alan Bezozi (snare drum, tambourine); Sue Hadjopoulas (congas, percussion); Skyline Staff (hand claps); Luis Jardim, Mauro Refosco (percussion). Audio Mixers: Ed Thacker; Brian Speiser; Paul Angelli; Alan Winstanley; Patrick Dillett; Roger Moutenot; Tom Durack; Bob Clearmountain. Audio Remasterers: Dan Hersch; Bill Inglot. Liner Note Author: Sarah Vowell. Recording information: Bearsville Sound Studios, New York, NY (??/1986-06/2002); Clinton Studios, New York, NY (??/1986-06/2002); Coyote Sound, New York, NY (??/1986-06/2002); Dubway Studio, New York, NY (??/1986-06/2002); Edison National Historic Site, West Orange, NJ (??/1986-06/2002); Fillmore, San Francisco, CA (??/1986-06/2002); Hello Studio, Brooklyn, NY (??/1986-06/2002); Hit Factory, New York, NY (??/1986-06/2002); Kampoo Studios (??/1986-06/2002); Pachyderm Studio, Cannon Falls, MN (??/1986-06/2002); River Sound, New York, NY (??/1986-06/2002); Skyline Studios, New York, NY (??/1986-06/2002); Sound on Sound, New York, NY (??/1986-06/2002); SoundTrack (??/1986-06/2002); Studio Four (??/1986-06/2002); Studio Pass, New York, NY (??/1986-06/2002); The Magic Shop, New York, NY (??/1986-06/2002); TMF Studio (??/1986-06/2002); Westside (??/1986-06/2002); XTC Club, Berlin, Germany (??/1986-06/2002). Photographers: Paula Court; Susan Anderson; Reuben Cox; Michael Halsband; Jeremy Wolff; Julie Kantner; Mark Stern. They Might Be Giants are quite possibly the quirkiest pop-hook mavens ever to employ the accordion and bass clarinet. They are also one of most educationally oriented bands on the planet. Even a cursory listen to DIAL-A-SONG, Rhino's twin-disc 2002 retrospective of John Flansburgh and John Linnell's music, will yield lessons on history ("James K. Polk"), biology ("Mammal"), astronomy ("Why Does the Sun Shine? [The Sun Is a Mass of Incandescent Gas]"), art ("Meet James Ensor"), morality ("Your Racist Friend"), and good rock bands ("We're the Replacements"). They also adroitly pose philosophical questions, such as "How Can I Sing Like a Girl?" Flansburgh and Linnell garnered a cult following after their 1986 debut, and DIAL-A-SONG selects recordings from this period ("Don't Let's Start," "Boat of Car") and their subsequent and increasingly successful releases. The collection draws heavily from popular TMBG albums LINCOLN ("Ana Ng," "They'll Need a Crane") and FLOOD ("Birdhouse in Your Soul," "Istanbul [Not Constantinople]"), as well as their mid-'90s full-band recordings and beyond. The collection displays the Giants' consistently appealing absurdist sensibility and high level of tunesmithery, and the handsomely packaged set is an excellent overview of one of rock's most unusual and entertaining acts.

Q (12/02, p.134) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...Cheery music with a dark undertow....[A] 52-track treasure trove..."

John Flansburgh and John Linnell, the two singer/songwriters behind Brooklyn avant-pop cult band They Might Be Giants, were childhood friends who have been working under the TMBG banner since the '80s. The words "nerdy," "geek-rock," and "quirky" have been applied to their melodic, humor-filled songs so often there should be a cross-reference in the dictionary. Over their numerous albums with and without backing musicians (in the early days they used a drum machine) they've offered songs about the most unlikely subjects imaginable, from Belgian painter James Ensor to famed cinematic costume designer Edith Head. Their masterful songcraft is such that they've long maintained a healthy audience for their idiosyncratic sound.

Click Here for Shipping Options and Policies

Shipping or Dimension weight in pounds: 0.25