I Love the 80's

[SignOfZeta]

That's not true. All the indoor kids I knew were on that bandwagon by the time the video for Head Like a Hole went into heavy rotation. These were kids that were into The Smiths, The Cure, New Order, Depeche Mode, Lene Lovich, Einstürzende Neubauten, etc. I suppose it was later when the "rock people" got into it, but PHM was a pretty big hit, it seemed that way to me anyway.

I'm not a NIN fan by any means, but he produced The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust and that thing is still blowing my head apart years after release. I kinda couldn't even handle it at first it's so goddamned hard, but I eventually came to love it after seeing one of the shows in the support tour. I think Saul Williams must sweat acid or something because he shows are borderline supernatural in their intensity.

[SignOfZeta]

Oh, btw, someone please say something about They Might Be Giants.

[esteban]

Oh, btw, someone please say something about They Might Be Giants.

My favorite stuff is early on.

Then they got less and less magical.

I loved the wacky humor stuff when I was a kid...but, now I try to find the "perfect song" and some of that humor/silliness doesn't survive 10+ loops of the same song (I have grown to hate Particle Man, Cow Town, Lie Still, Little Bottle, etc.) for example, the hate started a long, long ago).

Quick list of TMBG songs I can listen to 10+ times, on a loop:

Nightgown of the Sullen Moon
Hey, Mr. DJ, I Thought You Said We Had a Deal
I'll Sink Manhattan

She's an Angel, Rhythm Section Want Ad, Everything Right is Wrong Again, Put Your Hand Inside the Puppet Head, Noat of Car, Absolutely Bill's Mood

They'll Need A Crane, Ana Ng, Where Your Eyes Don't Go

Birdhouse in Your Soul (this might be 1990)

(Obviously, there are more, but see how I chose the "commercial pop formula" songs and lost interest in some of the sillier stuff)

I think They'll Need a Crane is one of the best songs, ever.

[Opethian]

TMBG have pretty legendary lyrics.  I did get sick of Particle Man and The Guitar but the following still holds up for me:

Purple Toupee
They'll need a crane
Ana Ng
Birdhouse
Fingertips (live)
I Palindrome I
Statue got me High
(Put Your Hands Inside) The Puppet Head
I should be allowed to think
End of the Tour


but as este sez ...most of these were early 90s.

[esteban]

After not really listening to TMBG for 20+ years, I can't believe how much I still like "Put Your Hand Inside the Puppet Head."

[wildfruit]

[roflmao]

Oh, btw, someone please say something about They Might Be Giants.

According to last.fm TMBG is my #2 artist of all time. Tom Waits is #1.

[SignOfZeta]

By any metric TMBG has to be considered one of the all time greatest American rock bands. I never would have said that after I first saw the video for Ana Ng but 30 years later they are as good as they ever were, their tours are a blast and hugely popular, great new records still come of out them, including kids records now, and they are basically cool guys in general.

That bass clarinet is the smoothest thing on the Earth, that too.

[roflmao]

By any metric TMBG has to be considered one of the all time greatest American rock bands. I never would have said that after I first saw the video for Ana Ng but 30 years later they are as good as they ever were, their tours are a blast and hugely popular, great new records still come of out them, including kids records now, and they are basically cool guys in general.

That bass clarinet is the smoothest thing on the Earth, that too.

Agreed.

[esteban]

By any metric TMBG has to be considered one of the all time greatest American rock bands. I never would have said that after I first saw the video for Ana Ng but 30 years later they are as good as they ever were, their tours are a blast and hugely popular, great new records still come of out them, including kids records now, and they are basically cool guys in general.

That bass clarinet is the smoothest thing on the Earth, that too.

I haven't been into TMBG for the last 20+ years... I am willing to give this material a second chance, but I can tell you that it will not make a significant change in my overall "judgement" of their output.

That said, there is enough greatness in the first bunch of releases to still guarantee a spot on "Bands to Respect"...