Editorial Review:Amazon.com essential recording:The self-titled debut from alternative music's favorite dork-rockers launched a career based on absurd lyrics planted in wildly diverse musical garden. Songs like 'Put Your Hand Inside the Puppet Head' and the New-Wavish tributary 'Youth Culture Killed My Dog,' are sung with an Andy Kaufman-like sensibility that leaves one questioning their sincerity. In contrast, the tune 'Don't Let's Start' is relatively sweet and earnest. Musically, TMBG stray from the country honker 'Number Three' to the glam-rocker '(She Was a) Hotel Detective,' adapting accordion, fuzz-boxed guitar, and electric piano to suit their purposes. Perhaps the most subversive mockery of all is how TMBG write extremely catchy melodies that 'serious' musicians would love to claim as their own. 'His shoes are laced with irony' goes a line from 'Hide Away Folk Family.' That pretty much ties it up.
--Beth Massa
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Related Items:
see more
Related Items:
Disc 1:- Everything Right Is Wrong Again
- Put Your Hand Inside the Puppet Head
- Number Three
- Don't Let's Start
- Hide Away Folk Family
- 32 Footsteps
- Rabid Child
- Nothing's Gonna Change My Clothes
- (She Was A) Hotel Detective
- She's an Angel
- Youth Culture Killed My Dog
- Boat of Car
- Absolutely Bill's Mood
- Chess Piece Face
- I Hope That I Get Old Before I Die
- Alienation's for the Rich
- The Day
- Rhythm Section Want Ad
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
-
A classic
Look, if You like TMBG and you don't have this one... just go ahead and buy it. It's classic.
Rating: -
Pure coffee-induced, nonsensical genius
It is unfortunate that this album never gets as much recognition as, say, Flood or The Spine. Although those albums might be tighter or better orchestrated than this one, this one beautifully preserves the original motive and soul of their music. It's definitely not a good album to start out with if you're a beginning TMBG addict - er - fan (personally, I'd suggest The Spine, Factory Showroom or Mink Car) but it fills a conspicuous void if you've been listening to and loving them for a while. Other than They Got Lost, I doubt that TMBG ever produced an album so rife with their special blend of gentle (or not) nonsensicality and refreshingly innovative harmonies. I would even advocate buying this album just for the sleeve artwork =).
Rating: 
-
Everyone dies frustrated and sad and that is beautiful.
This, of course, was the first album by They Might Be Giants. It established their "formula" of short songs with catchy melodies and silly lyrics. It is somewhat overlooked today, because TMBG almost never play any of these songs in concert anymore. But it does feature a number of classic TMBG songs, like "Put Your Hand Inside the Puppet Head", "Don't Let's Start" and "Hotel Detective". Some of the other songs don't quite hold up as well, but it's a solid first album that would lead to (arguably) better things.
Rating: -
THE FIRST AND THE BEST - A CLASSIC
Back in 1990 on the school bus - I saw that cartoony cover art from my friend's cassette tape and asked, "What the heck is that?" He let me borrow it that day and I've been a fan ever since.
The opening of the album is what hooked me for life. John L's distinctive voice struck a nerve. Every song here is totally catchy, melodic, downright weird, and fun to sing along with. Got all the words to every song memorized.
If you like a silly good time, you'll be susceptible to these infectious little ditties. One of my top 5 favorite CD's of all time.
Rating: -
The Best at the Beginning
With a completely different sound of later albums, TMBG's debut album contains lots of the classics (Don't Let's Start, Put Your Hand Inside the Puppet Head, She's an Angel), favorites (Everything Right Is Wrong Again, Nothing's Smelling Like a Rose, Rhythm Section Want Ad) and some bizarre They Might Be Giants tracks (Toddler Highway, Rabid Child). If you are a They Might Be Giants fan or a Geek Rock fan, you will not be disappointed with this CD.
