32. They Might Be Giants--They Might Be Giants
#32: They Might Be Giants--They Might Be Giants (1986)
Top-Notch Tracks: "Absolutely Bill's Mood, (HJ200 #45)" "Don't Let's Start, (HJ200 #98)" "Youth Culture Killed My Dog," "(She Was a) Hotel Detective," "She's an Angel," "Boat of Car," "Put Your Hand Inside the Puppet Head"
Album Depth: "Nothing's Gonna Change My Clothes," "Everything Right Is Wrong Again," "Number Three," "Hide Away Folk Family," "32 Footsteps," "Toddler Hiway," "Rabid Child," "I Hope That I Get Old Before I Die," Rhythm Section Want Ad," "Alienation's For the Rich"
Weak Links: "Chess Piece Face," "The Day"
Stand-out Lyrics: "Wake up and smell the cat food in your bank account. But don't try to stop the tail that wags the hound."--"Don't Let's Start"
"I was born in a lighthouse, my mother was the sea. I crawled to school each morning when it occurred to me that life is just a mood ring we're not allowed to see. And this is what it said to me."--"Absolutely Bill's Mood"
"I don't understand what you did to my dog. I don't understand what you did to my dog."--"Youth Culture Killed My Dog"
"She's got her ears to the walls, and she's tapping the calls. If you've got a secret, boy, forget about it."--"(She Was a) Hotel Detective"
"I met someone at the dog show. She was holding my left arm. But everyone was acting normal so I tried to look nonchalant."--"She's an Angel"
"I was trying to get somewhere, but now I'm following the traces of your fingernails that run along the windshield of the boat of car."--"Boat of Car"
"Memo to myself: Do the dumb things I gotta do. Touch the puppet head."--"Put Your Hand Inside the Puppet Head"
"And I think about the dirt that I'll be wearing for a shirt. And I hope that I get old before I die."--"I Hope That I Get Old Before I Die."
"When you are alone, you are the cat, you are the phone, you are an animal. The words I'm saying now mean nothing more than 'meow' to an animal."--"Don't Let's Start"
"Now listen all you swingers, don't you try to tag along. I know monkey see, but monkey's dead, for you it would be wrong. Put a dime in my juke box, you'll only hear this song. And it won't be fun for long."--"Absolutely Bill's Mood"
"But the hip hop, and the white funk, just blew away my puppy's mind."--"Youth Culture Killed My Dog"
"She says she likes my face. She says she owns the place. Forget about it."--"(She Was a) Hotel Detective"
"I heard they had a space program. When they sing, you can't hear. There's no air."--"She's an Angel"
"Hello, this is Leslie Down with the daily home astrology report. Taurus: contemplate domestic turmoil. Aquarius: abandon hopes for future plans."--"Hide Away Folk Family"
"No one in the world ever gets what they want, and that is beautiful. Everybody dies frustrated and sad, and that is beautiful."--"Don't Let's Start"
"I'm insane. I'm insane. I'm insane."--"Absolutely Bill's Mood"
Album Cover: 7 out of 10. It's fun. It's busy. It's colorful. The only problem is it looks like it could be the cover of a children's book. (And once again we have a band with a self-titled debut album, which, as you have probably figured by now, is a major bugaboo for me. But, I won't make quite as much of a bigadoo about this one, because with a band name as long as "They Might Be Giants," any album title coming in at four words or less might have been confused for the band name.
Comments: This is where it all started. (Well, sorta. They had a demo tape that they passed around prior to this album, but this was the first official release by the band.) Of course, in 1986 when this album hit stores and "Don't Let's Start" was in the rotation on MTV, I was living in West Virginia spending large portions of my day knocking on the doors of strangers with varying amounts of chewing tobacco in their mouths. No one invited me into their home to introduce me to this odd band appearing on their television.
So, I didn't experience this album until some time after 1990's "Flood" swept me away. And when I finally listened to this album, I found it to be fandangtastic! You may have noticed that the "Stand-Out Lyrics" section above is a bit longer than usual, and that's because there are so many fun and wonderful (and sometimes creepy) words attached to these songs.
The only reason this album isn't higher on my list is lack of consistent greatness. It was their first album, and when a band is just starting out and they slap 19 songs on an album, a few of them are going to be duds. Most of the songs show hints of future brilliance, but only about 7 of the 19 are truly spectacular. (The first five songs on Side 2 are phenomenal.)
With a little work, some polish, and a pinch of gumption, this little band would improve upon this debut album to become true giants of the industry. (Maybe.)
Up next: Johnny Storm meets Agent Dale Cooper.
Of all the bands I've heard that come close to my vision of what Donuts for Everyone would sound like, I would have to say "They Might Be Giants" is closest to the mark. And while I agree that their later albums have a bit higher level of quirky brilliance, I can't really find fault with any of the songs on this out-of-the-gate offering. Plus, there are a lot of bands that put out a first album based on one or two hit songs, but then the group has to work really hard after that to find their band's real personality or signature sound. That is definitely NOT the case with "They Might Be Giants." They knew exactly what kind of music they wanted to create from the first album on. And let's not ignore the fact that they had to have had gigantic balls to put 19 songs on their first album. And that is just one other reason why they actually might be giants.
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