I have a lot of different ranges of DR values though if you have a good amp, definitely find a non remastered CD for the first three albums The copy of Apollo 18 is loud on my setup but not to the point where I felt like replacing it
Fingertips is a very clever idea in consideration for the format and how music is usually consumed. It's an album I would argue can't realistically come across on vinyl like most albums kind of like Brain Eno - Thursday Afternoon Saying that, Apollo 18 is likely my least favorite of the first four, but it probably has some of the strongest singles in their discography, particularly I Palindrome I - to me, I went in expecting some of the nerdiest rock ever Well, it is, but when the music and lyrics are so good I can't be that upset. I always think to myself... someday mother will die and I'll get the money, it's such a rude sentence, but they make it sound so damn funny
A few years ago, I got the idea to try and create a Fingertips-type sequel by stringing together a bunch of severely edited post-'92 TMBG songs to try and match the originals "all-over-the-place" vibe. Here's what I came up with:
And here is video I took of Don't Let's Start (minus the first few seconds, which I had audio only, so I subbed in the original promo video for the visuals) from their Bowery Ballroom show a few weeks ago. Dan Miller was out with Covid, so John Flansburgh handled ALL the guitar parts. He particularly nailed them on DLS, reminding everyone what an absolute treasure this man truly is. Considering that he'd broken several ribs just a few months earlier (not to mention the fact that he's 62 years old), it was amazing to see him so energetic as he jumped around onstage.
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I had no idea Flansburgh was in his 60s His stage energy is way above any expectation at that age. John and John have aged really well, Linnel was the image I have in my head of what he looks like most of the time. More happy I went to the gig the more I learn
Curse that Precision GZ pressing plant. The first copy and replacement copy of Join Us clear vinyl I got had the same loud rotational pop for the duration of You Don’t Like Me. Great mastering too.
Saw them a couple of times in the early 90s and really like their early stuff. They are so good at the kid song thing and so perfect for it, but I also feel like ultimately this was a deal with the devil because once you market the music as children’s music is there any going back? For me the answer is “no” and I abandoned them.
The other option is to just skip the obviously named Here Come The ABCs, Here Come The 123s, Here Comes Science and well... yeah Very few bands I can name have the credit of having successful careers artistically and have actual talent for writing children's music
That's a GZ and related trademark, a brand new record with the 'charming' sound of being used and poorly cared for. I should have fired them sooner. I saw TMBG last night in Cleveland, my sister bought tickets for one of the two sell out shows a couple of years ago, and it finally happened the past two nights. Having lost my general desire to attend concerts, she kinda nagged me into it. I have to admit, despite being cramped in the back of the room far too close to people with all varieties of odors, the show was pretty entertaining. I also admit that I only own the first three CD's and haven't listened to them in ages, but recall liking about 50% of each. Perhaps that would change with my AARP age now rather than the teen I was when I bought those first two albums, which were some of the first CD's I ever purchased in 1989. Great to see them still at it and with such a sizeable following that they could sell out two nights in Cleveland, a town where most artists I've liked generally side step because they rarely draw the crowds of, say, a Chicago or Pittsburgh.
"My excellence at parkour might be unexpected At the age of 58, it comes as quite a surprise..." The band formed 40 years ago; their first album came out in 1986. They're older than they've ever been, and now they're even older...
I think it was supposed to come off more like, his stage energy in real time during the concert I would of bet no on Flansburgh being in his 60s. I had lapsed from them until the concert last month but a few years ago I really got to appreciate them as musicians - I can't stress enough how many of their "lesser" tracks I seem to like more than others - specifically, Hearing Aid to me is fantastic. That kind of songwriting is so risky, but it's a wonderful piece for conveying lyrics in the music itself
Too bad as you missed three of their best albums in Join Us (2011), Glean (2015) and I Like Fun (2018). I got back into them in 2016 after a long hiatus and was very pleasantly surprised about how good their recent output was, is and continues to be. They continue to make excellent "adult" music and are most definitely worth giving another chance. BTW, here's some more recent video I shot of them. This is two songs (James K. Polk and Older) from their Leesburg, VA show earlier in the month:
If the best of the 2015 and 2018 Dial-A-Song material was whittled down to two releases (instead of spread across six), then those would likely be my favorite TMBG albums.
The 2-CD version of My Murdered Remains is an exceptional collection for sure. 2018 was such a great year to be a TMBG fan. They really spoiled us with all the fantastic music that came out in their weekly DAS installments.
I dug them. Lincoln and Flood were amazing. Then they kind of lost me with Apollo 18. Sounded too industrial. They kind of rebounded with John Henry. Then came the kids albums, the Dunkin commercials, the theme song to an insipid sitcom. It was just a bridge too far for me. I'm sure they made good $$ and I hope they enjoy what they're doing, but it was a brief love affair for me.
I made a playlist of the best of Glean & Phone Power and indeed it probably would've been their best album over. I'm not really sure what they were trying to do there, it felt like Glean was the "main album" and Phone Power was kind of an odds n' ends release (like Miscellaneous T), but it also contains like 6-7 amazing tunes (also like Misc T) so you can't skip it.
I do agree that Glean and Phone Power would have made for one killer album. As separate entities they're a bit uneven but there are still enough great songs to make them worthwhile.
Older fan, kind of popped in and out of the later years, Idlewild was a nice little comp of great stuff. What songs are can't miss on Glean and Phone Power? Those are two I didn't check in on!
It'll obviously vary depending on the listener, but to my humble ears these are some of the standouts: Music Jail, Pt. 1 & 2 I Love You for Psychological Reasons Shape Shifter All the Lazy Boyfriends Answer To a Forest ECNALUBMA Erase Apophenia Let Me Tell You About My Operation
Unpronounceable is great too, especially if you're one of those who thinks Ana Ng is their best song on Phone Power my two favorites are I'll Be Haunting You and Impossibly New. the latter is kind of out of left field for them. they don't often write straightforwardly pretty songs like that
