These POLLs happen to other people - They Might Be Giants s/t

She's An Angel.

She's An Angel!

since "Angel" and "Don't" should have plenty of support, I'm gonna throw my vote to something else...I think "Rhythm Section Want Ad"

xpost

Glad it's not just me. Also considering: "Hand Inside the Puppet Head", "Don't Let's Start", "Rabid Child", "Nothing's Gonna Change My Clothes", "Youth Culture", "The Day", "Rhythm Section".

This album's not too shabby.

I mean, the wackier, more throwaway tracks all feel like they've got a place in the jigsaw. Guys know their way around a hook, too.

i think because of first hearing this album in the Then collection, i have a hard time not thinking of it as the lesser sibling of Lincoln. still some great songs, though.

I'm gonna poll the first 3, which I'd left off for years but have been very much back into over the last 18 months.

I was gonna say "why not the 4th" but then I remembered I polled it: polling all the songs on Apollo 18 by They Might Be Giants except "Fingertips"

Lincoln crushes the first album in terms of quality.

What I love about TMBG is that they actually made the music that dorks like the Decemberists and Grizzly Bear look like they should be making.

didn't realize anyone's beef with the Decemberists was that they don't sound dorky enough

yeah, i like this album and lincoln both a lot. never loved flood the same way because even though it has catchy tunes it also seemed shtickier to me. the first two records are more genuinely weird and inspired, imo. like, some of the stuff on here -- "chess piece face," "hide away folk family" -- isn't so much funny as creepy.

but anyway, "she's an angel," for the huge hook of the chorus and some great daffy lyrics: "i heard they had a space program/ when they sing you can't hear, there's no air," "the shriners loaned us cars/ we raced up and down the sidewalk 20 thousand million times"

Very hard to sing chorus with very little room for air, too.

Tippy-toe to the front door, Mother,
'Cause there's a guy with a long, long fuse
And the one thing you can't hide is all the fear you feel inside
As the fuse is spelling out these words

Hello. This is Leslie Down with the daily home astrology report.
Taurus: Contemplate domestic turmoil.
Aquarius: Abandon hope for future plans.

Worst song on this album: (She Was A) Hotel Detective
Always an epic race to run to the stereo and hit the NEXT button before I can hear even one note of it. This is made more intense by the fact that I usually listen to this album while cooking, so it's 'hurry and get all the dead chicken juice off my hands so the stereo doesn't get salmonella.'

Haha. I don't care much about "Hotel Detective" but like I said I kinda like how the album goes together as a whole.

I like "Alienation's for the Rich" quite a lot as a song but the hokey singing takes the shine off it for me.

What is that song they sample on "Boat of Car," the guy singing "Daddy sang bass"?

"daddy sang bass," by johnny cash

Hotel Detective is a classic!

tempted to vote for "boat of car"

I love Boat of Car!

yeah, i like this album and lincoln both a lot. never loved flood the same way because even though it has catchy tunes it also seemed shtickier to me. the first two records are more genuinely weird and inspired, imo.

This. First two TMBG all time classix 4eva. Especially Lincoln.

I remember in 1986 (i think. 87?) randomly seeing the brand new video for 'Puppet Head' on MTV and then asking breathlessly for the record every fucking week at Northern Lights after that. It took so long for it to come out.

BOAT OF CAR

Reckon this poll is a SIGN that I need this album, seeing as I've had "Don't Let's Start" in my head all day (before this thread even, dunno why) and have never heard the rest of it.

voted for "rhythm section want ad," cause that was always my favorite, but i'll admit i did hover over "nothing's gonna change my clothes" for a second.

HAMMER DOWN
RABBIT EARS

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

this is a great album through and through imo

"she's an angel" is still the best song though

I also went for "Boat of Car," before I read the other posts.

As a TMBG fan of long standing, I was surprised at how many tracks got a "meh" from me when I looked at the list. Maybe I'm over them now.

I wanted to vote for the underloved "Rhythm Section Want Ad," but in my heart I know it's "Don't Let's Start." "N do I need apostrophe."

I could easily have voted for "Number Three," probably the greatest of their really shticky songs, or "Angel" or "Hide Away Folk Family." But I actually think this album comes in slightly behind the next two, just BECAUSE there are too many weird experiments like "Chess Piece Face" and "Toddler Hiway." They're still learning how to do what they do.

feel like I should note that it was actually Severe Tyre Damage that made She's An Angel snap into focus for me, would have been a slightly more ruminative decision if I'd never heard that version

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

The silent majority.

Booooring

Only two votes for Puppet Head?? That's one of their best songs ever!!!