yes, bravo! good times all around and, i think, a very fine turnout with fascinating but not suspect results. has also led to me listening to, and thinking about, Them for a really sustained period. am now convinced john linnell is one of the great unheralded songwriters of the late 20th century. hell of a portfolio.my god that podcast sounds insane. bizarro world. might give it a try just as a window into their contemporary fandom (?). i guess it's cool that they have enough life as a band that people could be getting into them thru the new stuff (or from growing up on the kids' albums?) and still be just now getting around to the stuff that actually made their place in musical history.
― |Restore| |Restart| |Quit| (Doctor Casino), Tuesday, 30 October 2018 00:43 (five years ago) link
Wow, "Ana Ng" is really good.
― jmm, Tuesday, 30 October 2018 00:45 (five years ago) link
Why is it called "The World's Address" if they don't dig the early records?
― Guayaquil (eephus!), Tuesday, 30 October 2018 01:09 (five years ago) link
I didn't vote, but Thermostat would have been near the top of any ballot I submitted, surprised that it's so low
Idaho as well, which I don't see at all
― soref, Tuesday, 30 October 2018 01:15 (five years ago) link
"thermostat" is one like "a self called nowhere" that i know i really dug when i was first getting into the band and which for whatever reason doesn't speak to me as much now. maybe it's the chorus, "turn it up turn it down" gets a little old or something.
― |Restore| |Restart| |Quit| (Doctor Casino), Tuesday, 30 October 2018 01:19 (five years ago) link
It reminds me of Smooth by Santana and Rob Thomas. Maybe it’s just me
The song that was robbed was “Now that I Have Everything”. Though I believe it’s only available as a bonus track on Then so it’s understandable.
― frogbs, Tuesday, 30 October 2018 01:31 (five years ago) link
great little zippy keyboard part on that.
― |Restore| |Restart| |Quit| (Doctor Casino), Tuesday, 30 October 2018 02:12 (five years ago) link
the Then bonus tracks are so good
IIIN BUENOOOOS AAAAAAAAIIREEEEEES
― 5th Ward Weeaboo (Whiney G. Weingarten), Tuesday, 30 October 2018 02:18 (five years ago) link
i seriously thought about voting for "Untitled." I took off the intellectuals, I put on There May Be Giants.
― |Restore| |Restart| |Quit| (Doctor Casino), Tuesday, 30 October 2018 02:30 (five years ago) link
It was my #39 and I was shocked it didn't place. Wait, it wasn't even in the top 154? NONSENSE!
― Guayaquil (eephus!), Tuesday, 30 October 2018 02:40 (five years ago) link
Best part of Untitled is how she always says the band name wrong, but in three different ways
― Vinnie, Tuesday, 30 October 2018 04:53 (five years ago) link
Hope That I Get Old is on the list twice. I think it's got enough points to crack the top 77, as well it should!
― Hideous Lump, Tuesday, 30 October 2018 05:17 (five years ago) link
I'm one of those who voted for Back to Skull "Hotel Detective" but not the original.
― Hideous Lump, Tuesday, 30 October 2018 05:20 (five years ago) link
I'm not the only one who voted for "I am not your Broom" haha!
― Stoop Crone (Trayce), Tuesday, 30 October 2018 05:20 (five years ago) link
I thought for sure I would be the lone vote for O Do Not Foresake Me, but it got 6 votes!
― Hideous Lump, Tuesday, 30 October 2018 05:27 (five years ago) link
dammit2. It’s a wonder I fixed any of the spelling and punctuation variances once I’d finished AA’s ballot, where every entry was a play on the title or a lyrical quote or a joke
― Sing The Mighty Beat (sic), Tuesday, 30 October 2018 05:50 (five years ago) link
Then bonus tracks prove TMBG were always spiritually closer to The Residents than Weird Al and those porky Canadians
― PaulTMA, Tuesday, 30 October 2018 10:56 (five years ago) link
that World's Address podcast linked above ... is that hosted by someone here (or a friend of someone here)?
― alpine static, Tuesday, 30 October 2018 15:32 (five years ago) link
I Hope That I Get Old Before I Die is 65a, and if any more correspondence is entered on the matter, I'll submit a new ballot as a sock puppet and retabulate the entire list.
― Sing The Mighty Beat (sic), Tuesday, 30 October 2018 16:59 (five years ago) link
They should have a comp of just weird one-offs, no hits, called "I Took Off The Intellectuals: The Best of There May Be Giants"
― Guayaquil (eephus!), Tuesday, 30 October 2018 17:08 (five years ago) link
Forgot to say -- thanks so much for running this, sic, it has been great to spend a few weeks immersed in this great music with all you guys!
― Guayaquil (eephus!), Tuesday, 30 October 2018 19:31 (five years ago) link
Cheers, all!
― Sing The Mighty Beat (sic), Tuesday, 30 October 2018 20:16 (five years ago) link
indeed...its been really fun to read the discussion here (especially from you Doc Casino) and I'm glad so many people here appreciate this group
― frogbs, Tuesday, 30 October 2018 20:17 (five years ago) link
i am still trying to process Doc Casino's objections to the Longines Symphonette mention in "Birdhouse" but will have to take it up with him when next we meet.
― a Mets fan who gave up on everything in the mid '80s (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, 30 October 2018 20:42 (five years ago) link
Yes, the many 3+am nights I put in doing pointless prep for this piddly poll were justified in giving Doc Casino an excuse to post this week.than Weird Al and those porky Canadians...Corky & the Juice Pigs?
― Sing The Mighty Beat (sic), Tuesday, 30 October 2018 20:44 (five years ago) link
Barenaked Ladies I Think
― frogbs, Tuesday, 30 October 2018 20:46 (five years ago) link
objections to the Longines Symphonette mention things you were completely reasonably old when you learned
― Sing The Mighty Beat (sic), Tuesday, 30 October 2018 20:46 (five years ago) link
sic's poll, and the ballots massive, far outstrip any of my dumb rambling posts! assuming y'all aren't being facetious. great thread imo."longines" line just seems idk out of character for the night light and the song, like it's this super obscure reference to provide a rhyme to "my story's infinite" and a setup to "it doesn't rest," neither of which realllly tells us much more about the character or the situation. like it just feels closer to try-hard clever kid territory, for me anyway.
― |Restore| |Restart| |Quit| (Doctor Casino), Wednesday, 31 October 2018 00:36 (five years ago) link
What's kind of amazing about TMBG is how seldom they fall into try-hard clever kid territory, given what they're trying to do.
― Guayaquil (eephus!), Wednesday, 31 October 2018 02:17 (five years ago) link
otm
― the dutiful and the banned (rip van wanko), Wednesday, 31 October 2018 02:22 (five years ago) link
definitely.
― |Restore| |Restart| |Quit| (Doctor Casino), Wednesday, 31 October 2018 02:34 (five years ago) link
Hey (sic), give us the full list when you get a chance!
― Hideous Lump, Wednesday, 31 October 2018 02:48 (five years ago) link
nah, it's all 1-vote and 2-vote songs from there, except Birds Fly with three votes and 92 points
― Sing The Mighty Beat (sic), Wednesday, 31 October 2018 03:32 (five years ago) link
No, I mean the top 77--we need a summary list.
― Hideous Lump, Wednesday, 31 October 2018 03:35 (five years ago) link
oh yeah!
― Sing The Mighty Beat (sic), Wednesday, 31 October 2018 07:08 (five years ago) link
1 Ana Ng 1786 points, 20 votes , 3 #1s2 Don't Let's Start 1677 points, 19 votes 3 Birdhouse In Your Soul 1537 points, 17 votes , 1 #14 They'll Need A Crane 1524 points, 18 votes 5 She's An Angel 1426 points, 17 votes , 2 #1s6 We Want A Rock 1282 points, 16 votes , 1 #17 Where Your Eyes Don't Go 1205 points, 17 votes 8 Purple Toupee 1204 points, 16 votes 9 Put Your Hand Inside The Puppet Head 1132 points, 15 votes , 1 #110 Dead 1026 points, 12 votes 11 Twisting 1014 points, 14 votes 12 Kiss Me, Son Of God 994 points, 13 votes , 2 #1s13 Doctor Worm 971 points, 12 votes , 1 #114 Nightgown Of The Sullen Moon 934 points, 12 votes , 1 #115 Particle Man 930 points, 12 votes , 1 #116 Whistling In The Dark 902 points, 13 votes 17 Till My Head Falls Off 898 points, 11 votes , 2 #1s18 Fingertips 865 points, 11 votes 19 I Palindrome I 806 points, 12 votes 20 Snowball In Hell 797 points, 11 votes 21 Rhythm Section Want Ad 784 points, 10 votes 22 Your Racist Friend 772 points, 10 votes 22a It's Not My Birthday 759 points, 10 votes 23 Narrow Your Eyes 751 points, 11 votes 24 Istanbul (Not Constantinople) 743 points, 10 votes 25 Everything Right Is Wrong Again 708 points, 10 votes 26 Spiraling Shape 695 points, 10 votes 27 The Statue Got Me High 694 points, 11 votes 27a I've Got A Match 688 points, 9 votes 28 Mammal 682 points, 11 votes 29 Destination Moon 676 points, 8 votes 30 The World's Address 654 points, 10 votes 31 Someone Keeps Moving My Chair 645 points, 10 votes 32 Minimum Wage 639 points, 11 votes 34 Number Three 616 points, 8 votes 35 Cowtown 592 points, 9 votes 36 The Bells Are Ringing 571 points, 8 votes 37 James K. Polk 571 points, 9 votes 38 Man It's So Loud In Here 565 points, 9 votes 39 Boat Of Car 565 points, 8 votes , 1 #140 Meet James Ensor 558 points, 10 votes 41 Youth Culture Killed My Dog 557 points, 9 votes 42 No One Knows My Plan 551 points, 8 votes 43 New York City 547 points, 8 votes 44 Which Describes How You're Feeling 544 points, 8 votes 46 Sensurround 541 points, 7 votes 47 See The Constellation 541 points, 9 votes 48 Letterbox 540 points, 9 votes 49 Mr. Me 535 points, 8 votes , 1 #150 Dinner Bell 515 points, 8 votes 51 Nothing's Gonna Change My Clothes 513 points, 10 votes 52 Boss Of Me 513 points, 7 votes 53 Hey, Mr. DJ, I Thought You Said We Had A Deal 510 points, 7 votes 54 Metal Detector 495 points, 9 votes , 1 #155 They Might Be Giants 473 points, 8 votes 56 Older 469 points, 8 votes 57 Women & Men 468 points, 8 votes 58 Lucky Ball & Chain 463 points, 8 votes 59 The End Of The Tour 456 points, 6 votes 60 Subliminal 456 points, 10 votes 61 The Famous Polka 453 points, 8 votes 62 Shoehorn With Teeth 447 points, 9 votes 63 My Evil Twin 447 points, 8 votes 64 Why Does The Sun Shine? 446 points, 7 votes 65 Sleeping in the Flowers 443 points, 8 votes 65a Hope That I Get Old Before I Die 441 points, 9 votes 66 South Carolina 431 points, 6 votes 67 I Should Be Allowed To Think 429 points, 7 votes 68 A Self Called Nowhere 416 points, 6 votes , 1 #169 Piece Of Dirt 406 points, 9 votes 70 Turn Around 378 points, 6 votes 71 Weep Day 374 points, 6 votes 72 Road Movie To Berlin 370 points, 7 votes 73 Hide Away Folk Family 359 points, 6 votes 74 32 Footsteps 353 points, 5 votes 75 How Can I Sing Like A Girl? 350 points, 6 votes 76 For Science 347 points, 5 votes 77 Snail Shell 337 points, 5 votes
― Sing The Mighty Beat (sic), Wednesday, 31 October 2018 07:09 (five years ago) link
South Carolina beating out Montana and Maine as the top-ranked State Song is a travesty.
― alpine static, Wednesday, 31 October 2018 07:52 (five years ago) link
Are you gonna say they’re great?
― Sing The Mighty Beat (sic), Wednesday, 31 October 2018 08:49 (five years ago) link
is that a lyrical reference i'm not getting?
― alpine static, Wednesday, 31 October 2018 09:03 (five years ago) link
I'm not gonna say you ain't
― Vinnie, Wednesday, 31 October 2018 10:07 (five years ago) link
Don't blame me I had "Montana" in my top 10 (but then again maybe you should blame me for having "South Carolina" in my top 25)
― Guayaquil (eephus!), Wednesday, 31 October 2018 12:30 (five years ago) link
The highest placing post-"Flood" song being at #17 is harsh but fair.― justfanoe (Greg Fanoe), Monday, October 29, 2018 4:08 PM (two days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
― justfanoe (Greg Fanoe), Monday, October 29, 2018 4:08 PM (two days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
"Doctor Worm" is post-Flood isn't it?
― Guayaquil (eephus!), Wednesday, 31 October 2018 12:35 (five years ago) link
Whoops, forgot about that one.
― justfanoe (Greg Fanoe), Wednesday, 31 October 2018 13:31 (five years ago) link
Don't blame me I had "Montana" in my top 10 (but then again maybe you should blame me for having "South Carolina" in my top 25)― Guayaquil (eephus!), Wednesday, October 31, 2018 5:30 AM (three hours ago)
― Guayaquil (eephus!), Wednesday, October 31, 2018 5:30 AM (three hours ago)
you can definitely blame me since i didn't submit a ballot. kept meaning to...
― alpine static, Wednesday, 31 October 2018 15:59 (five years ago) link
You can blame me 'cause South Carolina was my #4
My ballot (songs that didn't place bolded)
1 - Ana Ng2 - Particle Man3 - Birdhouse in Your Soul4 - South Carolina5 - 32 Footsteps6 - Don't Let's Start7 - Destination Moon8 - It's Not My Birthday9 - Number Three10 - Hope That I Get Old Before I Die11 - I Palindrome I12 - Istanbul (Not Constantinople)13 - Cowtown14 - Letterbox15 - Sensurround16 - Nothing's Gonna Change My Clothes17 - No One Knows My Plan18 - Hot Cha19 - Turn Around20 - Purple Toupee21 - Dinner Bell22 - Cage & Aquarium23 - They Might Be Giants24 - See the Constellation25 - For Science26 - Spy ('Why Does the Sun Shine?' EP version)27 - Boss of Me28 - The Famous Polka29 - Nightgown of the Sullen Moon29 - Minimum Wage30 - Shoehorn with Teeth31 - Someone Keeps Moving My Chair32 - Dig My Grave33 - Put Your Hand Inside the Puppet Head34 - A Self Called Nowhere35 - Boat of Car36 - When It Rains It Snows37 - Mammal38 - She Was a Hotel Detective ('Back to Skull' EP)40 - Spider41 - Twisting42 - Mr. Me43 - Kiss Me, Son of God ('Miscellaneous T' version)44 - Mink Car45 - Rhythm Section Want Ad46 - She Thinks She's Edith Head ('Mink Car' version)47 - She's an Angel48 - We Want a Rock49 - Maine50 - Meet James Ensor51 - Hypnotist of Ladies52 - Subliminal53 - Snowball in Hell54 - O, Do Not Forsake Me55 - Stand on Your Own Head56 - Why Does the Sun Shine? ('Severe Tire Damage' version)57 - Cyclops Rock58 - Unsupervised, I Hit My Head59 - They'll Need a Crane60 - Sleeping In the Flowers61 - Hall of Heads62 - We're the Replacements63 - Yeh Yeh64 - The Biggest One65 - Ondine66 - Become a Robot67 - Thermostat68 - Your Racist Friend69 - Theme from Flood70 - West Virginia71 - Doctor Worm72 - The Statue Got Me High73 - Older ('Malcolm in the Middle' soundtrack version)74 - Youth Culture Killed My Dog75 - Where Your Eyes Don't Go
Out of curiosity, how many songs per album made my list?
(# of songs from album / # of contemporaneous non-LP cuts & side projects)They Might Be Giants – 10/5Lincoln – 10/4Flood – 12/0Apollo 18 – 10/0John Henry – 8/6Factory Showroom – 0/2Severe Tire Damage – 2/0Mink Car – 4/2No! - 0/0 (I forgot to relisten to this before voting)
― Hideous Lump, Thursday, 1 November 2018 02:28 (five years ago) link
I've had "Mink Car" stuck in my head ever since we did this poll.
― Guayaquil (eephus!), Thursday, 8 November 2018 22:43 (five years ago) link
You've been hit by a mink carIt's all in your head
― Sing The Mighty Beat (sic), Thursday, 8 November 2018 22:50 (five years ago) link
I just really like the weird way the words fall in the rhythm of the line
― Guayaquil (eephus!), Thursday, 8 November 2018 22:57 (five years ago) link
i genuinely prefer the last 21 years to the first 21 years. i would be extremely interested in a relevant poll
― imago, Wednesday, 24 January 2024 11:51 (three months ago) link
this idea sponsored by me listening to My Murdered Remains repeatedly this morning and just shaking my head at how great it is