They Might Be Giants / Elektra album 2CD reissues, including “Flood”

Edsel Records are reissuing the four Elektra albums released by US alternative band They Might Be Giants, in December this year.

The band consists of John Flansburgh (guitar) and John Linnell (accordian and saxophone) and their first two albums – They Might Be Giants and Lincoln – are alternative classics from the mid/late eighties, featuring memorable tracks such as Don’t Let’s Start, (She Was A) Hotel Detective, Youth Culture Killed My Dog, Ana Ng, They’ll Need A Crane and The World’s Address.

Those records were issued on various indie labels around the world, but the third album Flood (1990) was their first on a major. In the UK, they somehow had a top ten hit single with Birdhouse In Your Soul, but this chart success wasn’t to be repeated, leaving them with the dreaded ‘one hit wonder’ label. Forget that though, since Flood is one of the band’s very best albums. The silliness and quirky songs are in tact (Someone Keeps Moving My Chair, Hearing Aid) but there’s a dash of maturity thrown in for good measure with tracks like Dead and Your Racist Friend.

These new reissues are packaged as two-albums-in-one (‘two-fers’) and Flood is joined by it’s follow-up, 1992’s Apollo 18. That album lacked the consistency of Flood, and featured lead single The Statue Got Me High, which wasn’t a hit despite an appearance on The Jonathan Ross Show.

Edsel are just reissuing four albums, so the second and final combo release has 1994’s John Henry – an album which saw the band use proper musicians to fill out their sound, rather than being reliant on drum machines and backing tracks – paired with Factory Showroom from 1996. This was They Might Be Giants’ last album for Elektra.

Each CD in this reissue campaign comes with a selection of bonus tracks, largely remixes and B-sides/extra tracks of the day.

They Might Be Giants reissues are out on 2 December 2013.

Flood/Apollo 18

• • UK Pre-order: Flood & Apollo 18 (2CD)
• • USA Pre-order: Flood / Apollo 18 (2CD)
• • CANADA Pre-order: Flood & Apollo 18 (2CD)
• • GERMANY Pre-order: Flood+Apollo 18 (2CD)

John Henry/Factory Showroom

• • UK Pre-order: John Henry & Factory Showroom (2CD)
• • USA Pre-order: John Henry / Factory Showroom (2CD)
• • CANADA Pre-order: John Henry & Factory Showroom (2CD)
• • GERMANY Pre-order: John Henry+Factory Showroom (2CD)

Track listings

Flood

• 1. Theme from Flood
• 2. Birdhouse in Your Soul
• 3. Lucky Ball & Chain
• 4. Istanbul (Not Constantinople)
• 5. Dead
• 6. Your Racist Friend
• 7. Particle Man
• 8. Twisting
• 9. We Want a Rock
• 10. Someone Keeps Moving My Chair
• 11. Hearing Aid
• 12. Minimum Wage
• 13. Letterbox
• 14. Whistling in the Dark
• 15. Hot Cha
• 16. Women & Men
• 17. Sapphire Bullets of Pure Love
• 18. They Might Be Giants
• 19. Road Movie to Berlin

Bonus tracks

• 20. Ant
• 21. James K. Polk
• 22. Stormy Pinkness

Apollo 18

• 1. Dig My Grave
• 2. I Palindrome I
• 3. She’s Actual Size
• 4. My Evil Twin
• 5. Mammal
• 6. The Statue Got Me High
• 7. Spider
• 8. The Guitar (The Lion Sleeps Tonight)
• 9. Dinner Bell
• 10. Narrow Your Eyes
• 11. Hall of Heads
• 12. Which Describes How You’re Feeling
• 13. See the Constellation
• 14. If I Wasn’t Shy
• 15. Turn Around
• 16. Hypnotist of Ladies
• 17. Fingertips
• 18. Space Suit

Bonus tracks

• 19. The Guitar (The Lion Sleeps Tonight) (Williamsburgh Remix)
• 20. The Guitar (Outer Planet Mix)
• 21. Welcome to the Jungle
• 22. I Blame You
• 23. Moving to the Sun
• 24. The Guitar (Even Further Outer Planet Mix)

John Henry

• 1. Subliminal
• 2. Snail Shell
• 3. Sleeping in the Flowers
• 4. Unrelated Thing
• 5. AKA Driver
• 6. I Should Be Allowed to Think
• 7. Extra Savoir – faire
• 8. Why Must I Be Sad?
• 9. Spy
• 10. O, Do Not Forsake Me
• 11. No One Knows My Plan
• 12. Dirt Bike
• 13. Destination Moon
• 14. A Self Called Nowhere
• 15. Meet James Ensor
• 16. Thermostat
• 17. Window
• 18. Out of Jail
• 19. Stomp Box
• 20. The End of the Tour

Bonus tracks

• 21. Ondine
• 22. She Was a Hotel Detective
• 23. Mrs. Train
• 24. Snail Dust (Dust Brothers Remix)
• 25. Why Does the Sun Shine? (The Sun Is a Mass of Incandescent Gas)
• 26. Jessica
• 27. Whirlpool
• 28. Spy [Live]

Factory Showroom

• 1. Token Back to Brooklyn
• 2. S – E
• 3. Till My Head Falls Off
• 4. How Can I Sing Like a Girl?
• 5. Exquisite Dead Guy
• 6. Metal Detector
• 7. New York City
• 8. Your Own Worst Enemy
• 9. XTC Vs. Adam Ant
• 10. Spiralling Shape
• 11. James K. Polk
• 12. Pet Name
• 13. I Can Hear You
• 14. The Bells Are Ringing

Bonus tracks

• 15. S – E
• 16. Sensurround
• 17. Unforgotten
• 18. We’ve Got a World That Swings
• 19. S – E