Severe Tire Damage (album)
Encyclopedia
Severe Tire Damage is a primarily live album by They Might Be Giants
, released in 1998 (see 1998 in music
). It also features a few studio tracks, including a new single ("Doctor Worm
").
The live cuts, some recorded at soundchecks without any audience, feature at least one track from every album since their debut, which include a few old fan favorites that have been reworked since the duo adopted a full backing band. Songs like "She's an Angel", from their debut, They Might Be Giants
and "Birdhouse in Your Soul
", from their major label debut, Flood, are treated to multiple guitars and a horn section. Conversely, the song "Meet James Ensor
" originally appeared on their first full band effort, John Henry
(1994) and surfaces here in a bare-bones rendition, with only vocals and an accordion
.
Besides the aforementioned lack of an audience on several tracks, some tracks have also undergone studio "retooling" - most notably, "Ana Ng," which appeared in its untampered form (with an uncropped intro and heavily distorted voice saying, "I don't want the world...") on the 1994 promo-only release "Live!! New York City." In truth, this 'live album' is not particularly representative of a live TMBG show, failing to show the on-stage improvisation, humor, and audience participation that are characteristic of a They Might Be Giants concert.
A condensed version of this album was released as Live
, which featured 10 of the 24 tracks listed here.
They Might Be Giants
They Might Be Giants is an American alternative rock band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years Flansburgh and Linnell were frequently accompanied by a drum machine. In the early 1990s, TMBG became a full band. Currently, the members of TMBG are...
, released in 1998 (see 1998 in music
1998 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1998.-Events:*January 28 – "Weird Al" Yankovic gets LASIK surgery to cure his myopia...
). It also features a few studio tracks, including a new single ("Doctor Worm
Doctor Worm
"Doctor Worm" is a song by They Might Be Giants. It first appeared on the primarily live album Severe Tire Damage, being one of only three studio-recorded songs on the album. It was also released as a single and featured in a music video directed by band member John Flansburgh.The lyrics describe a...
").
The live cuts, some recorded at soundchecks without any audience, feature at least one track from every album since their debut, which include a few old fan favorites that have been reworked since the duo adopted a full backing band. Songs like "She's an Angel", from their debut, They Might Be Giants
They Might Be Giants (album)
They Might Be Giants is the eponymous debut album from Brooklyn-based band They Might Be Giants, also known as The Pink Album. It was released by Bar/None in 1986....
and "Birdhouse in Your Soul
Birdhouse in Your Soul
"Birdhouse in Your Soul" is a song by American alternative rock band They Might Be Giants. It was released in March 1990 as a single from the album Flood. It reached #3 on the United States Modern Rock Tracks chart and #6 on the UK Singles Chart and remains their highest-charting single in both...
", from their major label debut, Flood, are treated to multiple guitars and a horn section. Conversely, the song "Meet James Ensor
James Ensor
James Sidney Edouard, Baron Ensor was a Flemish-Belgian painter and printmaker, an important influence on expressionism and surrealism who lived in Ostend for almost his entire life...
" originally appeared on their first full band effort, John Henry
John Henry (album)
John Henry is the name of They Might Be Giants' fifth original album, although it is the sixth disc in their discography. It was released in 1994. It is the first album in which John Linnell and John Flansburgh utilized a full band, as opposed to playing most or all of the instruments themselves....
(1994) and surfaces here in a bare-bones rendition, with only vocals and an accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
.
Besides the aforementioned lack of an audience on several tracks, some tracks have also undergone studio "retooling" - most notably, "Ana Ng," which appeared in its untampered form (with an uncropped intro and heavily distorted voice saying, "I don't want the world...") on the 1994 promo-only release "Live!! New York City." In truth, this 'live album' is not particularly representative of a live TMBG show, failing to show the on-stage improvisation, humor, and audience participation that are characteristic of a They Might Be Giants concert.
A condensed version of this album was released as Live
Live (They Might Be Giants album)
Live was a 1999 live album by the group They Might Be Giants. It was a condensed version of Severe Tire Damage. While most of the tracks were, as the name implies, live, "Doctor Worm" was a studio recorded track.-Track listing:...
, which featured 10 of the 24 tracks listed here.
Song notes
- Tracks 1, 2, and 17 were recorded in a studio rather than onstage; track 15 was recorded in a hotel room.
- Tracks 18-24 were improvisedImprovisationImprovisation is the practice of acting, singing, talking and reacting, of making and creating, in the moment and in response to the stimulus of one's immediate environment and inner feelings. This can result in the invention of new thought patterns, new practices, new structures or symbols, and/or...
in concert, apparently based on the Planet of the ApesPlanet of the Apes (1968 film)Planet of the Apes is a 1968 American science fiction film directed by Franklin J. Schaffner, based on the 1963 French novel La Planète des singes by Pierre Boulle. The film stars Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter, Maurice Evans, James Whitmore, James Daly and Linda Harrison...
movie series. They are "hidden" in that they are not listed in the track listing on the back of the album, and there is a long space after the end of About Me, but the lyrics for 19 are printed in the liner notes. - "First Kiss" was later reworked and put on the 2001 album Mink CarMink CarMink Car is the eighth studio album by They Might Be Giants, released in 2001 on Restless Records, on the same morning as the September 11 attacks....
as "Another First Kiss", with the same basic melody and similar lyrics but a substantially different style and tempo. - Similarly, "They Got Lost" was later recorded in the studio at a slower tempo, and was released on Long Tall WeekendLong Tall WeekendLong Tall Weekend is a downloadable album released by They Might Be Giants in 1999. It was released exclusively on-line through eMusic . It was the first major full-length album released exclusively on the Internet by an established major label band. Many of these songs were outtakes from the...
as well as later being the title track on the rarities compilation album They Got LostThey Got LostThey Got Lost is a rarities compilation album by the group They Might Be Giants. It was issued in 2002 in the USA and 2005 in the UK...
. - On Track 3, "They Get Lost", the band is introduced incorrectly as "They Must Be Giants", which is a tongue-in-cheekTongue-in-cheekTongue-in-cheek is a phrase used as a figure of speech to imply that a statement or other production is humorously intended and it should not be taken at face value. The facial expression typically indicates that one is joking or making a mental effort. In the past, it may also have indicated...
reference to an untitled, partial recording that appears as track 13 on both Don't Let's StartDon't Let's Start (album)Don't Let's Start is a 1989 b-side and remix compilation album by the alternative rock band They Might Be Giants. It was only available in the UK and West Germany, and can be seen as the predecessor to Miscellaneous T, which includes all of the tracks from this release and an additional track,...
and it's re-release Miscellaneous TMiscellaneous TMiscellaneous T is a b-side and remix compilation album released by the alternative rock band They Might Be Giants in 1991. It is a US re-release of Don't Let's Start which was only released in the UK and West Germany. The differences include cover art, track order, and the song "Hello Radio",...
. It was inadvertently left on the Dial-A-Song answering machine, in which a confused listener named Gloria talks to an unknown third party about the mystery of "There May Be Giants" and "There Must Be Giants", as she mistakenly refers to the band. It would later be referenced when Bryant GumbelBryant GumbelBryant Charles Gumbel is an American television journalist and sportscaster. He is best known for his 15 years as co-host of NBC's The Today Show. He is the younger brother of sportscaster Greg Gumbel.-Early life:...
referred to them as "They Must Be Giants" when they performed "Your Racist Friend" on the Today Show to promote the release of Flood.
Song origins
- Studio version of track 4 originally appeared on the Why Does The Sun Shine? (The Sun Is a Mass of Incandescent Gas)Why Does The Sun Shine? (The Sun Is a Mass of Incandescent Gas)7" vinylPersonnelMusic* John Linnell – accordion, saxophone, bass clarinet, vocals* John Flansburgh – electric guitar, vocals* Brian Doherty – drums, glockenspiel* Kurt Hoffman – clarinet, saxophone* Frank London – trumpet...
EP (1993) - Studio versions of tracks 5, 8 and 12 originally appeared on Flood (1990)
- Studio version of track 6 originally appeared on They Might Be GiantsThey Might Be Giants (album)They Might Be Giants is the eponymous debut album from Brooklyn-based band They Might Be Giants, also known as The Pink Album. It was released by Bar/None in 1986....
(1986) - Studio versions of tracks 7, 14 and 16 originally appeared on Factory ShowroomFactory ShowroomFactory Showroom is the sixth studio album by the band They Might Be Giants. It was released in 1996 through Elektra Records....
(1996) - Studio version of track 9 originally appeared on LincolnLincoln (album)Lincoln is the second album by the band They Might Be Giants. It was released in 1988 . The album is named after John Linnell and John Flansburgh's boyhood home of Lincoln, Massachusetts. The two men pictured are Linnell's great-grandfather, Lewis T...
(1988) - Studio versions of tracks 11 and 13 originally appeared on Apollo 18Apollo 18 (album)Apollo 18 is They Might Be Giants' fourth studio album. It was released in 1992 and named after the Apollo missions, the last of which was Apollo 17....
(1992) - Studio version of track 15 originally appeared on John HenryJohn Henry (album)John Henry is the name of They Might Be Giants' fifth original album, although it is the sixth disc in their discography. It was released in 1994. It is the first album in which John Linnell and John Flansburgh utilized a full band, as opposed to playing most or all of the instruments themselves....
(1994)
Track listing
All songs by They Might Be Giants unless otherwise noted. Tracks 18 - 24 are hidden tracks.- "Doctor WormDoctor Worm"Doctor Worm" is a song by They Might Be Giants. It first appeared on the primarily live album Severe Tire Damage, being one of only three studio-recorded songs on the album. It was also released as a single and featured in a music video directed by band member John Flansburgh.The lyrics describe a...
" – 3:01 - "Severe Tire Damage Theme" – 0:40
- "They Got Lost" – 3:42
- "Why Does The Sun Shine? (The Sun is a Mass of Incandescent Gas)" – 2:17
- "Birdhouse in Your Soul" – 3:12
- "She's An Angel" – 3:20
- "XTC vs. Adam Ant" – 3:39
- "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" – 3:07
- "Ana Ng" – 3:00
- "First Kiss" – 1:36
- "Spider" – 0:53
- "Particle Man" – 2:09
- "She's Actual Size" – 2:18
- "S-E-X-X-Y" – 3:06
- "Meet James Ensor" – 1:30
- "Till My Head Falls Off" – 2:54
- "About Me" – 3:01 (actual track stops at 0:41 and is followed by 2:20 of silence)
- "Planet of the Apes" - 2:35
- "Return to the Planet of the Apes" – 2:46
- "Conquest of the Planet of the Apes" – 1:40
- "Escape from the Planet of the Apes" – 1:08
- "Battle for the Planet of the Apes" – 1:57
- "Beneath the Planet of the Apes" – 2:00
- "This Ape's for You" – 1:13
External links
- Severe Tire Damage page at This Might Be A Wiki