New Wave/Alternative stalwarts, They Might Be Giants,
after writing and performing as a duo for over a decade, were ready to expand
to a full band line up by 1993. Some of their fans were shocked and some even boycotted
or picketed outside the band’s concerts to protest the change, but without it,
John Linnell and John Flansburgh would have been unable to sustain and continue
the project for much longer (or at least be able to enjoy it). As it was, the
band saw themselves dropped by their label, Elektra Records, shortly after
releasing their second LP with a full band, and they ended up finding their
greatest successes after returning to indie status. While it was certainly
brave for TMBG to try something new and so different to their previous approach
and style, adding a live band to back them up changed their sound and approach
to writing, recording, and performing forever.
Most of the songs that eventually became John Henry,
They Might Be Giants’ 5th LP, were demoed prior to entering the
sessions for the album proper, and those demo recordings were also eventually released
by the band in part to celebrate the album’s 25th anniversary this
year. Having established themselves as a group that incorporated and at times completely
relied on technology, the album’s title perfectly fits as this first batch of
songs with a full band would be the audio equivalent of man vs. machine, much
like the steel-driving American folk hero (and the fact that he shares a first
name with TMBG’s core members). While developing this material, it must have
been a challenge for TMBG to embrace elements of early ‘90s modern rock without
abandoning their original musical and lyrical angle. Focusing more on distorted
guitars, hard hitting drums, and live bass with a deep groove on John Henry
contrasted greatly with the drum machines and synth bass on the band’s previous
albums. Occasional distorted vocals on a few songs and even borderline
screaming from Linnell on “Stompbox” could be a reaction to grunge (or the closest
the band ever came to it), which was already fading away by time the album was
released.
In traditional TMBG style, the album tackles personal, reflective, introspective, and sometimes very serious topics and
themes set against usually poppy, up-tempo variants of new wave rock music, a
combination that draws the listener in melodically while simultaneously
balancing the extreme positives and negatives within most of the songs. One
might be so overtaken to tap, clap, or dance along to the driving beat they
might not even notice the narrator of the song working hard to establish the
right to think or even feel, in general. Other tracks discuss being stuck in
bad relationships, loneliness and isolation, arrogance, obsessive infatuation,
driving under the influence, embarrassment, mental illness, and that moment
when you’re in deep thought while flying through the windshield
during a car crash, but the average listener probably wouldn’t notice if you
didn’t point most of this out to them.
The songs on John Henry include several clever
references including life as a Deadhead, odes to both Alice Cooper’s excellent
1970s work and to obscure Belgian artist, James Ensor, as well as quoted lines
from beat poet, Allen Ginsberg’s, “Howl” (having given his blessing to the band, demanding no compensation). The lead single, “Snail Shell”, received moderate
radio and video support. “AKA Driver” was a promising second single but ran
into controversy when the original title was changed from “NyQuil Driver” after
a suggestion from the band’s lawyer to avoid copyright infringement. The original
words, however, remained the same, so the song’s lyrics were the only to be
excluded from the liner notes, and no music video was produced. For Elektra,
the release was somewhat risky, and in spite of the album itself being the band’s
most accessible to date, it received little promotion or pop success,
understandably frustrating to the band.
Joining Linnell and Flansburgh in this early incarnation
of the live band were Tony Maimone (of Pere Ubu) on bass and Brian Doherty (of
The Silos) on drums, along with a host of guest horn players, not uncommon
throughout the band’s catalog. Guitarists, Jay Sherman Godfrey and Robert Quine,
and bassist, Graham Maby (of Joe Jackson’s band), also appear on a few tracks
each. It’s notable that once TMBG became a full band, the membership in each
supporting position rotated nearly constantly for the first five years and
would not completely solidify for an additional five years, once Marty Beller
(on the drums!) joined the group. The current version of the band has remained
unchanged for the last 15 years.
Like most TMBG album eras, the related releases and songs
add more to the tone and enjoyment of the album. In this case, Two EPs and a holiday single
were recorded and released around the same time period, featuring the same
musicians, including Why Does the Sun Shine? (EP), Back to Skull
(EP), and “O Tannenbaum” (single). These consist of a few creative cover songs
(Meat Puppets, Allman Bros., and the German Christmas classic), a Dust Bros.
remix of “Snail Shell”, and leftover originals that, also as usual, are some of
the most interesting and creative of the larger batch of songs. “She Was a
Hotel Detective”, referencing a single from the band’s first LP, was recorded
with Flansburgh singing for a guest female vocalist who couldn’t make it to the
session, which led to the inter-band ridicule that inspired him to write “How
Can I Sing Like a Girl?” which would appear on the band’s next album, 1996’s Factory
Showroom.
Looking back on it 25 years later, it’s not that John
Henry represents the band as they currently exist or even as a fully-actualized
version of the band they were meant to and had the ability to be, but without it,
They Might Be Giants would either be a completely different project or would no
longer exist, especially for nearly 38 years (and counting)! It may not be the
best album to start with, if you aren’t already familiar with TMBG, but for
anyone who may consider themselves a fan, it is essential to know these songs
as much as any of the songs on any of the band’s 21 other albums.
Other albums celebrating 25 years:
Blues Traveler-Four
Blur-Parklife
Ramones-Acid Eaters
