A Good Introduction to TMBG

I only had two They Might Be Giants albums, both fairly recent ones, when I decided to become a hardcore fan. So, with my record store gift certificates, I went out and bought the double CD "Then: The Early Years" for about $30.

At first I was shocked at how different it sounded from, say, "Apollo 18" or "Severe Tire Damage," but I soon found favorites on each disc and listened to both, in their entirety, every day, becoming more and more absorbed in TMBG lyrics and trivia.

It was with this album that I discovered that Their music had deep, intellectual meanings, and with this album that I became a true TMBG fan.

Not only does it include both "They Might Be Giants" and "Lincoln," it also contains the "Don't Let's Start" EP, "(She Was a) Hotel Detective" EP, "They'll Need a Crane" EP, "Purple Toupee" EP, and about 20 bonus tracks, including demo versions of popular songs, dial-a-song music, and other fun numbers.

Their style spans rock, country, polka, marches, and pop, but all the tracks have that TMBG flair ... Maybe it's the accordion.