Balls and Walnuts
more than you ever wanted to know
Listening to
They Might Be Giants: Istanbul (Not Constantinople)
From Wikipedia, we learn
It was originally recorded by The Four Lads on August 12, 1953.
and
One of the more recent, better-known versions of the song is the cover by the rock group They Might Be Giants, who released it on their LP Flood in 1990, and on its own EP that same year. TMBG’s version is at a faster tempo than the original and contains a distinct klezmer influence, including a violin introduction and some accordion parts.
The Duke’s Men of Yale, an all-male a cappella group at Yale University, perform the song at the end of most of their concerts. The song has been in the repertoire of the Duke’s Men since 1953.
The song is on the album Bette Midler Live at Last.
I wonder if I might like any other TMBG songs?
. . . just listened to a few. Definitely an acquired taste.
What are you listening to?
D.
Blue October. I’m obsessed with them. They’re all I listen to.
Any particular song?
Just tried out two of theirs on YouTube. Not bad, but they didn’t grab me by the nuts, either.
I’ve been enjoying a local band, Romance.
I’ve also been indulging my inner high-school metalhead with The 69 Eyes…
TMBG are wildly eclectic, though. Did you run across, for instance, Birdhouse in Your Soul? Or Mammal?
They’ve got one of the best lines in music, too, IMHO: “We were once so close to Heaven / That Peter came out and gave us medals / Declaring us the nicest of the damned”.
What am I listening to? Whatever my Winamp random player hits up for me. Corb Lund and the Hurtin’ Albertans, which is a country/roots band. Abby Travis, a lounge/rocker lady. Quite often, Primus will come up.
Hope all the links in here don’t send me to spamhell.
TMBG is INSANE. the canary one? i saw an a capella group do that recently. so strange. and Istanbul was my world history teacher’s favorite song…i hate it. because i hated that class. ugh. plus it gets STUCK IN YOUR HEAD. ugh.
definately an aquired taste. and the videos are even weirder.
i listen to lots of things. soundtracks from Juno and Across the Universe. Lots of A Capella, especially the group Five O’Clock Shadow. and so much more.
I adore TMBG. They were a college CD collection must have to prove coolness in my day. The singer’s voice is unusual, nasal and fab. They’re also a particular favourite of Dr. Demento.
Are you, or were you, ever into superhero comics? If so you’ll probably get a kick out of
… sorry, you will probably get a kick out of “Particle Man.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJ_uEWDQQQE&feature=related
I’m still green at the html thing.
Andover was a feeder school to Yale. It was traditional for the Andover a cappella group to start singing “Istanbul” as they walked through the “Commons” (Dining Hall) on the day acceptance letters came. If you had been accepted to Yale you were supposed to get up out of your seat, start singing, and join the parade through the five dining halls and then out to the “Flagpole Quad” where a group was waiting with bongo drums. They must have sung about fifteen choruses of that thing before they were through.
Annoying and loud, but fun.
Goodness! Harmonic convergence at its best! We are in the midst of the seemingly eternal process of transferring our CDs onto the computer and Sunday, while indulging in our latest addiction (Rome from HBO – oooh, it’s good), I put our several TMBGs through the laptop. While Particle Man is brilliant, my favorite is indeed Istanbul (not Constantinople). It was a sub rosa mental distraction throughout my long weekend visit to said city – my then fiance (we bought our wedding rings at the Grand Bazaar) didn’t appreciate it the same way.
I admit to a fondness for these novelty songs – Mambo Americano being another catchy, but silly ditty that sticks in one’s head (but perhaps the problem is that nature abhors a vacuum).
And what’s on rotation in the car? Cheap Trick Greatest Hits, Tom Petty Greatest Hits, Bally Sagoo, Glenn Miller, OMD, Corona, Veggie Tales Singalong 2, Steeleye Span, Die Fantastichen Vier, and a collection of punked-up Russian folk music.
The Humans. I’m obsessed with them, but now I can’t find their CD. I’ll have to email Kate. I think she is related to a band member.