They Might Be Giants: Here Come the 123's [CD/DVD]

by They Might Be Giants

Overview

Here Come the 123's, the numerically inclined sequel to They Might Be Giants' winning CD/DVD set Here Come the ABC's, presents more fun and unexpected ways to learn from John Flansburgh and John Linnell. The album begins in mathematically precise fashion, starting with the bouncy bossa nova of "Zeroes" before hitting one through ten and then onto fancier numbers like 12 and infinity. "One Everything"'s funky rock is one of TMBG's typical brain-twisters, a little bit zen ("there's only one everything") and a little bit urgent ("please clean your room/we share the same omniverse"). Many of the other songs are just as fun, but feel more like standard kid's fare than Here Come the ABC's did, and need to be experienced on the DVD for their full, quirky impact. That said, story songs like "Triops Has Three Eyes" and "One Dozen Monkeys," and movement songs such as "Ooh La! Ooh La!" are never less than adorable. However, as Here Come the 123's' numbers get higher, the album builds momentum. After getting basics like "Ten Mississippi" out of the way, on songs like "Nonagon," the Johns get down to the kind of smart kookiness and purposeful silliness that fans of all ages have come to expect. Seven gets two songs: "Seven Days a Week" is an anti-reveille full of laziness and trumpets, and is a singalong favorite in the making. "Seven," meanwhile, imagines a world where number sevens can ring the doorbell and hang out for awhile eating cake. "Nine Bowls of Soup"'s bowl-balancing ichthyosaur makes that song a standout too, and things get literally loopy on "Figure Eight"'s action-packed, figure-skating rock, and on "Infinity," a tribute to eight's sideways sibling. Even if it's not quite as brilliantly clever as Here Come the ABC's, Here Come the 123's never talks, or sings, down to its audience. [A CD/DVD version was also released.] ~ Heather Phares

Product Details

Release Date:	02/05/2008
Label:	Disneysound / Walt Disney
UPC:	0050087107840
Rank:	30680

Tracks

Disc 1

1. Here Come the 123's
2. Zeroes
3. One Everything
4. Number Two
5. Triops Has Three Eyes
6. Apartment Four
7. High Five!
8. The Secret Life of Six
9. Seven
10. Seven Days of the Week (I Never Go to Work)
11. Figure Eight
12. Pirate Girls Nine
13. Nine Bowls of Soup
14. Ten Mississippi
15. One Dozen Monkeys
16. Eight Hundred and Thirteen Mile Car Trip
17. Infinity-They Might Be Giants
18. I Can Add
19. Nonagon
20. Even Numbers
21. Ooh La! Ooh La!
22. Heart of the Band
23. Hot Dog!
24. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Theme

Disc 2

25. Here Come the 123s
26. Zeroes
27. One Everything
28. Number Two
29. Triops Has Three Eyes
30. Apartment Four
31. High Five!
32. The Secret Life of Six
33. Seven
34. Seven Days of the Week (I Never Go to Work)
35. Figure Eight
36. Pirate Girls Nine
37. Nine Bowls of Soup
38. Ten Mississippi
39. One Dozen Monkeys
40. Eight Hundred and Thirteen Mile Car Trip
41. I Can Add
42. Nonagon
43. Even Numbers
44. Ooh La! Ooh La!
45. Heart of the Band
46. Hot Dog!
47. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Theme
48. Here Come the 123s (Outro)

Album Credits

Performance Credits

They Might Be Giants   Primary Artist
Dan Levine   Trombone
Hannah Levine   Vocals
Henry Linell   Vocals
Barry Danielian   Trumpet
John Linnell   Vocals,Keyboards,Saxophone
John Flansburgh   Guitar,Vocals,Keyboards
Marty Beller   Drums
Danny Weinkauf   Bass
Desi Tomaselli   Vocals
Mark Pender   Trumpet
Robin "Goldie" Goldwasser   Vocals
Dan John Miller   Guitar

Technical Credits

Dan John Miller   Group Member
Melissa Jun   Design
UE Nastasi   Mastering
Robert Sharenow   Composer
Dan Miller   Composer
Gossip   Composer
The Dust Brothers   Producer
Patrick Dillett   Mixing,Engineer,Producer
John Linnell   Composer,Group Member
John Flansburgh   Composer,Group Member
They Might Be Giants   Composer
Marty Beller   Composer,Group Member
Greg Thompson   Mixing,Engineer
Danny Weinkauf   Composer,Group Member
David Agnew   Executive Producer