They Might Be Giants Album: “Here Come The ABCs With TMBG”

TMBG seem like big kids and great dads; this album contains kid-friendly songs about the alphabet, including the classic lyrics "urnx, urnx, ni, imnx, ictv,ictv, nicu" which translates as "You are an X, you are an X, and I, I am an X, I see TV, I see TV, and I see you." [This one has a compelling country-western kinda twang to it!] The letters all have quirky personalities (W is called "double-wide") that kids will love.

But (and it's a BIG but), this has not the charm of their previous kid's effort "No, No, No" and it's entirely Disney's fault (the album is a Disney production). "No, No, No" had these really cute little animations/games that could be played, simply, on your computer. But if you put "ABCs" into your computer, what comes up is merely a link to Disney's web site--and you have to REGISTER--and it's not clear whether once you do there will be any added content. In fact, it took about 10 minutes to figure out how to circumvent Disney's tremendous need to market to my hapless kids and merely *listen* to the album.

So the visual angle that reinforced the songs and increased the play value of the previous album is gone daddy gone. Now Disney has your name and your kids' name too. John, John, my kids want to see your letters boogie - do they have to be SOLD to to see it?

This CD features a number of new TMBG songs worthy of singing along to with your kids. Our oldest (not quite 3 years old) has already managed to memorize portions of several songs after less than one week of listening. His all-out favorite is "D & W", which makes him geek-out like no sugar high I've ever witnessed.

Not only are these songs catchy for tots, I find myself humming the melody to "Can you find it?", "Fake Believe", "Go for G!" and "Alphabet Lost and Found" while at work, which tends to drive my coworkers bonkers.

This album has all the appeal of a traditional TMBGs album, but enough silliness for children of all ages to enjoy.

I was reluctant to buy this album.

I am a long time TMBG fan, since Apollo 18, which is still my favorite. Anyway, although I had enjoyed No!, Here Come the ABCs seemed like a reach for me. I know my ABCs. So, the question is: DOES THIS ALBUM WORK FOR ADULTS TOO?

The answer: Sort of. The cons? The entire CD is about the ABCs. This gets old, pretty quickly, and the they tend to reuse ideas a lot on this album (Fake Believe parts A and B), and other songs are just too goofy. However, there are a few awesome songs on here, some of which I hope will transfer over to their adult shows, the same way Bed, Bed, Bed and Clap Your Hands have. I could see "Alphabet Lost and Found" as a huge hit at live shows. What makes this album for me is that it sounds like the Johns had a lot of fun recording it.

If you're into TMBG as much as I am, I highly recommend this CD. However, if you only kind of like them, I'd recommend only borrowing it.

I was never really fond of TMBG's music but after catching glimpses of the "QU" video on a kid's cable channel I had to get this DVD for my two year old twins. It didn't matter what they were doing as soon as the beat of "QU" came on they would come drop everything and sing and dance along.

This is one of the few DVD's for kids that I think is actually "adult friendly". Meaning the songs are all catchy and smart and you can't help but find yourself singing along. And the animation is really stylish and clever for a kid's DVD. I have yet to get burnt out on this DVD. My two year olds love this DVD and practically know all the words. This is my emergency DVD that I keep in the car for those very long car trips, that stands up to whiny, tired kids when even Disney and Baby Einstien can't. Even my ten year old son will watch it with the twins without complaint. Love it!

I have been a TMBG fan since the 80s & love the fact that my children want to hear this CD constantly! The lyrics are clever, quirky & educational. We have a great time listening & singing along. My two-year-old loves 'Go for G' & my four-year-old 'Can You Find It?'. My personal favorite is 'Alphabet Lost & Found'. This is a must have for any family!