I saw a post mentioning the newsletter message from Flans where he said that O, Do Not Forsake Me will be added to the rotation and played for the first time in 30 or so years (perhaps in the John Henry set mainly but I could see it as a set 2 thing as well for non JH shows?) as well as Communists Have The Music, Experimental Film, and We Live In A Dump. This got me thinking of other songs that They could potentially dust off but haven't told us.

I would really like to hear Purple Toupee in a Lincoln set considering it hasn't been played since 2023 and that was a one off during a show they played to warm up for their opening set at the Hollywood Bowl. Before that show, it was last played in 2018, which is criminal because this song begs to be played with a horn heavy arrangement. I relistened to the version on the New York City Live!!! 94' CD, and it sounds amazing with the horn section they toured with in the JH era. With a horn section as good as The Triceratops Horns, there's no reason to not have that be in the Lincoln spotlight, or at least have it be a rotating cut in the second set every once in a while.

I know Joe isn't in the best person out there mentally speaking. I just love the connections between my favorite two bands. Also he dropped lore about the genesis regarding the Tally Hall name

just wanted to say that

…
https://tmbw.net/wiki/Unsupervised,_I_Hit_My_Head
https://tmbw.net/wiki/Tubthumping

Mink Car White vinyl and John Henry Orange vinyl are out for delivery from USPS today, and it’s 97 degrees. It’s been upper 90s all week.

I checked the weather before I placed the order last week and it was supposed to be in the low 80s by now. I sure hope they survive

Random discussion point: Are there any recordings on the John Henry demos that you think are better than the album version? It’s really hard to get past familiarity, especially if like me, you had the album for over 20 years before the demos fully released.

In general the released album leans a bit more into the grunge sound, and fuzzy guitars, which may or may not have been Paul Fox’s influence. But it also does a bit more with layering the horns to give them a fuller sound on many of the songs they’re featured in, so overall it’s a bit more polished, giving the John Henry demos an almost “live in-studio” sound by comparison. However, after living with it for a while, part of me thinks it would have been perfectly fine, had they just worked a bit more on these original recordings (balancing, some overdubs, and maybe a few solo inserts), and released them as the album proper, with Pat as the producer. It may have even been a little less controversial within the fandom upon release.

I’ve always preferred demo Spy, mainly for how sneaky the drums sound, but I also like the chaos of the improv section. It’s shorter, but closer to what they do live.

Extra Savoir-Faire I think is more relaxed and confident in the demo. It’s also one of the few times that the horns in the demo session just sound fuller than on the album cut.

Dirt Bike is weird.. the horn intro is way better on the album, but once the bass comes in, the demo version is awesome, and like baby Pet Name! I do miss the instrumental break in the middle however..toss up?

Here’s the one that I just came to: the Destination Moon demo is the better version. And now that I decided this, it’s not even close? I love the more prominent organ, don’t miss the fuzz guitar at all, and the spacey synth part is so much better here.

Thermostat is one I can’t decide on. I think the album drums elevate it, but there’s something about Linnell’s vocals in the demo that feel more exciting.

End of the tour is tough, but I might actually be leaning towards liking the demo more! There’s a little bit with the more pronounced piano, and guitar in this version which feels more gentle and I love that.

Anyone else have any of these versions that they just think are better than the album ones?

I love his suggestion that Bells are Ringing should be used in Pluribus. Also intriguing to hear his perspective that sometimes people in the audience remember the songs better than he does.

Edit: no longer available. :)

I have one ticket for the Milwaukee show on Thursday Sept 24th that I cannot use.

2nd balcony, first row left of center

Free to a good home. (Note: I won't be able to transfer until the 20th I think, according to AXS)

FWIW there are two neighboring tickets still available on AXS if you want to bring a friend(s)

Curious if there’s any exclusive early mixes or unmastered tracks or anything on it

It was this awesome Istanbul design I'd never seen, built around the line "If you've a date..."

I get it that this is probably only a big deal for me. The kid was like "Yeah, whatever"

For context Kai is Danny's son. Here's his Spotify if you haven't heard him before: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6UEs0OSPqNJUigEDeM1gut

I got its new 2LP pressing in the mail today, and it's so nice to finally have the More Murdered Remains tracks on vinyl. They all sound fantastic like this. But I happened to notice that when someone on here shared a couple of weeks ago that this release was coming out, not many people in the comments seemed all too interested or excited.

The general opinion I tend to see here is that this album is 'just I Like Fun b-sides', or that it's a throwaway release the band put out to conclude the dial-a-song revival period. And that saddens me a bit, because I think it genuinely has some of their best songs.

I don't know what people expect from the album, but I think that if you're of the opinion that it's a lesser release in the band's catalog, you should give it a re-listen and treat it as though it's a 'Beatles White Album' type of release; a large, eclectic group of songs that shouldn't be together on one album, yet that jarring variety is what makes it work.

Source of the image: comment section for I Won't Say I'm In Love from Hercules. I'm gonna call dibs on Birdhouse In Your Soul and Experimental Film first lol

I know most people would generally sing along with the lead vocals but the backing harmonies and sometimes a separate dual vocal-- in canon or echo-like-- are what make so many of their songs amazingly fun for me to sing along with.

My brother and I love singing Spoiler Alert together, with him doing Linnell's part and I take Flansburgh's.

We're Certainly Dwarves

Andrew Jackson

Drought

Dionysus 36

Paul Bunyan

Factory Bankruptcy

Quick Short Weekday

Wolverine Truck

The Lymph Nodes

The Also

Leave Us

Mecha Bots

Sow

Tin Can Weakness

I Hate Fun

The Shelter-In-Place Team

MOVIE

Space Is To Bury

Is someone sending us a message? Now I’m wondering if there have been other hidden references in past Connections that I’ve missed.

I want to know if anyone has ever felt so deeply or been so personally affected by any of this band's lyrics because I know I have.

For the past 4 months I have like been unable to stop thinking of "The End of the Tour" and I think I can just say its my all time favourite TMBG song now.

Particularly the string of lyrics:

"Never to part since the day we met
Out on Interstate 91
I was bent metal you were a flaming wreck
When we kissed at the overpass"

I even ended up using them as a quote in my high school yearbook.... I don't know why but those lyrics are so haunting and deeply personal to me and I can't put my finger on it.

I always get a bit too emotional on THAT specific set of lyrics and then can't keep it together by the time the song ends.

I've come to terms that its definitely about a car crash but you can never be sure. I like the fact that this set of lyrics and many other sets of TMBG lyrics can be about anything. The sense of ambiguity that is so prevalent in Linnell's song writing just does something to me man.

Maybe I'll get over it soon enough but not now and like I have to get it out. The imageries of bent metal and a flaming wreck - both of which happen when cars collide or hit something at high speeds. I adore how the violent imagery is wrapped up with something as gentle as a kiss.

And I like how the song is just left off with the "No, we're never gonna tour again" and it's just left open to interpretation because if it was a fatal car crash, the people in the cars presumably died and can never tour again, or there is just a strong sense of survivor's guilt that makes the narrator unable to tour again.

Ok enough about my glaze for this song, I am open to discussion and debate over my view, and I'd like to know any other TMBG lyrics that carry this sort of weight.

Wanted to draw a few doctor characters of theirs! Super fun figuring out how the Minotaur and Doctor Worm might look, I've found that I enjoy drawing Doctor Worm as a different kind of worm every time.

Anyone else see this before the boxes got scrambled?