Then: The Earlier Years is a double album

Double album

A double album is an audio album which spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically records and compact discs....

 by the band They Might Be Giants

They Might Be Giants

They Might Be Giants is an American alternative rock band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years Flansburgh and Linnell were frequently accompanied by a drum machine. In the early 1990s, TMBG became a full band. Currently, the members of TMBG are...

. It was released in 1997 (see 1997 in music

1997 in music

This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1997.-January:*January 9 – David Bowie performs his 50th Birthday Bash concert at Madison Square Garden, New York City, USA with guests Frank Black, The Foo Fighters, Sonic Youth, Robert Smith of The Cure, Lou Reed, and Billy...

). Then contains the album Lincoln

Lincoln (album)

Lincoln is the second album by the band They Might Be Giants. It was released in 1988 . The album is named after John Linnell and John Flansburgh's boyhood home of Lincoln, Massachusetts. The two men pictured are Linnell's great-grandfather, Lewis T...

in its entirety, the albums They Might Be Giants

They Might Be Giants (album)

They Might Be Giants is the eponymous debut album from Brooklyn-based band They Might Be Giants, also known as The Pink Album. It was released by Bar/None in 1986....

and Miscellaneous T

Miscellaneous T

Miscellaneous T is a b-side and remix compilation album released by the alternative rock band They Might Be Giants in 1991. It is a US re-release of Don't Let's Start which was only released in the UK and West Germany. The differences include cover art, track order, and the song "Hello Radio",...

which are each missing one track, a few otherwise unreleased songs from their 1985 Demo Tape and other songs previously unreleased. The song missing from Miscellaneous T is "(She Was a) Hotel Detective (Single Mix)" and the song missing from They Might Be Giants is the album version of "Don't Let's Start", as it was replaced in its appropriate place in the track listing by the single version of the same song from Miscellaneous T. It is notable that the track "We're The Replacements" references the alternative rock band of the same name.

The They Might Be Giants Online Store http://www.theymightbegiants.com/ also sells the non They Might Be Giants and Lincoln tracks separately, in two parts titled Giants Jubilee and Mightathon. These albums were once sold separately, but the full album is typically available for sale digitally.

The compilation Best of the Early Years is effectively a heavily condensed version of this release (a single disc and only 10 tracks).

Song origins

• Tracks 1-3 and 5-19 on disc one are originally from They Might Be Giants
  They Might Be Giants (album)
  They Might Be Giants is the eponymous debut album from Brooklyn-based band They Might Be Giants, also known as The Pink Album. It was released by Bar/None in 1986....
  
  
• Tracks 1-18 on disc two are originally from Lincoln
  Lincoln (album)
  Lincoln is the second album by the band They Might Be Giants. It was released in 1988 . The album is named after John Linnell and John Flansburgh's boyhood home of Lincoln, Massachusetts. The two men pictured are Linnell's great-grandfather, Lewis T...
  
  
• Track 4, the single mix of "Don't Let's Start," was taken from Miscellaneous T; in the original release of They Might Be Giants, a different mix of this song appeared as the fourth track on the album
• Tracks 20-27 on disc one and tracks 19-26 on disc two are from Miscellaneous T
  Miscellaneous T
  Miscellaneous T is a b-side and remix compilation album released by the alternative rock band They Might Be Giants in 1991. It is a US re-release of Don't Let's Start which was only released in the UK and West Germany. The differences include cover art, track order, and the song "Hello Radio",...
  
  , although that itself was a compilation of b-sides, so the tracks originally appeared on various singles and EPs
• Tracks 34 and 35 from disc one and tracks 31 and 32 from disc two are originally from the 1985 Demo Tape
• Tracks 28-33 and 36 on disc one and tracks 27-30 and 33-36 on disc two are previously unreleased.

Disc one

1. "Everything Right Is Wrong Again" – 2:20
2. "Put Your Hand Inside the Puppet Head" – 2:12
3. "Number Three" – 1:27
4. "Don't Let's Start
   Don't Let's Start
   "Don't Let's Start" is a song by alternative rock band They Might Be Giants, from their eponymous debut album They Might Be Giants. It was the first single released from the album, released as a maxi-single. The song is one of the band's most popular and well-known songs, despite failing to chart...
   
   " (Single Mix) – 2:35
5. "Hide Away Folk Family" – 3:21
6. "32 Footsteps" – 1:36
7. "Toddler Hiway" – :25
8. "Rabid Child" – 1:31
9. "Nothing's Gonna Change My Clothes" – 1:58
10. "(She Was A) Hotel Detective" – 2:10
11. "She's an Angel" – 2:37
12. "Youth Culture Killed My Dog" – 2:51
13. "Boat of Car" – 1:15
14. "Absolutely Bill's Mood" – 2:38
15. "Chess Piece Face" – 1:21
16. "I Hope That I Get Old Before I Die" – 1:58
17. "Alienation's for the Rich" – 2:25
18. "The Day" – 1:27
19. "Rhythm Section Want Ad" – 2:22
20. "We're the Replacements" – 1:50
21. "When It Rains It Snows" – 1:33
22. "The Famous Polka" – 1:33
23. "Untitled" - 2:33
24. "For Science" – 1:19
25. "The Biggest One" – 1:22
26. "Kiss Me, Son of God" (Alternate Version) – 1:49
27. "Mr. Klaw" – 1:19
28. "Critic Intro" – 1:37
29. "Now That I Have Everything" – 2:20
30. "Mainstream U.S.A." – 1:15
31. "Fake Out in Buenos Aires" – 1:48
32. "Greek #3" – 1:29
33. "I Hope That I Get Old Before I Die" (Original Version) – 1:12
34. "I'm Def" – 1:08
35. "Don't Let's Start" (Demo Version) – 1:14
36. "'85 Radio Special Thank You" – 1:25

Disc two

1. "Ana Ng
   Ana Ng
   "Ana Ng" is a song by alternative rock band They Might Be Giants. It was released as the lead single from the band's 1988 album Lincoln. Although the song was their first US chart appearance, hitting #11 on the US Modern Rock chart, the single was never officially released in the US...
   
   " – 3:23
2. "Cowtown" – 2:21
3. "Lie Still, Little Bottle" – 2:06
4. "Purple Toupee" – 2:40
5. "Cage & Aquarium" – 1:10
6. "Where Your Eyes Don't Go" – 3:06
7. "Piece of Dirt" – 2:00
8. "Mr. Me" – 1:52
9. "Pencil Rain" – 2:42
10. "The World's Address" – 2:24
11. "I've Got a Match" – 2:36
12. "Santa's Beard" – 1:55
13. "You'll Miss Me" – 1:53
14. "They'll Need a Crane" – 2:33
15. "Shoehorn With Teeth" – 1:13
16. "Stand on Your Own Head" – 1:16
17. "Snowball in Hell" – 2:31
18. "Kiss Me, Son of God" – 1:54
19. "Hello Radio" – 0:55
20. "It's Not My Birthday" – 1:52
21. "I'll Sink Manhattan" – 2:32
22. "Nightgown of the Sullen Moon" – 1:59
23. "World's Address" (Joshua Fried Remix) – 5:42
24. "Hey, Mr. DJ, I Thought You Said We Had a Deal" – 3:48
25. "The Lady Is a Tramp
    The Lady Is a Tramp
    "The Lady Is a Tramp" is a show tune from the 1937 Rodgers and Hart musical Babes In Arms in which it was introduced by former child star Mitzi Green. This song is a spoof of New York high society and its strict etiquette...
    
    " (Rodgers and Hart
    Rodgers and Hart
    Rodgers and Hart were an American songwriting partnership of composer Richard Rodgers and the lyricist Lorenz Hart...
    
    ) – 1:20
26. "Birds Fly" – 1:25
27. "Kitten Intro" – 1:43
28. "Weep Day" – 1:50
29. "The Big Big Whoredom" – 1:39
30. "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You" (Bassman, Washington) – 1:59
31. "Become a Robot" – 1:18
32. "Which Describes How You're Feeling" – 1:24
33. "Swing Is a Word" – 0:53
34. "Doris Cunningham" – 0:12
35. "Counterfeit Fake" – 0:39
36. "Schoolchildren Singing "Particle Man"" – 2:05

External links

• Then: The Earlier Years at This Might Be A Wiki