Then: The Earlier Years
| Then: The Earlier Years | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Compilation album by They Might Be Giants | ||||
| Released | March 25, 1997 | |||
| Recorded | 1985–1991 | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock | |||
| Label |
Restless (U.S., UK) Rykodisc (UK) |
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| Producer | Bill Krauss, Matthew Hill, They Might Be Giants | |||
| They Might Be Giants chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |
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| The A.V. Club | (average) |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+ |
| Pitchfork Media | 9.5/10 |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide |
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Then: The Earlier Years is a double album by the band They Might Be Giants. It was released in 1997 (see 1997 in music). Then contains the album Lincoln in its entirety, the albums They Might Be Giants and Miscellaneous T 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. The track "We're The Replacements" references the alternative rock band of the same name.
The They Might Be Giants Online Store 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).
The two discs of this compilation were released separately in 2013 by Australian indie label Breakaway Recordings, with the TMBG disc having the original "Don't Let's Start" mix and the single mix of "(She Was A) Hotel Detective" added, as well as having "Untitled" moved from track 23 to track 38 and "'85 Radio Special Thank You" having 20 seconds of silence appended.
All songs are by They Might Be Giants unless otherwise noted.
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