They'll Need A Crane (EP)

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They'll Need A Crane ep cover
They'll Need A Crane
EP by They Might Be Giants
First released February 10, 1989
Release details / collectors: Show | Hide
Tracks 4
Label Bar/None / Restless <7 72611> Length 8:56
Vinyl release back cover

They'll Need A Crane was a four-song EP released on 7" and 12" vinyl in the UK through One Little Indian, with the addition of CD and cassette through Bar/None and Restless records. With the exception of the title track, this was the first release produced by They Might Be Giants without Bill Krauss.

Two of the B-sides included in this release had been previously written and demoed during the Lincoln album cycle. "It's Not My Birthday" had been previously recorded on 8-track with Krauss for potential inclusion on Lincoln, while "I'll Sink Manhattan" had been written, demoed, and performed, but was not known to have been considered for inclusion during the recording of the album. "They'll Need A Crane" was chosen as the title track for its lack of novelty, as mentioned by John Flansburgh in a February 1989 interview with Hatchet: "We try to steer away from releasing songs as singles that seem like they might be misconstrued as novelty songs, because we basically want people to hear our music before they hear the humor."

Although all of the B-sides were credited as being recorded at John Flansburgh's Hello Studio apartment space, "I'll Sink Manhattan" had mostly been recorded with jazz musician John Eric Greenberg in a "tiny room in the apartment directly across the street" from Hello[1]. In the liner notes for Then: The Earlier Years, John and John mentioned it was their first time experimenting with sampling their own voices, which were engineered by Greenberg through a Casio sampler[2] along with many other homemade sounds. It would later be mixed at Hello alongside the other B-sides after the song was tracked at Greenberg's studio[3]. A Casio CZ-101 was also used for the keyboard sounds heard throughout the EP, which were described in the Then liner notes as "further proof of [the keyboard's] limitless versatility"[4].

The EP's cover artwork was designed by Hiroko Hoshikawa, while the back cover photograph was taken by Elizabeth Van Itallie.

Purchase[edit]

Seller Format Price Link

Track listing[edit]

# Title Length  Lyrics Guitar Tab
1 They'll Need A Crane 2:33

 

2 It's Not My Birthday 1:52

 

3 I'll Sink Manhattan 2:32

 

4 Nightgown Of The Sullen Moon 1:59

 


Trivia[edit]

  • In the back cover photograph, the shrine built by Brian Dewan for Lincoln's cover artwork can be seen peering into frame.

Image Gallery[edit]

CD[edit]

Vinyl[edit]

Cassette[edit]

Promotional Material[edit]

UK Release[edit]

They'll Need A Crane ep cover
They'll Need A Crane
EP by They Might Be Giants
First released January 30, 1989
Release details / collectors: Show | Hide
Tracks 4
Label One Little Indian <22TP12> Length 9:37
Back cover

Track listing[edit]

# Title Length  Lyrics Guitar Tab
1 They'll Need A Crane 2:33

 

2 I've Got A Match 2:36

 

3 Kiss Me, Son Of God 1:54

 

4 I'll Sink Manhattan 2:32

 


Newsprint ad

Trivia[edit]


UK 7" Single[edit]

They'll Need A Crane single cover
They'll Need A Crane
Single by They Might Be Giants
First released January 30, 1989
Release details / collectors: Show | Hide
Tracks 2
Label One Little Indian <22TP7> Length 5:09

Track listing[edit]

# Title Length  Lyrics Guitar Tab
1 They'll Need A Crane 2:33

 

2 I've Got A Match 2:36

 


European Single[edit]

They'll Need A Crane single cover
They'll Need A Crane
Single by They Might Be Giants
First released February 27, 1989
Release details / collectors: Show | Hide
Tracks 2
Label ES.png Grabaciones Accidentales <GA-306>
FR.png Vogue <102308>
Length 4:25
Back

Track listing[edit]

# Title Length  Lyrics Guitar Tab
1 They'll Need A Crane 2:33

 

2 It's Not My Birthday 1:52

 


  • A transcription and translation of the bio sheet included with the Spanish release is viewable here.

12" Promo[edit]

They'll Need A Crane single cover
They'll Need A Crane
Single by They Might Be Giants
First released 1989
Release details / collectors: Show | Hide
Tracks 1
Label Bar/None / Restless <EPRO-167> Length 2:33 (listed as 2:29)

Purchase[edit]

Seller Format Price Link
N/A

Track listing[edit]

# Title Length  Lyrics Guitar Tab
1 They'll Need A Crane
plays the same both sides
2:33

 


Images[edit]

Promotional VHS[edit]

They'll Need A Crane video cover
They'll Need A Crane
Video by They Might Be Giants
First released 1989
Release details / collectors: Show | Hide
Tracks 1
Label US.png Bar/None
DE.png Rough Trade
Length 2:29


Track listing[edit]

# Title Length  Lyrics Guitar Tab
1 They'll Need A Crane 2:29 

German release[edit]