Here Come the ABCs is the second children's album and eleventh studio album by American alternative rock band They Might Be Giants, aimed at young children learning the alphabet. The CD and DVD were originally released separately but have since been released as a combo. There are 25 songs in the CD and 34 in the DVD.

While it was produced and released by Walt Disney Records under their Disney Sound label, the band was reportedly given complete creative control over the project, which at the time was very unusual for Walt Disney Records; until then, they had followed a strict artist control policy. As a result, the DVD features puppetry, animation and live action supplied by personal friends of the group, including AJ Schnack, who directed the TMBG documentary Gigantic (A Tale of Two Johns). Family members of the band, including John Flansburgh's wife Robin Goldwasser, and John Linnell's son, Henry, contributed some guest vocals. The music videos that appear on the DVD were also aired (in part or whole) on the Disney Channel's children's programming block, Playhouse Disney.

Here Come the ABCs was a great success for They Might Be Giants, the video being certified Gold (sales over 50,000) in 2005. The album reached #1 on Billboard's Children's Music charts, won Parenting Magazine Children's DVD of the Year Award and two National Parenting Publications Awards (NAAPA). In addition, Amazon.com called it "the best Children's Music album of 2005" and the 13th best overall album of 2005. Two follow-ups were released, Here Come the 123s in 2008 and Here Comes Science in 2009.

Although the audio-only release is considered to be They Might Be Giants' 11th studio album, some of the songs make little sense without their visual accompaniment.

Track listing

CD

All songs by They Might Be Giants unless otherwise noted.

but was cut for unknown reasons.

Personnel

They Might Be Giants

  • John Flansburgh – lead and backing vocals, guitar
  • John Linnell – lead and backing vocals, piano, accordion, saxophone

Additional musicians

  • Dan Miller – guitar, piano
  • Danny Weinkauf – bass guitar
  • Marty Beller – drums, lead vocals on "Alphabet Lost and Found"
  • Dan Levine – trombone on "D & W", "Letter/Not A Letter", "Rolling O" and "A to Z (Type B)", tuba on "Flying V", "Go for G" and "Fake Believe (Part 1)"
  • Mark Pender – trumpet on "D & W", "Letter/Not A Letter", "Rolling O" and "A to Z (Type B)"
  • Dan Hickey – drums on "Clap Your Hands"
  • Pat Dillet – piano on "Goodnight My Friends"
  • Robin Goldwasser – lead vocals on "Who Put the Alphabet in Alphabetical Order?"
  • Henry Linnell – lead vocals on "Letter/Not A Letter"
  • Desi Tomaselli – lead vocals on "Letter/Not A Letter

Production

  • Pat Dillett, They Might Be Giants – producers

Production crew

  • Executive Producer: David Agnew
  • Audio Engineer/Mixer: Pat Dillett
  • Audio Mastering: UE Nastosi at Sterling Sound Studios NYC
  • Recorded at: Kampo Studios and Skyline Studios, Manhattan, New York
  • Additional Recording at: Collier Brothers Studios and Hello Studios, Brooklyn, New York
  • Band Manager: Jamie Lincoin Kitman at Homblow Studios USA

Video production crew

  • Music Performed by They Might Be Giants
  • DVD Produced by Bonfire Films of America
  • Directed by AJ Schnack
  • Starring Chris Anderson, John Flansburgh, John Linnell, AD Miles
  • Animated by Courtney Booker, Euan Mitchell, Greg Rozum and Divya Srinivasan
  • Animation Produced at Asterisk, The Chopping Block Studios Inc. and Colourmovie
  • "Clap Your Hands" was featured when the band made a guest appearance on the final episode of Blue's Clues, titled "Bluestock".
  • "Can You Find It?" was featured on the soundtrack to the movie Wordplay.
  • "Robot Parade" was featured during the credits to an episode of the animated television series The Simpsons, titled "Them, Robot".

References

  • Disney Records site for the album
  • Official band-operated download site
  • Here Come The ABCs page at This Might Be A Wiki
  • This Might be a Wiki TMBG fan knowledgebase