The Soundtrack to Nerdery

[WayneLigon]

Cats Laughing, Cats Laughing Bootleg Issue (Spin Art, 1988; Will Shetterly & Emma Bull, 2003)
Cats Laughing, Another Way to Travel (Spin Art, 1990; Will Shetterly & Emma Bull, 2003)
Boiled in Lead, Antler Dance (Omnium, 1994)
Boiled in Lead, Songs From The Gypsy (Omnium, 1995)
Jethro Tull, Broadsword and the Beast, and Songs from the Wood
The Austin Lounge Lizards (Esp Small Minds - 1995 and Highway Cafe of the Damned - 1988, or for a quick overview, last year's 20th Anniversary DVD Lizard Times Twenty) has some transcripts and mp3s.

For true nerdity, though, there's nothing like filk. Tom Smith (esp. A Boy and his Frog ), Leslie Fish (A list of MP3's and her stuff at Virtual Filksing (esp the song Hope Eyrie)), Michael Longcor are some of the best I know of. There are lots of others, but Sturgeon's Law applies.

 

[Rodrigo Istalindir]

Crusader, by Saxon.

 

[AIM-54]

Can't forget "Great to be a Nerd" by The Arrogant Worms, among Canada's finest lesser known bands.

 

[eris404]

Carmina Burana

 

[Laurel]

The original Zelda music

 

[Dr. Strangemonkey]

Moxy Fruvous - Another Canadian group has its good nerd moments
As would that other Canadian band

Devo most certainly

Much 80's synth-pop in point of fact

BOC

the occasional bit of Ween or all of Ween

The Flaming Lips, despite their hipster cred, are really really nerdy

I like the Epoxies a lot

But, mind you, all of the above is certainly nerd rock, not specifically music for nerding it up.

Music for nerding it up contains things like the Judgement Night soundtrack which I certainly wouldn't qualify as generally nerdy.

Just as there are good party songs which are not in fact good songs.

Mmm, Halo soundtrack...

 

[Tallok]

I'm not always so much into nerd music. but yes... flaming lips. yoshimi battles the pink robots pt. 1.
battle of evermore by led zeppelin, how can you not use a song by led zeppelin?

 

[Jolly Giant]

Crusader, by Saxon.

Amen to that!

Also:

Black Oyster Cult: Don't Fear the Reaper

Edvard Grieg: In the Hall of the Mountain King

Manowar: Fighting the World

 

[Hairy Minotaur]

Uriah Heap "The Wizard" and "Rainbow Demon"
Days of the New "Enemy"

 

[WizarDru]

There's a lot of great artists and songs mentioned here already. I'll have to mention the Smoking Popes to the list. They have a sound similar to Weezer, but different. Definitely geeky.