I recall ..Is A Real Boy being ubiquitous in the scene by 2005.  Best believe you were hearing Wow, I Can Get Sexual Too at every house party.  It began as a concept record, a rock opera, but fell apart as Max Bemis became overwhelmed. His struggles with mental health are a recurring lyrical theme & well documented online.  That struggle created a masterpiece of a record.  Only complaint is not aimed at the album but the shadow of success it cast.  Say Anything could never step out of it, never follow it up & make the fans/critics happy.  I believe this contributed to some problems in the discography later down the line for Bemis. 

I got lucky & snagged this version cheaply online, right before the 20th Anniversary release.  The differences between the two is absurd, let me explain…

IARB was was originally released independently in 2003.  The version most everyone knows is the 2005 Sony re-issue;  coming with the bonus disc …Was a Real Boy, adding 7 tracks. 

My vinyl is the Sony re-issue iteration with another bonus hit: Walk Through Hell, previously appearing on the 2002 EP Menorah/Majora. 

The 20th Anniversary vinyl is just the original 2003 track-listing, with added demo-versions of the same songs.