Guided by Voices/Robert Pollard

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cortez the killer
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Re: Guided by Voices/Robert Pollard

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Propeller (1992)

This is the one that saved the band and introduced the world to Guided By Voices. It may not be the best GBV album, but it’s hard to argue it isn’t the most significant one. Intended to be the band’s farewell to rock and roll, much of it was actually recorded in a professional studio. It was also the first time the band used a 4-track cassette to provide some additional lo-fi aesthetics. Unbeknownst at the time, this would be a technique they would use to great effectiveness over the coming years. Like all GBV albums to this point, it was a very limited release. 500 copies were originally pressed to vinyl, with each one having a different, unique handmade cover. The covers were created by band members, friends and family with a variety techniques such as screen-printing, hand-painting, and affixing various found objects (including an empty six-pack carton of Natty Light) to plain white sleeves. Copies of original Propeller albums today fetch thousands of dollars per copy (if you are lucky enough to find one for sale). As legend has it, copies leaked out of Dayton which led to a record deal with Cleveland-based Scat Records and a tour that brought the band to larger markets like New York and Philadelphia. Doug Flutie had the Miracle in Miami and almost a decade later Robert Pollard had Propeller.

1. Over the Neptune/Mesh Gear Fox – “G-B-V! G-B-V! G-BV-!” Love the irony of a band that’s been largely relegated to the studio kicking off the album with recorded snippets of what sounds like a frenzied audience chanting out the band’s letters. I say sounds like, because the band hadn't played a true live show in years and was forced to create the moment themselves (with friends) in the studio. We get our second “slash song” and what a fuckin’ slash song it is. It isn’t my #1 GBV song, but if you asked me to name the quintessential Guided By Voices track, I’d be hard-pressed not to answer “Over the Neptune/Mesh Gear Fox”. To this day, and forever, I will lose my shit when those guitars kick into high gear at the 1:25 mark. (10)
2. Weedking – “Long live Rockathon…” Damn! Another masterpiece coming off the heels of the quintessential GBV song. Holy shit has Robert Pollard morphed into a confident rock God. I feel like this is the song where we see him fully adopting the Main Street Wizard alternate persona. Starts out as an ominous slow burner and builds into a classic GBV raise-your-beer anthem. Massive, massive track. (10)
3. Particular Damage – Vocals distorted beyond recognition. After considerable leaps forward with the previous two songs, I feel like Bob is trolling us with this one. I’m still on board, but I gotta question this one. (3)
4. Quality of Armor – “Oh yeah, I’m gonna drive my car. Oh yeah, I’m gonna go real far.” A tried and true trope of rock & roll – getting in your car and escaping the confining conditions of your hometown. A good lo-fi rebound from the previous dud. (8)
5. Metal Mothers – Kindred spirit/little brother of the opening track. “Tune in rock star, there’s no dark spot running around your face. You find time to get laid. You find ways to get paid.” Guitar tone rules. (8.5)
6. Lethargy – “Is your facemask on?” Written in the early 90s, but, sadly, oh-so relevant today. Heavy, sludgy mid-tempo track that ends before it has a chance to get rolling. (5)
7. Unleashed! The Large-Hearted Boy – Pounding track that is a monster live. Rhythm section wins the day here. Pollard putting his vocal theatrics on display. (8.5)
8. Red Gas Circle – Things slowed down. Sparse, acoustic track that absorbs some fuzzy guitar late. Incredibly short, but solid. (7)
9. Exit Flagger – According to GBV lore, Pollard wrote "Exit Flagger" and excitedly headed over to Tobin Sprout's house to show him his new song. The two laid down the song to tape, with Pollard hammering away in sloppy fashion, as the tape rolled. (9)
10. 14 Cheerleader Coldfront – Another “well song”. This works better than the previous ones. Tobin Sprout co-penned this tune with both he and Pollard harmonizing to great effect. (8)
11. Back to Saturn X Radio Report – This is a cliff-notes, single-song version of what Pollard and band expertly-accomplished on Bee Thousand and Alien Lanes. In fact, a snippet of “Chicken Blows” and the roots of “Buzzards and Dreadful Crows” makes its debut here. Apparently this is Pollard’s song tribute to an abandoned album, Back to Saturn X, that was scrapped in favor of Propeller. The song pieces here all eventually woung up on upcoming releases. Fucking genius! (8)
12. Ergo Space Pig - Distorted & proggy as all fuck. Is that a shitty kazoo or a distorted guitar making all that noise? (6)
13. Circus World – Sounds like a lo-fi, dramatic epic written for an alternative world OC-type show. Keeps restarting and I wait for it to truly take off, but it never really does. (5)
14. Some Drilling Implied – A true cacophony of a song. Almost as bad as “Particular Damage”. (4)
15. On the Tundra – A light, breezy mid-tempo track to conclude what was almost GBV’s last record. Not sure how I’d feel if this was their final statement. It’s a solid song, but would've been a very lackluster final goodbye. (6)



to be continued...
Last edited by cortez the killer on Mon Apr 06, 2020 3:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Guided by Voices/Robert Pollard

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Vampire on Titus (1993)

Title attributed to a drunken exchange in a Dayton bar one evening where one of Pollard’s friends muttered the phrase at him. Liking the way it sounded, he now had the title to the Propeller follow-up. As mentioned before, Propeller had put Bob on the indie rock map. He had just signed his first record deal with Scat and had ventured outside of Ohio for the first time, for shows in New York and Philly. After years of not being able to move this rock star dream forward, Pollard was on the cusp of breaking through. And what does he decide to do? He hurriedly assembled a skeleton crew (Tobin Sprout and his younger brother Jim) and headed back to Steve Wilbur’s garage to record a lo-fi album on that cheap, 4-track. In a way, Vampire on Titus is Pollard’s “Ditch” record. In 1973, coming off the heels of the commercially-successful Harvest, Neil Young made a conscious decision to veer off course. He famously stated, “Heart of Gold” had put me in the middle of the road. Traveling there soon became a bore so I headed for the ditch. A rougher ride but I saw more interesting people there.” The exact circumstances of Neil’s situation obviously differ from Bob’s, but the general spirit of “Fuck it - I’ll take this thing where I want as opposed to what’s expected of me” in a consciously non-commercial way was shared by both artists. Sound quality took a backseat on Vampire. This album stands as GBV’s most lo-fi record, with classic Pollard melodies and rock anthems buried under muddy layers of hiss and fuzz. The songs are there, you just have to work through all those primitive layers of production to discover them. Pollard was going to make you work to get and appreciate it. It stands as a curious way to capitalize on a break that had eluded the band for over a decade. Reflecting back on the album, Pollard dryly remarked, “It could’ve completely destroyed my career. But it didn’t.” After going out of print, it is scheduled for a limited-release (500) vinyl reissue on Record Store Day 2020 (if that even happens).

1. “Wished I Was a Giant” – Proceedings kick off with a “well song”. However, this one is a bombastic rocker. Pollard's vocals buried deep in the mix as those guitars roar loud enough to break through the layer of molasses smeared over this track. Under all that sticky goop is a rock anthem. (8)
2. #2 in the Model Home Series – Gloomy, moody song complete with cryptic lyrics. Plenty of tape hiss on this. “And now the fun begins…” (6)
3. Expecting Brainchild – “Bob, would you and Living Praise Choir lead us into God Be the Glory?” Some random religious choir teacher spliced in to kick off this anthemic fist-pumper. Like the opening track, weighed down with plenty of lo-fi ooze, but the song’s defying spirit shines through. “It's time-time- time-time, time-time- time-time to draw the line.” (7)
4. Superior Sector Janitor X – Creepy, Circus Devils-like snippet inserted to transition to the next track. (2)
5. Donkey School – Tobin Sprout adds to the proceedings with a spooky, acoustic track. Clocking in at 1:03, it ends before you can begin to fully appreciate it. (5)
6. Dusted – Would show up again in acoustic form on the upcoming EP, Fast Japanese Spin Cycle. Another menacing mid-tempo number that just powers through the muddy production. (6)
7. Marchers in Orange – Can hear Bob’s breathing as he sings over a pump organ box. Sounds very carnival-like. An electric, full-band version later wound up on the Fast Japanese Spin Cycle EP. (4)
8. Sot – Another fantastic anthem that gets muffled by the album’s production quality. This is an excellent song that also manages to shine through the haze. (8.5)
9. World of Fun – Sunny, Fab Fouresque acoustic song that doesn’t even crack the 1:00 mark. (5)
10. Jar of Cardinals – Just Bob and a guitar, a catchy, peppy little song that is a favorite of many hardcore GBV fans. Sounds like a demo, but what a demo it is. (8)
11. Unstable Journey – Sounds like a merging of styles on the two opening tracks with a heavy dose of lo-fi reverb thrown in for good measure. Works enough magic to get the head bobbing. (6)
12. E-5 – This one is way out there. Named after a third baseman’s fielding miscue, this is a musical miscue as well. (1)
13. Cool Off Kid Kilowatt – Some strange squeaking noises throughout this one. It barely registers, ending just after 50 seconds. (3)
14. Gleemer (The Deeds of Fertile Jim) – Fantastic gem from Tobin. This is the highlight of the record. Love the guitar tone on this track. Expert fade out by Pollard, who earned the nickname “Fading Captain” for his prowess to manually fade songs out during the recording process. He used that name to describe a series of records (Fading Captain Series) he did under his own name and a host of other side projects from 1999 – 2007. (10)
15. Wondering Boy Poet – Clever, little acoustic-pop ditty. Some good harmonizing from Sprout. Fuzz and hiss there to keep it real. (7)
16. What About It? – Great grinding guitars here. Gotta love the way Pollard can stretch and contort his voice to varying vocal ranges and styles. (5)
17. Perhaps Now the Vultures – Another “well song” that competes for the lowest fidelity on the record. Several chord and tempo shifts bring a proggy vibe to the track. (4)
18. Non-Absording – “Do you see me, like I see you?” Great use of a repetitive hook. Has a Who Tommy feel to it. Up there with "Gleemer" as one of the catchier tracks on Vampire. (8)



to be continued...
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chuckrh
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Re: Guided by Voices/Robert Pollard

Post by chuckrh »

here's some fun. a GBV random song title generator:

http://club.univac.tripod.com/joe/cente ... nggen.html

chuckrh
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Re: Guided by Voices/Robert Pollard

Post by chuckrh »

some solo material from Tobin Sprout. He's kind of like George Harrison to Bob's Lennon/McCartney. If he had been in another band he would've been huge in his own right.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x193SJnKAYI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuEERhWQ7y4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbGiMvyAZzk

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cortez the killer
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Re: Guided by Voices/Robert Pollard

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Bee Thousand (1994)

Propeller was the album that kept the dream alive and made some industry types outside of Dayton aware of Guided By Voices, but Bee Thousand was the record that grabbed people by the throat. On the heels of its release, the band took off and suddenly were major players in the growing lo-fi music scene. Recorded at various non-studio locations across Dayton in essentially three days, the 4-track machine and other primitive recording equipment were once again the technologies of choice. The songs were a mix of new material and some stuff back from back in the early days of the band. Pollard states, “Bee Thousand, more than any other album, is comprised of old shit, redone.” It is a collage of an album, with the majority of songs clocking in at just under or over two minutes. According to Pollard, Bee Thousand was supposed to sound like “a bunch of Beatles outtakes that don’t exist.” However, if a track sounded “too good,” tape hiss was added and the sound was intentionally knocked down to bootleg quality. Upon its release, the overwhelmingly positive critical acclaim the album received made it possible for Pollard to walk away from his teaching gig. On the cusp of forty, Robert Pollard was the driving force of a band that was about to explode on the national scene. For those looking to dip their toe in the GBV/Pollard well, this is a GREAT place to start. If you own one Guided By Voices record, chances are it’s Bee Thousand. This is a timeless, lo-fi classic and, for my money, one of the greatest albums ever conceived and recorded. The ten-song run from the opening “Hardcore UFO’s” up through “Awful Bliss” is almost impossible to comprehend. Sheer fuckin’ brilliance!

1. Hardcore UFO’s – “Are you amplified to rock?” Warts and all (there’s a fuck up right at the start), this behemoth comes warbling though your speakers and there’s no turning back. (10)
2. Buzzards and Dreadful Crows – Pollard describes the song as “it’s Wilson Pickett singing for The Who.” High leg kicks and jumps everywhere. This is a crunchy rocker that gets the heart rate up. (10)
3. Tractor Rape Chain – Starts off as an innocently-strummed acoustic riff before it morphs into a hypnotic trance of a rock song. Pollard becomes a rock immortal on this track. “Parallel lines on a slow decline…” (11)
4. The Goldheart Mountaintop Queen Directory – Gloomy, ominous song that makes an incredible transition to a cathartic, scream-at-the top-of-your-lungs experience. According to Bob, “The only song I ever wrote while on LSD.” (10)
5. Hot Freaks – Was recorded in Tobin Sprout’s garage while Tobin’s wife was in the middle of a garage sale. Tape hiss all over it. Mad Libs-style lyrics – “I met a non-dairy creamer explicitly laid out like a fruitcake with a wet spot bigger than a great lake.” Cool-as-fuck groove. (10)
6. Smothered in Hugs – Another hypnotic groover that bursts out of the speakers. Love Pollard’s vocal inflections here. A timeless psych-pop anthem that gets the Fading Captain treatment. (11)
7. Yours to Keep – A simple, repetitive acoustic riff with Bob’s confessional vocals laid over it. The multiple vocal styles Pollard employs from track to track (and sometimes within the same track) are astonishing. “To train the bear to not get up. Slay the beast and win the cup. And stay with the sweet flesh prize – a necklace of fifty eyes is yours to keep.” (10)
8. Echos Myron – A 60s Beatles/Hollies-styled slice of sunshine, brimming with big hooks. This is a GBV live staple and a huge fan favorite. (10)
9. Gold Star for Robot Boy – Super lo-fi vibe. Sounds like it might cut out before it finds its sea legs. Pollard just spitting out those stream-of-conscious lyrics. It is a cacophony of sounds that get pulled together by Pollard’s incredible sense of melody. “If I waited for you to signify the moves that I should make, I'll be on the take.” (10)
10. Awful Bliss – Beautiful solo, acoustic track from Sprout. You can hear his growing confidence in the vocals. Perfectly placed track. (10)
11. Mincer Ray – We have another “well song”. This time it’s Tobin Sprout singing from the well. Another freaky, psych-pop tune that almost grinds to abrupt halt about a minute in before reemerging to its stated purpose. Gives us a brief moment to digest the incredible ten-song assault Pollard and company just dished out. (9)
12. A Big Fan of the Playpen – “Sharper than most. Cut with exacto. Gone is all good. Ex post facto.” Nonsensical, late-night number with some of the most primitive guitar playing you will ever hear. Leave it to Pollard to make it all work. The Wizard! (10)
13. Queen of Cans and Jars – Pollard’s first “well song” on B1000. Super catchy/hooky guitar loop throughout. Brimming with positivity and goodwill. (10)
14. Her Psychology Today – Kindred spirit to Propeller’s "Back to Saturn X Radio Report". A song collage of many different songs and styles spliced together. Extra emphasis on the lo-fi vibe. (8)
15. Kicker of Elves – Succeeds as another ear worm. However, it doesn’t live up to some of the other masterpieces on this record. According to Pollard it’s his boldest statement on the album – “It’s about nationalism, flag waving, jingoism, bullies. Maybe the U.S.” (9)
16. Ester’s Day – Begins with a snippet from the strange “At Odds with Dr. Genesis” which would later resurface on the B-sides collection, King Shit and the Golden Boys. From there, it transitions into another spooky Sprout psych-pop jam. (9)
17. Demons Are Real – Another preview of what type of stuff would inspire the creation of side project, Circus Devils. Not making it to 50 seconds this noise serves as a bridge to one of Pollard’s finest compositions. (6)
18. I am a Scientist – “I am a lost soul. I shoot myself with rock and roll. The hole I dig is bottomless, but nothing else can set me free.” Pollard’s mantra right there, folks. One of the more straightforward songs, lyrically speaking, on B1000. Love the bouncy guitar line that weaves through the track. (11)
19. Peep-Hole – Another eerie “well song”. Vocals are a little buried and the acoustic guitar is up very high in the mix. More absurdist lyrics. “Give me the cost as the albatross and wear it 'round your neck for size.” (7)
20. You’re Not the Airplane – Tobin Sprout brings this to a close with a fuzzy, fidelity-challenged Beatles-esque piano ballad that cuts out after 33 seconds. In my warped mind, it’s a tribute to Larry Bird. (8)



to be continued...
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chuckrh
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Re: Guided by Voices/Robert Pollard

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Kicker of Elves slays me to this day. Scientist live the line has changed most of the time to "I shit myself with rock n roll" . Even better!

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Re: Guided by Voices/Robert Pollard

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You are entitled to your opinion, but you are not entitled to your own facts.
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Re: Guided by Voices/Robert Pollard

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Bee Thousand trivia bits....

The title from the album, as was customary with many GBV titles, was the result of a weed-fueled exchange among the band members. Jim Pollard came up with Zoo Thousand (having been apparently inspired by a mile marker that read 'Z1000'). A local drive-in theater at the time had a billboard up for the movie Beethoven which was misspelled "Beethouen". Robert Pollard liked how much the misspelled title sounded like one of his rock heroes, Pete Townshend, that he decided to go with the Bee Thousand for the proper record title.

The caped individual on the album cover is from an image Pollard saw in National Geographic. The picture was part of a feature on the festival of mardi gras in Acadiana, Louisiana.
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Re: Guided by Voices/Robert Pollard

Post by dime in the gutter »

cortez the killer wrote: The picture was part of a feature on the festival of mardi gras in Acadiana, Louisiana.
holla

mamou

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Re: Guided by Voices/Robert Pollard

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Robert Christgau's review:

Bee Thousand [Scat, 1994]
On most of these 20-tracks-in-36-minutes, the tunes emerge if you stick around, but they're undercut by multiple irritants. The lyrics are deliberately obscure, the structures deliberately foreshortened, the vocals a record collector's Anglophilia-in-the-shower; the rec-room production is so inconsistent you keep losing your bearings, as befits resident art-rock fan Robert Pollard's boast (which echoes Lou Barlow's, what a coincidence) that some recordings aren't just first takes but first plays, of songs he'd dreamed up since the last time the band came over. In short, this is pop for perverts--pomo smarty-pants too prudish and/or alienated to take their pleasure without a touch of pain to remind them that they're still alive. B-

:lol:
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Re: Guided by Voices/Robert Pollard

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The Bee Thousand breakthrough.
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Re: Guided by Voices/Robert Pollard

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Alien Lanes (1995)

The success of Bee Thousand led GBV to signing a record deal with New York-based Matador Records. The band was given an advance of $100,000 to make Alien Lanes. According to one-time band biographer (and part-time fill-in) James Greer, "The cost for recording Alien Lanes, if you leave out the beer, was about ten dollars." Alien Lanes was recorded in a similar manner (primarily recorded on a four-track cassette machine) as Bee Thousand, but the records have significantly different styles. Whereas B1000 is much more of a breezy, spontaneous baroque pop-inspired album, Alien Lanes is a darker, heavy rocker, more rooted in post-punk than 60s British Invasion rock. Bee Thousand was a record that seemingly appeared out of nowhere, unhampered by expectations and the culmination of a decade-deep well of songs to mine from. Alien Lanes was the highly-anticipated follow-up to the unlikely masterpiece. “We were fearless at the time we recorded Alien Lanes,” frontman Robert Pollard said in a new statement. “That’s why it bristles with insane energy and confidence. We were still riding the high accolades of Bee Thousand and probably should have succumbed to the critical pressure of a worthy follow-up. Instead, we had, in our megalomaniacal view, mastered the instant gratification machine known as the 4-track and began recording song after song with titles like ‘Cuddling Bozo’s Octopus,’ ‘My Valuable Hunting Knife,’ ‘Pimple Zoo’ and ‘After the Quake (Let’s Bake a Cake).'” In the immediate aftermath of the album’s release, critical response was mostly positive, but fell short of what had been said about the previous record. Reflecting back, Pollard mused, “We were proud to be putting out our first album on Matador and cock-strutted accordingly. It cost us $10 to make. It’s worth a million. I personally think it’s better than B-1000 (but not by much). There are two different camps of GBV fans to argue and debate. God bless 1995 and open-hearted record labels like Matador (and Scat before them) for allowing bands like us, with the preferred limited resources, to remove the constraints and pre-conceived notions of the more industry-minded constituents who would have much preferred we destroy the cassette master of Alien Lanes in the better interest of sound manufacturing and what’s more agriculturally consumable. It’s better to leave the farm than to continue plodding through the cow shit.” Count me in the Pollard-backed camp that places Alien Lanes ahead of Bee Thousand. But, like Pollard, I don’t put it ahead by much.

1. A Salty Salute – One of the great album openers of all time. Quintessential sing-a-long, raise-your-beer tune. Lo-fi folk song for the misfit boozers. One of the lyrics (“Disarm the settlers”) is the name of the GBV message board. “Do not fret. The bus will get you there yet. To carry us to the lake. The club is open.” (10)
2. Evil Speakers – The kind of sub-minute, hook-laden, garage rocker that Pollard now cranks out at will. (9)
3. Watch Me Jumpstart – That buzz-saw guitar just rips through everything. Huge chorus and hooks at every turn. Massive anthem. (10)
4. They’re Not Witches – Some sort of wicked, twisted fairy tale from an alternative universe. “Dream kid the size does not matter. Bad luck anyway you call it. Red ants and mercy giants, the angels of the bars.” Fuck, what a song. (10)
5. As We Go Up, We Go Down – Another Fab Four-inspired breezy snippet of 60s pop. “I speak in monotone, leave my fuckin’ life alone.” (10)
6. (I Wanna be a) Dumbcharger – Spooky and reverbed out the wazoo. I sound like a broken record, but Pollard’s ability to shape-shift his vocals is incredible. (8)
7. Game of Pricks – One of their “hits”. This hard-charging piece of garage power pop is sublime. “And I never asked for the truth, but you owe that to me.” (10)
8. The Ugly Vision – Typically a master sequencer, this one here kind of kills the flow for me. Another dark acoustic song that hints at the down-the-road Circus Devils side project. (5)
9. A Good Flying Bird – Tobin Sprout song whose enthusiasm jumps out of the speakers and grabs you. It truly is amazing how much excitement and hooks these guys can pack into a song that lasts just over a minute. (9)
10. Cigarette Tricks – At 18 seconds, it’s hard to give this song a rating. It simply serves as a mini bridge to a corresponding bridge track. Probably should’ve pulled out the slash and paired this up with “Pimple Zoo”.
11. Pimple Zoo – “Sometimes I get the feeling that you don’t want me around.” Say it isn’t so, Bob. Never! (8)
12. Big Chief Chinese Restaurant – “Introducing the amazing rockethead. You know what the deal is, dude.” If we are being honest here, this could be added to the previous two tracks as the third part in a “slash song” trilogy. Then again, this album does play like one long song with various parts. (9)
13. Closer You Are – Catchy and hooky as all hell. Sounds like a long-lost 60s AM classic. “Chain smoke rings like a vapor snake kiss.” (10)
14. Auditorium – Distorted, slightly out-of-tune guitar line meanders its way through as Pollard drops an anthemic chorus and musters as much melody as he can to pull this one together. “Post-punk X-Man parked his fork-lift like a billion stars flickering from the grinder's wheel.” (9)
15. Motor Away – Springsteen has “Born to Run” and Pollard has “Motor Away”. A tale of triumph and escape against all odds. One of the greatest “driving songs” of our time. “When you motor away beyond the once-red lips. When you free yourself from the chance of a lifetime. You can be anyone they told you to. You can belittle every little voice that told you so.” (10)
16. Hit – A 23 second bridge song that is anything but a “hit” and contains the regrettable, dated phrase “giggling faggots”. (3)
17. My Valuable Hunting Knife – “I want to start a new life with my valuable hunting knife.” Was not originally slated to be on the record. It is an old song that Superchunk’s Mac McCaughan loved and told Bob that he had to include it. Thank you, Mac! That moment at the 0:20 when Bob shouts “Hit it!” and those guitars come in is one of my favorite moments on this album. (10)
18. Gold Hick – Other than introducing us the obscure World War II flying ace Baron von Richthofen, this song serves little purpose. But for that reason, and that reason only, this messy 30 second bridge song gets props from me. (7)
19. King and Caroline – “The scenario is bright for the King & Carol-” Another one of my favorite moments on Alien Lanes is Pollard stopping short of finishing Caroline on that opening verse. Why does he do that? It fuckin' fascinates me. I don’t know why, but I tear up, drop my head and move it side-to-side every time this song comes on. There are those songs that inexplicably attack your central nervous system and this is one of those for me. Raise a beer, grab some Kleenex and pump your fist along with me. (10)
20. Striped White Jets – Pollard, you fucker. Just after attacking my deeper sensibilities on the previous track, you drop my favorite song on the record. Well played, Bobby. Well played. This song fuckin’ SMOKES! Guitars turned way up and pushed to their limits. “Don’t let anyone find out or expose your feelings. Ah-sh-sh-sh-sh-sh-sh. Cover your head instead.” (10)
21. Ex-Supermodel – This one serves as kind of a line-in-the-sand song. There is little doubt in my mind that Pollard is trolling us. You have a jangly, hooky song with delivered with incredible melody just fucking destroyed (or beautifully fucked up) by some dude sawing serious wood throughout. As a chronic snorer with a deviated septum, I sympathize with this track. (8)
22. Blimps Go 90 – So good. So, so good! That ever-so-slightly-out-of-tune fiddle that weaves in and out is brilliant. Pollard slathers this track in sugary-sweet, creamy goodness. “Senator sipping on Gentleman Jack…” (10)
23. Strawdogs – Churning, lo-fi, mid-tempo rocker from Tobin. Fuzziest track on the record. (8)
24. Chicken Blows – Not a “well song”, but an underwater-sounding track that reminds me a bit of Neil Young’s “Will to Love”. Phenomenal harmonizing vocals on this one. Bob’s “Aha-aha-aha-aha-aha’s” are a nice touch. Sounds like distorted, long-lost Abbey Road demo. (9)
25. Little Whirl – Frantically-sung power pop nugget from Sprout slathered with layers of hiss and muck. “I know that we've talked all around it. A little whirl we can do something about it. I don't care what you do anymore.” (8)
26. My Son Cool – A straightforward garage-punk song written for Bob’s son, Bryan. “I finally know how, I finally can't quit and ancient ideas are on fire, my love.” (7)
27. Always Crush Me – Primitive piano pounding with Pollard transitioning from ominously rapping to impassioned, distorted screaming. Unlike anything else on this album. (7)
28. Alright – Big, swirling guitars propel this hooky instrumental. On its own it’s a solid track, but within the context of the album it is a brilliant closer. It never fails to bring a smile to my face. Serves as the perfect reflection on the masterpiece you’ve just listened to. (9)



to be continued...
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Re: Guided by Voices/Robert Pollard

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Giggling Faggots is a joke band name. Bob has a million of them stashed.

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Re: Guided by Voices/Robert Pollard

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Christgau's review:

Alien Lanes [Matador, 1995] Image

A Dud (Image) is a bad record whose details rarely merit further thought. At the upper level it may merely be overrated, disappointing, or dull. Down below it may be contemptible.

:lol: :lol:
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Re: Guided by Voices/Robert Pollard

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You are entitled to your opinion, but you are not entitled to your own facts.
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Re: Guided by Voices/Robert Pollard

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You are entitled to your opinion, but you are not entitled to your own facts.
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Re: Guided by Voices/Robert Pollard

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Re: Guided by Voices/Robert Pollard

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are you going to do the japanese version of "under the bushes"? bunch of really great extra songs, many of which have found their way into sets at times. i put a youtube link in i think the first post i did in this discussion. its for the whole whiskey a go go show "under the bushes" tour. only available on vhs. absolutely killer! for a long time i tried to get everything gbv related but i had to give up. too much. sold off some of what i had during difficult time.

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Re: Guided by Voices/Robert Pollard

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Image
Under the Bushes Under the Stars (1996)

In 1996, the band was the talk of the indie world and on a major hot streak. The original plan for Under the Bushes Under the Stars was to do a trimmed-down, concept record loosely based on the story of the band’s origins and ascent called The Power of Suck. Fellow Ohio indie musician, Kim Deal (The Pixies, The Breeders), was brought on board to produce the album. In addition, Deal associate Steve Albini was to contribute as an additional producer. Deal jumped on the GBV wagon around the time Bee Thousand came out. What seemed like an indie partnership meant to be, soured quickly. Deal was insistent the band rehearse daily to get the songs down. Having never really rehearsed on previous projects, Pollard and the band did not respond well. After a tour of Europe, Pollard made the decision to scrap The Power of Suck project and drop Deal as the producer. Instead, GBV headed back into Cro-Magnon Studios in Dayton to record the new songs Pollard had written while on tour across the pond. Pollard called the record more “anthemic, spiritual and serious” than anything the band had done up to that point. The stitching together of song snippets approach that marked the previous two records was pushed aside, with Pollard determined to do a fully-realized, mid-fi rock record. The album the band submitted to Matador was 18 tracks long. However, Matador made the decision to include six extra songs from the sessions as an EP accompaniment to the vinyl version and as bonus tracks on the compact disc. When the third piece of what GBV fans refer to as “The Holy Trinity” was released, critical reaction was mixed. The chaotic, haphazard creation of the record was not helped by the fact that the record clocked in at just under an hour, giving it a bloated feel. Also, with three different producers, the album lacked the kind of cohesion the previous two masterpieces possessed. To my ears, this is an excellent record that marks another step forward in the progression of the band. It also marked the dissolution of the classic lineup. Following the release of Under the Bushes Under the Stars, multi-instrumentalist and co-songwriter Tobin Sprout, guitarist Mitch Mitchell and drummer Kevin Fennell left the band. Sprout went on to pursue a solo career, Mitchell felt underappreciated as a musician (Cobre Verde guitarist, Doug Gillard, was being courted by Bob to join the band) and Fennell had a substance relapse while on tour in Europe. These losses marked the end of an important era of the band, but Bob was determined to keep moving forward.

1. Man Called Aerodynamics – Song bursts with plenty of energy. However, it lacks the hooks and melody Pollard has spoiled me with. Not a bad song, but one of the weakest tracks to open a GBV album. (6)
2. Rhine Jive Click – “Crowded gymnasium, not shortage of knockouts.” Love the riff that holds steady throughout. Dig the tightly-held cowbell that isn’t permitted to reverb. (10)
3. Cut-Out Witch – Killer guitar riff that simmers and soars. This is a live staple that whips the crowd into a frenzy whenever played. “It's another busy day for the cut-out witch. Silver threads for our heads need another stitch. Golden needles in our eyes then we realize.” (10)
4. Burning Flag Birthday Suit – Begins as an eerie, restrained song with Bob stretching out the vocals before it culminates as a reverbed, belted-out mini anthem. Acoustic guitar outro is a nice finishing touch. (8)
5. The Official Ironmen Rally Song – First of the Kim Deal produced tracks. Such a defiant, cathartic, fist-pumping anthem, dripping with melancholy and joy. It's the best song on the record and one of my all-time favorite GBV tracks. According to Pollard, this is the band’s “We Are the Champions”. “To dine alone. To build a private zone. Or trigger a synapse and free us from our traps.” (11)
6. To Remake the Young Flyer – Sprout’s first contribution is a beautiful, psychedelic pop song with Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’s fingerprints all over it. (10)
7. No Sky – “Could you, could you keep a secret from me?” Seemly simple song that has a way of working its way into your psyche. (7)
8. Bright Paper Werewolves – Sounds a bit like “Gold Heart Mountaintop Queen Directory” minus the acid effects. Very clean, straightforward solo acoustic track. Not a ton of these types of songs in the massive catalog. (8)
9. Lord of Overstock – Has a similar vibe to the 2nd half of “Burning Flag Birthday Suit”. Mid-tempo rocker with a determined guitar line that keeps chugging along. (7)
10. Your Name is Wild – Bob’s son got a shout-out on alien Lanes. Now it’s his daughter Erika’s turn. This is a tight, melodic garage-rocker that became a signature of GBV during this period. (8)
11. Ghosts of a Different Dream – Another peppy, garage-pop song that would serve as a great soundtrack to having a few beers on the deck with friends as the sun sets on a warm summer evening. (8.5)
12. Acorns & Orioles – “I can’t tell you anything you don’t already know.” Another slowed-down, solo acoustic track. Lyrics far less surreal than on “Bright Paper Werewolves”. This is a pleasant song, just not one that sticks to you like the other ones. (6)
13. Look at Them – Starts out sounding like some ominous sci-fi movie soundtrack before turning into another riff-heavy, beer-to-the-sky mid-tempo anthem. Spooky space-effect lingers throughout. (8.5)
14. The Perfect Life – The spacey sounds of “Look at Them” bleed intro this lo-fi piano instrumental that serves as a bridge to the next track. (5)
15. Underwater Explosions – Super-catchy pop song. Has enough of the lo-fi scruff to allow it to remaining charming without being too tweeish. (8)
16. Atom Eyes – Tobin Sprout is back with a swirling, 60s-sounding pop nugget. Not as strong as the previous offering (“To Remake the Young Flyer”), but a very solid song in its own right. (7)
17 – Don’t Stop Now – “What keeps big daddy happy? What makes the buzzard buzz? A leaky quart of motor oil. "Head for the hills".” Probably the most quintessential Guided By Voices song. The track originally appeared as an acoustic demo on the King Shit and the Golden Boys compilation of B sides. Big Daddy is the name Pollard gave to his neighbor’s rooster who greeted him each afternoon he returned from his teaching job, by racing Bob to his door. Big Daddy also shows up on the cover of the 1987 album, Devil Between My Toes. Second of the Deal produced tracks on the record. (11)
18. Office of Hearts – More melodic, lo-fi garage-pop. This one is a tad thin and tinny, but packed with hooks. (7)
19. Big Boring Wedding – Woah! How did this miss the cut for the proper album? Perhaps the sour taste of the Deal breakup pushed this Deal-produced one to the EP. An epic slow burner that builds to a thrilling conclusion. Trademark fist-pumping chorus in full effect. One of Pollards best vocal performances ever. “Pass the word, the chicks are back. The chicks are back, yeah. The chicks are back.” (10)
20. It’s Like Soul Man – Fuzzy, grinding-guitar pop from Sprout. Fantastic guitar solo buried deep in the mix. Produced by Steve Albini, this song bursts with energy. (9)
21. Drag Days – Warm, jangly power pop classic. Another great vocal performance. Most likely left off the record because it was one of the songs from the Deal sessions. Once of the more passionately sung choruses in the band’s catalog – “They will turn around. They will turn around.” This song reminds me of The Kinks “Better Things.” (10)
22. Sheetkickers – Thick, post-punky bass riff that gives way to a big power chord. Strong Wire influence on this track. Lacks some of Pollard’s trademark melody, but it draws more from the post-punk well than the 60s British Invasion one. A creaky guitar solo ushers this one out. Second, and final, Albini-produced track. (9)
23. Redmen and Their Wives – The final Deal-produced track. Another song that starts out as a slow burner and builds into a massive sing-a-long anthem. So fucking good. When it takes off at the 2:27 my dopamine levels spike. "They're sharpening knives and primitive lives for redmen and their wives. Breadwinner and klutz and losing it all before the one eyes shuts.” (10)
24. Take to the Sky – Sounds like a rambling, lo-fi Abbey Road acoustic demo outtake. Never really goes anywhere. (5)



to be continued...
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Re: Guided by Voices/Robert Pollard

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Defiant as fuck.
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Re: Guided by Voices/Robert Pollard

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You are entitled to your opinion, but you are not entitled to your own facts.
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Re: Guided by Voices/Robert Pollard

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Re: Guided by Voices/Robert Pollard

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6-pack rings 'round his neck
Cock of the block
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Re: Guided by Voices/Robert Pollard

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cortez the killer wrote:
God I love this song!

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Re: Guided by Voices/Robert Pollard

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cortez the killer wrote:
6-pack rings 'round his neck
Cock of the block
King Shit & the Golden Boys!

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Re: Guided by Voices/Robert Pollard

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At least we have this.
Don't hurt people, and don't take their stuff.

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Re: Guided by Voices/Robert Pollard

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LBRod wrote:
At least we have this.
Great cover from the Love & a .45 soundtrack.

While the partnership ultimately dissolved, it's a shame on several levels. I mean, the songs that Deal produced for the album ("The Official Ironmen Rally Song", "Don't Stop Now", "Big Boring Wedding", "Drag Days" and "Redmen and Their Wives") are not only the best songs on there, but some of the best songs in the entire GBV catalog. I get that Deal was pushing the band to do things and go places where they'd never been before, but it's hard to argue against the results. I'm sure there is more to the story, but, based on what got committed to tape, the Pollard/Deal partnership was great musically and it would've been cool to hear more of it.
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Re: Guided by Voices/Robert Pollard

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chuckrh wrote:are you going to do the japanese version of "under the bushes"?
Image
This one has the twenty four songs plus "Finks" and "The Finest Joke is Upon Us". The latter song would show up on the corresponding release, Mag Earwhig!.

"Finks" is another up-tempo rocker with a killer guitar line, great drumming and another top-notch vocal performance from Bob. "Some of them are astral city slickers, shrewd and untrustworthy. Leaving you asphyxiated, trapped in a world within." (10)


The other bonus material from the album ("Delayed Action Brats", "He's the Uncle", and "The Key Losers") wound up on a split EP they did with Superchunk. All three are good to great songs, with "He's the Uncle" (recorded with Albini) being phenomenal. It's easily one of my Top 25 Pollard songs of all-time.


Pollard was cranking out so much great music during this time. In addition to Under the Bushes Under the Stars, in 1996 he released the following:
Tonics and Twisted Chasers (a 24-song, "fans-only" release that was announced via the Postal Blowfish fan newsletter and limited to 1000 copies).
Sunfish Holy Breakfast (10-song EP)
Plantations of Pale Pink (6-song EP)
Not in My Airforce (Pollard's 22-song debut solo album)

Some excellent songs on those three releases, too, with "Unbaited Vicar of Scorched Earth" also being a Top 25 Pollard song for me.


Truly fucking amazing creative outpouring.
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Re: Guided by Voices/Robert Pollard

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That's the "Bushes" I have. Bob has said he can write 3 songs on the toilet & 2 of them will be good. There was a phase it was more like 1 out of 3 but that was short lived.

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Re: Guided by Voices/Robert Pollard

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The complete session recorded by Guided By Voices on 18 June 1996 for the John Peel show on BBC Radio 1 and broadcast on 28 July 1996.

1. Wondering Boy Poet (0:07)
2. Party / Striped White Jets (1:10)
3. Atom Eyes (4:01)
4. Cut-Out Witch (5:41)
5. Man Called Aerodynamics (9:14)
6. Bright Paper Werewolves / Lord of Overstock (11:25)

"Cut-Out Witch" is a beast!
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