investigating Guided By Voices, my list

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I've spent all morning sampling the output of Guided By Voices. Based on
that survey, here is a list of promising songs that I am going to download:

Middle Period:
===
Buzzards And Dreadful Crows
Goldheart Mountaintop Queen Directory
Echos Myron
Queen Of Cans And Jars
Kicker Of Elves
I Am A Scientist
As We Go Up, As We Go Down
Game Of Pricks
Motor Away
Chicken Blows
Official Ironmen Rally Song
To Remake The Young Flyer
Bright Paper Werewolves
I Am A Tree
I Am Produced
Jane Of The Waking Universe
Mute Superstar

Early Period:
===
Hank's Little Fingers
Hey, Hey, Spaceman
Captain's Dead
Long Distance Man
I Certainly Hope Not
Great Blake St. Canoe Race
Short On Posters
Chief Barrel Billy
Liar's Tale
Order For The New Slave Trade
We've Got Airplanes
Weedking

Late Period (_Do The Collapse_ & on)
===
Teenage FBI
Liquid Indian
Dragons Awake
Much Better Now
Glad Girls
Pivotal Film
Storm Vibrations
Everywhere With Helicopter

and finally, the entirety of _Earthquake Glue_, which I will probably buy
if it turns out well.

I have some initial comments, but they are tentative and subject to change.
Let me preface that I love Pollard's voice and his seems to be
fully capable of writing goosebump-inducing rock n' roll classics.

With that, here are some observations:

01. Bob Pollard's good songs are indeed, really really good. But his bad ones
(and they are many) are really really awful.

02. _Do The Collapse_ and _Isolation Drills_ mostly sucked, but it's weird
that so many critics blame the production; the song quality just wasn't there.

03. After _Under The Bushes..._, his acoustic ballads are nearly worthless.
Notable exception: the fantastic "Dragons Awake."

04. Late 90s and on, too many of Pollard's songs seemed trapped by
these pedal tones that he has going on (if you don't know what pedal
tones are, it's when you play one note constantly [say D] and unchangingly
throughout the chord changes), and the result can be real monotony.

05. His melodies can be so perfect - or maddeningly generic.

06. 80% of his good songs use a distinctive down-moving bass figure,
example, D-C#-B or F-E-D.

07. Even at his best, Pollard is a boring and unimaginative guitarist. Sorry.
That's just the way it is.

What do you think of my list? If you can convince me, I might add a few
more.

Wish me luck.

― Squirrel_Police (Squirrel_Police), Tuesday, 6 April 2004 19:20 (twenty-one years ago)

+ Closer You Are

― Lil' Fancy Pants (ex machina), Tuesday, 6 April 2004 19:21 (twenty-one years ago)

its a very good list. i also recommend:

"real" i believe hasnt ever made it to cd, but its the b-side to the 7" version of teenage fbi. such a shame - its a pretty little song, too.

― maria tessa sciarrino (theoreticalgirl), Tuesday, 6 April 2004 19:24 (twenty-one years ago)

Even at his best, Pollard is a boring and unimaginative guitarist.

he doesn't really play too much guitar, at least when I've seen them live...he's a frontman...

Actually, I think the greatest hits disc from last year is about as good an introductory GBV mixtape as you could want...you should download that...

― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Tuesday, 6 April 2004 19:29 (twenty-one years ago)

From what I understood, he plays quite a bit of guitar on the records but feels uncomfortable playing guitar live.
And he drinks.

― Bruce Urquhart (Bruce Urquhart), Tuesday, 6 April 2004 19:31 (twenty-one years ago)

07. Even at his best, Pollard is a boring and unimaginative guitarist. Sorry.
That's just the way it is.

Hmmmm...maybe cuz he ain't the one playing guitar. Yea, he comes up w/many of the guitar parts, but whateva. YOU'RE THE ONE WHO'S DEAF, FULE!

― Francis Watlington (Francis Watlington), Tuesday, 6 April 2004 19:36 (twenty-one years ago)

Yr choice of songs is pretty spot-on, although you would probably be better off dl'ing the whole of Bee Thousand and the single-disc best-of first, for max enjoyment at least (based on what you like, that is).

― Francis Watlington (Francis Watlington), Tuesday, 6 April 2004 19:37 (twenty-one years ago)

More mid period essentials--

"Tractor Rape Chain"
"Cut Out Witch"
"Underwater Explosions"
"Don't Stop Now"
"Bomb in the Beehive"

The first two Pollard solo albums

― otto, Tuesday, 6 April 2004 19:57 (twenty-one years ago)

No one needs more than like 3 albums worth of Bob Pollard crap total.

― Lil' Fancy Pants (ex machina), Tuesday, 6 April 2004 19:58 (twenty-one years ago)

3 observations:

Bee Thousand only works as an entire album.

Redmen and Their Wives is the greatest song Oasis never recorded.

Don't under-appreciate Tobin Sprout's contributions to mid-period GBV. He's done some interesting solo stuff as well.

― jaymatter, Tuesday, 6 April 2004 20:17 (twenty-one years ago)

I thought the last GBV "single," "The best of Jill Hives," was also excellent. You should add that one to the list!

― Ben Boyer (Ben Boyer), Tuesday, 6 April 2004 20:24 (twenty-one years ago)

I highly doubt that Pollard's ever produced a solid album, hence my
key tracks approach. Also, I don't doubt that he sounds great
live, especially after a few shots (ingested by the audience
member, I mean).

His guitar playing (or whoevers; he seems to
have complete creative control) is not awful, merely unsurprising.
And many of the guitar parts are lacking in dynamics, ie, every
chord is played at max intensity, all the way through.

"The Best Of Jill Hives" is on my list. I also considered
"Redmen And Their Wives," so now seconded I will add it to the list.
What album is it off?

― Squirrel_Police (Squirrel_Police), Tuesday, 6 April 2004 20:32 (twenty-one years ago)

"Redmen & Their Wives" is on 'Under the Bushes, Under the Stars'.

― earlnash, Tuesday, 6 April 2004 20:58 (twenty-one years ago)

This is probably one of the few bands whose bootlegs have better
quality than the studio recordings.

― Squirrel_Police (Squirrel_Police), Tuesday, 6 April 2004 21:09 (twenty-one years ago)

I'd vote to add "Exit Flagger" and "My Valuable Hunting Knife." Otherwise, looks dandy.

― m.e.a. (m.e.a.), Tuesday, 6 April 2004 21:16 (twenty-one years ago)

i don't get the dislike of "Isolation Drills" which after dozens of listens still stands up as my second favourite GbV album (and believe me i've heard them all)

― the surface noise (electricsound), Tuesday, 6 April 2004 21:30 (twenty-one years ago)

i however agree that production is a total red herring when it comes to GbV

― the surface noise (electricsound), Tuesday, 6 April 2004 21:30 (twenty-one years ago)

some more good ones:

my impression now (why isn't this on the best of?)
do the earth
shocker in gloomtown
subspace biographies
make use
maggie turns to flies
psychic pilot clocks out
pop zeus
far out crops

the last six are all from pollard's "solo" albums

― Andrew Calaman (Andrew Calaman), Tuesday, 6 April 2004 22:44 (twenty-one years ago)

I like the demo "Teenage FBI" off the greatest-hits better than the other versions I've heard (Do The Collapse, Buffy TV soundtrack)

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Tuesday, 6 April 2004 22:50 (twenty-one years ago)

Pretty good sampler, i can't help but want for more from Same Place The Fly Got Smashed:

Club Moluska
Drinker's Peace
The Hard Way

...and (it looks as though) you've completely skiped the Fading Captain stuff; try these:

Speak Kindly of Your Volunteer Firemen
Ask Them -- (Lexo & The Leapers)

― christoff (christoff), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 11:46 (twenty-one years ago)

you want all of alien lanes; you want all of not in my airforce; you want all of speak kindly.

― stevie (stevie), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 13:01 (twenty-one years ago)

"Break Even" is good

― Dadaismus (Dada), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 13:02 (twenty-one years ago)

You fanboys are just filling in all the tracks. There's no way
I'm getting all of Alien Lanes or Bee Thousand, I don't like
shitty, out-of-tune sketches.

― squirl plise, Wednesday, 7 April 2004 13:44 (twenty-one years ago)

Then maybe you're missing the point. Some albums don't really translate to the single-download world of iTunes or Napster. Think of "Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" or "Zen Arcade". Bob was.

― jaymatter, Wednesday, 7 April 2004 13:57 (twenty-one years ago)

Don't be a dork. "Lamb Lies Down On Broadway" is perfect for
downloading. It was great because the individual songs are great,
not because of Gabriel's awkward storyline.

― Squirrel_Police (Squirrel_Police), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 14:17 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm not the dork, Pollard's the dork.

Okay, so I'm kind of the dork.

― jaymatter, Wednesday, 7 April 2004 14:25 (twenty-one years ago)

My mission is well on it's way, quixotic as it may be.
I've downloaded all of my Middle Period tracks, plus
all but the last two tracks of _Earthquake Glue_. So far,
so good. Just as I thought, some of these songs are really
incredible (they're all at least good). In fact, some of
these are rank among the best rock songs of the 90s. Good job, Bob.

Oh yeah, I have to retract my statement that GBV guitarwork
is boring. Apologies all around, I shouldn't have made a
decision until all the facts were in.

― Squirrel_Police (Squirrel_Police), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 14:56 (twenty-one years ago)

Shit, now that I think about it, I once compiled a GBV mix CD (with many of the songs you've already listed) and DID include single tracks off of Bee Thousand, so that kinda tags me as a big ole hypocrite. So much for that.

One more: Slick as Snails from "Speak Kindly..."

― jaymatter, Wednesday, 7 April 2004 15:31 (twenty-one years ago)

There's no way
I'm getting all of Alien Lanes or Bee Thousand, I don't like
shitty, out-of-tune sketches.

so, essentially, you want to hear the GBV tracks that don't sound like GBV?

― stevie (stevie), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 15:36 (twenty-one years ago)

No, Stevie. There's a distinct difference between a shitty
out-of-tune sketch and fully realized out-of-tune pop gem.

― Squirrel_Police (Squirrel_Police), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 15:58 (twenty-one years ago)

add "big school" to your middle-period track list. about as catchy as pollard ever got, which is saying a lot. and add "acorns and orioles" for a rare example of gbv doing acoustic folk-rock and doing it right.

but i, too, think you're missing something by listening to gbv tracks and not listening to "bee thousand" or "alien lanes" straight through. especially "alien lanes" which strings so many short songs so tightly together. "a good flying bird" -> "cigarette tricks" -> "pimple zoo" -> "big chief chinese restaurant" --> "closer you are" is essentially one beautifully chaotic, teetering, jarring, epic five-minute tune spread out over five tracks.

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 17:15 (twenty-one years ago)

atom eyes

― jel -- (jel), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 17:18 (twenty-one years ago)

drag days

― jel -- (jel), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 17:19 (twenty-one years ago)

Propellar, Bee Thousand and Alien Lanes are all classic all the way through. I tend to think of them as three very long, very great songs

― roger adultery (roger adultery), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 20:14 (twenty-one years ago)

I agree with you, Roger...Alien Lanes was my best friend for about a year in my early-mid twenties. I know, I know...the "pastiche" argument has been bandied about ferever...but with this one, the little hiccups and asides really contribute to overall tone. I think it was "big Chief Chinese Restaurant" before "watch Me Jumpstart"...one of the awesomest little sequences I can think of. It just gave me shivers thinking about it.

― p.j. (Henry), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 21:08 (twenty-one years ago)

Some songs just don't sound as good without the wanky weird one before it...I mean his Who albums are good (Isolation Drills), but a different dynamic. Again, I state the obv.

― p.j. (Henry), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 21:10 (twenty-one years ago)

the albums i mentioned work really well as albums, is my point. the fragmentary nature means tracks in isolation aren't sometimes as powerful as they are in sequence...

Isolation Drills is mostly awesome, too. great dark pop record.

― stevie (stevie), Thursday, 8 April 2004 17:57 (twenty-one years ago)

I downloaded everything except for most of the "early period" tracks, they've
proved elusive.

And the verdict is: guilty. Guilty of goodness, that is. This is some fantastic
music. "Ironmen Rally Song," "Buzzards And Dreadful Crows," "Glad Girls,"
and "The Best Of Jill Hives" are especially catchy, revolving in my head
for hours upon end. _Earthquake Glue_ is surprisingly good; At first listen,
I thought it lacked hooks, but it's a grower; I find myself returning to it
again and again.

― Squirrel_Police (Squirrel_Police), Wednesday, 14 April 2004 19:16 (twenty-one years ago)

+ Big Boring Wedding

― 57 7th (calstars), Wednesday, 14 April 2004 20:42 (twenty-one years ago)

five years pass...

And the verdict is: guilty. Guilty of goodness, that is.

― iiiijjjj, Monday, 3 August 2009 05:44 (sixteen years ago)

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