quote:

That's the side of Pollard I enjoy the best. Here are five songs you might want to check out:

Thanks. Will check them out and then post what I think.

Thanks MJ! I just got a copy of Propellor today. Sounds really good on first listen, but as I said I like what I've heard from Pollard. I'm not to hung up on the production, but I've always liked lo-fi. I think I might want to get some of their hi-fi records next, specifically "Mag Earwhig". One last question though: do you prefer Pollard's solo career to his work with Guided by Voices? I've heard some samples from the records you mentioned, and it sounds good, but should I hold off on getting his solo records until I've heard most of Guided by Voices? Either way, I think I my want to get the Harcore UFOs box set you mentioned this weekend. and a maybe Pollard solo record.

Eckle, the thing to remember is that Guided by Voices is Robert Pollard and whoever he decides to work with*-- Much like the Fall is Mark E. Smith. The main reason he puts out loads of solo and side project stuff, is because the man spits out songs at an incredible pace. Most record companies want about 18-24 months between releases and that's just too long for Pollard. That said, it does seem that he chooses the 'less commercial' stuff for his solo outings. The three albums I mentioned in an earlier post, however, could have easily been GbV albums. Normally he saves his wackiest stuff for his other alter egos (Circus Devils, Howling Wolf Orchestra, Lifeguards, Hazard Hotrods, Phantom Tollbooth, etc.)-- that stuff is purely aimed at the diehard, nutjob fans like myself



*A caveat: Over the last several Robert Pollard solo albums, he has chosen to work with (almost exclusively) Todd Tobias. Mr. Tobias has played nearly all the instruments and has produced all the Pollard solo stuff over the last several years. Their relationship has really grown stagnant. It's not that there aren't good songs on some of these recent albums, but there doesn't seem to be any spontaneity. They've honed a formula, and seldom stray. I do like the idea of Pollard working with someone, because he needs someone who can reel him in a bit. I just don't think TT is the right fit.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Maximum Jack,

As promised Five GbV songs that RAWK:

1. "Cut-Out Witch" (3:04) - From Under the Bushes Under the Stars. I think to fully appreciate how great this song is, you really needed to see it performed live, but even the studio version slams.

2. "Motor Away" (2:06) - From Alien Lanes. I've seen no less than five different bands cover this song as an encore. Why? Because it is as anthemic as indie-rock gets.

3. "Over the Neptune/Mesh Gear Fox" (5:41) - From Propeller. Beginning with the canned "G-B-V" chant and Robert Pollard ironically announcing "This song does not rock", this uncharateristically long, two-song suite might be the finest moment in Pollard's ridiculously vast oeuvre.

4. "Quality of Armor" (2:37) - Also from Propeller (did I mention I love this album?). I read that this song was going to be used in a Nissan commercial in Canada. Excellent choice, methinks.

5. "Everywhere With Helicopter" (2:36) - From Universal Truths and Cycles an album I thought had some tremendous singles (this being one of them) but ultimately fell flat as a cohesive statement. Pollard's vocal style on this is a bit abrasive, but there's no denying the amazing guitar work Doug Gillard puts in here.

Another great rocker from GBV's later years is the opener from their final album, "Everyone Thinks I'm a Raincloud (When I'm Not Looking)." That may also get my vote for one the coolest GBV song titles.

quote:

Originally posted by EricG75:
Another great rocker from GBV's later years is the opener from their final album, "Everyone Thinks I'm a Raincloud (When I'm Not Looking)." That may also get my vote for one the coolest GBV song titles.

Another album produced by Todd Tobias. I just don't like his touch very much-- that is a great title though and one of the few highlights from an otherwise mediocre swan song. I think my favorite track from Half Smiles of the Decomposed is "Closets of Henry."

MJ, how about a list of the best GBV songs not written by Bob Pollard? Two that come to mind for me are Tobin Sprout's "Atom Eyes" from Under the Bushes, Under The Stars, and Doug Gillard's "I Am A Tree" from Mag Earwig.

quote:

Originally posted by EricG75:
MJ, how about a list of the best GBV songs not written by Bob Pollard? Two that come to mind for me are Tobin Sprout's "Atom Eyes" from Under the Bushes, Under The Stars, and Doug Gillard's "I Am A Tree" from Mag Earwig.

Toby would dominate that list. "I am a Tree" is about the only other song I could see cracking the top 10. Now there are lots of songs that were co-written by various members. Would those count?

quote:

Originally posted by Maximum Jack:
Toby would dominate that list. "I am a Tree" is about the only other song I could see cracking the top 10. Now there are lots of songs that were co-written by various members. Would those count?

For the sake of not making it a Toby dominated list, we'll say yes. A list of the best GBV songs that were not solely written by Bob. That way you can put "A Salty Salute" on there.

It might take me awhile, but I'll give it a shot.

I had a little time this morning so I came up with a list of GBV songs that are credited to someone other than R. Pollard that appeared on an official Guided by Voices release. Here's the very short list of songs:

Tobin Sprout:

"Crunch Pillow"
"Scissors"
"Gleemer (The Deeds of Fertile Jim)"
"Awful Bliss"
"You're Not an Airplane"
"A Good Flying Bird"
"Straw Dogs"
"Little Whirl"
"To Remake the Young Flyer"
"The Perfect Life"
"Atom Eyes"
"It's Like Soul Man"
"Jabberstroker"
"Off the Floor"
"Dodging Invisible Rays"
and He's given top billing on "Damn Good Mr. Jam"

Doug Gillard:

"I Am A Tree"
"Free of this World"

Jim Greer:

"Trendspotter Acrobat"

Interestingly, the last GBV album to list collaborative writing credit, was Mag Earwhig!, which many people would peg as the last great GbV album.

Here's a complete list of songs that are either credited to someone other than Bob or Pollard is listed as a co-writer. I couldn't find this information on the interweb anywhere, so it might prove useful to someone else someday (technically it's not complete, because I didn't include either Suitcase Box):

GbV Songs co-written or written by someone other than Bob Pollard:

01. “A Portrait Destroyed by Fire” (Pollard, Mitch Mitchell)
02. “3 Year Old Man” (Pollard, Jimmy Pollard)
03. “A Proud and Booming Industry” (Pollard, Mitchell, J. Pollard)
04. “Bread Alone” (Pollard, J. Pollard)
05. “Lips of Steel” (Pollard, Mitchell, J. Pollard, Kevin Fennell)
06. “Trap Soul Door” (Pollard, Mitchell)
07. “Common Rebels” (Pollard, Fennell, J. Pollard, Mitchell)
08. “The Future is in Eggs” (Pollard, J. Pollard, Mitchell)
09. “White Whale” (Pollard, J. Pollard)
10. “The Qualifying Remainder” (Pollard, J. Pollard, Mitchell, Fennell)
11. “Radio Show” (Pollard, J. Pollard)
12. “Airshow ‘88” (Pollard, J. Pollard)
13. “The Hard Way” (Pollard, J. Pollard)
14. “Club Molluska” (Pollard, J. Pollard)
15. “Pendulum” (Pollard, J. Pollard)
16. “Ambergris” (Pollard, J. Pollard)
17. “Local Mix-Up/Muder Charge” (Pollard/Pollard, J. Pollard)
18. “Starboy” (Pollard, Greg Demos)
19. “Blatant Doom Trip” (Pollard, J. Pollard)
20. “Crunch Pillow” (Tobin Sprout)
21. “Bite” (Pollard, J. Pollard, Mitchell)
22. “Deathtrot and Warlock Riding a Rooster” (Pollard, Mitchell)
23. “2ND Moves to Twin” (Pollard, J. Pollard, Mitchell)
24. “Scissors” (Sprout)
25. “Postal Blowfish” (Pollard, Mitchell)
26. “Particular Damaged” (Pollard, Sprout, Dan Toohey)
27. “Red Gas Circle” (Pollard, Sprout, Dan Toohey)
28. “Lethargy” (Pollard, J. Pollard, Sprout, Mitchell)
29. “Unleashed! The Large-Hearted Boy” (Pollard, J. Pollard, Sprout Mitchell)
30. “14 Cheerleader Coldfront” (Pollard, Sprout)
31. “On the Tundra” (Pollard, J. Pollard)
32. “#2 In the Model Home Series” (Sprout, Pollard)
33. “Expecting Brainchild” (Pollard, J. Pollard)
34. “Superior Sector Janitor X” (Pollard, J. Pollard, Sprout)
35. “Marchers in Orange” (Pollard, J. Pollard)
36. “Sot” (Sprout, Pollard)
37. “E-5” (Pollard, J. Pollard, Sprout)
38. “Cool Off Kid Kilowatt” (Pollard, J. Pollard, Sprout)
39. “Gleemer (The Deeds of Fertile Jim)” (Sprout)
40. “Wondering Boy Poet” (Pollard, Sprout)
41. “Buzzards and Dreadful Crows” (Pollard, J. Pollard)
42. “Hot Freaks” (Pollard, Sprout)
43. “Smotherd in Hugs” (Pollard, J. Pollard, Sprout, Mitchell)
44. “Awful Bliss” (Sprout)
45. “Her Psychology Today” (GBV – Pollard, Sprout, J. Pollard, Mitchell, Toohey, Fennell)
46. “Demons are Real” (GBV – Pollard, Sprout, J. Pollard, Mitchell, Toohey, Fennell)
47. “A Big Fan of the Pig Pen” (Pollard, J. Pollard, Randy Campbell)
48. “Ester’s Day” (Sprout, Pollard)
49. “You’re Not an Airplane” (Sprout)
50. “A Salty Salute” (Pollard, Sprout)
51. “They Are Not Witches” (Pollard, J. Pollard, Demos)
52. “A Good Flying Bird” (Sprout)
53. “Cigarette Tricks” (GBV – Pollard, Sprout, J. Pollard, Mitchell, Fennell, Jim Greer, Demos, Pete Jamison)
54. “Big Chief Chinese Restaurant” (Pollard, J. Pollard, Demos)
55. “Auditorium” (Pollard, Sprout)
56. “Motor Away” (Pollard, Sprout)
57. “King & Caroline” (Pollard, Sprout)
58. “Ex-Supermodel” (Pollard, Sprout)
59. “Straw Dogs” (Sprout)
60. “Little Whirl” (Sprout)
61. “To Remake the Young Flyer” (Sprout)
62. “The Perfect Life” (Sprout)
63. “Atom Eyes” (Sprout)
64. “It’s Like Soul Man” (Sprout)
65. “Sheetkickers” (Pollard, J. Pollard)
66. “Satellite” (Pollard, Sprout)
67. “Dayton, Ohio – 19 Something and 5” (Pollard, Sprout)
68. “Is She Ever” (Pollard, Sprout)
69. “The Top Chick’s Silver Chord” (Pollard, Sprout)
70. “Key Losers” (Pollard, Sprout)
71. “Ha Ha Man” (Pollard, Sprout)
72. “Wingtip Repair” (Pollard, Sprout)
73. “At the Farms” (Pollard, Sprout)
74. “Unbated Vicar of Scorched Earth” (Pollard, Sprout)
75. “Optional Bases Opposed” (Pollard, Sprout)
76. “Look It’s Baseball” (Pollard, Sprout)
77. “Maxwell” (Pollard, Sprout)
78. “The Stir Crazy Pornograher” (Pollard, Sprout)
79. “Universal Nurse Finger” (Pollard, Sprout)
80. “Sadness to the End” (Pollard, Sprout)
81. “Jellyfish Reflector” (GBV – not sure who ‘GBV’ is here)
82. “Jabberstroker” (Sprout)
83. “Beekeeper Seeks Ruth” (Pollard, Sprout)
84. “A Contest Featuring Human Beings” (Pollard, Sprout)
85. “Trendspotter Acrobat” (Jim Greer)
86. “The Winter Cows” (Pollard, Sprout)
87. “I Am a Tree” (Doug Gillard)
88. “Are you Faster” (Pollard, Sprout, J. Pollard)
89. “I Am Produced” (Pollard, Sprout)
90. “Avalanche Aminos” (Pollard, Gillard)
91. “Free of this World” (Gillard)
92. “Deaf Ears” (Pollard, J. Pollard)
93. “Do They Teach You the Chase?” (Pollard, J. Pollard)
94. “The Ascended Master’s Grogshop” (Pollard, Sprout)
95. “Broadcaster House” (Pollard, J. Pollard)
96. “Hunter Complex” (Pollard, J. Pollard)
97. “Johnny Appleseed” (Pollard, J. Pollard, Sprout)
98. “I’ll Get Over It” (Pollard, Sprout, J. Pollard)
99. “Alien Lanes” (Pollard, Sprout, J. Pollard)
100. “Off the Floor” (Sprout)
101. “3RD World Birdwatching” (Pollard, J. Pollard, Jamison)
102. “Snowman” (Pollard, Fennell)
103. “Indian Fables” (Pollard, Sprout)
104. “Marchers in Orange” (Pollard, J. Pollard)
105. “Damn Good Mr. Jam” (Sprout, Pollard, Campbell)
106. “Rubber Man” (Pollard, Fennell)
107. “Hey Ardvark” (Pollard, J. Pollard, Mitchell)
108. “Back to Saturn X” (Pollard, Mitchell, Conley, Mapier, Smith)
109. “Mice Feel Nice (In My Room)” (Pollard, Gillard)
110. “Dodging Invisible Rays” (Sprout)

quote:

Originally posted by Maximum Jack:
Interestingly, the last GBV album to list collaborative writing credit, was Mag Earwhig!, which many people would peg as the last great GbV album.

Though he would never admit it, Pollard's at his best when he has someone to reign him in a little bit. GbV started to go downhill when Bob traded a band that could collaborate with him (Toby and Jim) for more professional backing musicians (the Cobra Verde guys).

I find that "Bee Thousand" is one of those few albums that just does it for me. I have an almost inexplicable fondness/affection/nostalgic appreciation for this album that I share with very little music (also The Meadowlands, I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One, Slanted & Enchanted). There's just a certain je ne sais quoi about that 90s indie music.

The four song stretch from "Smothered in Hugs" to "Gold Star for Robot Boy" is unbeatable.

quote:

Bee Thousand is one of the albums that just does it for me.

I couldn't agree more. There aren't many albums where, on the first spin, I fall completely in love, but Bee Thousand was an album that just felt right the moment it began. And the nostalgic/fondness tag works perfectly for it. It was one of the first albums I ever bought, and I really love it. Also like the other albums you mentioned, but that's off-topic.

quote:

The four song stretch from "Smothered in Hugs" to "Gold Star for Robot Boy" is unbeatable.

My favorite stretch of the record is Tractor Rape Chain to Echos Myron. But that's mainly cuase that stretch has some of my all time favorite Pollard lyrics (from what I've heard).

quote:

Originally posted by Eckle:
Echos Myron

If I had to pick one GbV song to listen to for the rest of my life? That would be it.

quote:

Originally posted by Eckle:
But that's mainly cuase that stretch has some of my all time favorite Pollard lyrics (from what I've heard).

Oooh, favorite Pollard lyrics? Let's share! I'll start:

From "Dayton, Ohio - 19 Something and 5":

Isn't it great to exist at this point in time?
Where the produce is rotten but no one is forgotten
On strawberry Philadelphia Drive
Children in the sprinkler, junkies on the corner
The smell of fried foods and pure hot tar
Man, you needn't travel far to feel completely alive
On strawberry Philadelphia Drive
On a hazy day in 19 something and 5


From "Game of Pricks":

I'll climb up on the house
Weep to water the trees
And when you come calling me down
Ill put on my disease

From "Drinker's Peace":

My life is dirt but you seem to make it cleaner
Reduce my felony to a misdemeanor
When I feel sick you're an antibiotic
Organize my world that was pointless and chaotic

quote:

If I had to listen to one GbV song for the rest of my life, Echos Myron would be it.

Amen to that.

The thread has been stagnant for a while, so I figured I'd list my favorite GbV albums (from what I've heard).

Bee Thousand
Mag Earwhig!
Alien Lanes
Under the Bushes Under the Stars
Propellor

As I mentioned earlier, I've loved the Pollard I've heard, and this thread has offered a lot of help in discovering GbV. Still got a long way to go though.

Another huge GBV fan here. They're actually my favorite band of all time, although I'm not a huge fan of the post-Mag Earwhig era (Isolation Drills is great, though). My favorites list would probably look something like this:

1.Alien Lanes
2.Bee Thousand
3.Mag Earwhig
4.Under the Bushes
5.Tonics and Twisted Chasers
6.Propeller
7.Waved Out (I know it's a "Robert Pollard" album, but that's pretty much the same thing as GBV)

I'm leaving a lot out, theres just so many. Of course, if one was to only listen to those albums, they'd be missing out on a significantly huge chunk of great songs.

quote:

Originally posted by Tron Jeremy:
5.Tonics and Twisted Chasers

Welcome to MC TJ, and an excellent first post! I've said this about numerous GbV albums, but if push comes to shove, this has got to be the most under-appreciated album in the Pollard canon.

Sorry, I've been meaning to post something here on a daily basis, but I've been pretty busy of late. I'll do a quick ranking of the albums as well:

16. Half Smiles of the Decomposed
15. Earthquake Glue
14. Universal Truths and Cycles
13. Devil Between My Toes
12. Sandbox
11. Self-Inflicted Aerial Nostalgia
10. Isolation Drills
09. Do the Collapse
08. Mag Earwhig!
07. Same Place the Fly Got Smashed
06. Vampire on Titus
05. Under the Bushes Under the Stars
04. Tonics & Twisted Chasers
03. Alien Lanes
02. Propeller
01. Bee Thousand

These are the proper GbV albums. I did not include any of the live stuff, or the odds and sods compilation, King Shit and the Golden Boys. I wholeheartedly love the top 11.