I've been meaning to throw my two cents in on most of these early albums, but have been too lazy lately. I'm enjoying the write-ups though, MJ, so by all means keep em' coming. Anyway, here are some of my thoughts on Devil Between My Toes and Sandbox (My review skills are a little amateur, so bear with me!).

Like I mentioned earlier, I find myself enjoying their debut ep more than any of the early albums included in the boxset. I can't really share a lot of the enthusiasm for these discs that MJ seems to have, although they all have some good to great moments. Pollard had yet to find his "sound" on Forever Since Breakfast, but you can definitely hear them getting closer to it on these albums. The problem for me is that, regardless of the fact that they were closer to the classic gbv style, the powerful songwriting that we would come to associate with them simply wasn't there yet , and there are far too many missteps.

Concerning Devil Between My Toes, I'll just do a quick synopsis-
My favorite songs on this album would definitely be the first three tracks- Old Battery, Discussing Wallace Chambers, and Cyclops. I can almost hear Pollard trying his best to sound like Michael Stipe on these tracks. The latter two songs are particularly great. After that, the album goes downhill and doesn't recover until the last track, Captain's Dead, another classic. All four of these songs would be good additions to any GBV cd. Nothing else on the album connects with me, especially the mundane instrumental pieces. There are some instances where I wish certain songs just ROCKED harder, like Hanks Little Fingers and Hey,Hey Spaceman. Especially the former, which I'm sure would sound fantastic in a live setting. With all the complaining out of the way, I'm actually glad I have this one, simply because the 4 songs I mentioned are so addictive.

I think Earthquake Glue is very underrated in the GBV discography. I would personally place it top 5, maybe even top 3. Isolation Drills is way up there too.

I'm really enjoying your reviews MJ, keep it up. Although, even as a die-hard fan, I have to say that the majority of GBVs pre-Propeller stuff is pretty dire. The majority, that is. There are still a few gems to be found. It's GBV, after all.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: youandwhosearmy,

I think maybe SANDBOX deserves the title of "least good" GBV album, although that sounds a little more harsh than it should. The album flows really well, in the sense that there aren't as many low points as there were in DBMT. The only thing is, there is only, by my count, ONE high point. That would be the song "Trap Soul Door", a perfect, catchy minute of awesomeness. It's the typical GBV song that makes me tear my hair out wondering how I never thought to write it myself. I once got this song stuck in my head for an entire day, and even thinking about it now, I know I'm doomed to have it in my head for the rest of today.
Aside from this song, it seems like every time I listen to this cd, it fails to make any impression on me. It's not bad, just not interesting in the slightest.

Self-Inflicted Aerial Nostalgia is definitely a big improvement over Sandbox. This one has more than just a couple good songs, and I can easily listen to it without skipping over any tracks. Navigating Flood Regions, Short on Posters, Chief Barrel Belly, and Liar’s Tale are all amazing, and there really aren’t many filler tracks in between, everything just feels like it belongs. The whole album sounds more inspired than the 2 previous albums, like Pollard actually knew what he was going for this time around instead of just throwing things at a wall and seeing what would stick. Actually, that might be the approach he takes with most GBV albums, so what do I know? Thumbs up from me on this one. Or maybe a 7.5/10.

#5 in the Series:

Same Place the Fly Got Smashed - Originally self-released on vinyl in 1990 (Current availability: Only on Box which is a 5-CD box set which compiles all the pre-Propeller albums together in one convenient location, released on Scat Records in 1995)

In 1990, we did Same Place The Fly Got Smashed, which was a concept album of sorts. At least, it feels that way because of its continuous feel. Recorded at the same places as Self-Inflicted- this is a really dark, wasted record.—Robert Pollard

I can’t imagine what someone unfamiliar with Guided by Voices would think about the opening of Same Place the Fly Got Smashed. “Airshow 88” the album opener, begins with a piece of dialogue from Lindsay Wagner’s made for television movie, Shattered Dreams about an abusive relationship, followed by more tape splicing trickery, then it quickly devolves into one of the least tuneful and most bizarre songs in the entirety of the Pollard oeuvre. It is, ostensibly, a look inside the psyche of the album’s protagonist, Joker Bob—a small town alcoholic that gets caught up in an accidental murder and is eventually put death via the electric chair (“and that’s the electrifying conclusion!”). If there were ever any doubts that Pollard wanted to be Pete Townshend, this mini rock opera should put those to rest. I say ‘mini’ because the whole album is only about a half hour long, and the story—as far as I can tell—is over by track ten (out of thirteen tracks), the stunning two-song suite, “Local Mix-Up/Murder Charge.” Along the way, SPtFGS features a slew of great songs. “When She Turns 50”, “The Hard Way”, and “Mammoth Cave” are all first rate compositions. “Drinker’s Peace” might be the most inspired song in the Pollard Discography, and features my favorite Pollard lyric (see my post on page two of this thread for details). “Pendulum” was voted the best GBV song on an internet fan poll circa 2000, and is probably the only time Pollard name-checked another band in song (Seattle’s Cat Butt). Of the three songs that round out the album, two are classics: “Blatant Doom Trip” (which showcases Tobin Sprout’s understated, guitar prowess) and the lilting “How Loft I Am?” The third, “Starboy”, might sound like a lo-fi, acoustic throwaway, but serves marvelously as a transition between the conclusion of the opera and the epilogue. As with most concept albums, SPtFGS is a little thin on plot, but Pollard more than makes up for it with first rate song-writing. It makes me wish it had been accompanied by a short novella. Joker Bob, I hardly knew you.

If Self-Inflicted Aerial Nostagia was the first good GBV album, then Same Place the Fly Got Smashed is Pollard’s first tour de force. Not to be missed, Four and a Half Stars.

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

Heh. I had always wondered what "cat butt" referred to in that song. After listening to this album again, I had to conclude that it's without a doubt the first great GBV album. I take back what I said about Forever Since Breakfast being a better album than this. Perhaps I just needed to give SPtFGS another try after leaving it on the shelf for a while. I have a funny video somewhere of Pollard repeatedly trying to get the high note on "Pendulum" right during a recording session and failing every time. I should try to put it up here.

Numero Six:

Propeller – Originally self-released on vinyl in 1992 and it was appended to the CD version of Vampire on Titus in 1993 and the vinyl version of Box in 1995. (Current availability: Scat Records currently has the vinyl version [available in two different covers] and the CD back in print [Scat 49])

“We’re gonna call the album Propeller and it’s gonna come out on Rockathon—just like a danceathon, it never stops, right through till the end.” – Robert Pollard

This was it. No really, this was supposed to be Robert Pollard’s last album. After four self-released albums and an EP had amounted to essentially nothing, Pollard had become convinced that Guided by Voices was a pipe dream. Interesting, what was considered a Swan Song as it was being created, ended up being a masterpiece and the first real transition album in what would eventually become a formidable body of work. Propeller also marks the beginning of what many GBV fans consider the ‘Classic Era’ of the band. The pieces were all in place. Most importantly, Tobin Sprout had moved back to Dayton with his 4-track, and he was officially listed as a member of the band on the liner notes. Though Sprout doesn’t get full writing credit on any of the songs here, his voice is first heard on the magnificent “14 Cheerleader Coldfront," and his fingerprints are all over the album due to the use of his lo-fi recording techniques. That’s not to say this is strictly a lo-fi record, because much of this album was also recorded in an 8-track and 16-track studio. Still, the warmth of the recording, which would become a signature of the next few GBV albums, has much to do with Toby the engineer. This ‘warmth’ can be heard on 14CC and other brilliant songs like “Red Gas Circle” and “On the Tundra.” These understated beauties were perfectly interspersed along side some of Pollard’s fiercest rockers to date. A couple of these (“Over the Neptune/Mesh Gear Fox and “Quality of Armor) I’ve already mentioned in this thread, so in the interest of not repeating myself I’ll mention some of the other highlights. “Exit Flagger” is the very definition of a fist-pumping anthem. “Lethargy” with its iconic bass line, propulsive drum beat and oft shouted line (“I wish I could give a shit, just a little bit!”) was a live staple for nearly a decade. “Unleashed, the Large Hearted Boy” is another sing-a-long, live favorite. Of course there were still songs on Propeller which had more in common with the GBV of the past. “Particular Damaged,” “Metal Mothers,” “Ergo Space Pig” were excellent songs that might have fit nicely on any of the previous GBV albums. Though I’ve never read anything to support it, “Circus World” with its line, “And the human fly gets smashed again” is almost certainly an outtake from SPtFGS. Perhaps one of the most underrated songs in the Pollard canon, “Weed King” also sounds more like the ‘old’ GBV, but instead of Pete Townshend Pollard channels John Lennon:

quote:

And then take photographs
Of what we made
Lemonade
Freedom Cake
Quick to bake
Trim the tree
Collectively
Breathe the air
From the fair
And watch colored lights shine down
Dancing round the lady's face
As we learned the sound
We can't keep this violent pace
Though we know that haste makes waste

Seriously, there’s not a moment wasted among the 15 tracks that make up Propeller. This is a bonafide Five Star album and should be a part of any good collection of Rock & Roll 20th Century Music.

I don't love Propeller as much as you MJ, but it does have some nice moments. My favorites are "Over The Neptune/Mesh Gear Fox", "Quality of Armor", and "Exit Flagger".

I also think production-wise, it sounds better than Bee Thousand or Alien Lanes, which makes me wonder, did it take extra effort to get those releases to sound so lo-fi?

Well, I'm not sure 'better' is the right word, but yeah, it sounds bigger because some of it was recorded in real studios. I'm pretty sure VoT, B1000 and AL were all done on 4-track-- but don't quote me on that. UTBUTS also has a bigger feel, because some of it was recorded in the studio, though I think some parts were then rerecorded using the 4-track.

The Seventh:

The Grand Hour EP – Originally released on 7” vinyl in January of 1993 [Scat 28] (Current Availability: Still available on CD via Scat Records and only $4.00!)

“I called Bob at first just sell some of the records for him, but the more I listened to Propeller, I was like, ‘Shit, let’s do some records.’ I called him up and he’s like, ‘Well, man, the band broke up.’ Then there was a pause. And he said, ‘Wait, I think I can put something together.’ And seriously, it could not have been more than seven days later, I got the tape for The Grand Hour EP.”—Robert Griffen (owner of Scat Records)

Shortly after falling in love with Bee Thousand, The Grand Hour was the second Guided by Voices purchase I made. I’ve always been a huge fan of the EP format, though it seems to have run its course. Before digital downloads, buying an EP by an artist was a safe way of trying an artist out without investing too much. I’ve probably listened to this particular EP more times than any other GBV release. Partly because it is over in a flash (the disc clocks in just under 10 minutes), but also because it is so damn great. The 39 second “I’ll Get Over It,” which leads things off, has the classic fuzzy, lo-fi sound that GBV made famous. It segues right into one of the most important GBV songs in the history of the band, “Shocker in Gloomtown.” Why? Another band from Ohio decided to cover it. Though most GBV histories don’t seem to place enough emphasis on it, GBV’s meteoric rise in the indie world, may not have happened if Kim Deal (while helming the Breeders) hadn’t covered such an obscure track. I digress. Back to the EP, two more bona fide GBV gems reside here. Most significantly, “Off the Floor” features the first lead vocal by someone other than Pollard (Tobin Sprout). “Break Even,” meanwhile, is as good a rocker as Pollard has ever written, which leaves only two songs on the EP of questionable import, “Alien Lanes” and “Bee Thousand” (of course, both titles would later resurface as album names). Though I don’t have the evidence to back it up, both of these songs were probably recorded about the same time as “Ergo Space Pig” from Propeller. They both feature the same kind of fucked up, psychedelic vibe—and you’re either going to love them or hate them. You probably know where I stand.

Since none of the tracks from this excellent EP were included on the Hardcore UFOs box, I’m inclined to say that this is an essential release for anyone who already knows they like Robert Pollard. Four and a Half Stars, well worth the four bucks Scat’s gonna charge you.

EDIT: I just realized that I lied. "Shocker in Gloomtown" from this EP is on the "Best Of" CD, Human Amusements at Hourly Rates, which is included on the Hardcore UFOs box. Forgive me, I've hardly ever listened to that disc.

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

Ocho:

An Earful O’Wax – Originally released on vinyl in 1993 on Get Happy!! (Current availability: Good luck finding this one. AEOW was the first release [Big 01] for a now defunct record label out of Germany. It was produced in a limited edition of 1050—250 of which were on clear vinyl. You can, however, reproduce the track listing using the Scat Box and Forever Since Breakfast EP)

It is not clear how in the world Joachim Gaertner and Jochen Riegler had been listening to Guided by Voices way over in Deutschland by 1993. The first few albums by GBV had all been self-released and Scat Records was a tiny, tiny indie with hardly any distribution at all. But they had and were inspired enough to start a record label, Get Happy!! Records. The two Germans, contacted Bob about putting together a compilation of the best material off the first five GBV releases. Pollard agreed, and they ended up getting good reviews in the German press. The stars were certainly starting to align for a band that had been wallowing in obscurity for nearly a decade. I’ve already commented on all the albums from which this compilation is culled, so suffice it to say it is a pretty neat summation of the band’s early work. Sure I could quibble about track selection (no “Drinker’s Peace” or “Paper Girl”?), but since most people had never heard any of these songs in 1993, it was a chance for some of these lost gems to find their way into good record collections. So in lieu of an actual review, I thought I’d just give you the track listing so you can build your own AEOW playlist:

01. “Navigating Flood Regions” from SIAN
02. “Captain’s Dead” from DBMT
03. “The Hard Way” from SPtFGS
04. “Crux” from DBMT
05. “Hey Hey, Spaceman” from DBMT
06. “An Earful O’Wax” from SIAN
07. “Lips of Steel” from SB
08. “How Loft I Am” from SPtFGS
09. “Sometimes I Cry” from FSB
10. “A Visit to the Creep Doctor” from SB
11. “The Future is in Eggs” from SIAN
12. “The Great Blake Street Canoe Race” from SIAN
13. “Pendulum” from SPtFGS
14. “Long Distance Man” from SB
15. “Old Battery” from DBMT
16. “The Other Place” from FSB
17. “Liar’s Tale” from SIAN

Many who have stuck their toe in or waded about in GbV/Bob Pollard waters often ask the "what to get next" or "is this one worth it" question?

I say, jump all the way in. Get it all. Or at least all you can afford!

Neun:

Vampire On Titus – Originally released on vinyl and on CD (with Propeller tacked on as a twofer) in August of 1993 [Scat 31] (Current Availability: Reissued on CD [sans Propeller] [Scat 50] and LP [the vinyl is currently out of print] in November of 1996 and available via Scat Records)

“I like to make records that sound like bootlegs of rare Beatle and Who studio fuck-tapes. We crank material out now really quickly. We're seasoned and shit just flows - we keep it fragmented and damaged. It's more fun to have to dig for a melody than to have it thrust in your face.”—Robert Pollard

I think of all the albums that Robert Pollard put out during the so-called classic era of the band, Vampire on Titus is, perhaps, the most polarizing. It certainly is a difficult listen. The trademark melodies and sing-a-long lyrics, which you might have become used to if you were already familiar with any other era of GBV, are here, but they are sometimes buried deep beneath waves of strange noises and curious production techniques. I’ll be honest: it took me quite a while to warm up to VoT. When I bought my copy, the tracks from Propeller were the ones that stood out. In fact, I’m not sure how many times I would have even listened to VoT had it not been for my fondness for Propeller. If ever there was a ‘grower’ in the GBV canon, Vampire is it. Songs that absolutely repelled me the first dozen or so times I heard them, like “Wished I Was a Giant”, “Sot”, “Dusted” and the Tobin Sprout penned “Donkey School” are now some of my very favorite GBV songs. These aren’t even among the most deranged tunes on VoT! I still had to make peace with songs (fragments?) such as “Superior Janitor X”, “World of Fun” and “Cool Off Kid Killowatt”, all under one minute in length. Since the weirdest tracks on the album are generally the shortest, it’s easy to dismiss them as throwaways. But after listening to this record hundreds of times, I would rather lose a finger than give up any of those tracks. VoT is nothing, if not as cohesive a statement as the band had made up to that point. As harsh as I’ve made it out to be, it still has its fair share of immediate, stone-cold Pollard classics: “Jar of Cardinals”, “Wondering Boy Poet” and “Non-Absorbing”. Toby also contributes his strongest song yet with the sublime “Gleemer (Deeds of Fertile Jim)”. Seriously, there is much to love here, but it does require some digging.

Recorded exclusively on 4-track, Vampire is the first true, lo-fi record in the GBV discography. As such, I wouldn’t recommend it as a first purchase. It will, however, reward repeat listens. Four and a Half Stars.

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

Note: For the remainder of this project I will be following the dates on the discography listed in Guided by Voices: A Brief History - Twenty-one Years of Hunting Accidents in the Forests of Rock and Roll by James Greer. While trying to do these blurbs in chronological order, I've found many discrepancies. Greer's chronology *seems* to be the best. BTW, many (though not all) of my Pollard quotes are from this invaluable tome as well.

X:

Static Airplane Jive EP – Originally released in December of 1993 on City Slang (Germany, 04939) as a 7”. (Current availability: Available through Luna Records via RobertPollard.net on CD only)

“I went to collect consignment on some of our records in a Columbus store and some smart-ass chick there remarked with a smirk on her face that we hadn't sold any. I told her we were big in Europe and that's become a joke amongst my friends.”—Robert Pollard

The release of Static Airplane Jive marked the end of a very productive year for Guided by Voices. After years of toiling in obscurity, Pollard was getting requests from all over to put out singles, EPs and compilation tracks. He rarely said no, because he didn’t think for a minute that this attention was going to last. What is absolutely staggering is the quality of work from this era. SAJ is a prime example: six songs, not quite eleven minutes and not a wasted note to be found. While it certainly has all the hallmarks of the lo-fi sound of this era of the band, it is probably the most accessible of any of the records GBV released in 1993. The opening salvo, “Big School” leaps out of your speakers and ranks near the top of Pollard’s straight-up rockers. It transitions into the contemplative “Damn Good Mr. Jam” for a nice pacing effect. When Toby sings harmony at the end of this, I still get chills (“Anything for free . . .”). “Rubber Man” is a fully-formed, 34-second nugget as only Pollard can write. “Hey Aardvark” is a silly song that will get stuck in your head the first time you hear it. “Glow Boy Butlers” is another, tough-as-nails rocker, and the EP ends on a decidedly high note with “Gelatin, Ice Cream, Plum . . . .”, while you’re left slumping in a chair trying to catch your breath.

Like The Grand Hour, Static Airplane Jive was not included in the Hardcore UFOs Box Set. This is an essential recording for anyone who is interested in this era of the band. Four and Half Stars.

I like the Roman Numerals, I think I'll stick with them for the remainder.

XI:

Fast Japanese Spin Cycle - Originally released in February of 1994 on Engine (Vroom 07) CD and 7” (Current Availability: It looks like Engine repressed the CD in 2003 and it is available through Luna Records via RobertPollard.net)

It really is amazing to me, as I revisit this era of Pollard’s work, just how consistent his releases were—even these little shitty EPs handed out to upstart record labels like NYC’s Engine. I’m sure the non-believers among you are just rolling your eyes at how I can gush over songs on hardly heard EPs (outside the Legion of Pollard Loyalists, of course). Seriously, there is an entire world of not-so-good Pollard tracks, but digging through the stuff he was releasing during this period is generally a pretty rewarding experience. I digress, on to the gushing. The EP starts with a quirky little 42-second number called “3rd World Birdwatching”, which is a kissing cousin of the silly “Hey Aarvark” off the previous EP—the kind of song the fans will love, but leaves the rest of the world scratching their collective heads. The next song, “My Impression Now”, is the shiny gem on this release—a rocker that rivals “Shocker in Gloomtown” or even the mighty “Exit Flagger”. The melancholy “Volcano Divers” follows, with some interesting guitar work, then it’s two more under-a-minute Pollardies. Both of which might have benefited from some fleshing out, especially “Indian Fables” which is about as pretty a melody as Pollard has ever written, but it definitely leaves you wanting more. Next up, is a different, and in my opinion, slightly better version of “Marchers in Orange”. It rocks a little more than the version on VoT. The penultimate and ultimate tracks pack quite a 1-2 punch: “Dusted” (an acoustic version of the song on VoT) and “Kissing to the Crying Cooks” are uniformly excellent pop songs.

I guess since Engine has done such a marvelous job of keeping this in print, there was no need to tack it onto the Harcore UFOs Box. Too bad, because it will probably remain unheard to all but the most dedicated. Four and a Half Stars.

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

Since Jack never got around to Bee Thousand, I figured I might do a little review...

Bee Thousand

I've yet to delve into Guided By Voices as much as I should. I've spent a lot of time and money getting their albums, EPs and finding box sets. But I haven't heard an album by them that managed to even compare to Bee Thousand. Simply put, this is not only top five material for the '90s, but a complete classic. Think about all the great songs on here - "Gold Star for Robot Boy", "Tractor Rape Chain", "I Am A Scientist", "Echos Myron". Actually, there's maybe one song on here that isn't great - "You're Not An Airplane". And that's a little over thirty seconds long. Pollard starts the record with "Hardcore UFOs", a magnificent song that builds steadily into this perfect little rocker, and it just doesn't stop. Straight through the one-two-three punch of "...UFOs" to "Tractor Rape Chain", you "Goldheart Mountaintop Queen Directory", never one of my favorites, but it's a grower of a song. As long as we're on the subject of Pollard ballads, let me say this - most of the Bee Thousand ones are good, but not A material, except "Big Fan of the Pigpen", which has a perfect hook in Pollard's ba BA's, and serves as a fantastic lead in to "The Queen of Cans and Jars", one of my favorite Guided by Voice's songs. It should also be noted how good Pollard's lyrics are on this album. They still have that obtuse, nonsensical slant that we all love, but some of the songs have imagery that, while when looked at means nothing, makes perfect sense on record. Look no further than "Hot Freaks" for such an example (am I the only one who loves this song simply for how Pollard says "fruitcake"?). Perhaps what I like best about Bee Thousand is its absolutely relentless pace. Its got a nearly perfect first side, ending with some of Pollard's best work in "Gold Star..." and "Echos Myron", carrying through to "Awful Bliss", one of the record's few clunkers. But then you get "Mincer Ray", and right through to "Peep-Hole" you get, again, great song after great song (I know this review is getting long, but bear with me people). "Peep-Hole" is another example of what I was saying earlier about how Pollard's lyrics have improved so much. There's something about this song's simple melody and recording that I love, and I can probably blame the lyrics. For the first time, Pollard sounds genuinely sincere, which is just why I love the sentiment of this song so much. The record ends with "You're Not An Airplane", which as I previously mentioned, is the only expendable cut on Bee Thousand. And their you have it. Pollard's best album, and one of my absolute favorites of all time. To put it lightly, every person who considers him or herself a fan of indie rock, hell, rock in general, should own this album. Five stars.

MJ agrees with you 100%.