RE:SCORE - Guided By Voices: Bee Thousand (1994)

TOTAL SCORE: 85, AVG: 4.25

What is there left to say about Bee Thousand? When I originally reviewed it back in early 2006 I was very much aware that this album was considered Guided By Voices' masterpiece and I made sure to go through it song by song. Since then I now like some songs even more today, but at the same time I lament over some of the production details that both give it character and at the same time detract from it. I am also quite annoyed in my early reviews how little I gave credit to anyone other than Pollard...

Bee Thousand is simply a masterpiece, and any discussion about Guided By Voices, Robert Pollard, or lo-fi DIY music can't be had without making its way to it. When I was going through the re:score I wasn't sure if it was going to beat Under the Bushes Under the Stars but ultimately I am happy that it did (by average, but UtBUtS had more overall points) because it does truly belong on top.

Even though my re:score generated high marks, I'm sure others will be surprised  to see some of the songs i listed as "Gems" and "Almost Gems" not on my "Among Bob's Best" list. At the end of day, we have different preferences and  songs resonate with us differently. Any song on Bee Thousand could be considered a favorite for fans because it is just that consistently good.

Here is the updated ranking:

Among Bob's Best
03 Tractor Rape Chain

05 Hot Freaks

09 Gold Star for Robot Boy

18 I Am a Scientist

Gems

02 Buzzards and Dreadful Crows

06 Smothered in Hugs

08 Echos Myron

Almost Gems

01 Hardcore UFO's

04 The Goldheart Mountaintop Queen Directory

10 Awful Bliss

11 Mincer Ray

13 Queen of Cans and Jars

15 Kicker of Elves

16 Ester's Day

19 Peep-Hole

They're Good

07 Yours to Keep

12 A Big Fan of the Pigpen

14 Her Psychology Today

17 Demons Are Real

They're OK

20 You're Not an Airplane

Could Live Without

-- none

Toss-Offs & Throwaways
-- none

Given the scoring above, the album would get 85 points total (and an average of 4.25).