Guided By Voices: Plugs for the Program (1999)

TOTAL SCORE: 7, AVG: 3.50

Sucker of Pistol City is a good enough song that fans will want to have access to it, but finding a copy of Plugs for the Program can be a challenge given its limited release. This is one that I actually don't have access to so I'm relying on what is available on YouTube, which is both Sucker of Pistol City and the demo of Picture Me Big Time...

The tracks here are also available on a limited version of the Hold on Hope EP as bonus songs. I can't find a good copy of this particular Surgical Focus mix, but I understand it to be similar to the album version and I found this description from genius.com: 

"This remix of 'Surgical Focus', a single from Do the Collapse from earlier that year, bears great resemblance to the album version. However, this version adds a guitar riff in the introduction, adds more reverb to the drums, and the instruments sit slightly differently in the mix. This version also omits the 'Look!' at the end. It is possible that this version was remixed for radio at the behest of record label TVT, who also commissioned radio mixes for 'Hold on Hope' that were rejected."

Sucker of Pistol City is apparently an Under the Bushes Under the Stars era track recorded with the classic lineup, and it definitely sounds like it. Given its existence on this rare EP there are probably a lot of people who are missing out on hearing it and I suggest you seek it out. It is a slower track that picks up in a beautiful way (We’ll sing some songs so serene about minor suns/will they crown you?/sit still for the emotion police with tranquilizer guns/will they destroy you?". It is one of those songs that I tend to enjoy the more I hear it. This earlier version of Picture Me Big Time is okay as well, but it is an demo to an ok song to begin with, though stripped down I can see how some may actually prefer it to the album version. Here is the ranking for Plugs for the Program:

Among Bob's Best

-- none

Gems

-- none

Almost Gems

02 Sucker of Pistol City

They're Good

03 Picture Me Big Time (Demo)

They're OK

-- none

Could Live Without

-- none

Toss-Offs & Throwaways
-- none

Not Counted
01 Surgical Focus (Remix)

Given the scoring above, the album would get 7 points total (and an average of 3.50).