RE:SCORE - Robert Pollard with Doug Gillard: Speak Kindly of Your Volunteer Fire Department (1999)

TOTAL SCORE: 51, AVG: 3.40

I still remember getting this album and reviewing it for the first time. I had trouble finding it, yet I knew that it was highly regarded by GBV fans, and often remarked as one of the best non-GBV releases (if not the best). I totally get why that is, as both Gillard and Pollard are firing on all cylinders on Speak Kindly of Your Volunteer Fire Department. If Do the Collapse left you scratching your head, then maybe Speak Kindly is the ultimate representation of GBV for 1999...

My feelings on the album have changed. I still recognize Pop Zeus as an absolute top track, though my love for it has waned a bit over time. My feelings for Life is Beautiful would basically look like a wave as it has moved from favorite to forgettable depending on how I'm feeling at any given time, and Larger Massachusetts has steadily moved up the ranks. Tight Globes, Slick as Snails, and Do Something Real are obvious crowd pleasers, and I think it is fair for Frequent Weaver Who Burns and And I Don't (So Now I Do) to be included in the same class. 

Another call out to this album being among Pollard's best is that a lot of tracks from Speak Kindly have been played live, and probably more so than other non-GBV labelled albums. as far as being essential, any fan of Pollard or GBV need to be familiar with it, so yes, it is essential listening. 

Doug Gillard is an important piece to Guided By Voices. He is a key contributor to half of GBV's 30 albums thus far, and has joined Pollard on multiple other collaborations (this, Lifeguards, and ESP Ohio).  In way you can talk about there being two GBV's, the Gillard version, and the classic (Sprout, Mitchell, etc.) one. Of course, Pollard is the main connection in all of it, but Gillard truly is an important part of the legacy, and Speak Kindly is an important part of that legacy as well. Here is the updated ranking:

Among Bob's Best

03 Pop Zeus

Gems

10 Tight Globes

Almost Gems

01 Frequent Weaver Who Burns

04 Slick as Snails

05 Do Something Real

09 And I Don't (So Now I Do)

14 Larger Massachusetts

They're Good

02 Soul Train College Policeman

06 Port Authority

11 I Get Rid of You

12 Life Is Beautiful

13 Messiahs

They're OK

08 Same Things

15 And My Unit Moves

Could Live Without

07 Soft Smoke

Toss-Offs & Throwaways
-- none

Given the scoring above, the album would get 51 points total (and an average of 3.40).