TOTAL SCORE: 48, AVG: 3.43
Using my new scoring method (read about it in my first Re-Score article), I thought it only made sense to get Half Smiles of the Decomposed out of the way. In my original review nearly 10 years ago the context for my review was how this was the last GBV album ever. We have since then had the original lineup come back for six new albums between 2012 to 2014, a solo-effort Pollard GBV album, and a reuniting with Doug Gillard for three GBV-labeled albums (Space Gun is still unreleased as of this). That is 10 new Guided By Voices albums since the first reunion in 2012, eight years after Half Smiles of the Decomposed! ...
TOTAL SCORE: 56, AVG: 2.67
I recently made a GBV-related playlist on Google Play Music that was about 900 songs, where I simply chose any song that I liked at least a little bit. As I listen to the playlist (which is awesome by the way) I've definitely noticed that there is a big difference between songs I like, and songs that I really like, and that I was going about this whole project the wrong way. Sort of. This blog was going to end up generating that 900 song playlist, and even though there is a purpose to have that playlist, I now think it is important to categorize the songs into different levels of awesome...
The intro starts slowly, and begins to build up. Laundry & Lasers is the first track on the first album under the Guided By Voices name in about eight years, and it needs to tell us what the new GBV is all about. And when I say new, I actually mean "classic", as this is the reuniting of Robert Pollard with Tobin Sprout (vocals, guitar), Mitch Mitchell (guitars), Greg Demos (bass), and Kevin Fennell (drums). These are the guys that brought us Propeller, Bee Thousand, Alien Lanes, and Under the Bushes Under the Stars. Are they going to continue with the mid-fi sounds that UTBUTS left off, or chart a new course for GBV?
Pollard's vocal's kick in, and they are definitely on the mid-fi range, so that question is answered. But then, the driven guitar and drums join in, and the classic lineup starts out with a rocker. Its a great song, and it reminds me of other stellar opening tunes like Man Called Aerodynamics for UTBUTS or A Salty Salute from Alien Lanes. But would the rest of the album live up to potential gleamed from Laundry & Lasers?
In 2004, Robert Pollard announced that he was retiring Guided By Voices. Apparently he wanted to go out with an album that felt good as a final album, and Half Smiles of the Decomposed felt like that album. I have no doubts that any further GBV albums would have also been great to out on, based on the post-GBV solo work of Pollard's (in particular From a Compound Eye and Normal Happiness), but alas, this is it. Half Smiles is in many ways greater than the previous album, Earthquake Glue (more variety), though it is not nearly as rocking as Universal Truths and Cycles. That being said I feel it completes a trilogy somewhat which includes those other two albums. With songs such as Girls of Wild Strawberries, Gonna Never Have to Die, and Window of My World, we can also see a sort of bridge to the upcoming solo Pollard albums. But hey, as long as they end with a song related to aircrafts everything will be alright, right?...
Earthquake Glue is likely the new-era GBV disc that I listen to the least. After the rock-fest that was Universal Truths & Cycles, Earthquake Glue has a slightly more pop-mellow vibe, and reminds me of Kid Marine in its okay-ness. That is, there is not a bad track on the album, nor does it really ever shine through as spectacular. It has its fair share of hits (My Kind of Soldier, The Best of Jill Hives, and Useless Inventions are up there with GBV's best), but the album overall may take more listens than usual before other tracks begin standing out. That being said, the whole album is pretty much making the playlist...
Boxsets are the collector's dream. Guided By Voices boxsets are not so rare. With two editions of Suitcase, a collection of early out-of-print albums, and Hardcore UFOs, GBV has four boxsets collecting about a hundred songs each. Where the two Suitcase boxsets showcase only unreleased tracks, the Box boxset having four out-of-print albums and one album of unreleased material...Hardcore UFOs has six distinct discs; 1) a greatest hits package, 2) a documentary DVD, 3) A live album, 4) an out-of-print singles/EP collection, 5) an unreleased collection, and 6) an out-of-print EP...
A Guided By Voices greatest hits package? How can a band with as many rocking songs as GBV have a single disc greatest hits? I think this needs to be put into some context before continuing. First off, this album is virtually meaningless for someone already a big fan. Because of this, its inclusion in Hardcore UFOs is an odd choice. Who other than those already owning every GBV album would buy Hardcore UFOs in the first place? Therefore, I must review this disc in its non-Hardcore UFOs stand-alone version aimed at the person who has not yet discovered Robert Pollard and GBV. This was the very first GBV album I ever purchased, and in the context of a primer for newcomers, this greatest hits package is perfect...
Live At the Wheelchair Races is a stellar live album. It has a great mix of tracks, from the classics (A Salty Salute, Weed King, Game Of Pricks, Tractor Rape Chain), live staples (My Impression Now, Drinker's Peace, Johnny Appleseed, Over The Neptune), Robert Pollard solo album tracks (Quicksilver, Make Use, Town Of Mirrors, Far Out Crops), and some rare live tracks (Key Losers, How Loft Am I?, Look At Them, Shrine To The Dynamic Years, James Riot). I did not plan on actually putting any live tracks on the playlist, however, one particular cut is just too cool to ignore...
I was listening to the new Fading Captain Series greatest hits collection Crickets in my car to and from work today, and it definitely got me in the mood to write a post today (and of course one is due). Continuing on with Hardcore UFOs, I am going to tackle the unreleased collection Delicious Pie & Thank You For Calling. Unlike the Suitcase collections, this particular unreleased collection has some order to it. Tracks 1-6 are early 8-track/boombox recordings (recorded late 80's), 7-11 are outtakes from Self-Inflicted Aerial Nostalgia (1989), 15-18 are Do The Collapse demos, and 19-22 are Mag Earwhig! demos. How does this compilation stack up against, say, a Suitcase disc? Generally, I would have to say it is not quite up to par...
I thought I'd start my 2003-era GBV coverage with the Hardcore UFOs boxset. More specifically, with Demons & Painkillers; a collection of Matador out-of-print singles, B-sides, and tunes from compilations. Albums like this are so important to fans like me who get into a band late in the game (or who do not have a record player), and missed out on grabbing some of these singles when they originally came out. This may be the best reason to pick up Hardcore UFOs, since Demons & Painkillers is a fairly decent album all on its own...
Two months later and I'm back with a new entry into what has now been a year-long project; creating the ultimate Robert Pollard/GBV guide. My absence has been quite necessary as I have been a) doing the whole Christmas /New Year thing, and b) I moved into a new house. With the new house I have picked up a killer sound system to enjoy my GBV-related tunes on, so I'm pretty excited about that. So the first post of the new year, in the new house, and on the new sound system is Universal Truth's and Cycle's companion EP, The Pipe Dreams of Instant Prince Whippet. Whereas the Hold On Hope EP was generally better than its companion album (Do The Collapse), Prince Whippet is definitely more of an extension of Universal Truths and Cycles...
It's been a while, but I'm back. I woke up this morning and thought that it was about time to get another entry up. Let me start off my saying that for quite a while, this was the GBV album that I listened to the least. It had the least impact on first listen, and took the longest to grow on me. That being said, I now find myself in a 'new era' GBV phase, and Universal Truths and Cycles is getting a lot of plays. It is unique in the GBV catalog with its mix of slick production and heavier rock, somewhat in the vein of Choreographed Man of War. I can tell you right off the bat that there are going to be a lot of bolded tracks on this one...
Selective Service is simply a collection of three previous vinyl-only singles from GBV and Airport 5. Those singles being Dayton, Ohio - 19 Something and 5, Total Exposure, and Stifled Man Casino. The latter two available also on Tower in the Fountain of Sparks. Also included as a bonus track is the Airport 5 track In the Brain, which I have not been able to get into very much. I currently have it on my list of songs to re-visit for my ultimate playlist. Should someone who actually owns Airport 5's Tower in the Fountain of Sparks pick up this EP? I would answer yes due to the live version of Dayton, Ohio - 19 Something and 5, as well as the two excellent b-sides to Total Exposure. To get my take on the individual releases that make up Selective Service, see the following links:
Guided By Voices: Dayton, Ohio - 19 Something and 5 (2000)
Airport 5: Total Exposure (2001)
Airport 5: Stifled Man Casino (2001) ...
GBV embraces vinyl, which is probably one of the most annoying things about the band, for someone like me living in a city in Canada which has maybe one store which actually sells the stuff. I own exactly two vinyl records, of which I do not have the record player to listen to them on: Robert Pollard's Love is Strong Than Witchcraft, and GBV"s Bee Thousand - The Director's Cut. Since I can't actually play them, I have never heard the live version of Dolphin's Of Color which is sitting on the desk next to me. Luckily, Scat Records was cool enough to include the extra tracks of the Bee Thousand album on a CD so I could actually hear them. This particular single/EP was a vinyl only release so I will likely never own it. Of course, all the songs were released a year later on Selective Service, so I can still post an entry...
The incredible catchy and upbeat Glad Girls was an obvious single from Isolation Drills. Packaged with this song is three cuts from the album, one of which shares its title with the album it was left off of. Generally speaking, GBV tends to leave off some prime cuts for such events (singles, EP's, etc.) in what I suspect is a concious effort to make sure these types of releases are a special treat for devoted fans. If you want to see what I said about Glad Girls, the song, just check out my entry for Isolation Drills here. This particular entry will concentrate on the three b-sides...
Not quite the production of Do The Collapse, yet cleaner than Mag Earwhig!, comes their second TVT release, Isolation Drills. If any of GBV's albums could be considered accessible by all, it would be this one. Pop "hits" are scattered all over this beauty (Fair Touching, Chasing Heather Crazy, Twilight Campfighter, Glad Girls...), and it is often considered the best of latter day GBV by their fans. Almost the entire album makes my playlist (which is probably not a surprise for most of you). From its GBV trademark aviation imagery on the cover, to its many throwbacks to 60's/70's stadium rock, Isolation Drills is pure GBV...
38 of the 100 tracks found on Suitcase made my ultimate Pollard/GBV playlist/box set. On top of that, I would say that about 80% of Suitcase is not just listenable, but decent as well. Any personal Suitcase "best of" compliation would fit perfectly well amongst GBV's albums, and the quality of these rarities is surprisingly good. I reviewed all the discs separately and hope that I have set aside any fears of those who wonder if the box set is worth the $50 bucks or so to purchase it...
Whereas the focus of the previous three discs in Suitcase was with aborted album tracks (and some album cuts), the focus of the fourth disc is late 80's tunes...and boy were GBV on a roll during this era. On top of the five 80's releases (Forever Since Breakfast, Devil Between My Toes, Sandbox, Self-Inflicted Aerial Nostalgia, and Same Place The Fly Got Smashed), GBV had more than enough material to release a sixth album, and a damn good album at that. Disc Four continues the trend of surprising quality, rounding out what truly is a great box set...
Overall, Disc Three is probably better than Disc Two. After a few listens, some songs really started to mesh with me, and I really began enjoying the disc as an album in its own right. The quality here is surprisingly good (not sound quality mind you...song quality), and hidden among the hiss are some nice melodies. Scattered throughout Disc Three are the usual suspects for the Suitcase box set; aborted album tracks from Learning to Hunt, Power of Suck, A Concert for Todd, and The Corpse Like Sleep of Stupidity, outtakes from Bee Thousand and Same Place the Fly Got Smashed, and a bunch of 80's tunes...
After being dazzled by some prime cuts in Disc One, I was a little disappointed with Disc Two. Though it still follows the pattern of focusing on outtakes from Bee Thousand, Same Place The Fly Got Smashed, and Do The Collapse, as well as grabbing songs from aborted albums Power Of Suck, Back To Saturn X, and Learning To Hunt, Disc One appears to have a better collection. The highlights of Disc Two include the beautiful Supermarket The Moon, which actually had a case for itself for inclusion in Bee Thousand, a wonderful version of Ha Ha Man, and another gem in Our Value Of Luxury. Hey, and it has the Back To Saturn X version of Damn Good Mr. Jam, so it is not without its charms...
