Guided By Voices: Dayton, Ohio - 19 Something And 5 (2000)

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...

Guided By Voices: Glad Girls (2001)

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...

Guided By Voices: The Official Ironmen Rally Song (1996)

This single comprises of tracks which were up for some version of what would become Under The Version Under The Stars, such as would-be albums The Flying Party Is Here and The Power Of Suck (which as of now is seeing a huge campaign from GBV fans to get released). The Official Ironmen Rally Song may have been Guided By Voices' first real shot at a huge single with its beautiful melody and great vocals/lyrics. It is a no-brainer for the best of playlist and I have already added it when going through Under The Bushes Under The Stars...

Guided By Voices: Motor Away (1995)

What made the Motor Away 7" single special was (like the My Valuable Hunting Knife single) the alternate take on the title track. The original from Alien Lanes is an anthem for the lo-fi movement. The version on this single sounds slightly more polished, and yet emptier. I choose the Alien Lanes version over the slick 7" every time, but there really is not much of a difference. I'm guessing finding this single is close to impossible now, but you can find its contents on the Demons & Painkillers disc in Hardcore UFOs...

Guided By Voices: I Am A Scientist (1994)

I Am A Scientist may be the most famous song in the entire Guided By Voices catalog. I am of the belief that the song deserves that particular credit. The version on Bee Thousand is a lo-fi masterpiece, and an anthem for the entire genre. The reason why you must have this EP is that the version on this disc is a heavier and higher quality version. I would love to hear what people believe to be the best version of I Am A Scientist; the lo-fi and low key Bee Thousand version, or this heavy version which GBV plays live often. Oh, and by the way, Do The Earth rocks hard also...