LP SCORE: 57, AVG: 3.56
EP SCORE: 8, AVG: 1.33
TOTAL SCORE: 65, AVG: 2.95 Between my original review and now, this is one of the records that has grown on me and jumped up the ranks. I imagine re-reading my review I didn't spend that much time with Not in My Airforce before writing that up. For one, I wrote that Psychic Pilot Clocks Out just barely made the playlist, and today it is one of my favorite Pollard songs ever. That being said, the album has six underwhelming bonus tracks from a planned EP tacked on that don't really mix with the album...The nice thing about the not-so-great songs being tacked on at the end, is that you can enjoy the two parts as they were initially intended. It probably does both parts justice since they can be experienced as their own thing, and I do believe that the 6-track EP, which has a consistent tone and feel, would sound better on its own without the weight of the amazing Not in My Airforce behind it.
Recently, Not in My Airforce has been re-released as a separate LP and EP but still combined in a single package. Since there is a physical copy of the album that has a clear separation, I thought it would be fair to provide a scoring of the LP and EP separately, and honestly, I think this truly does show just how amazing Not in My Airforce really is. As the notes on GBVDB say, Not in My Airforce ends with Prom is Coming, and with that it truly belongs among the great albums in Pollard's and GBV's catalog.
I still have some EPs and singles to go through, but just how amazing was 1996 for GBV? Under the Bushes Under the Stars, Tonics and Twisted Chasers, and Not in My Airforce (not to mention Tobin Sprout's Carnival Boy) provided an embarrassment of riches for GBV fans, and I am still amazed at how sonically there is a sound and theme that you can hear on all of these albums.
Here is the updated ranking:
Among Bob's Best
01 Maggie Turns to Flies
15 Psychic Pilot Clocks Out
Gems
03 A Girl Named Captain
04 Get Under It
09 Chance to Buy and Island
12 Flat Beauty
Almost Gems
02 Quicksilver
05 Release the Sunbird
They're Good
06 John Strange School
10 I've Owned You For Centuries
11 The Ash Gray Proclamation
They're OK
08 One Clear Minute
13 King of Arthur Avenue
14 Roofer's Union Fight Song
17 Party *
18 Did it Play? *
Could Live Without
07 Parakeet Troopers
16 Prom is Coming
19 Double Standards Inc. *
20 Punk Rock Gods *
21 Meet My Team *
22 Good Luck Sailor *
Toss-Offs & Throwaways
- none
- none
* notes that the track is from the 6-song EP
Given the scoring above, the album would get 65 points total (and an average of 2.95). The LP alone would have 57 points for an average of 3.56, and the EP has 8 points for an average of 1.33 points.
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