I have raved about Pollard's solo twosome from 2006 of From a Compound Eye and Normal Happiness, and claimed that they were amongst the best albums in the GBV-related catolog. 2007 saw the release of another combo, the edgy Standard Gargoyle Decisions, and the focus of this post, the mellow and pop-whimsical Coast to Coast Carpet of Love (which I'll abbreviate CTCCOL from here on out). The familiar recording process of Todd Tobias laying out all the instrumental tracks, and then Pollard mixing the vocals would be used here. Though the 2007 offerings do not quite meet the level of awesome of Pollard's 2006 albums, there is still stuff to like here, however, there is something wrong with how the guitar sounds on CTCCOL. I would like to hear other's comments on this, but the way guitar is recorded on CTCCOL prevents me from enjoying it more...
You will notice in my reviews for From a Compound Eye (FACE) and Normal Happiness that I mention that they are among my favorite Robert Pollard releases. Those albums perfected the method of Todd Tobias recording full band versions of Robert Pollard's demos, and Pollard recording the vocals afterword. Though this method was somewhat used with the Tobias brothers (Tim and Todd) and Pollard for the Circus Devils albums, the method truly got its start when Todd Tobias recorded the instrumentation for Fiction Man, based on the unused demos from Guided By Voices' album Earthquake Glue. I think I will just get it out of the way now that this album is not among my favorites, and that some of the issues I had with Earthquake Glue filter down to this album as well...
After getting Suitcase 3 in the mail, I realized that I once again let a fairly decent amount of time go between posts. I decided to go over an album I honestly do not spend too much time with, Robert Pollard's somewhat experimental Motel of Fools. I've heard somewhere that this album was meant to sound like a movie soundtrack, and from the album notes, a few regular Pollard contributors show up for this one (Jim Macpherson, Greg Demos, Chris Slusarenko, and Tobin Sprout included). What I tend to do, when planning to write up an album I do not know too well, is listen to it while driving for a little while. Songs seem to imprint themselves on my brain easier if I hear them while driving. Over the course of listening to Motel of Fools a few times, I went from having only 1 of the 7 songs making the playlist, to 4...
In my write-up for From a Compound Eye, I mentioned that it, along with its sibling Normal Happiness, are the two Pollard albums I listen to the most. They are likely my favorite albums in the entire GBV-related catalog, so it probably wouldn't surprise you that all but one of the tracks from FACE made the playlist (and the majority of those on Normal Happiness are going to as well). That being said, the majority of the comments I received from my FACE post, either through email, the comments section, or that chat thing I have on the right of the screen, are focused on the exclusion of Payment for the Babies off the playlist. When this happens, I tend to spend some time with the song and see if I can figure out what I'm missing, and in this case, I can not. Payment for the Babies stays off the playlist, and once again we have proof that every single song of the GBV library has its supporters. Alright, now lets get to this great album...
In 2006, the solo era of Robert Pollard truly began with two of the greatest albums of Pollard's; From a Compound Eye (which I'll refer to as FACE) and Normal Happiness. Both albums were done in collaboration with Todd Tobias (Pollard providing Tobias with the basic structure of the song, and Tobias recording most of the instruments), and both stand out as two of my personal favorites. There is not a bad song in the batch among these 26 tracks, and unlike some other Pollard solo albums that are full of recommended tracks (for example, Kid Marine or Coast to Coast Carpet of Love), the majority go beyond being simply good, and many are among the best in the entire Pollard catalog...
In 2002 Robert Pollard teamed up with Richard Meltzer (former music critic), and noise bands Smegma and Antler to create a truly psychedelic vinyl only EP release. This CD version was expanded to include nine more tracks, as well as the addition of Vom (6 tracks). I am hard pressed to write a full entry for this disc, which I would have to say is one of the least important albums in the GBV catalog (or is it one of the most important ones, considering that only die-hard fans are going to bother to pick it up?) That being said, The Complete Soundtrack for the Tropic of Nipples is interesting with its mix of spoken word over noise, instrumentals, and some old school punk...
Kid Marine's main role in the history of Guided By Voices is being the first release under the Fading Captain Series. Personally, I consider this album to be among Pollard's least interesting, though there are a few tracks that stand out among the rest. However, any visit to Disarm the Settlers will reveal that Kid Marine is often a fan favorite, and sometimes even considered Pollard's best solo effort. I however, simply cannot agree with that, especially considering the greatness of both Waved Out and Not In My Airforce. Us GBV fans for the most part run all over the spectrum when considering what is Pollard's greatest music, and what should be included in, say, a greatest hits package. If I were making a single disc of my favorite GBV/Pollard songs, however, I doubt anything from Kid Marine would make the cut...
1998 saw the release of Robert Pollard's second solo album, Waved Out. In my opinion, Waved Out is the best of Pollard's solo work (just slightly higher than Not In My Airforce), and one of the best albums in his catalog including GBV titles. For starters, it includes two of the greatest tracks of Pollard's entire career, Make Use and Subspace Biographies. Second, the rest of the album is damn good too, without too much filler (we'll get to Showbiz Opera Walrus later). The album is a variety of sound quality, though after a few listens sounds like a cohesive album. I also find that it reminds me of earlier era GBV, say Propeller or even Alien Lanes...
Alright, I get to go through my first Robert Pollard solo album for this guide! What is the difference between a solo Robert Pollard album and a Guided By Voices release? For the most part I do not really see a difference. Perhaps on future solo Pollard releases like Fiction Man and Motel of Fools, it is a more experimental aspect which makes the largest difference. However, just the first four tracks alone on Not In My Airforce rate among Pollard's finest (not to mention Chance to Buy an Island hiding out at track nine). Maybe it is the group of acoustic tracks tacked on to the end of Not in My Airforce which make this a more experimental outing. With Sunfish Holy Breakfast, Tonics and Twisted Chasers, and the phenomenal Under the Bushes, Under the Stars all released in 1996, how did Pollard have time to create this solo release? And more importantly, how did he manage to fill it with such prime music...
Kid Marine's main role in the history of Guided By Voices is being the first release under the Fading Captain Series. Personally, I consider this album to be among Pollard's least interesting, though there are a few tracks that stand out among the rest. However, any visit to Disarm the Settlers will reveal that Kid Marine is often a fan favorite, and sometimes even considered Pollard's best solo effort. I however, simply cannot agree with that, especially considering the greatness of both Waved Out and Not In My Airforce. Us GBV fans for the most part run all over the spectrum when considering what is Pollard's greatest music, and what should be included in, say, a greatest hits package. If I were making a single disc of my favorite GBV/Pollard songs, however, I doubt anything from Kid Marine would make the cut...
1998 saw the release of Robert Pollard's second solo album, Waved Out. In my opinion, Waved Out is the best of Pollard's solo work (just slightly higher than Not In My Airforce), and one of the best albums in his catalog including GBV titles. For starters, it includes two of the greatest tracks of Pollard's entire career, Make Use and Subspace Biographies. Second, the rest of the album is damn good too, without too much filler (we'll get to Showbiz Opera Walrus later). The album is a variety of sound quality, though after a few listens sounds like a cohesive album. I also find that it reminds me of earlier era GBV, say Propeller or even Alien Lanes...
Alright, I get to go through my first Robert Pollard solo album for this guide! What is the difference between a solo Robert Pollard album and a Guided By Voices release? For the most part I do not really see a difference. Perhaps on future solo Pollard releases like Fiction Man and Motel of Fools, it is a more experimental aspect which makes the largest difference. However, just the first four tracks alone on Not In My Airforce rate among Pollard's finest (not to mention Chance to Buy an Island hiding out at track nine). Maybe it is the group of acoustic tracks tacked on to the end of Not in My Airforce which make this a more experimental outing. With Sunfish Holy Breakfast, Tonics and Twisted Chasers, and the phenomenal Under the Bushes, Under the Stars all released in 1996, how did Pollard have time to create this solo release? And more importantly, how did he manage to fill it with such prime music...