Airport 5: Life Starts Here (2002)

After the excellent Tower in the Fountain of Sparks, Airport 5 (the duo of Tobin Sprout and Robert Pollard) returned in 2002 with Life Starts Here. Whereas Tower in the Fountain of Sparks was consistent in its low key and beautiful ballads, Life Starts Here is more or less all over the place. It has Yellow Wife No. 5 so you must own it if you are a GBV fan, but generally it does not come close to it predecessor's brilliance. This album received some fairly negative reviews on its release, which put it near the end of my GBV related purchases. However, though it is not in any way among Pollard's best work, it does still have its charms...

Airport 5: Tower In The Fountain Of Sparks (2001)

To create what may be the most beautiful album in the GBV catalog, the dynamic duo of Tobin Sprout and Robert Pollard got back together in 2001 to follow up on 1996's Tonics and Twisted Chasers. However this time around, the two decided not to fly under the banner of Guided By Voices, but as Airport 5. Airport 5 (and of course GBV's Tonics and Twisted Chasers) is characterized as having softer, beatier, and keyboard-based grooves, which strays from the rock of GBV quite a bit. With two "hit" singles already released (Total Exposure and Stifled Man Casino), Airport 5 was starting to look less like a side-project, and more like a new band. However, with a release one year later (Life Starts Here), Airport 5 would only see two releases to date...

Guided By Voices/Airport 5: Selective Service (2001)

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) ...

Airport 5: Stifled Man Casino (2001)

Once again, I must apologize for the lack of posts lately. It has slowed down to about one per month, which is definately not what am aiming for. This is mainly due to me spending a few weeks job hunting/interviewing, and that taking the majority of my attention. The good news is that I now have a new job, and perhaps can post a bit more often (no guarantees though). Now that that's out of the way, let's get to business. Stifled Man Casino rocks. It is such a great song, and has a chorus that is just begging for radio-play. It contains one of my favorite GBV-related lines with "Up go the stakes in Stifled Man Casino/No one gets the brakes/That's the breaks, baby". But how are the b-sides?...

Airport 5: Total Exposure (2001)

I am pretty excited, since I just ordered the new Psycho and the Birds EP a week ago (and it should arrive fairly soon). It got me thinking about how my posts have been lacking in frequency lately. I am just finishing my final few days of post-secondary, and will be starting my life as a career-man, so this blog has been pushed back on the priority list lately. So if it is a month since my last post, please do not think that I have abandoned the site...I am likely just really busy. Hopefully I will get to post more frequently soon. With that out of the way, lets talk about the vinyl only single, Total Exposure...

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...

Robert Pollard and His Soft Rock Renegades: Choreographed Man of War (2001)

What's this? Is it Pollard's first solo EP? At only 10 tracks, the usual GBV fan likely expects a full 10 to 15 minutes of music. But not this time folks, as Robert Pollard and His Soft Rock Renegades (Jim Macpherson and Greg Demos) are here to rock you like Lexo and The Leapers did back in 1999! Thought this time, the fun lasts over a half-hour and the guitar is just a bit heavier. Its like an album full of Skin Parade (okay, maybe an exaggeration, but still pretty close). This is definately among Pollard's heavier albums, and there is not a single dud on the entire thing. Pick this one up as soon as you possibly can, you will not be disappointed...

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: Isolation Drills (2001)

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...

Circus Devils: Ringworm Interiors (2001)

Released on Halloween 2001 was the first album by the Circus Devils. The band consists of Robert Pollard's vocals over Tim Tobias' guitar, and Todd Tobias' "Instrumentation & Noises". Picking individual tracks for my ultimate Pollard/GBV playlist/box set is extremely difficult with Circus Devils releases, mainly because these songs are often so different than Pollard's other work. I've decided to keep anything too "out there" off my playlist. However, Ringworm Interiors is meant to be listened to (and experienced) as an album, so even though many songs would be out of place on a mix, they add to the overall texture of the album. This album rocks overall, as it is like being at a rock concert on Mars...on Halloween...

Guided By Voices: Suitcase - Failed Experiments and Trashed Aircraft (2000)

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...

Guided By Voices: Suitcase - Failed Experiments and Trashed Aircraft: DISC FOUR (2000)

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...

Guided By Voices: Suitcase - Failed Experiments and Trashed Aircraft: DISC THREE (2000)

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...

Life Is Beautiful

I added Life Is Beautiful from Speak Kindly of Your Volunteer Fire Department to the playlist/box set. I've been playing it a bit lately, and that beautiful guitar riff won't leave my head.

Guided By Voices: Suitcase - Failed Experiments and Trashed Aircraft: DISC TWO (2000)

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...

Guided By Voices: Suitcase - Failed Experiments and Trashed Aircraft: DISC ONE (2000)

Disc One of Suitcase's greatest claim to fame is the inclusion of the incredible Bunco Men, a song which has no right being on a rarities collection. This should have been on Under The Bushes Under The Stars, and made a spectacular album even greater. Overall, Disc One is a decent album in itself, especially if you trimmed it of some of the fat. Hey, its better than some of the EPs, and way better than Sandbox! It turns out that 10 of these 25 tracks have made my playlist, which will hopefully shed some of the fears that some of you may have when considering investing in this box set. You need this boxset for at least Bunco Men, as no GBV collection is complete with that track. How about a fast version of Spring Tiger? Or how about some tracks form aborted albums Concert For Todd, Power Of Suck, Back To Saturn X, Learning To Hunt, and The Corpse Like Sleep Of Stupidy? All this and outtakes from Bee Thousand and Do The Collapse make up Disc One of Suitcase...

Demons Are Real

I added Demons Are Real from Bee Thousand to the playlist/box set. How could I have left this off the playlist!? Well, back to my work on Suitcase...

Guided By Voices: Hold On Hope (2000)

I've said it once, and I'll say it again, Hold On Hope is my favorite Guided By Voices' EP. Take the over-production away from Do The Collapse, and what you have left over is a more true to GBV sound, and an overall better product. I should note there are other versions of this EP which include a song called Perfect This Time, which I do not have. If you have this track, please leave a comment and let me know what it is like. Either way, the 9-track version of the EP is spectacular, and at the cheap price there is no reason why anyone who considers themselves even remotely a fan of GBV should not have it...

Robert Pollard And Doug Gillard: Speak Kindly Of Your Volunteer Fire Department (1999)

When I was first getting into GBV, and researching what order to buy their related albums, Speak Kindly Of Your Volunteer Fire Department was often mentioned as one of the best non-GBV releases, if not the best. In particular, the song Pop Zeus kept showing up on various best-of lists by GBV fans. It turned out to be one of my later purchases simply due to the fact that I tried finding it in Canada first (and not for some ridiculous price), and then ended up picking it up from Luna. Is it all its cracked up to be? Did it live up to the hype? The short answer is yes. Is Pop Zeus an awesome track? Once again, the answer is yes. Is it Pollard's best non-GBV album? Well, no. I do not believe it reaches the greatness of either Not In My Airforce or Waved Out (not to mention that Lexo and the Leapers album which is climbing my personal charts after every listen), though it still rocks hard and deserves respect in the GBV world, as it is full of songs begging to be played for a stadium crowd...

Nightwalker: In Shop We Build Electrical Chairs - Professional Music By Nightwalker 1984-93 (1999)

How big of a Robert Pollard/GBV fan are you? Perhaps this album (#3 in the Fading Captain Series) is the ultimate test. From the spelling on the side of the case ("in shop wwe build electrical chairs") to the music within, this Nightwalker album is as far away from another 1999 release, Do the Collapse, as you can get. I personally picked up this disc even after hearing from others how terrible it is, just so I could fill a gap in my Pollard collection, and of course review it for you on this site. I will tell you right off the bat that this disc is in no way essential for the fan, and should be among the absolute last of your Pollard-related purchases...