Opinions On Guided By Voices

Yes. The production on albums like Isolation Drills and Do The Collapse are much slicker sounding and not "lo-fi" at all. Which some fans complained about at the time, seeing it as a move away from what GBV was all about. I happen to love those albums and they are full of some amazing anthems. Another album with much a more polished production to check out is Half Smiles of the Decomposed. The opening track on that album is one of Bob's pure pop masterpieces. And I love the weird lyrics in the bridge about the cowboy/alien campfire or whatever he is talking about This thread is going to have me pulling out all my old GBV/Pollard albums again soon and doing some windmill air guitar.

 

Under The Bushes Under The Stars also sounds good from a more "mainstream" perspective, and personally I think it's one of their more solid releases despite it not being one of the fan faves.

 

In terms of sound, though, it's still a tricky one. Bob cranked all the treble and it's mastered really hot. I said it a page or two back in this thread that "To Remake The Young Flyer" hurts my ears to listen to.

 

Even the original release? Admittedly I haven't listened to it in a while, but I don't recall it being a harsh listen.

 

Great album but even the original vinyl is mastered hot hot hot. Scorching.

 

But then again Vampire is my favorite GBV LP and that will certainly never make The Absolute Sound list.

 

It's my favorite 90s GBV album. I love every single one of the 24 songs.

 

I really like the following GBV songs:
Hold On Hope
I Am A Scientist
My Valuable Hunting Knife

 

Seems like the new GBV is going to be playing our local Sled Island festival the summer. I shall see them and perhaps my low opinion of them will be changed in a live setting. I do hope he's not falling over drunk, but what can you do.

 

That's a great quote, but it should really be attributed to Mark E Smith, who said it about The Fall (I think it was originally: "If it's me and your granny on bongos, it's The Fall.")

 

If you walk into a GBV show hoping that Bob isn't drunk, they really might not be the band for you.

 

Not long after the Stone Pony debacle and last breakup, someone either posted or sent me a link to an obit for Bob's dad, who died about the same time -- November 2014. Not that it's an excuse for the drunken disaster or the split, but Bob Sr.'s illness probably had an effect on what was going on at the time.

The first time I saw GBV (Bob, Doug Gillard, Nate Farley, Kevin March, etc.) was at the 9:30 Club in D.C. on the Electrifying Conclusion tour. I felt fortunate to see them a handful of times later on the reunion tour. I love the Classic lineup, but I'd go see Bob playing Bob songs with just about anyone.

Under the Bushes Under the Stars is my favorite album by the Geebs and one of my favorites of all time.

 

I have read Bob's dad was at least part of the reason he broke it up at that time.

 

So I guess Ricked Wicky is done?

 

probably just morphed into the next thing, just like The Takeovers > Boston Spaceships.

 

Never tied the two together but it makes sense. Also, the reunited lineup was together for 4 years at that point, almost as long as the Gillard era, an eternity in Bob years. It'd run it's course.

 

It may have run its course, but calling a sudden halt to the proceedings without explanation was a lousy move, taking into account the people who'd made travel/lodging arrangements to see those shows.

 

So I can't be a fan of his music without wishing he didn't get fallover drunk and ruin many performances? Sorry but to to me, the drunk thing is the least appealing part of Bob's persona. The guy is one of the finest songwriters of the post punk era and a great performer when he's sober. I just don't get the appeal of watching a guy in his 50s getting wasted beyond recognition when he's supposed to be doing a show for a loyal audience. I've seen him so drunk that he was slurring unintelligible lyrics for the last third of the show. And yes despite this, they are the band for me.

 

Bob has released so many albums in the last 5 years I honestly can't remember a single song title by Ricked Wicky despite the fact I listened to the albums quite a few times.

 

Some, though certainly not all, of the drunkenness is fake. I've seen lots of shows where he'll grab a bottle, take one swig (or mime taking it) and put the bottle aside, going through a case that way. Not to say he doesn't actually drink onstage, especially during the last tour, but to some extent it's also putting in what the fans expect.

Besides, we're talking about a guy who at his drunkest can remember the lyrics to 40-plus songs without using a teleprompter.

 

I know what you mean, the only song title I can think of is "Piss Face". Between all the solo stuff, GBV, Ricked Wicky, Circus Devils., B Spaceships, etc. it's hard to recall many individual track names.

 

Pollard is a unique and gifted songwriter. One of the few who can write a song such that when you hear it for the first time, even though you know you've never heard it before, it almost seems like you have. Not because he's copying, just because his songwriting sounds natural and effortless. Hard to describe...but I know exactly what I mean

 

It's weird, I think I have a real love/hate thing with Pollard. I have two of the four reunited GBV albums, and I can't recall a single track from any one of them. I simply think he's fallen into a totally comfortable creative zone, and I've said it here before, that he relies on the same "Bob tropes" time and time again. He releases 4-5 albums a year in some shape or form, and to me it begins to smack of ego and a lack of creative self-awareness. Hey, Pete Townshend has a massive creative ego too, but his released demo collections have been carefully curated.

 

I think it has to be more than ego. I think it's a burning passion to create -- music, collages, poetry ... In another life, touchdowns, no-hitters, jump shots ...

I envy his drive almost as much as I do the final results.

 

Creating is one thing - that's fine, all well and good.

It's the releasing of ALL of it, is where it becomes tricky.

I suppose you can say that he's not only driven, but also uncompromising. That's also fine, well and good. I just don't think he gets a free pass simply because he releases 4-5 albums a year.