Anton's rather different TOP 50 favorite records of all time thread - Part 2

Absolutely. His mid 90's run was stunning. I still prefer Bee Thousand to the next two but yes, the quality of his songs at the time was as jawdropping as their quantity!

 

Izozeles, I think your post kinda disappeared.

 

I was asking you if the BT Director' Cut was a different release. Any extra content?

 

Oh yes.

The Director's Cut[edit]
Side one

1. "Demons Are Real" (Mitchell, J. Pollard, R. Pollard, Sprout) – 0:49
2. "Deathtrot and Warlock Riding a Rooster" (Mitchell, R. Pollard) – 1:12
3. "Postal Blowfish" (Mitchell, R. Pollard) – 2:09
4. "The Goldheart Mountaintop Queen Directory" – 1:45
5. "At Odds with Dr. Genesis" – 1:25
6. "Hot Freaks" (R. Pollard, Sprout) – 1:44
7. "Queen of Cans and Jars" – 1:56
8. "Bite" (Mitchell, J. Pollard, R. Pollard) – 1:04
9. "It's Like Soul Man" (4-track version) (Sprout) – 0:49

Side two

1. "Supermarket the Moon" – 2:13
2. "Stabbing a Star" – 1:46
3. "Esther's Day" (Sprout) – 1:33
4. "Her Psychology Today" (Mitchell, J. Pollard, R. Pollard, Sprout) – 2:05
5. "Good for a Few Laughs" (R. Pollard, Sprout) – 2:15
6. "Smothered in Hugs" (Mitchell, J. Pollard, R. Pollard) – 3:03
7. "What Are We Coming Up To?" – 1:57
8. "Peep-Hole" – 1:30

Side three

1. "Revolution Boy" – 3:03
2. "Indian Was an Angel" – 2:07
3. "Zoning the Planet" – 2:25
4. "Scissors" (Sprout) – 1:48
5. "Crayola" – 1:17
6. "Kicker of Elves" – 1:15
7. "2nd Moves to Twin" (Mitchell, J. Pollard, R. Pollard) – 2:46
8. "I'll Buy You a Bird" – 1:47

Side four

1. "Awful Bliss" (Sprout) – 1:13
2. "Echos Myron" – 2:19
3. "Why Did You Land?" (4-track version) – 2:45
4. "You're Not an Airplane" (Sprout) – 0:34
5. "Crunch Pillow" (Sprout) – 2:46
6. "Rainbow Billy" – 1:39
7. "Tractor Rape Chain" – 2:47
8. "Crocker's Favorite Song" – 2:16

Side five

1. "I Am a Scientist" – 2:30
2. "Buzzards and Dreadful Crows" (J. Pollard, R. Pollard) – 1:43
3. "A Big Fan of The Pigpen" (Campbell, J. Pollard, R. Pollard) – 2:09
4. "Mincer Ray" (Sprout) – 2:21
5. "Way to a Man's Heart" (Unknown) – 1:52
6. "Twig" (Unknown) – 2:15
7. "Gold Star for Robot Boy" – 1:39
8. "Hardcore UFOs" – 1:54
9. "Yours to Keep" – 1:15
10. "Shocker in Gloomtown" – 1:05
11. "Break Even" – 1:40

Side six

1. "I'll Get Over It" (J. Pollard, R. Pollard, Sprout) – 0:39
2. "Shocker in Gloomtown" – 1:25
3. "Alien Lanes" (J. Pollard, R. Pollard, Sprout) – 2:32
4. "Off the Floor" (Sprout) – 0:53
5. "Break Even" – 2:28
6. "Bee Thousand" – 1:30
7. "I Am a Scientist" – 2:31
8. "Curse of the Black Ass Buffalo" – 1:20
9. "Do the Earth" – 2:42
10. "Planet's Own Brand" – 1:15
11. "My Valuable Hunting Knife" – 2:08

Here's the Pitchfork review, sorry for cut and paste but I'm tired and sleeping already. It's well past midnight in Moscow now.


Our Pollard, who art in Dayton, hallowed be thy name... man, look at that rating. The eighth deadly sin must surely be the curse of objectivity. By now, having been lucky enough to spill my guts all over this site on such diverse topics as the ghosts of GBVs past, present, and future, the myth of Robert Pollard, and a religious experience at a long-gone concert when it seemed like the band might just be the answer to any question rock 'n' roll wanted to ask, it may seem that my objectivity is in short supply. It is. The part of me that holds an irrational, almost baseless devotion to Robert Pollard's hissed-out anthems is screaming "10!" from the back of my brain, and it only takes a listen to the restless ghosts of "The Goldheart Mountaintop Queen Directory", or the rejuvenated arena dinosaurs of "Buzzards and Dreadful Crows" to weaken my resolve. But something's wrong, and every time that voice speaks up and asserts this album's perfection, it's shouted down by a simple, immutable truth: "If it's right, you can tell."

Guided By Voices got it right back in 1994. Bee Thousand is the band's definitive moment, the point when the ringing Who-isms of Pollard's youth-- filtered through four-tracks and his own post-punk, X-Men, stream-of-consciousness quirks-- finally matured beyond the atonal growing pains ofVampire on Titus and Propeller. The distinction was slight but unmistakable-- like learning to harness all the jaw-dropping, stadium-quaking power ofPropeller's triumphant exclamation ("I'm much greater than you think!") without all the run-up or refining the unworked defiance of "Exit Flagger". OnBee Thousand, GBV mastered all those fragments of greatness and assembled an entire album from them. Sure, it stumbles occasionally, and falters as only four spare-time, blue-collar bandmates from Dayton, Ohio can-- that is, humanly and forgivably-- but the original Bee Thousand simply stands alongside the greatest of the modern era. The original warrants a 10.

So what of The Director's Cut? Shouldn't this just be a bionic Bee Thousand? In what parody of a just universe is this not every ounce of the original plus whatever else was left over? I feel faint...

Track sequence, it turns out, is really, really important. This new, expanded version of the record includes an early, 33-track sequence. It's spread out over four vinyl sides, along with another record containing the standard B1000tracks that weren't initially included, as well as The Grand Hour and I Am a Scientist EPs. Unfortunately, this original sequence is so bafflingly unsatisfying that it might've kept Guided by Voices in the basement for another decade had clearer heads not eventually prevailed.

"I Am a Scientist" first earned GBV a measure of notoriety and in some small way helped legitimize the rise of lo-fi to minor prominence in the early 90s; sadly, it wouldn't even have been included on Bee Thousand (here, it's relegated to the extras and outtakes disc). And that's least of the original's tracklist problems: The "new" material in the early sequence is composed almost entirely of Suitcase and King **** and the Golden Boys tracks-- material that was substandard even on those collections of outtakes.

The burden is only slightly ameliorated by an older, thinner version of the otherwise classically bombastic concert staple "Postal Blowfish" (better reprised on the Brain Candy soundtrack), a four-track demo of "It's Like Soul Man", and a few lazy, acoustic charmers like "Indian Was a Angel" or "Supermarket the Moon". But for every new highlight, there's an equally inaccessible "Deathtrot and Warlock Riding a Rooster" or "Zoning the Planet"; the resultant load proves to be a little too heavy for even classics like "Echoes Myron" to completely bear.

With the remains of the final cut haphazardly tacked on at the end, in addition to a thoroughly mixed bag like The Grand Hour, and almost-redundant alternates of both "Shocker in Gloomtown" (included twice in the span of four tracks, and yet still valuable for the energy infusion it provides both times) and "I Am a Scientist", the "bonus record" is as slapdash as The Director's Cutitself. Thankfully, a fantastic unreleased version of "My Valuable Hunting Knife" ends this ordeal on perhaps its highest note, dispensing with the haunting atmospherics found on the Alien Lanes version and plunging into a sea of churning guitar and a clipped, punchy vocal performance from Pollard.

Of course, a phenomenal finish isn't quite enough to correct the confusing missteps of the previous hour. Despite containing the core of one of the most stunning, unexpectedly triumphant records ever recorded, and a few wonderful tracks besides, Bee Thousand: The Director's Cut manages the almost impossible feat of reducing itself to a merely good album with some incredible highlights-- maddeningly similar to almost every other album our beloved Fading Captain has ever tossed off. The slipshod nature of this expanded reissue serves only to prove two things: for better or worse, GBV is ever Robert Pollard's child (and thankfully Tobin Sprout was around to shepherd it, at least for a time), and that the final edit of Bee Thousand is every bit the miracle it sounds.

 

GBV are a band that I've never really checked out but a couple of their songs have popped up on one of my Pandora stations lately. Both are very good and so I'm on the lookout for used copies of their CDs, especially the 90's era stuff.

 

Personally I prefer Bauhaus over GBV.

 

You should immediatly get yourself a couple of Spacemen 3 albums

 

Have 'em all by now on CD and plan vinyl purchase. Fantastic stuff, exactly the kind of music I'm crazy about these days! I discovered them a bit late sadly, and that's the only reason why Sound of Confusion or Playing with Fire are not on this list yet. Next year, who knows!

 

All right, I was quite sure that a cult classic like Bee Thousand would generate a bit more discussion. Anyway, let's move on to Number 4

 

It's time for Number 4! The list so far:

50. Songs:Ohia - Magnolia Electric Co (2003)
49. Herman Brood and His Wild Romance - Street (1977)
48. Opal - Happy Nightmare Baby (1987)
47. Ultravox! - Ha! Ha! Ha! (1977)
46. Suede - Coming Up (1996)
45. Doctors of Madness - Late Night Movies, All Night Brainstorm (1976)
44. Black Sabbath - Vol 4 (1972)
43. Julee Cruise - Floating into the Night (1989)
42. Neil Young - Time Fades Away (1973)
41. Ride - Nowhere (1990)
40. The Only Ones - The Only Ones (1978)
39. Bruce Springsteen - Greetings from Asbury Park, NJ (1973)
38. The Walkabouts - Nighttown (1997)
37. The Rolling Stones - Goats Head Soup (1973)
36. Charlie Bleak - Let Me In (1976)
35. Felt - Forever Breathes the lonely word (1986)
34. Velvet Underground - White Light White Heat (1968)
33. Carpenters - Horizon (1975)
32. Grant Lee Buffalo - Mighty Joe Moon (1994)
31. GILLAN - Mr. Universe (1979)
30. Meat Puppets - Meat Puppets II (1984)
29. Joan Baez - Diamonds and Rust (1975)
28. The Good, The Bad and The Queen (2007)
27. Sparks - Big Beat (1976)
26. Pulp - Freaks (1987)
25. KISS - Music from The Elder (1981)
24. Dion - Born to be With You (1975)
23. The Feelies - Crazy Rhythms (1980)
22. Richard and Linda Thompson - Shoot out the Lights (1982)
21. Black Sabbath - Technical Ecstasy (1976)
20. Lou Reed - Lou Reed (1972)
19. Chris Bell - I am the Cosmos (Recorded 1974-1975, Released 1992)
18. The Vaselines - Dum-Dum (1989)
17. Cher - Dark Lady (1974)
16. Dennis Wilson - Pacific Ocean Blue (1977)
15. The Bangles - All Over the Place (1984)
14. Olivia Newton-John - Have You Never Been Mellow (1975)
13. Iggy and The Stooges - Raw Power (1973)
12. Mazzy Star - She Hangs Brightly (1990)
11. Robert Wyatt - Rock Bottom (1974)
10. Yoko Ono - Approximately Infinite Universe (1973)
9. Big Star - Third/Sister Lovers (Recorded 1974, Released 1978)
8. Marianne Faithfull - Broken English (1979)
7. Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run (1975)
6. Olivia Newton-John - Physical (1981)
5. Guided by Voices - Bee Thousand (1994)

 

I think not as many "indie rock" ("lo fi rock") fans are following this thread. I am not sure many people who are following this thread have heard the album before.

I've written so much about GBV and B1000 before (all the way back to the mid-90s on the Postal Blowfish "fan club" email list), I'm just not sure what more to say about it here.

It's a masterpiece and deserves to be heard. Thanks for including it in your list to introduce it to more people.

Craig.

 

It may be a case of be careful what you ask for, but bring on #4!

 

Oh, you gonna love it!

 

Number 4

RICHARD HELL AND THE VOIDOIDS - BLANK GENERATION (1977)





Usually when I meet a rock critic I break his **** with a sledgehammer and gently proceed to shove him into a nearest concrete mixer. But this is a record which I discovered through something as banal as a Rock Encyclopedia (don't remember which one). Yes, I know. There was a line, something about checkin' this out if you like Marquee Moon. And I love Marquee Moon, the only reason it's not on this list is that I overdosed a bit on it. Well, overdose is a totally appropriate word to use when talking about Richard Hell. Was this guy an iconic junkie or what? In fact the very album cover of Blank Generation is the icon of this whole culture. For some reason the man survived the addiction and went on to star in some cheesy Madonna movie in the 80's amongst other rather forgettable things. Seriously, nothing he did in more or less modern times was worthy of his unique talent. But in 1977 he was the epitome of true tortured doomed poet, cliche as it sounds and went on to record one of THE ultimate rock'n'roll records of all time, loaded with very particular self-destructive nuclear energy as only the very top of the top in rock'n'roll were. Some may choose Iggy's Lust for Life and it's another beloved favorite that is curious for it's absence here (and more or less for the same reasons as Marquee Moon - total overdose), some The Modern Lovers but it's here where the punk stars align and give you a culture shock of a lifetime. The above mentioned link between Marquee Moon and Blank Generation is not the shared history (Hell used to be in Television as everyone knows) nor even the songwriting (through twisted and morbid can assure apply to both Verlaine and Hell) but the guitar genius at full display in both records. Next time a moronic classic rock fan starts to lecture you that punk is not music and nobody could play their instruments all you have to do is to play him a copy of either Marquee Moon or Blank Generation and then of course carry the sucker to the nearest concrete mixer. Verlaine and Lloyd maybe managed to record the ultimate huitar record of all time but what Robert Quine did on Blank Generation is simply out of this world. Of all the unconventional guitar heroes he's sure one of the most expressive and intricate. The interaction between his guitar and Hell's twisted and spleenful vocal delivery is what makes this record absolute magic. Well and the tunes of course. Richard Hell was maybe a one record wonder but God, what a record this wonder was! This was one of the case when the heavens opened and the flocks of muses flew in to open the artist's soul and his сreative chakra. This window of artistic explosion was very transient and Richard himself probably spends the rest of his life wondering what the hell was that? - but the results are here to stay on vinyl and in digital. There's no question that his sonwriting here is a case of once a generation. Rarely was the zeitgeist expressed so purely and clearly. An early soviet theatrical maestro Stanislavsky is famous for his "I DON'T BELIEVE" line regarding actors' performances. Here he would rise and applaud like a madman shouting "I DO BELIEVE!!!" and rip his shirt a-la the album cover.

 

Oh, you little tinker! I have never, ever heard of this!

 

Ha, great to see here the right attention to Richard Hell, the midwife of punk! Love the album (despite its some weak moments), but haven't played it for too long. And that's not strange while I own this alone at a cd-R which a friend of mine had made once - and can't even find it back, at this moment of speaking, for replaying it.

So it's time to confess I still have to purchase it, while it's a shame for me, as real punk/post-punk fan, not to own yet that historical album at an official cd.

Ps: can someone inform me which is the right version, sonically speaking, to purchase? (I see too many at Amazon...). Thanks in advance!

 

My record collection is packed into boxes for moving sadly but I think I own a 2000 CD with an alternate cover and it sounds like poop. I think the original vinyl is the way to go here.

 

So not that version, that's clear... It's funny to see there is much more information to find at SHTV about Richard Hell's second album than his classical first one.

 

Yeah, weird I know. Especially given how huge a quality drop Destiny Street was from Blank Generation.

 

Nice, I never heard this one. I know about the Television connection and Marky Ramone playing drums here, but that's pretty much it. Very excited about the top 3, Anton!

 

Will All Things Must Pass be in top 3?