Hmm, I voted for "Glad Girls", it possesses a certain steam-rollering quality imho, the song "drives" to my ears.
― Young Swell (Le Bateau Ivre), Monday, 26 September 2011 15:09 (1 year ago) Permalink
6. VAMPIRE ON TITUS / 1993 (12 points)
― Johnny Fever, Monday, 26 September 2011 15:09 (1 year ago) Permalink
i dunno, i was all for GBV making a polished, radio-friendly rock album and ID comes closest to that. but there's just too much boring stuff on there -- i mean, if pollard had taken the hits from speak kindly of your volunteer etc. and put them on there, he'd have a classic, maybe?
― tylerw, Monday, 26 September 2011 15:10 (1 year ago) Permalink
Don't rate ID among their best at all though.
― Young Swell (Le Bateau Ivre), Monday, 26 September 2011 15:10 (1 year ago) Permalink
Not much to say about VoT really. I could spend twice as much time with it as I have and still not know it that well, though when I hear individual songs from it I think "hey, that's a really good one!"
― Johnny Fever, Monday, 26 September 2011 15:25 (1 year ago) Permalink
5. MAG EARWHIG! / 1997 (13 points)
(perhaps not my favorite GBV album, but definitely my favorite GBV album cover.)
― Johnny Fever, Monday, 26 September 2011 15:26 (1 year ago) Permalink
yeah, that's a nice one
― V79, Monday, 26 September 2011 15:27 (1 year ago) Permalink
If you want to know what lurks in the mind of the Tobin Sprout hater: GBV's best moments, for me, are their most desperate--the poster child being for that strain being Vampire--and Sprout tends to mar that mood with his whimsical doings (see: "Gleemer"). Of course now I'm taking a closer look at the credits and he's all over the rest of the damn thing, so...
― bentelec, Monday, 26 September 2011 15:28 (1 year ago) Permalink
Aside from Bulldog Skin, never understood the love for this album. But then I like Isolation Drills.
― righteousmaelstrom, Monday, 26 September 2011 15:29 (1 year ago) Permalink
Not much to say about VoT really. I could spend twice as much time with it as I have and still not know it that well, though when I hear individual songs from it I think "hey, that's a really good one!"otm
I had the VoT/Propeller combo cd and I'll admit that I skipped to Over the Neptune/Mesh Gear Fox at least 2/3 of the time. It's not that I don't like it, but I never really gave it a full chance. How could it have a chance next to Propeller?!
― some lady (La Lechera), Monday, 26 September 2011 15:30 (1 year ago) Permalink
i think mag earwig is a bit too much of a hodge podge (not that bob can't make a masterpiece out of a hodge podge). again, great stuff on here, but not terribly consistent.
― tylerw, Monday, 26 September 2011 15:30 (1 year ago) Permalink
I like the hodge podginess - I just don't feel particularly moved by most of the songs. The "get wild!" part of Bulldog Skin is enough to buoy me through a bunch of boring songs.
― some lady (La Lechera), Monday, 26 September 2011 15:32 (1 year ago) Permalink
did not in my airforce come out the same year as ME? i think i ended up liking that one better. the cobra verde-era live shows were pretty great though, even if it was initially disappointing that the classic lineup was gone.
― tylerw, Monday, 26 September 2011 15:34 (1 year ago) Permalink
I think Airforce came out in 96 (the same day, or maybe month, as Tobin's Carnival Boy). We didn't find out until 97 that they weren't going to be working together in GBV anymore.
― Johnny Fever, Monday, 26 September 2011 15:39 (1 year ago) Permalink
Aside from Bulldog Skin, never understood the love for this album.
― righteousmaelstrom, Monday, September 26, 2011 5:29 PM (10 minutes ago) Bookmark
This is the opposite for me! I don't like Bulldog Skin (anymore ~ it's like Nada Surf's 'Popular', for a lot of people "that one song by that one band that had a cool video"), but man are there some gems on ME. 'Learning to Hunt', 'Not Behind the Fighter Jet', 'Choking Tara', 'I Am A Tree'...
Well, I think I voted for songs from ME the most, didn't keep count.
― Young Swell (Le Bateau Ivre), Monday, 26 September 2011 15:42 (1 year ago) Permalink
Yeah, I definitely like a lot of songs on ME!, but Bulldog Skin isn't one of them.
― Johnny Fever, Monday, 26 September 2011 15:43 (1 year ago) Permalink
so many lovely ballady things on ME.
― ledge, Monday, 26 September 2011 15:45 (1 year ago) Permalink
^^ yeah I'm a sucker for those introspective GBV moments. At least more than all GBV aficionados I know. Lol melancholy soul.
― Young Swell (Le Bateau Ivre), Monday, 26 September 2011 15:47 (1 year ago) Permalink
I'm a right sucker for GBV's moments of spleen
― Young Swell (Le Bateau Ivre), Monday, 26 September 2011 15:48 (1 year ago) Permalink
4. UNDER THE BUSHES UNDER THE STARS / 1996 (39 points)
― Johnny Fever, Monday, 26 September 2011 15:49 (1 year ago) Permalink
ahaaa, here's one i voted for. classic through and through (including the amazing bonus ep)
― tylerw, Monday, 26 September 2011 15:51 (1 year ago) Permalink
my #1; not the first i heard (that was alien lanes), but the first i bought and imo a perfect sweet spot between the early period chaos and late period fm radio friendliness.
― ledge, Monday, 26 September 2011 15:52 (1 year ago) Permalink
Sometimes I'm pretty sure this is my favorite.
― Johnny Fever, Monday, 26 September 2011 15:52 (1 year ago) Permalink
the record that linked between gbv lo to hi fi
― nostormo, Monday, 26 September 2011 15:55 (1 year ago) Permalink
Had I got my ballot in, UTBUTS would have been my #1
― BlackIronPrison, Monday, 26 September 2011 16:00 (1 year ago) Permalink
It's a really warm record, both in recording techniques and in the songwriting. I wear it like a blanket.
― Johnny Fever, Monday, 26 September 2011 16:04 (1 year ago) Permalink
would love an expanded version of this record --seems like there are a bunch of tracks from the albini sessions floating around? at least those few that greer has posted.
― tylerw, Monday, 26 September 2011 16:06 (1 year ago) Permalink
Just fwiw, #3 only beat #4 by a single point and #1 only beat #2 by a single point...so some real tight races. #3 coming up...
― Johnny Fever, Monday, 26 September 2011 16:08 (1 year ago) Permalink
3. PROPELLER / 1992 (40 points)
― Johnny Fever, Monday, 26 September 2011 16:10 (1 year ago) Permalink
Sorry if I've not been paying attention, but are the "most hated tracks" calculated in the countdown song list?
I didn't vote for "hated" tracks tbh
― Young Swell (Le Bateau Ivre), Monday, 26 September 2011 16:11 (1 year ago) Permalink
There wasn't enough consensus of any kind to even bother with a hated tracks countdown. The (optional) exercise was all for naught.
― Johnny Fever, Monday, 26 September 2011 16:12 (1 year ago) Permalink
Thanks.
― Young Swell (Le Bateau Ivre), Monday, 26 September 2011 16:14 (1 year ago) Permalink
i wonder what the top 2 will be ;)
― i'm hearing Bowie sing this, and it's the best single of 1985 (Drugs A. Money), Monday, 26 September 2011 16:32 (1 year ago) Permalink
hmmm
― tylerw, Monday, 26 September 2011 16:32 (1 year ago) Permalink
Universal Truths and Sandbox, of course. oops! Spoiler!
― Johnny Fever, Monday, 26 September 2011 16:33 (1 year ago) Permalink
still holding out for Do The Collapse here
― ciderpress, Monday, 26 September 2011 16:34 (1 year ago) Permalink
but yeah, propellor! i remember getting that one after bee thousand, alien lanes, various EPs, and just thinking before listening, this one can't be that good, how could one band be so good! of course, propellor is just like one peak after the next. it's ridiculous.
― tylerw, Monday, 26 September 2011 16:34 (1 year ago) Permalink
We all know the top two. Should I post them together and then let them both be discussed at once, or do them one at a time?
― Johnny Fever, Monday, 26 September 2011 16:36 (1 year ago) Permalink
just roll em both out
― ciderpress, Monday, 26 September 2011 16:37 (1 year ago) Permalink
xp Propeller is probably their most idea-heavy record and the first time which the big ideas were successfully translated into listenable recordings. I love the crap out of that record.
― Johnny Fever, Monday, 26 September 2011 16:37 (1 year ago) Permalink
Like the Vampire On Titus/Propeller CD, put them together. My introduction to GBV was a friend putting one on one side of cassette and the other on side B.
― righteousmaelstrom, Monday, 26 September 2011 16:39 (1 year ago) Permalink
2. BEE THOUSAND / 1994 (88 points)
― Johnny Fever, Monday, 26 September 2011 16:41 (1 year ago) Permalink
1. ALIEN LANES / 1995 (89 points)
haha, almost a tie!
― tylerw, Monday, 26 September 2011 16:41 (1 year ago) Permalink
haha I flipped Bee Thousand from #1 to #2 and put Alien Lanes #1 right before I sent my ballot in o_0
― dmr, Monday, 26 September 2011 16:43 (1 year ago) Permalink
I forgot about voting in the albums, just got too focused on the tracks and it slipped my mind. Would have voted Alien Lanes at #1 though so all is well.
― justfanoe (Greg Fanoe), Monday, 26 September 2011 16:44 (1 year ago) Permalink
wow! genuinely shocked that B1000 came in second!
― i'm hearing Bowie sing this, and it's the best single of 1985 (Drugs A. Money), Monday, 26 September 2011 16:45 (1 year ago) Permalink
At one point behind, it's not that shocking.
― Johnny Fever, Monday, 26 September 2011 16:46 (1 year ago) Permalink
i like bee thousand a bit more but yeah it really doesn't matter either way
― ciderpress, Monday, 26 September 2011 16:46 (1 year ago) Permalink
I think the right album won. I've always like AL slightly more than B1000.
― righteousmaelstrom, Monday, 26 September 2011 16:47 (1 year ago) Permalink
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/guided-by-voices-ready-third-album-of-2012-20120727
With a pair of albums already out this year, Guided By Voices releases another new effort this fall — and plans to put out a new album every six months after that, guitarist Tobin Sprout says.
The Bears for Lunch is due in November, and the band is set to begin work on the next LP, English Little League, in August.
The Bears for Lunch track listing:
"King Arthur the Red""The Corners are Glowing""Have a Jug""Hangover Child""Dome Rust""Finger Gang""The Challenge Is Much More""Waving at Airplanes""The Military School Dance Dismissal""White Flag""Skin to Skin Combat""She Lives in an Airport""Tree Fly Jet""Waking Up the Stars""Up Instead of Running""Smoggy Boy""Amorphous Surprise""You Can Fly Anything Right""Everywhere Is Miles From Everywhere"
― Johnny Fever, Monday, 30 July 2012 18:25 (9 months ago) Permalink
i'm glad pollard is adhering to the one-album-about-airplanes-every-four-albums rule.
― all the worlds a stage and kitty's just stepped into the spotlight (cajunsunday), Monday, 30 July 2012 19:01 (9 months ago) Permalink
good tracklist
― ciderpress, Monday, 30 July 2012 19:03 (9 months ago) Permalink
I saw them in Philly on their latest tour, and they played "Hangover Child". It was nothing special, but who knows, could be another grower. In general they were very good live, though, way tighter than on the reunion tour (until the 2nd encore or so, but it usually gets ropey way earlier).
So far Class Clown > Factory for me; but both are victims of Pollard's refusal to self-edit, unfortunately.
― cwkiii, Monday, 30 July 2012 19:05 (9 months ago) Permalink
I don't think the leak of English Little League I just acquired is complete (it's missing some tracks and includes some b-sides, so whatever), but "Islands (She Talks in Rainbows)" is Tobin's best song in a dog's age.
― Johnny Fever, Sunday, 14 April 2013 07:57 (1 month ago) Permalink
― What About The Half That's Never Been POLLed (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 14 April 2013 12:53 (1 month ago) Permalink
i had no idea gbv albums COULD leak. i thought they released them 35 seconds after recording them.
― fact checking cuz, Sunday, 14 April 2013 15:29 (1 month ago) Permalink