that's a good lighthearted little song
― some lady (La Lechera), Monday, 26 September 2011 18:33 (twelve years ago) link
This is a pretty late period track in the 90s mold. Others I like more on Earthquake Glue (especially The Main Street Wizards), but I totally understand why this one got a few votes tossed its way.
― Johnny Fever, Monday, 26 September 2011 18:44 (twelve years ago) link
i think it goes without saying that i will participate in discussion of 60-1 with as much irritating zeal as 50-1.
i like the phonemic compatibility of soldier/shoulder; Pollard's appreciation of word sounds has always impressed me
― some lady (La Lechera), Monday, 26 September 2011 18:47 (twelve years ago) link
TIE 60. "Chicken Blows" (Alien Lanes, 1995) [110 points, 5 votes]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FH3GkxqrwQQ
― Johnny Fever, Monday, 26 September 2011 18:51 (twelve years ago) link
I guess there's not much sense in shouting "TOO LOW" every time an AL cut shows up, is there
― V79, Monday, 26 September 2011 18:52 (twelve years ago) link
I didn't vote for anything from Earthquake Glue but 'My Kind Of Soldier' is one of my two or three favourites on there.
I love the backing vocals in 'Chicken Blows'.
― Gavin, Leeds, Monday, 26 September 2011 18:54 (twelve years ago) link
I love the way my kind of soldier ends. It's very satisfying.
― Jeff, Monday, 26 September 2011 18:54 (twelve years ago) link
I was coincidentally singing this one just a few minutes ago. I also love how trippy the slowed down snippet on "Back To Saturn X Report" sounds like
― V79, Monday, 26 September 2011 18:55 (twelve years ago) link
i wonder when chicken blows was actually recorded, since it shows up in fragmentary form on back to saturn x. ha xpostsuch a gorgeous, weird song.
― tylerw, Monday, 26 September 2011 18:56 (twelve years ago) link
58. "Postal Blowfish" (outtake, 1993) [111 points, 5 votes]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uZJaVWWuks
This was the only version I could find on youtube. Can anyone confirm or deny that this is the re-recorded Brain Candy version? Because I remember the original being a little more "shambling".
― Johnny Fever, Monday, 26 September 2011 19:02 (twelve years ago) link
this sounds like the brain candy version to me. is there a version on king shit and the golden boys? that one iirc is more lo-fi.
― tylerw, Monday, 26 September 2011 19:04 (twelve years ago) link
when I fist heard "Chicken Blows" it wasn't that beautiful, nautical strangeness of recording that struck me first. what I noticed was how it blatantly references The Beatles with it's oh-ed backing vocals. yeah, I know
xp as far as I remember from Spotify that's the re-recorded version
― V79, Monday, 26 September 2011 19:05 (twelve years ago) link
57. "Bulldog Skin" (Mag Earwhig!, 1997) [116 points, 6 votes]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFqBp3rfTTc
― Johnny Fever, Monday, 26 September 2011 19:17 (twelve years ago) link
^ don't think I'd ever seen that video before today. Uh, cute.
― Johnny Fever, Monday, 26 September 2011 19:20 (twelve years ago) link
#1 will be Dragons Awake! i am calling it right now
― ciderpress, Monday, 26 September 2011 19:22 (twelve years ago) link
Hah, two of mine already showing up. And I thought mine would be obvious high-placing songs (which I am sure a lot of them will be). I had Postal Blowfish pretty high (love that version above). Just one of those songs I never get tired of for some reason.
― grandavis, Monday, 26 September 2011 19:22 (twelve years ago) link
Likewise. Kind of embarrassing, I think, but w/e. Song sounds way better without the Wonder Years footage.
― some lady (La Lechera), Monday, 26 September 2011 19:24 (twelve years ago) link
Ha, I really don't like 'Bulldog Skin' at all.
― Gavin, Leeds, Monday, 26 September 2011 19:24 (twelve years ago) link
Same here.
― Johnny Fever, Monday, 26 September 2011 19:25 (twelve years ago) link
Chicken Blows is like the best bootleg White Album demo ever
― Iago Galdston, Monday, 26 September 2011 19:28 (twelve years ago) link
Same here, don't like it. Thought it was a candidate for "hated tracks" but found I really couldn't create a "hated songs"-list of GBV
― Young Swell (Le Bateau Ivre), Monday, 26 September 2011 19:31 (twelve years ago) link
60th seems about right for "My Kind of Soldier" and "Chicken Blows" which are both fine but never really close to making my ballot. Not crazy about the other two.
― justfanoe (Greg Fanoe), Monday, 26 September 2011 19:31 (twelve years ago) link
is there a version on king shit and the golden boys? that one iirc is more lo-fi.
yes. and yes more lo-fi.
― dmr, Monday, 26 September 2011 19:32 (twelve years ago) link
actually think of the blowfish from crying your knife away as definitive. fun song to cover. so easy! (and a lot of GBV songs are deceptively difficult -- pollard uses strange chords).
― tylerw, Monday, 26 September 2011 19:33 (twelve years ago) link
56. "Key Losers" (outtake, 1995) [124 points, 5 votes, 1 #1 vote]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emIlqw1xMjE
― Johnny Fever, Monday, 26 September 2011 19:34 (twelve years ago) link
This one I actually vote for, though fairly low on my ballot. Was hoping to see it make the top 50, too bad.
― justfanoe (Greg Fanoe), Monday, 26 September 2011 19:35 (twelve years ago) link
Man, I had no idea that Doug Gillard had recorded I Am a Tree before joining GBV.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06LeARpYqo0&feature=related
― Viva Brother Beyond (ithappens), Monday, 26 September 2011 19:36 (twelve years ago) link
Really thought Postal Blowfish was more loved (not to beat a dead horse here). Love the build up at the end, especially in that Brain Candy version, lots of cool guitar parts. Guess that's all Gillard?
― grandavis, Monday, 26 September 2011 19:37 (twelve years ago) link
Brain Candy version would've been pre-Gillard.
― Johnny Fever, Monday, 26 September 2011 19:38 (twelve years ago) link
fun song to cover. so easy!
I have an mp3 of the Grifters covering it live
and yeah I thought the song the *poll was named for* might place higher? I voted it pretty high.
― dmr, Monday, 26 September 2011 19:39 (twelve years ago) link
yeah i think the postal blowfish on brain candy is still "classic lineup" gbv? could be wrong.
― tylerw, Monday, 26 September 2011 19:39 (twelve years ago) link
non-album track etc etc
― ciderpress, Monday, 26 September 2011 19:39 (twelve years ago) link
I thought the song the *poll was named for* might place higher
The song the Led Zeppelin poll was named for didn't make the countdown at all. To be honest, top 60 is a pretty good result when there were 80 million songs to choose from.
― justfanoe (Greg Fanoe), Monday, 26 September 2011 19:41 (twelve years ago) link
I like Postal Blowfish but it's not one of my favorites.
― some lady (La Lechera), Monday, 26 September 2011 19:42 (twelve years ago) link
I think so. There were a lot of songs around then that had a lo-fi and hi-fi version like Motor Away and I Am a Scientist but most of em all had the same guys playing on them
― dmr, Monday, 26 September 2011 19:44 (twelve years ago) link
Would anyone be terribly offended if I asked if there are any other female voters here? Just curious.
― some lady (La Lechera), Monday, 26 September 2011 19:46 (twelve years ago) link
55. "Huffman Prairie Flying Field" (Half Smiles of the Decomposed, 2004) [125 points, 4 votes]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGYvY2unqVo
(Until the news that there would be upcoming GBV material, this would've been the final album track ever released by the band. A fine sign-off imo.)
― Johnny Fever, Monday, 26 September 2011 19:47 (twelve years ago) link
Oh man I tooooooooooooooootally love this song. Quintessential GBV.
― some lady (La Lechera), Monday, 26 September 2011 19:47 (twelve years ago) link
The song the Led Zeppelin poll was named for didn't make the countdown at all.
A good pun trumps all.
― Antonio Carlos Broheem (WmC), Monday, 26 September 2011 19:49 (twelve years ago) link
i'm happy then you didn't call this one, say, Tracks Poll Rape Chain
― V79, Monday, 26 September 2011 19:52 (twelve years ago) link
"Polled hands, touching my face"
― Gavin, Leeds, Monday, 26 September 2011 19:54 (twelve years ago) link
Buzzards and Dreadful Polls
― tylerw, Monday, 26 September 2011 19:55 (twelve years ago) link
Club POLLuska
― some lady (La Lechera), Monday, 26 September 2011 19:56 (twelve years ago) link
Robert POLLard
― V79, Monday, 26 September 2011 19:56 (twelve years ago) link
54. "Big Boring Wedding" (Under the Bushes Under the Stars, 1996) [125 points, 5 votes]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKGprtQJwSY
― Johnny Fever, Monday, 26 September 2011 20:13 (twelve years ago) link
woo!
― da croupier, Monday, 26 September 2011 20:16 (twelve years ago) link
Great track. Scraped my top 20, but I just couldn't make room for it.
― Johnny Fever, Monday, 26 September 2011 20:17 (twelve years ago) link
53. "Everybody Thinks I'm a Raincloud (When I'm Not Looking)" (Half Smiles of the Decomposed, 2004) [130 points, 6 votes]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MTzCxFlT8g
― Johnny Fever, Monday, 26 September 2011 20:29 (twelve years ago) link
^ Another near miss from my ballot. Given a second draft now, it likely would be on there.
― Johnny Fever, Monday, 26 September 2011 20:31 (twelve years ago) link
52. "Gleemer (The Deeds of Fertile Jim)" (Vampire on Titus, 1993) [131 points, 6 votes]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvsGMlgK0fs
― Johnny Fever, Monday, 26 September 2011 20:44 (twelve years ago) link