POLLSTAL BLOWFISH - ILM Artist Poll #8 - Guided By Voices

i do think Speak Kindly of Your Volunteer Fire Department is better than a lot of official records

YES. Even if you are opposed to including side project albums on your ballot, make an exception for Speak Kindly...!

glad i remembered DO THE EARTH

― tylerw, Thursday, September 15, 2011 3:44 PM (2 hours ago) Bookmark

That songs is so great! Definitely in my GBV POX.

Seriously, if you haven't heard the last two albums, you need to hear them. All the way through! For me, Half Smiles and Earthquake Glue were so much better than Universal Truths and Isolation Drills because it sounded like the band had a heart again.

I like EG, but ID is in my top 3 GBV albums of all time. Maybe top 2 depending on which day you ask me.

Never could get into half smiles.

Does anyone really really really like Universal Truths? 'Everywhere with Helicopter' is a good song, but I could probably live without the rest.

I like the live version from the box set better than the one on the album too. That album was depressing.

i remember liking the title track? i remember liking all those post TVT recs when they came out, but don't actually remember too much about them in this day and age.

'Everywhere with Helicopter' is a pretty good Husker Du tribute song, certainly beats the shit out of any Foo Fighters tune.

When I saw GBV during the tour for Universal Truths, they started the set by playing the whole album front to back. Ugh.

I saw them on that tour, but thankfully after they'd decided to stop doing that. Only things I remember them playing from that album are Back to the Lake, Cheyenne and Helicopter.

voted! the large-hearted ballot. I love love love this band when they hit just the right spot---so beautiful that I wince---& am totally indifferent o/w. When I post my ballot you'll know what I mean.

I saw them in Chicago in 2001 & they rocked me like fuck & I got very tired! like the rock was exhausting. pollard was like, "fuck it let's do another" & I was like, yeah! except, no! well, ok! but we had seats (balcony at the Metro I think?) so it was ok that the show was like ten hours long. by the end the place had kinda cleared out tbh but the rock did not stop. I think they covered "Baba O'Riley" which just seemed hilarious at the time, cos they were kinda going through the motions sorta? Pollard had some good DeRogatis jokes that night.

whatever you vote just don't forget to consider the best Pink Floyd song they never wrote:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIfK6k7qamw

^
yeaaahhhh that's the business

The Fast Japanese Spin Cycle EP is not on Spotify. Hopefully people won't forget about this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4_2rjFkPcI

Yes! That EP was my introduction to GBV. There aren't many songs better than that EP's version of Dusted. It's just about perfect. If you haven't heard it, you're in for a gigantic treat.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwUgou8yaRQ

man, i stopped giving a shit about pollard in general years ago but i think i'm gonna submit a ballot anyway just because i want something from the sunfish holy breakfast ep to place somewhere

all "stopped giving a shit about pollard in general years ago" ballots are WELCOME!

also i heard "PS dump your boyfriend" as "the ex junkie boyfriend" for years and i kinda like my version better

i may just throw their pere ubu cover on my ballot for shits and giggles

Fast Japanese Spin Cycle is incredible -- what is it, 10 minutes? But there's more amazing songwriting there than on most double albums.

Oh man this is going to be so so so so tough. Right now my Pollard playlist on iTunes is composed of 1702 songs. Picking 20 of these is going to be so hard. I think I may self impose a GbV proper only rule for my own sanity.

ok two things

1) you guys are choosing all of my favorite songs -- totally voted for "weed king" because it is another of my favorite kinds of pollard songs: the dirge. love those. circus world is one too, but none are as good as fucking WEED KING.

2) i had no idea what you were talking about with "ps dump your boyfriend" until donna rouge's post. i always thought it was ex-junkie boyfriend too. i can barely even conceive of it the other way, in fact.

9 ballots atm, including abanana's ballot that only contains three "most hated" tracks.

another thing, so i guess that is three things -- in "captain's dead" i always thought the line was "the woman, she has fled" and i've been singing along that way for someteen years but apparently it's "the war machine". i had no idea.

i think i am coming across as way more hyper and annoying than i really am* in this thread, but gbv has meant a lot to me over the years. i am an uncasual fan.

*maybe i really am this hyper and annoying all the time, but y'all are getting a particularly strong dose of my magic here

I don't know if I can do this. I'm at 62 tracks after my first run through and I'm not including any side projects or solo records.

I'd like to see something from the Hold On Hope EP sneak into the countdown. Maybe Fly Into Ashes or Tropical Robots...

Thanks everyone for those 'recent' videos - I haven't really paid attention to GBV in the last ten years.

A few personal favorites:

The very beautiful and mysterious 'Indian Fables', also from Fast Japanese Spin Cycle:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4gK3g9iKzw

'The Key Losers':
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emIlqw1xMjE

And my number one (will be very sad if this won't end up in the top 20): 'Blimps Go 90':
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4KIlCYyDdw

3. Ranked list of THREE (3) most-hated Guided By Voices tracks

This is actually more difficult than choosing the 20 best, esp. since he started shitting out that Suitcase shite

i really hate that track on Alien Lanes with the snoring.

it makes me lol.

I will be submitting although advance warning it will probably be 50% UTBUTS

Working my way down from a master list of 45 tracks. Gonna be tough for sure.

Meanwhile, this happened:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvZGU-5W2zs

I actually saw that title come across at work yesterday, but I imagined it was a coincidence. Ha!

the key losers! that one is great. i remember them playing it the first time i saw them in 1995, and being so pissed off that it wasn't on their next album (or their next or their next or their next). my friend had made a (terrible quality) tape of that show and we listened to it over and over again. can't remember when tonics & twisted chasers finally emerged, but i was glad that track was included.

key losers is also on the b-sides & singles disc of the matador box. forgot the title of that disc but for a long time it was my favorite gbv to listen to. finks, my thoughts are a gas and especiall he's the uncle are some of their very best mid 90's songs imo

i really hate that track on Alien Lanes with the snoring.
this is actually one of the best tracks here (the BRIDGE! one of the most powerful reminescenses of Pachebel's Canon ever)

Really like that "My Impression Now" song (cool melodic bassline). Thanks

(xp to myself) I don't think I'm even going to send a list of most hated songs. the thing is, I find myself unable to hate on any of Robert's recordings, because his persona makes up for every lacks: sketchiness, below-demo sound quality overabundance of absurdity, etc. I just can't have on even the most ridiculous parts of Suitcases ("Independent Productions", wtf? I can't call it a "demo", does it capture the pure moment of inventing a melody? check by yrself http://grooveshark.com/s/Independent+Productions/2Nq3F0?src=5 ), I just take it as a part of the show

i really hate that track on Alien Lanes with the snoring.
this is actually one of the best tracks here (the BRIDGE! one of the most powerful reminescenses of Pachebel's Canon ever)

This one is going to turn out to be like Stairway to Heaven: On both the most hated tracks and the top 20.

I keep telling people that 'The Brides Have Hit Glass' is GBV's 'Ten Years Gone' but nobody believes me.

i should clarify: i really hate the snoring on that Alien Lanes track.

in other words, It's the Snoring, Not the Song.

I keep telling people that 'The Brides Have Hit Glass' is GBV's 'Ten Years Gone' but nobody believes me.

Made my 20.

xp yeah, I see, the snoring might be off-putting, but GOD what a melody lies underneath! It's actually a strong contender for my top 5 (not joking at all)

key losers is also on the b-sides & singles disc of the matador box

and it was on the tigerbomb ep included with my copy of UTBUTS

i remember reading that he put the sound of (jim greer?) snoring because he thought the song was too 'pretty' otherwise or something to that effect

and it was on the tigerbomb ep included with my copy of UTBUTS
ha, did not know that. such a wild n woolly discography. i have the tigerbomb EP but key losers is not on it!

I don't think I'm even going to send a list of most hated songs. the thing is, I find myself unable to hate on any of Robert's recordings, because his persona makes up for every lacks: sketchiness, below-demo sound quality overabundance of absurdity, etc.

Here's a nice old one that might get lost otherwise:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9qbDiP9kjU
Will probably end up somewhere between 20 and 15 on my list.

xp if that's the real origin of that sound, then it's certainly the best and the most desirable possible

meanwhile I recommend you to check this little one out - "Janet Wait" off of the third Suitcase http://grooveshark.com/s/Janet+Wait/2Nq3q7?src=5 where drunk-ass sings some kind of a love song to the titular girl. gorgeous in that unique, GBV way (kudos to Paul Thompson of P4K for pointing this one out on his review)

another overlooked one from the early albums that i absolutely love is 'long distance man' from sandbox. so beatles

another semi deep cut - sensational gravity boy! tho i think i like the "freedom cruise" version w/ the deal sisters the best.

XXXP: Oh yeah, the snoring song. I only like it because it leads up to 'Blimps Go 90':
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4KIlCYyDdw
(I'll take any chance I can get this week to pimp tha Blimp)

I don't think I'm even going to send a list of most hated songs. the thing is, I find myself unable to hate on any of Robert's recordings, because his persona makes up for every lacks: sketchiness, below-demo sound quality overabundance of absurdity, etc.

So not OTM. I suppose it's inevitable that this is going to turn out the ultimate fanboy poll with everybody trying to outdo each other in voting for the most obscure things they can - well, rest assured I won't be doing that, I'll be voting for all the most famous songs... uh, not quite true, there's at least three solo Bob tracks in my top 10!