Guided By Robert Pollard

Guided By Voices
Sunfish Holy Breakfast

1996
by Propellerless

“Sunfish Holy Breakfast” was the fifth Guided By Voices cd
I bought and that was right before I found the internet.

Living in Hawaii, I would go to the local J & R music store
and have them order GBV cds for me.
Actually Guided By Voices was why I wanted the internet,
to go to their website and buy their stuff online.

Having found Guided By Voices a year prior,
by the time of the release of “Sunfish Holy Breakfast”
I would buy anything with the name Guided By Voices,
even if it had three Naked Hippies on it.

Speaking of which,
One time when I was backstage at a GBV show,
I asked Bob if that was him on the left on the cover.
He laughed and claimed it wasn’t,
saying he found it in an old Nudist magazine.

(Note: I wrote this in the comments years ago for the video of the
Vinyl copy of “Sunfish Holy Breakfast” on YouTube.)

Of course the notes on the ep say it IS Bob,
Along with Frank Longo and Matt Sweeney,
Mmmm, not sure...

After some clapping,
Tobin Sprout’s dreamy “Jabberstroker” starts off the ep,
“Stabbing a Star” which is one of two songs originally released on
7” vinyl in 1993, comes pounding out of the speakers followed
by fuzzed out Freak-Beat guitar which shows this group has roots in
Sixties Garage Rock.

“Cocksoldiers and their Post War Stubble” is one of those songs
that I’ve always wished that Bob would have rerecorded properly
or at least performed live.
I love the Horrible Beauty of the Fuzzed out, noise of the guitars,
when I say “Horrible” I don’t mean that as an insult.
This song has always been a GBV favorite of mine.

“Sunfish Holy Breakfast” includes a few collaborations between
Robert Pollard and Tobin Sprout such as “The Winter Cows”,
“A Contest Featuring Human Beings” and “Beekeeper Seeks Ruth”
With its “The Flying Party is Here” refrain.

I’m not sure when “If We Wait” was recorded,
but it was originally released on a split 7” single 1993.
This gem is another of my all-time GBV tracks,
shows Pollards sense of pop developing quite nicely.

“Treadspotter Acrobat” was written and sung by James Greer.
James played bass with Guided By Voices in 1995, plays
on “Alien Lanes” and also wrote the book
“Guided By Voices - A Brief History”.
Some people seem to rag on the song,
But I don’t mind it; I never skip it when it comes on.
I think it fits in with the whole GBV thing.

“Heavy Metal Country” has a majestic feeling,
much like “A Good Circuitry Soldier” and like that song,
a re-recording of “Heavy Metal Country” would be great.

All and all, this is perhaps my favorite of GBV’s Ep’s,
the two songs from 1993 are a great addition to the newer
material, widening the scope of the band’s sound.

A+

A couple years ago I finally found it on clear blue vinyl,
Love that clear vinyl,
I never play it, I just stare at it.