Let me take you back to 1996.
I was at the end of Year One as a Guided By Voices fan.
I discovered the band in 1995 with “Alien Lanes,”
and by the time “Under The Bushes Under the Stars” came out
I was completely into the band, no one else mattered.
I was living in Hawaii, searching out singles and eps on the internet,
yes there was an internet then, but no eBay or Discogs.
Then suddenly Guided By Voices breaks up.
What???
I discover this great band which seems to be everything
I want in a rock band and it’s over???
Shortly after the breakup, the documentary “Watch Me Jumpstart” was released,
which documented the bands past and hopes for the future.
But it was all over.
Of course,
With hindsight we all know that was just the beginning
of the whole Guided By Voices/Robert Pollard story.
1996 also brought us some GBV singles and eps,
but it also debuted solo albums by Tobin Sprout, “Carnival Boy” and
Robert Pollard “Not In My Airforce.”
If there was anything that “Not In My Airforce” proved to me,
perhaps for the first time I realized
that Robert Pollard is Guided By Voices.
Before he seemed like he was the just singer songwriter of the band.
but if you look at anything he has released either solo or as
Boston Spaceships, Ricked Wicky, Teenage Guitar, The Takeovers,
ESP Ohio, even Circus Devils and Nightwalker.
It is still Guided By Voices.
In other words if you are a Guided By Voices fan,
you’ll love this album.
So many classics here that have been played live during the
“Mag Earwhig!” and “Do The Collapse” tours.
“Quicksilver,” “Get Under It,” “Chance To Buy An Island,” “Flat Beauty,”
and who can forget “Release The Sunbird” and “Psychic Pilot Clocks Out?”
But I will make one small criticism which was actually corrected when
the album was reissued on vinyl in 2016.
I never thought the last six songs, which were demos Bob had recorded on
acoustic guitar, were a good enough ending for such a great album.
So on the reissue last year, those six songs were put on a 7” record
that came with the album, and was on Beer-Yellow clear vinyl.
Excellent!
Anyway no use me yammering on about this album,
I’m sure you have it and know how great of an album it is.
You do have “Not In My Airforce” right?
Can’t be a GBV fan without it! |
