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YES. I love GBV and Pollard is definitely my favorite artist. Here's a nifty link for the OP: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Au6N9sndaL9zdHRRMHNhMzkxWlVaRFVqTzlyTjBoX0E#gid=0 It's the "Alpha/Omega" of Pollard's discography, a no-repeats playlist. I've listened to 136 of them so far and I'm still plugging away. It really bugs me though when people complain that Bob puts out "too much material" or that he needs an editor. Why does it bother people so much that someone who loves to make music, makes music? Who is it hurting? The fans aren't required to buy or even enjoy anything put out. If anything, Pollard assumes the greatest risk by possibly damaging his reputation if he puts out tons of crap (Hint: He doesn't.(Second hint: OK, maybe he has a few times, but it's way outweighed by the good)). In my mind, he's living as a true artist: in a constant state of creation and creativity. I wish I had his work ethic. At the end of the day he makes music for himself, and I love that. But anyway, if you're feeling overwhelmed, feel free to ask me for recommendations! I can recommend albums or even specific songs to make a "Best Of" playlist. I've listened to almost all of the major stuff. I'm mostly missing bonus tracks and singles and the like. I will say that "Best Of" playlists can tend to lose the magic of his album sequencing. I can cherry pick the "best" songs off Alien Lanes for instance, but it's not going to be anywhere as good as listening to the album front to back. It's the weird, off-putting, and strange tracks sitting next to the sugary pop and soaring anthems that makes GBV and Pollard so unique. He hits the four P's: Pop, Punk, Psych, and Prog. There's really nothing like him in the music industry, and that's what keeps me coming back for more. drat, that's a block of text already. If you can't tell, I'll gladly ramble about this all day. Twee as gently caress posted:As a thread, we should come up with lists of tracks to check out on those smaller releases, or the huge amount of outtakes/etc on stuff like Suitcase and Hardcore UFOs. I mean, just for Suitcase 1 to 3, it's 300 songs and frankly a lot of that material (on the third one anyway) feels like Bob just got drunk and had the tape rolling and stuff happened. Yeah, I'm totally down for this. EDIT: Also, check out the tentative release schedule for the rest of the year: July 1st - Robert Pollard: Honey Locust Honky Tonk LP July 1st - Teenage Guitar: Force Fields At Home LP September - Circus Devils: When Machines Attack LP (with new Circus Devils T shirt) Late 2013 - Eat 10 January 2014 - Robert Pollard: Blazing Gentleman LP PopZeus fucked around with this message at 17:55 on May 8, 2013 |
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May 8, 2013 17:16
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| # ¿ Apr 23, 2024 07:09 |
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Glug_Glug posted:Are you from the Disarm the Settlers community, PopZeus? Yup! EDIT: Tracklist for new solo album here: http://www.middleboopmag.com/music/music-news/robert-pollard-releasing-new-album-honey-locust-honky-tonk quote:01. He Requested Things PopZeus fucked around with this message at 22:01 on May 8, 2013 |
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May 8, 2013 20:12
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Myron Baloney posted:Pollard's solo albums are really some of his best work - but it can be time-consuming to give them the listening time to get into them I guess. I think Kid Marine, Normal Happiness, and especially From a Compound Eye are the best things he's ever done. Having said that I've barely listened to The Bears for Lunch or Class Clown Spots a UFO much less the new one yet. I agree that his solo albums require a few more listens to sink in. Normal Happiness was a recent purchase for me. At first I thought the entire album was basically one big song. I didn't sense much variation. A few listens in though and I'm hooked (god, I just keep hitting repeat on "Get A Faceful.") The album as a whole is breezy and uplifting for me. It's a solid album but doesn't "wow" me too much. To use one of Pollard's favored descriptors, it's "creamy" rock. For probably my favorite "creamy" Pollard album, check out Coast to Coast Carpet of Love. It's one of my go-to mood lifting albums. Tons of pop goodness and great melodies. You're spot on about FaCE. It's sprawling in tone and genre and probably best showcases Pollard's range. But again, I worry about recommending a double album like that to someone newer. I know the first time I heard Kensington Cradle I was like what the hell is this but now it's probably in the top 5 for me on FaCE.
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May 9, 2013 01:00
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Twee as gently caress posted:
Long Distance Man is a great song to play to people to trick them into thinking that GBV is a long lost band from the 60s. Another favorite is playing Acorns and Orioles to make people think it's a long lost REM track (seriously I thought Michael Stipe was guest-singing on that song for a while).
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May 9, 2013 01:08
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precision posted:I wouldn't say I've ever been mad about how much material Pollard releases, but I do think it's to his detriment that he does it, because (as people have said) it allows a lot of great songs to get "lost". I don't know if they're really getting lost though. There's always a fan base that will find them and it's not like they'll ever break mainstream anyway. In any case, I think that's what Twee as gently caress wants to do with the overwhelming body of work: cull it down to something more approachable for those without the time or inclination to listen to everything. Glug_Glug posted:I'm actually listening to Kid Marine right now. Far-Out Crops has to be be one of my favorite songs by Robert Pollard yet(solo or GBV). Submarine Teams is one of my all-time favorites. And I love the hilarious Far-Out Crops outro when he's just going full falsetto. EDIT: Which reminds me that one thing I dig about Pollard is there's a great sense of humor running through his work, either in lyrics or vocal stylings. I've toyed around with creating a Pollard "comedy" compilation before with his goofy/lighter stuff. PopZeus fucked around with this message at 18:40 on May 9, 2013 |
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May 9, 2013 18:36
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precision posted:Most people I know tap out after getting maybe five or six GBV albums. There's just too much music in the world. Even people I know who've listened to "most" of his output have listened to 90% of it exactly once and filed it away. I totally don't fault anyone for not like, hitting some arbitrary number of listens of an album. I agree, there's tons of music out there. I listen to a decent amount of stuff outside of GBV and it's just as imposing of a task to keep up with all the new stuff coming out. I would say most people I know that listen to a ton of varied artists also listen to 90% of it once or twice and file it away. You could argue that bands/musicians in general are releasing too much and "great" songs are getting lost, I guess. But I just accept that it's going to happen, which is why I don't necessarily buy into that particular complaint when levied at any prolific band.
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May 9, 2013 19:15
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Glug_Glug posted:They don't come to the west coast anymore, do they? I would love to see them live. They better tour the west coast this year. I moved to LA about a year ago from Florida. Cue GBV playing in Orlando as soon as I'm gone. Maddening! Glug_Glug posted:
Fun (rumor?) fact about Earthquake Glue: Supposedly My Kind of Soldier, Best of Jill Hives, and Of Mites and Men were originally written for The Strokes, but Pollard liked them too much to give up. Other fun fact: The Strokes are huge GBV fans and both bands play Family Feud against each other in the music video for Someday!  Glug_Glug posted:It's quite amazing the batting average these guys have. Wait till you get to the Boston Spaceships discography...
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May 14, 2013 17:16
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Of Mites and Men has a cool White Album/Beatles feel to me though. It was definitely a grower. It's hard to follow Secret Star.
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May 14, 2013 21:19
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chime_on posted:I love Circus Devils, too. New one coming this year, I think? Capsized had some of the most disgusting audio I've ever heard-- whatever song that was that had the vomiting during the second verse. "Double Vision?" I got super drunk one night and in the midst of the resulting hangover the next morning, I made my friend (who was driving a few of us around) plug my iPod in and I played this track for everyone. I threw up soon after.
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May 16, 2013 01:03
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Vampire on Titus might be my favorite Pollard record some days. At least in the Top 3. Listen to it on a cold night with a beer. Soak it in. It's amazing.
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May 19, 2013 03:09
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Twee as gently caress posted:Ah, that's the reissue. Still jealous, though! Ooh that means I have an original vinyl! Just plain black. The first time I heard VoT I was lying in bed in the dark with headphones and it blew me away. I think I listened to Sot for a week straight. I love Sot. Twee as gently caress posted:That guy is completely wrong. Clearly gin and tonic goes with Tonics and Twisted Chasers, duh. Vampire On Titus is a total slamming-garage-beers-and-whiskey kind of record. (Granted, a whole lot of GBV albums work this way, but still.)
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May 19, 2013 05:30
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shmee posted:I thought 'Vampire on Titus' was excellent, and though lo-fi I really liked the sound, especially on songs like 'Dusted' which the drums especially sound perfect on. Didn't really have any problem getting into it, some of it reminded me of early Ween or Sebadoh which I'm a sucker for anyway. What have you listened to so far?
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May 21, 2013 02:27
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shmee posted:I actually have 'Human Amusements at Hourly Rates', 'Vampire on Titus' and 'Let's Go Eat the Factory'. Fairly certain I listened to 'Bee Thousand' and probably some other stuff in my younger days, though those ones not for some time. When I was a lo-fi loving youngster with my Urusei Yatsura vinyl collection (still got it!) I remember Guided by Voices being something in rotation when hanging out with mates. Oh nice! You have a ton of great stuff to delve into. I'd recommend checking out any number of these next if you wanna stick to lower-fi "classic" era: Propeller Alien Lanes (arguably the best GBV record in my opinion) go listen to Bee Thousand again (arguably the other best GBV record) Not in My Airforce (Pollard solo) Fast Japanese Spin Cycle EP If you like Toby stuff, Tonics and Twisted Chasers is pretty much all Tobin and Bob collaborations while still under the GBV name.
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May 21, 2013 03:15
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Myron Baloney posted:Elephant Jokes is indeed great - of course I dug it out and listened to it a few times over a few days and now it's completely taken over my head - which is exactly what happens with every Pollard album I guess. Last week it was Speak Kindly of Your Volunteer Fire Department which was understandable because of tracks like this. Slick as Snails is indeed one of my all-time favorites. Anyone listened to the new releases yet? Teenage Guitar has been kicking around my brain a bit the last week. Atlantic Cod is a lo-fi pop gem that's been stuck in my head on repeat. Overall, it's got its rougher moments, but I suppose that's part of the charm if you're the type of fan to listen to Teenage Guitar in the first place. Honey Locust Honky Tonk has been getting great reviews from various sites. It always baffles me to see what album critics will gravitate to, because this feels like a solid 4-star record to me. Ah well, trying to understand the whims of music critics is a fool's errand.
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Jul 24, 2013 20:05
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The Bunk posted:I was really into Pollard/GBV for a long time (another DTS board alumni) but fell off in 2006. This thread has inspired me to start catching up a bit - to the extent that that would even be possible. It's crazy to look at that Alpha/Omega doc, scroll to the last album I bought (Normal Happiness) and see that it's less than halfway down the list Wow, you've got a ton of solo releases, Circus Devils, side projects, and a GBV reunion to listen to!  At the very least, check out the Boston Spaceships' stuff, I'd say it's his consistently highest quality project/band (including GBV (!!!)).
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Jul 24, 2013 21:01
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(edit: nevermind, there's just a lot of empty space at the bottom. I only have 61 releases to go...). I'll have to hit up the record store this weekend. I also never got to see the reunion lineup and every time I saw them I was underage and/or had to drive 2 hours back to college after the show, so I may hold the record for going to the most GBV shows sober with 5. I never snagged a setlist, but I do still have the lyric sheet Bob was reading from when Portastatic opened for them and he came out to do a Go Back Snowball song.
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Soundtrack To Mary posted:Does anyone here like the post-classic albums? I love the post-classic albums. I love at least something of just about any project the man's somehow managed to keep putting out. But I gotta say, Alien Lanes and Bee Thousand are just the best drat albums I've heard. You'll have to be more specific as to why they're not as good in your eyes. It's really unlike anything I've ever encountered. It's so weird and heartfelt and amazingly catchy and it just feels like you're in this secret alternate universe with elf kickers and ex-supermodels and little whirls and poo poo yeah it's cool. I mean, (I Wanna Be A) Dumbcharger --> Game of Pricks should justify the entire classic era right there 
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Aug 2, 2013 07:20
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Favorite Pollard solo albums are (in some made up categories): The Juggernauts: Not in My Airforce From a Compound Eye Extremely Pollard-y and Goofy at Times: Elephant Jokes Speak Kindly of Your Volunteer Fire Dept. (Slick as Snails is the best song ever) We All Got Out of the Army Creamy Versions: Coast to Coast Carpet of Love Lord of the Birdcage
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Aug 16, 2013 05:49
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Fun fact about the Circus Devils album My Mind Has Seen The White Trick: In an inversion of the traditional Circus Devils writing structure (Tobias sends instrumentals to Pollard, who does vocals next), Pollard sang the vocals first, and Todd had to write the instrumental parts around them!
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Sep 21, 2013 00:47
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Glug_Glug posted:5 singles are now up on Rockathon Records for the new GBV record, Motivational Jumpsuit. Are the B-sides from the album or are they unique to the single?
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Jan 8, 2014 23:25
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Ratios and Tendency posted:Under the Bushes Under the Stars is so fucken great. It's like, soul man!
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May 6, 2014 04:22
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Ratios and Tendency posted:Going through the reviews on allmusic is quite funny. They keep making comparisons to other albums that directly contradict how they were actually scored. Being a big Pollard fan and reading a bunch of reviews of his stuff is an exercise in insanity. Like 90% of mainstream reviews always seem to devote a large chunk of words to rehashing the same bullet points: - He used to be a teacher! - Wow he's so old! - He's super prolific! - No seriously, he's so prolific! - He should get an editor though.
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May 9, 2014 08:04
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Twee as gently caress posted:Guided by Voices apparently really likes Rob Corddry And Rob Corddry really likes Guided By Voices! (I ran into him once wearing a Boston Spaceships T-shirt and he recognized it and chatted about GBV for a little bit.)
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Jun 22, 2014 02:40
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OK it's kinda cheating to include all the fake bands from Suitcase!
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Aug 10, 2014 16:57
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| # ¿ Apr 23, 2024 07:09 |
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RIP GBV (Long live side projects!)
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Sep 19, 2014 01:27
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