? for all Guided By Voices Fans

I recently got turned on to GBV, and I absolutely love them. I've gone out and bought a few of their catalog - I really love "Earthquake Glue," "Universal Cycles & Truths" and "Isolation Drills."

I like, but don't love "Do The Collapse." "Mag Earwhig!" is bizzare, not sure how I feel about that one.

My question is this - what are the essential GBV albums? What is the fan consensus as their best work?

Fill me in GBV fans.

I have almost everything gbv's ever released, and bee thousand is still my favorite. Sooooo gooood....

IMHO

I will put those two at the top of my list. Or should I just buy the new box set that is coming out?

I can't stop at just one! I have this compulsive need to hear everything that has Bob Pollard's voice on it...

However, any GbV freak will tell you that Bee Thousand is THE essential album. I love Mag Earwhig, Self-Inflicted Aerial Nostalgia, and I think Earthquake Glue is going to be one of the all time classics, too.

Search out an album called "Speak Kindly of your Volunteer Fire Department" by Bob Pollard and Doug Gillard; it actually has some of Bob's best ever songs on it, and is very accesible. The Airport 5 album "Tower in the Fountain of Sparks" is also easy to get into, very catchy tunes. Bob's released so much stuff under different names, it's hard to keep track of, but I believe these are the essential albums...Now, EP's are a different matter entirely! SHit, I knew if I got strted I'd never be able to stop....

Thanks. I'll have to give Mag Earwhig! some more time. "Earthquake Glue" is just fantastic. I've already turned a few friend's on to that one, and KEXP, Seattle's awesome indy station is playing "Beat Your wings" and "Jill Hives" quite a bit.

Is the first five GBV albums. Essential.

I know nothing of this imminent new boxed set. Could someone clue me in?

Will be released on Nov. 4th. As I'm a newbie GBV fan, I don't know anything about these tracks, but here is the list:


On November 4th, Matador will be releasing "Hardcore UFOs : Revelations, Epiphanies and Fast Food in the Western Hemisphere" , the definitive Guided By Voices box set of 5 CDs plus 1 DVD in deluxe slipcase with large perfect-bound booklet.

(Where not otherwise marked, the tracks were originally released
either by the band on their own labels, or by Matador Records.)



"Hardcore UFOs: Revelations, Epiphanies and Fast Food in the Western
Hemisphere"

5CD + DVD SLIPCASE BOX SET WITH BOOK (142 COMPLETE
TRACKS, 14 FRAGMENTARY TRACKS, 8 VIDEOS)

DISC ONE: "Human Amusements At Hourly Rates: The Best of Guided By
Voices" CD

VOICES: HUMAN AMUSEMENTS AT HOURLY RATES" WITH DIFFERENT ARTWORK,
SEQUENCE AND SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT VERSIONS: SEE "SEPARATE RELEASES"
SECTION AFTER BOX SET, BELOW]

1. Captain's Dead (courtesy of Scat Records)
2. Drinker's Peace (courtesy of Scat Records)
3. Exit Flagger (courtesy of Scat Records)
4. 14 Cheerleader Coldfront (courtesy of Scat Records)
5. Shocker In Gloomtown (courtesy of Scat Records)
6. Non-Absorbing (courtesy of Scat Records)
7. Tractor Rape Chain (courtesy of Scat Records)
8. Hot Freaks (courtesy of Scat Records)
9. Echos Myron (courtesy of Scat Records)
10. I Am A Scientist - SINGLE VERSION (courtesy of Scat Records)
11. A Salty Salute
12. Watch Me Jumpstart
13. Game Of Pricks - ALBUM VERSION
14. Motor Away - ALBUM VERSION
15. Hit
16. My Valuable Hunting Knife - ALBUM VERSION
17. Cut-Out Witch
18. The Official Ironmen Rally Song
19. To Remake The Young Flyer
20. I Am A Tree
21. Bulldog Skin
22. Learning To Hunt
23. Teenage FBI - DEMO VERSION
24. Things I Will Keep (courtesy of TVT Records)
25. Surgical Focus (courtesy of TVT Records)
26. Chasing Heather Crazy (courtesy of TVT Records)
27. Twilight Campfighter (courtesy of TVT Records)
28. Glad Girls (courtesy of TVT Records)
29. Back To The Lake
30. Everywhere With Helicopter
31. My Kind Of Soldier
32. The Best Of Jill Hives

DISC TWO: "Demons and Painkillers - Matador B-Sides, Out-of-Print
Singles and Compilation Tracks" CD

1. Motor Away
2. Color Of My Blade
3. My Valuable Hunting Knife
4. Game Of Pricks
5. Mice Feel Nice (In My Room)
6. Not Good For The Mechanism
7. Kiss Only The Important Ones
8. Dodging Invisible Rays
9. Deaf Ears
10. Why Did You Land?
11. June Salutes You!
12. Delayed Reaction Brats
13. He's The Uncle
14. The Key Losers
15. Postal Blowfish
16. Unleashed! The Large Hearted Boy
17. Some Drilling Implied
18. Systems Crash
19. Catfood On The Earwig
20. The Who Vs. Porky Pig
21. A Life In Finer Clothing
22. The Worryin' Song
23. Subtle Gear Shifting
24. Finks
25. The Finest Joke Is Upon Us
26. The Singing Razorblade
27. Now To War (Electric Version)
28. Mannequin's Complaint (Wax Dummy Meltdown)
29. Do They Teach You The Chase?
30. (I'll Name You) The Flame That Cries
31. The Ascended Master's Grogshop
32. My Thoughts Are A Gas
33. Running Off With The Fun City Girls
34. None Of Them Any Good
35. Choking Tara (Creamy Version)

DISC THREE: "Delicious Pie and Thank You For Calling - Previously
Unreleased Songs and Recordings" CD

1. I
2. Back To Saturn X
3. H-O-M-E (Matador)
4. You're The Special
5. Perhaps We Were Swinging
6. Mother & Son
7. 7 Strokes To Heaven's Egde
8. Fire 'Em Up, Abner
9. Harboring Exiles
10. Still Worth Nothing
11. Never
12. Slave Your Beetle Brain
13. It Is Divine
14. They
15. I Invented The Moonwalk (And The Pencil Sharpener)
16. Fly Into Ashes
17. The Various Vaults Of Convenience
18. Thrashed Aircraft
19. Running Off With The Fun City Girls
20. Bulldog Skin (Mag Earwhig! Demo)
21. Portable Men's Society (Mag Earwhig! Demo)
22. Choking Tara (Mag Earwhig! Demo)
23. Man Called Aerodynamics - Concert For Todd Version


DISC FOUR: "Live at the Wheelchair Races - Unreleased Live Recordings
1995-2002"

1. intro by Randy Campbell -- The Paradise, Boston, MA, June 20, 1995
2. I Am Produced -- Bogart's, Cincinnati, OH, July 25, 1997
3. Why Did You Land? -- Fox Theatre, Denver, CO, April 10, 1995
4. Zap -- Cat's Cradle, Carrboro, NC, April 16, 2002
5. Little Lines -- Bogart's, Cincinnati, OH, July 25, 1997
6. 14 Cheerleader Coldfront -- The Paradise, Boston, MA, June 20, 1995
7. Everywhere With Helicopter -- Cat's Cradle, Carrboro, NC, April 16, 2002
8. Quicksilver -- Bogart's, Cincinnati, OH, July 25, 1997
9. James Riot -- Bernie's Bagel Shop, Columbus, OH, March 28, 1998
10. Pretty Bombs -- Cat's Cradle, Carrboro, NC, April 16, 2002
11. Far Out Crops -- unknown
12. My Impression Now -- Phantasy Club, Cleveland, OH, April 26. 1997
13. Look At Them -- The Metro, Chicago, IL, February 24, 1996
14. A Salty Salute -- unknown
15. Melted Pat -- The Metro, Chicago, IL, February 24, 1996
16. How Loft Am I? -- The Metro, Chicago, IL, July 11, 1998
17. King And Caroline/Motor Away -- First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, February 22, 1996
18. Trap Soul Door -- unknown
19. Cheyenne -- Cat's Cradle, Carrboro, NC, April 16, 2002
20. Make Use -- The Metro, Chicago, IL, July 11, 1998
21. Burning Flag Birthday Suit - The Metro, Chicago, IL, February 24, 1996
22. Weed King -- The Metro, Chicago, IL, February 24, 1996
23. Town Of Mirrors -- Bimbo's, San Francisco, CA, February 27, 1999
24. Over The Neptune/Mesh Gear Fox -- The Paradise, Boston, MA, June 20, 1995
25. Dragon's Awake -- 40 Watt Club, Athens, GA, January 22, 2000 (courtesy of TVT Records)
26. Shrine To The Dynamic Years -- Bernie's Bagel Shop, Columbus, OH, March 28, 1998
27. Game Of Pricks -- unknown
28. Tractor Rape Chain -- Melkweg, Amsterdam, Holland, July 10, 1997
29. Key Losers -- Fox Theatre, Denver, CO, April 10, 1995
30. Now To War? -- Melkweg, Amsterdam, Holland, July 10, 1997
31. Johnny Appleseed -- Crocodile Club, Seattle, WA, April 17, 1995
32. Drinkers Peace -- -- unknown

DISC FIVE "Forever Since Breakfast" CD (FIRST REISSUE OF THE GBV
VINYL-ONLY DEBUT IN ANY FORMAT)

1. Land of Danger
2. Let's Ride
3. Like I Do
4. Sometimes I Cry
5. She Wants to Know
6. Fountain of Youth
7. The Other Place


DISC SIX: DVD: "Watch Me Jumpstart" + Extras (NTSC ALL-REGION DVD)

JUMPSTART", ORIGINALLY RELEASED BY MATADOR IN 1998.]

SEE "SEPARATE RELEASES BELOW.]

1. The Original "Watch Me Jumpstart" documentary by Banks Tarver

The documentary features footage of fractions of the following songs (all from 1995/1996):

Club Molluska (1:31) (courtesy of Scat Records)
14 Cheerleader Coldfront (1:34) (courtesy of Scat Records)
If We Wait (:59)
Gold Star for Robot Boy (1:00)
Systems Crash (1:45)
Don't Stop Now (:32, 1:37)
Blimps Go 90 (1:55)
Yours To Keep (:54)
Weed King (1:13)
Hot Freaks (1:27)
To Remake the Young Flyer (1:40)
Chicken Blows (:41)
A Salty Salute (1:25)
Goldheart Mountain Top Queen Directory (2:02)

2. The original live footage that followed "Watch Me Jumpstart" on the VHS (1994-1997):

Hot Freaks
Superwhore
Gold Heart Mountain Top Queen Directory
Shocker in Gloomtown
Postal Blowfish
Weed King
Exit Flagger
I Am A Scientist

3. "Beautiful Plastic" 8-minute film by Banks Tarver, 2003, not on VHS

4. Music Videos (these 5 also on the original VHS)

I Am A Scientist (courtesy of Scat Records)
Auditorium/Motor Away
My Valuable Hunting Knife
The Official Ironmen Rally Song
Bulldog Skin

(plus two added videos not on the original VHS):

Glad Girls (courtesy of TVT Records)
My Kind of Soldier

5. Three live songs filmed at Warsaw in June 2002 (not on the original VHS):

Echos Myron <5 angles choosable>
Tight Globes
Cut-Out Witch

6. One Easter Egg to be discovered



THE SEPARATE RELEASES:

"The Best of Guided By Voices: Human Amusements At Hourly Rates"
CD MID-PRICE

RATES: THE BEST OF GUIDED BY VOICES" WITH DIFFERENT ARTWORK, SEQUENCE
AND SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT VERSIONS: SEE "BOX SET" DISC ONE, ABOVE]

1. A Salty Salute
2. Things I Will Keep (courtesy of TVT Records)
3. Everywhere With Helicopter
4. I Am A Tree
5. My Kind Of Soldier
6. 14 Cheerleader Coldfront (courtesy of Scat Records)
7. Twilight Campfighter (courtesy of TVT Records)
8. Echos Myron (courtesy of Scat Records)
9. Learning To Hunt
10. Bulldog Skin
11. Captain's Dead (courtesy of Scat Records)
12. Tractor Rape Chain (courtesy of Scat Records)
13. Game Of Pricks - SINGLE VERSION
14. To Remake The Young Flyer
15. Hit
16. Glad Girls (courtesy of TVT Records)
17. Drinker's Peace (courtesy of Scat Records)
18. Surgical Focus (courtesy of TVT Records)
19. Cut-Out Witch
20. The Best Of Jill Hives
21. Hot Freaks (courtesy of Scat Records)
22. Shocker In Gloomtown (courtesy of Scat Records)
23. Chasing Heather Crazy (courtesy of TVT Records)
24. My Valuable Hunting Knife - ALBUM VERSION
25. The Official Ironmen Rally Song
26. Non-Absorbing (courtesy of Scat Records)
27. Motor Away - SINGLE VERSION
28. Teenage FBI - DEMO VERSION
29. Watch Me Jumpstart
30. Exit Flagger (courtesy of Scat Records)
31. Back To The Lake
32. I Am A Scientist - ALBUM VERSION (courtesy of Scat Records)

OLE-595
OLE-596
"Watch Me Jumpstart" + Extras (NTSC all-region DVD)



http://gbv.com/hardcoreufostracks.html