Stuck With GBV

In April of 2004 I went to see Guided By Voices for the third time. The other two times I went I don't remember much because besides the band being a mess, I was as well. I was young and stupid and more them likely a bit drunk to remember or appreciate how good they were. This time I went with a friend who actually never went to a concert in his life. I also went with a few friends who were bigger Guided By Voices fans then myself. They breathed GBV air all the time. I am glad I went to this gig. As I tell friends about shows I do exaggerate on how many songs I heard, but I will tell you that they actually played 44 songs. These songs were great from start to end. These songs kicked ass, and these songs are really well done. GBV is a band that I wish I started following more closely when I was younger. I will tell you this, after the show I was converted into a huge fan.

GBV is a band that has more then likely over a 1000 songs to their credit. The music maybe short, but they make a great point on each and every one of them. They are great rockers and they are the songs that hit you really hard. They tell a story weather simple or complex, but they will make you sing along as well. I know about two dozen by heart and they are songs that transform you into a better place. The music is rockin' and takes no prisoners. It is a band that has more energy then any band I have seen. Those 44 songs lasted about three and half to four hours that night and I loved every moment of it. They are like a great local bar band that is on steroids.



GBV is a band that I would want to be in. Every night must be a new adventure. Even better is to hear the wit and wisdom of Robert Pollard. He writes so much. His albums are not simple twelve songs and that is it. He has albums with fifteen or sometimes twenty songs. That is a good writer. His songs are about everything. When I saw them in 2004 I realized this was a show for the ages. This was a show that you tell your kids about when they are going to their first show. I have been to some memorable shows in my life. I was at the five hour Dylan show at Toad's Place in New Haven. I was at a memorable show in New York City that included three great bands; Rollins Band, Helmet and Primus. I went to a Roger Waters show where it was the smallest played date on his 1996 tour. I went to see Richard Thompson and Henry Kaiser in San Francisco (they never played together before or since) I was even at the Rush show that was the first for their return after a lengthy absence because of the personal issues with Neil Peart. The GBV show was that kind of show.



The music of GBV is not complex, but it's fun. The music is good enough to keep you smiling. Each song has some kind of riff that keeps you in the spirit of good old fashion Rock and Roll. From the funky bass riff and drums at the beginning of "Best of Jill Hives" to the odd use of harmonica on "Dirty Water." Each of their songs has something for everybody. Robert Pollard's singing is not top notch, but it's known for some of the best out there. Everything is fun about this band, how can you not like them.

Paid up weathered and type-o,
Clad in gladstone watch him go,
Swimming beneath the microscope.
Hello lonely bless the nation.
Mr. skip to all or none,
Wooden soldiers fall upon,
Try to find what makes her tick,
While their finding out what makes them sick.

I don't know where you find your nerve,
I don't know how you choose your words,
Speak the ones that suit you worse,
Keep you grounded, sad and cursed,
Circle the ones that come alive,
Save them for the best of Jill Hives.

Been around and left you flat,
Tragically decided that,
Every child of god's a brat,
And she's dying to escape them.
But do we really need to see,
All her punchdrunk history,
And which of it might hold the key
For the exit to her destiny.

I don't know where you find your nerve,
I don't know how you choose your words,
Speak the ones that suit you worse,
Keep you grounded, sad and cursed,
Circle the ones that come alive,
Save them for the best of Jill Hives.
Number one in all our souls,
Trifle in the crystal bowl,
Fill it up with 9 to 5,
Save them for the best of Jill Hives.



I get friends who ask me about them. I tell them in one word, "Awesome." They are that and I also tell them what a show they put on. The music is fresh and fun and top notch. If I suggest a starting point then I would tell you that Earthquake Glue is one of their best. The fifteen songs have something for everyone. They keep you on your toes, they run circles around bands that are at their prime and they are a band that you talk about at parties on how awesome they are. The people you talk to might not know what your talking about, but if you put the music on they will afterwords. I am proud to be a GBV fan and really enjoy every moment. If you don't get this album then I suggest their retrospective album called Human Amusements at Hourly Rates. It has thirty one songs, imagine a single CD having that many great songs. Not a bad one in the bunch. Try Earthquake Glue and I am sure you too will enjoy GBV like me. Enjoy!!