Guided by Voices

Guided by Voices (often abbreviated as GbV) was an extremely prolific lo-fi/indie-rock band from Dayton, Ohio. Guided by Voices were an integral part of the American independent rock scene from 1986 until 2004, turning out many albums of short, catchy indie tunes.

History

Formed in Dayton, Ohio in the early 1980s, Guided by Voices began their career as just another bar band working the local scene. As lineups and day-jobs shifted, however, Pollard moved the band towards a studio-only orientation. Guided by Voices' recording career began with a stream of self-financed, independent releases such as Sandbox and Same Place the Fly Got Smashed. With only a few hundred copies of each album being pressed, these tended to circulate only among the band members' family and friends.

Related Topics:
Dayton, Ohio - 1980s

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Perversely, it was with the release of the ultra-limited Propeller in 1992, (of which only 500 copies were pressed, each with a unique, handmade cover) that Guided by Voices for the first time gained some recognition outside of their hometown, in part due to gaining fans in popular alternative rock stars in Sonic Youth, The Beastie Boys, and The Breeders. New York City and Philadelphia were host to Guided by Voices' return to the live stage (and first shows outside of Ohio) in 1993. At this time, the always-fluid Guided by Voices lineup coalesced around the core of Pollard, guitarists Tobin Sprout, and Mitch Mitchell, and drummer Kevin Fennell. Sprout, who had briefly featured in an early-80's version of the band, had re-joined circa Propeller and soon became Pollard's primary musical foil, in addition to contributing several of his own songs to the band's catalog. 1993 also saw the release of Vampire on Titus, as well as the singles Fast Japanese Spin Cycle and Static Airplane Jive.

Related Topics:
1992 - Alternative rock - Sonic Youth - The Beastie Boys - The Breeders - 1993 - Tobin Sprout - Mitch Mitchell - Kevin Fennell - Vampire on Titus - Fast Japanese Spin Cycle - Static Airplane Jive

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In 1994, after culling both new songs and reams of archival recordings from GbV's history, Pollard delivered the bestselling Bee Thousand via Scat Records, with a distribution deal through indie label Matador Records. Soon, the band signed with Matador full-time, concurrent with Pollard and his bandmates finally retiring from their day-jobs to work in music full-time. The band surprised early audiences accustomed to the generally shambling, lo-fi and collage-like quality of the records with their energetic live show, featuring Pollard's homegrown rock theatrics (comprised of karate-kicks, leaps, and Roger Daltrey-inspired mic-twirling), Mitch Mitchell's windmilling and chain smoking, sometime bassist Greg Demos' striped pants, a never-ending barrage of tunes that all seemed to clock in under 90 seconds, and prodigious alcohol consumption all around.

Related Topics:
1994 - Bee Thousand - Scat Records - Matador Records - Roger Daltrey - Greg Demos

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Their true Matador debut came in 1995 with Alien Lanes, which, despite a five-figure recording allowance, was constructed out of home-recorded snippets on the cheap, and the band's underground following continued to grow, with notices coming from mainstream sources such as MTV and Rolling Stone. After sessions for a concept album entitled The Power of Suck were aborted, the band assembled Under the Bushes, Under the Stars out of their first 24-track studio sessions, recorded with Kim Deal and Steve Albini among others, in 1996. However, the strain of heavy touring would ultimately lead to the demise of the beloved "classic lineup", with Sprout deciding to retire from the road in order to focus on a solo career. Sprout and Pollard marked the occasion by releasing simultaneous solo albums on the same day in 1996: Sprout's Carnival Boy and Pollard's Not in My Airforce, with each making a guest appearance on the other's album.

Related Topics:
1995 - Alien Lanes - MTV - Rolling Stone - The Power of Suck - Under the Bushes, Under the Stars - Kim Deal - Steve Albini - 1996 - Solo albums - Carnival Boy - Not in My Airforce

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However, rather than begin a solo career in earnest, Pollard created a new incarnation of Guided by Voices with Cleveland glam rockers Cobra Verde. The following album, 1997's Mag Earwhig, combined a new hard-rocking swagger with classic lo-fi fragments and one track, "Jane of the Waking Universe," that featured the classic lineup for one last time. However, after another year of rigorous touring, the "Guided by Verde" lineup split in late 1997 following Pollard's announcement in an interview that he intended to work with other musicians on the next Guided by Voices project.

Related Topics:
Cleveland - Glam rock - Cobra Verde - Mag Earwhig - Jane of the Waking Universe

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Cobra Verde's Doug Gillard was tapped for yet another new Guided by Voices lineup in 1998, which also included "classic"-era bassist Greg Demos, former Breeders drummer Jim MacPherson, and eventually, former Amps/Breeders guitarist Nate Farley. Departing from Matador, this lineup (sans Farley) worked with producer Ric Ocasek to create what was intended to be Guided by Voices' major-label debut. Initially produced for Capitol Records, Do the Collapse was repeatedly delayed and finally released in mid-1999 on pseudo-indie label TVT. The album failed to catch on at radio, and was for the most part greeted with mixed reviews.

Related Topics:
Doug Gillard - Greg Demos - Breeders - Jim MacPherson - Amps - Nate Farley - Ric Ocasek - Major-label - Capitol Records - Do the Collapse - TVT

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It was around this time, touring heavily throughout 1999 and 2000, that Guided by Voices' live act became legendary, with shows often stretching past the three-hour mark, and populated by an endless stream of new and classic songs, Pollard solo tracks, and impromptu covers of The Who, David Bowie and The Rolling Stones. In addition to mutiple swings through the United States and Europe, 2000 saw the band's first and only visits to Australia and Japan. 2000 was capped with the release of the massive Suitcase, a four-disc, 100 song trawl through three decades worth of Pollard's enormous reserve of unreleased material.

Related Topics:
1999 - 2000 - The Who - David Bowie - The Rolling Stones - United States - Europe - Australia - Japan

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2001's Isolation Drills, was recorded with Rob Schnapf, who helped the band capture their live ferocity and add an unobtrusive gloss to a set of personal songs from Pollard, depicting his estrangement from his wife and the rigors of touring. Though the album debuted in Billboard's top 200 and received higher critical notices than its predecessor, it did not achieve the sought-after radio breakthrough.

Related Topics:
2001's - Isolation Drills - Rob Schnapf

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After departing from TVT in 2002, Guided by Voices returned to Matador and released Universal Truths and Cycles, a conscious departure from the previous two radio-aspiring albums, and a return to the band's mid-90's, mid-fi aesthetic. 2003 saw the release of the prog-styled Earthquake Glue, followed by the anthology box set Hardcore UFOs and the greatest hits compilation Human Amusements at Hourly Rates.

Related Topics:
2002 - Universal Truths and Cycles - Mid-fi - 2003 - Earthquake Glue - Hardcore UFOs - Greatest hits - Human Amusements at Hourly Rates

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In 2004, Pollard announced he was disbanding Guided By Voices http://gbv.com/2004gbvannouncement.htm following the release of the Half-Smiles of the Decomposed LP, and a final farewell tour. According to Pollard:

Related Topics:
2004 - Half-Smiles of the Decomposed

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:This feels like the last album for Guided By Voices. I've always said that when I make a record that I'm totally satisfied with as befitting a final album, then that will be it. And this is it.

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On November 9, 2004 Guided By Voices performed on the stage of Austin City Limits, broadcast by PBS on January 22, 2005. Their last television appearance was on Late Night with Conan O'Brien on December 2 2004. They played the single, "Everybody Thinks I'm a Raincloud (When I'm Not Looking)". After a select round of final US shows, Guided By Voices played their final show (spanning four hours and 61 songs) at the Cabaret Metro in Chicago on December 31 2004.

Related Topics:
Austin - PBS - Late Night with Conan O'Brien - December 2 - 2004 - December 31

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Though the band has separated, Pollard remains prolific. His website, http://www.robertpollard.net offers updates and tentative future releases. The 26-song From a Compound Eye is expected to mark the debut of Pollard's proper solo career in 2006. Several Guided by Voices works have future plans to be (re)-released, largely on vinyl. A 2nd box set of unreleased songs, with the working title of Suitcase II, is planned for December of 2005.

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