Guided by Voices: Fast Japanese Spin Cycle

Guided by Voices: Fast Japanese Spin Cycle

1994

Engine Records

Format I Own it on: Compact Disc

Track Listing:1 . 3rd World Birdwatching  2. My Impression Now  3. Volcano Divers  4. Snowman  5. Indian Fables  6. Marchers in Orange  7. Dusted  8. Kisses to the Crying Cooks



Maybe my favorite GBV album cover. The hesher in the Bart Simpson shirt. The Iron Maiden backpatch. The cucumber killer whale on the back cover. It's just a masterpiece. Can we hang this thing in the Louvre already? For some reason it perfectly matches the Alternate-Reality version of the Midwest that plays out in my mind whenever I listen to the band...

This is also one of my favorite GBV EP's. 8 songs in 10 minutes. This was the first time we'd seen GBV resort to song recycling, which might have left the initial impression their reserves weren't as infinite as we had once thought, however our worries proved to be needless,... Of the re-recordings, I'd argue that "Kisses to the Crying Cooks" probably wasn't essential (it's just a breezy, truncated version of "Over the Neptune") but the re-recordings of "Marchers in Orange" and especially "Dusted" were revelatory to me. I never noticed what a tight, moody rocker "Dusted" was until I heard it freed from the murk of "Vampire on Titus." And the concertina (or whatever it was) arrangement of "Marchers in Orange" didn't really do the song any favors. But it too sounds great all spiffed up. 

The big one here though is the "Shocker in Gloomtown"-level rock anthem "My Impression Now." This didn't make the greatest hits album? Listening to it, it strikes me there was really no denying how brilliant the band was at this point. They were tossing off masterpieces left and right and the quality of the material released during this era was staggering..."My Impression Now" just happened to be that month's installment.

I'm missing a few singles/EP's from around this time...Here is the list of stuff that's remained elusive to me:

I do not have Static Airplane Jive (which is another of my favorite EPs, but since I eat boiled boots for dinner, I do not own a copy...)

(I'm always on the lookout though. "Big School" and "Gelatin, Ice Cream, Plum..." are my jams for sure...

I've also never been able to score a copy of "Clown Prince of the Menthol Trailer." I don't think this was quite up to the level of "Static Airplane Jive" or "Fast Japanese Spin Cycle" but for chrissakes, it's got "Matter Eater Lad" and "Johnny Appleseed" on it. To be honest, "Johnny Appleseed" never really knocked me out until I heard it live where the song suddenly gained a spiritual glow...

Goddamn. I've never even heard the GBV/Grifters split. And that kills me...Oh, well. That's part of following Bob,. You can't own everything. You can blow paychecks trying though...

I also can never find the '94 "I Am a Scientist" EP. One of my best friends owns it and I'm always so fucking envious of it whenever I hang out at his house. He won't trade it or sell it to me either and I love him for it..."Do the Earth" rules the universe...For some reason I have an inexplicable fondness for the messy-as-hell acoustic ditty "Curse of the Black Ass Buffalo." Something about it draws me in.... 

There are probably some other releases I missed, but these are the big ones...Okay, it's time to get to the utterly arbitrary rankings...Here are the GBV singles and 10-minute-ish EP's ranked in order of my personal preference (and these are subject to change. All it takes is one random, drunken night when The Freedom Cruise 7-inch suddenly changes my life):

1. Fast Japanese Spin Cycle
2. The Grand Hour
3. Get Out of My Stations
4. The Freedom Cruise/Nightwalker Split

It's Saturday Night. Right? Why are we sitting around staring blankly at a computer monitor? We should be firing up the stereo, hoisting a few cold 'uns and blasting GBV until the neighbors start banging on the walls...

(gratuitous beer clip-art)

Let's get this started..."My Impression Now." GBV. Happy weekend everybody...Thanks for overlooking the typos...

Guided by Voices: The Freedom Cruise/Nightwalker Split 7"

Guided by Voices: The Freedom Cruise/Nightwalker split 7"

1994

Simple Solution Records

Format I Own it on: Vinyl

Track Listing: 1. Cruise 2. Lucifer's Aching Revolver



Another 1994 release. This appears to be a split EP by two of Pollard's side projects, The Freedom Cruise and Nightwalker. But the sticker on it says GBV, so I decided to file it under GBV...If I remember my Guided by Voices lore correctly, this is Robert Pollard and Tobin Sprout getting together for some far out shit...

I have the blue jukebox edition that comes with the big, drilled hole and the jukebox sticker. Man, I hope this record really ended up on a jukebox somewhere. I'm hoping somebody somewhere puts his $0.50 in and hits what he thinks is Night Ranger and Nightwalker comes on instead...

The single is especially sludgy and ugly. "Cruise" is a trudging grind-rocker that sounds like it could have been taken from the "Same Place the Fly Got Smashed" sessions. You can find a much more melodic version of this on "Suitcase" one...Great song when you're in the mood for something dark and unpleasant....

The Nightwalker side takes things even further. A stitched together Frankenstein's monster consisting of amps feeding back and getting turned up and down, sandwiched in between different recordings of the same song. It's like the band is trying to  to turn "Lethargy" into "Good Vibrations." Definitely not for everybody but I sure as hell enjoy it a lot...

Casual fans (if there are any) should probably skip this but this really is one of the more enjoyable of Pollard's "difficult" releases. I think its brevity really helps. 

Alright, let's get to the rankings...Here are the GBV singles and 10-minute-ish EP's ranked so far:

1. The Grand Hour
2. Get Out of My Stations
3. The Freedom Cruise/Nightwalker Split

"The Freedom Cruise/Nightwalker" split is fun but nowhere near the quality of the other two EP's we've covered so far...

I would post a song frrm this for you to listen to, but no one's posted it online yet. I don't really have a way to do it so I guess we're just gonna have to sit in silence...

Guided by Voices: Get Out of My Stations

Guided by Voices: Get Out of My Stations

1994

Siltbreeze Records

Format I Own it on: Compact Disc

Track Listing: 1. Scalding Creek  2. Mobile  3. Melted Pat  4. Queen of Second Guessing  5. Dusty Bushworms  6. Spring Tiger  7. Blue Moon Fruit  8. Motor Away  9. Hot Freaks  10. Weed King  11. Postal Blowfish



I don't know if I'm really reviewing these EP's in order...GBV released 10 million EP's in 1994 on a hundred different labels. I wasn't buying them at the time and they all say 1994 so I don't have any context or personal memories attached...

But yea, another "Bee Thousand" era EP. This time we have 7 songs in 12 minutes. I have the CD reissue that adds 4 live bonus tracks. How do the live bonus tracks sound?. A bit rough but they have their charm. And you don't listen to GBV albums for high- fidelity, audiophile recordings. 

The gentle acoustic strum of "Scalding Creek" isn't an outlier either. This entire EP is a bit more laid back than usual.There are a couple of rockers but it's the more shimmering laid back stuff like "Scalding Creek" that really makes an impression.

I've listened to King Diamond, Venom, Puke Cross, Mortifying Anal Death, Blasphemous Ass Church, etc. etc. etc but only one piece of music has genuinely frightened me. Only once have I jumped and yelled, "Holy Fuck!" And that one time occurred on the opening track of this EP. I was blasting the nice, gentle campfire sing-along"Scalding Creek," smiling and gently swaying back and forth when suddenly Greg Demos or somebody drunkenly trips over the amp in the middle of the song and an ear-destroying "SPROIIINNNNNNGGGG!!!!!" of the crashing reverb spring made me jump 50 feet in the air. One of the most unexpected moments in rock history. It doesn't happen on the beat like you'd expect it...It just comes out of nowhere...(Note: Now that I think about it, I've also been frightened by any song with a police siren that comes on while I'm driving)....

Best Songs: "Dusty Bushworms" and "Spring Tiger." Especially "Spring Tiger" which has a staccato "Oh, Oh" melody that has a way of insidiously worming its way deep into your brain. It's just a fantastic song, possessing a swirling, low-key splendor.  Also don't miss the boppy British Invasion wonder "Melted Pat."

Least favorites: Nothing too egregious here. I could really take or leave "Mobile" or "Blue Moon Fruit." "Blue Moon Fruit" has the distinction of being the only GBV song I can't seem to remember. I can look at any GBV release and hum the melody to every song except this one. Listening back to it that's not too surprising. It's mostly some loud, unsteady drums with Bob singing an incomprehensible,  reverb-heavy, country-ish melody. 

Biggest WTF Moment: "The Queen of Second Guessing." Pollard runs his vocals through a wah pedal and the results are fucking hilarious! When I first heard this I was laughing so hard I couldn't breathe and had to keep repeating the song. Chances are, if you're ever hanging out listening to music with me you're eventually going to hear me play this song two or three times in a row...Man! Y'know what it sounds like? Exactly like that Eric Idle Transformer!

Alright, let's get to the GBV singles and 10-minute EP rankings. I think I'm going to have to put "Get Our of My Stations" one centimeter below "The Grand Hour." I think "Get Out of My Stations" has a lot more high points than "The Grand Hour" but the "Grand Hour's" single high point just so happens to be "Shocker in Gloomtown," so it's getting the nod...

1. The Grand Hour
2. Get Out of My Stations

Okay, let's listen to some music...Here's "Spring Tiger" by Guided by Voices...Enjoy...

Guided by Voices: The Grand Hour

Guided by Voices: The Grand Hour

1993

Scat Records

Format I Own it on: Compact Dusk

Track Listing: 1. I'll Get Over It   2. Shocker in Gloomtown  3. Alien Lanes  4. Off the Floor  5. Break Even  6. Bee Thousand


Grand it is, but it's certainly not an hour. Quick little 10-minute EP that's vital to the GBV discography due to the ass-flattening awesomeness of "Shocker in Gloomtown" which is a flawless little pop-rock song. The perfect GBV sugar-rock rush with one of Pollard's greatest lyrics:

 "So, now tell me how the hell did we miss it? He bared his ass for all to see, and no one got to kiss it..." 

A lot of fans claim "Shocker in Gloomtown" is the only reason to buy this, but although the rest of the songs may be a bit slight, it's a super interesting release...It works as a teaser trailer of the upcoming couple years...There's a greazy, other-worldly rocker called "Alien Lanes" and a song called "Bee Thousand" (which seriously sounds like something the Who might have pulled off circa "A Quick One" or  "Sell Out"). "Off the Floor" even kicks off with "Hot Freak"'s gloomy little riff...Fun stuff for Pollard enthusiasts. Sure nothing outside of "Shocker in Gloomtown" will probably make it onto your own personal GBV best-of, but it's a lot of fun...

Oh, yea. the ranking. Y'know, I might have to separate these 10-minute or less EP's into their own category..."Forever Since Breakfast" was easier, since it was almost as long as a standard GBV album, but I can't really rank a 10-minute EP against a 35-minute album...It's just not fair. So singles and 10-minute EP's are going in their own category...So here's the official ranking:

1. The Grand Hour

There. That was easy. Now let's listen to some music. Here's "Shocker in Gloomtown" by GBV...Enjoy...