Guided by Voices: Tonics and Twisted Chasers

Guided by Voices: Tonics and Twisted Chasers

1996

Rockathon Records

Format I Own it on: Compact Disc

Track Listing: 1. Satellite  2. Dayton, Ohio—19 Something and 5  3. Is She Ever?  4. My Thoughts Are a Gas (Fucked Up Version)  5. Knock 'Em Flyin'  6. Top Chick Silver Chord  7. Key Losers  8. Ha Ha Man  9. Wingtip Repair  10. At the Farms  11. Unbaited Vicar of Scorched Earth  12. Optional Bases Opposed  13. Look, It's Baseball  14. Maxwell Jump"  15. The Stir-Crazy Pornographer  16. 158 Years of Beautiful Sex  17. Universal Nurse Finger  18. Sadness to the End  19. Reptilian Beauty Secrets  Bonus Tracks: 20. Long as the Block Is Black  21. Jellyfish Reflector  22. The Kite Surfer  23.Girl from the Sun  24. The Candyland Riots


I don't think this album ever made it to stores. I bought the CD copy with the bonus tracks off the Rockathon website back in the late 90's.  This was released after "Under the Bushes, Under the Stars" but I seem to recall a Robert Pollard interview where he states this was the quickly recorded follow-up to "Alien Lanes." Although,that information always struck me as strange, since it contains a song ("Knock "em Flyin'") that would appear on "Mag Earwig" which was released shortly after this. Who knows. Either way, this is technically the final GBV album (pre-reunion) that features Tobin Sprout as a full band member, so it's remarkable in that regard. I think this album is pretty much nothing but Pollard, Sprout and a drum machine. It's very minimalist and subdued compared to the other GBV albums from this time period. It actually sorta sounds like a Tobin Sprout solo album with Bob singing, if that makes sense...

The big, fat classic (and another one I'll toss on the "Best GBV song" pile (along w/ the 20 others I've mentioned so far) is "Dayton, Ohio—19 Something and 5" which is the ultimate distillation of their nostalgia. A wonderful, hazy place where one decade runs into another (as long as that decade starts with a 19 and ends in a 5) as you enjoy the simple pleasures in life: Fried foods, running through sprinklers, and although it's never explicitly stated I'm sure light beer is in there somewhere too...Still the band is canny enough to throw a couple of junkies in the picture for contrast. Some pain bringing the good times into sharper focus...And that simple, repetitive guitar riff...Forever climbing and falling...Yea, a definite favorite. I can't tell you how many drunken Friday nights I've spent saying, "Let's play that one again..." Another song that hits the nostalgia button for me is "Look, It's Baseball" which perfectly captures the feeling of waking up in the back of your Parent's car and groggily looking out at some mundane wonder that you're not cynical enough to take for granted yet...

Best Tracks: The aforementioned "Dayton, Ohio—19 Something and 5" for sure, with the moody "At the Farms" (which resolves into a low-key, yet triumphant climax (which was becoming a GBV trademark by this point)) coming in at a close second. Also toss in the acoustic beauty "The Key Losers," the super-fun "Ha Ha Man," "Unbaited Vicar of Scorched Earth," "Opposition Bases Opposed"...Really a lot of good shit here..."Loads of creamy music and lots of time to make it," as Bob succinctly put it on "158 Years of Beautiful Sex"...  I absolutely recommend finding the version with the bonus tracks, since they're all excellent.  I consider "Long as the Block Is Black," the sleazy rocker "Jellyfish Reflector" and "Girl From the Sun" (which contains the killer lyric, "People who live in glass houses should get stoned!") to be essential GBV tracks...  

Weak Spots: Yea, a few. Oddly enough, the opening track (usually one of GBV's strengths) is one of the weakest songs here..."Satellite" is just a bunch of honking ill-fitting riffs with Pollard doing his best to find a workable melody in this thing but not really succeeding. The version of "My Thoughts Are a Gas" included here is a million miles removed from the creamy goodness of the "What's Up Matador" version. This version is a shouted mess, but at least it's interesting... I've also always felt that Tobin needed another minute or two to work out "Sadness to the End" but it still mostly works...

Overall, this album was much better than what I was expecting from a fan-club-only release..It has a real "anything goes" feel that makes the moments where they land a direct hit especially rewarding... It also works as a perfect, final reminder of all the simple pleasures that made this era of GBV so  great...

Hey! It's Friday night! Let's bust out the beer...

...and rock out to some GBV...Here's "Dayton, Ohio—19 Something and 5"...Be sure to play it at least 3 times in a row...

'

Alright, here's the revised ranking...I'm putting this one pretty high...Just below "Same Place" and right above "Sunfish." I think outside of "Dayton, Ohio—19 Something and 5" the highs aren't as high as "Sunfish," but the generous length works in "Tonics and Twisted Chasers"s favor...

1. Guided by Voices: Alien Lanes

2. Guided by Voices: Bee Thousand

3.Guided by Voices: Under the Bushes, Under the Stars

4. Guided by Voices: Propeller

5. Tobin Sprout: Carnival Boy

6. Guided by Voices: Same Place the Fly Got Smashed

7. Guided by Voices: Tonics and Twisted Chasers

8. Guided by Voices: Sunfish Holy Breakfast

9. Robert Pollard: Not In My Airforce

10.  Guided by Voices: King Shit and the Golden Boys

11. Guided by Voices: Self-Inflicted Aerial Nostalgia

12. Guided by Voices: Vampire on Titus

13. Guided by Voices: Sandbox

14. Guided by Voices: Forever Since Breakfast

15. Guided by Voices: Devil Between My Toes