Song #31 On My MP3 Player - Back To The Lake by Guided by Voices

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Guided by Voices' (GBV's) 'Back To The Lake' is the song of the day at The Lost Soul of Rock and Roll. 'Back To The Lake' is the seventh track on the 2002 release Universal Truths and Cycles.

GBV was active from 1983 until 2004, but they should have called it quits in 2002 when they released Universal Truths and Cycles. It would have allowed the band to ride off into the sunset on a high note, but they stayed active for a few more years and released two forgettable albums, Earthquake Glue and Half Smiles of the Decomposed. I'm a diehard fan of GBV, and I thought Universal Truths and Cycles was their best album since 1997's Mag Earwhig!

'Back to the Lake' is one of my favorites from Universal Truths and Cycles because it was a song that made me believe in a band that I saw as an act on cruise control collecting checks. Mag Earwhig! ushered in an era of a studio version of GBV. The days of 4-tracks and lo-fi experimental rock was gone. While I enjoyed the big studio version at times, I felt that I was following a band desperate for a top 40 hit or an alternative rock radio hot rotation hit.

Do The Collapse (1999) and Isolation Drills (2001) showed moments of brilliance, but something didn't seem right in my opinion. The two aforementioned albums lacked something honest. My interest in GBV was on the decline in 2000, but they captured my attention once again with Universal Truths and Cycles. It is interesting to note that the album that brought me back to GBV was the album that was one of the best selling releases for GBV. Greatness had returned and all was well in the universe.




TonyDoug Wright is The Lost Soul of Rock and Roll.

Song #15 On My MP3 Player - A Salty Salute by Guided by Voices

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The club is open, boys and girls. 'A Salty Salute' is the fifteenth song on my MP3 player. This song is the opening track on Guided by Voices' 1995 lo-fi rock album Alien Lanes.

Fans of Guided by Voices (GBV) have debated and will debate what's the best opening track on a GBV album. 'A Salty Salute' is a strong contender for the #1 spot because it is a drinking anthem from a hard-drinking band that has a large following of big-time drinkers. It's a marriage made in heaven. It's also catchy as hell and it is hard not to yell "The club is open!" while listening to this song.

'A Salty Salute' is not only a great opening track, but it is something that you have to experience at a GBV show. The band has a neon sign that says THE CLUB IS OPEN and when you hear that bass line at a show, then you know it's rock and roll time. I've experienced 30 to 35 GBV shows from 1995 to 2012, and I don't think I've ever attended a show where they didn't play this song. The crowd goes wild when the bass starts off the song, and the band kicks out the song in amazing fashion.

'A Salty Salute' is on my MP3 player because it's a killer song from my favorite band. This song was played at my wedding as the introduction song for my best man. He's a GBV fan as well and was thrilled to hear the song as his introduction. We all need drinking anthems and I hope you dig 'A Salty Salute'





TonyDoug Wright is the Lost Soul of Rock & Roll. He's going to eat meatloaf for lunch.

Songs On My MP3 Player: (I'll Name You) The Flame That Cries by Guided by Voices

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The Lost Soul of Rock and Roll is back in business. It has been five months since I last posted and I am glad to be back blogging about rock and roll. It was sometime last week when I decided to share with the Lost Soul faithful every song that is stored on my MP3 player which is a Philips GoGear Vibe 4G model.  All posts will be in alphabetical order.

'(I'll Name You) The Flame That Cries' by Guided by Voices (GBV) is the first song listed on my MP3 player because of the parentheses. '(I'll Name You) The Flame That Cries' is featured on the 'I Am A Tree' single that was released in 1997 by Matador Records.

GBV is a band that was formed in Dayton, Ohio during the early 1980's, and they became a favorite of music critics and alternative rock bands during the early 1990's following the release of the albums Propeller and Bee Thousand. The band has a sound that is influenced by various genres including The British Invasion, punk rock, post-punk, psychedelic rock, and progressive rock. Their lead singer is a former fourth grade teacher named Robert Pollard and he is quite possibly one of the most prolific songwriters of the past thirty years. Many of the GBV's releases are considered lo-fi due to the use of inexpensive recording devices to record their releases, but they would venture into the studio to produce some polished rock albums. The history of GBV includes numerous personnel changes and their career came to end in 2004 when Pollard decided to retire the band. GBV's retirement ended in 2010 when pollard got the band back together to tour and to release new music.

I became a fan of GBV in 1994 and saw my first show in Dayton, Ohio a year later. This was the time of the lo-fi era GBV and the lineup was Bob Pollard on vocals, Jim Greer on bass, Tobin Sprout on guitar and vocals, Mitch Mitchell on guitar, and Kevin Fennell on drums. Greg Demos would replace Greer on bass and this lineup from 1992 to 1996 was known as the "classic lineup".

What I've always liked about this band, especially the "classic lineup", was that on stage they looked like a bunch of regular guys playing solid rock and roll. The sets were long, the energy was high, and the band always played a great show. The "classic lineup" had a run featuring some incredibly amazing albums including Bee Thousand, Alien Lanes, and Under The Bushes, Under The Stars.

Everything seemed to be going well from my point of view as a fan during the mid to late 90's, but Pollard made a decision that shocked me in 1997 when he announced some major personnel changes. Pollard had the entire band replaced by members of Cobra Verde, a Cleveland rock band. I was on a GBV mailing list for fans and from what I was told on the list was that Pollard wanted a more savvy group of musicians to join him for a big studio album project. Doug Gillard was lead guitar player, John Petkovic was the rhythm guitar player, Don Depew was on bass, and Dave Swanson was on drums. The sound went from lo-fi to studio rock and the end result was a 1997 concept album titled Mag Earwhig!

Mag Earwhig! is a good album overall, but it was a clear statement from Pollard that the lo-fi era was over. The Cobra Verde lineup did not disappoint fans at shows, but for some reason, Pollard decided to keep Gillard and replace the remaining band members with new musicians less than one year after disbanding the "classic lineup".

'(I'll Name You) The Flame That Cries' is the first song in this MP3 series and it opens with a lovely acoustic sound that builds up to a great progressive rock explosion. It seems to me that it is a crime that this song was placed on the 'I Am A Tree' single instead of Mag Earwhig! because '(I'll Name You) The Flame That Cries' is quite possibly one of GBV's strongest songs from this Cobra Verde era. I've always been of the opinion that Pollard really wanted a hit at this point in his career and Mag Earwhig! could have been the album to take him to radio hitsville. For some reason, it did not happen. '(I'll Name You) The Flame That cries' has everything that a band needs for a radio hit, so it has been a myestery to me why this didn't make the album.

Progressive rock or prog rock is not something I want to listen to on a daily basis, but '(I'll Name You) The Flame That Cries' is an exception that deserves to be on my MP3 player because it is that kind of rock song that will get your head bobbing and your fist pumping in the air. For those of you that have not converted to the rock awesomeness of GBV then give this song a listen because it is definitely a gateway song one can use to get new converts to join the Church of GBV. The club is open.




TonyDoug Wright is the Lost Soul of Rock and Roll. Follow him on Twitter @TonyDougWright or join The Lost Soul of Rock and Roll page on Facebook.

Artists I Get: Guided By Voices

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Guided By Voices - Pitch.Com

I love Guided by Voices. They are my favorite band and have held the number one spot in my rock and roll heart for the past eighteen years. I've seen them in concert thirty-five or thirty-six times since 1995. Their music was played at my wedding. I even sang a Guided by Voices song to my kids when they were born. This blog is named after a line in a Guided by Voices song and they earned the very first post. I get Guided by Voices.

My wife doesn't like Guided by Voices. My family doesn't like Guided by Voices. Some of my friends don't like Guided by Voices. My co-workers don't like Guided by Voices. I've taught two classes at a community college about the history of rock and roll, and all of those students didn't like Guided by Voices. I even had some record store ding-dong give me grief for buying a Guided by Voices record at the store where he worked.

What's not to like?

Here are some complaints I've received about Guided by Voices. Lead singer Robert Pollard sings with a fake British accent. The lyrics are weird and/or pretentious. The band hit it big while they were in their late 30's, so they are "really old". Their music is "boring" and "really stupid". They are from Ohio, so they must suck.

Guided by Voices is a great rock and roll band that formed during the 1980's in Dayton, Ohio. Robert Pollard is the key player behind this band. He is their heart and soul, and yes he does sing with a fake British accent at times. Pollard is a student of rock and roll, plus he is a prolific songwriter that has cranked out thousands of songs. Guided by Voices newbies are in awe over the sheer volume of music they've produced, and trust me, it's great music.

What's not to like?

Guided by Voices has an impressive discography that ranges from REM inspired college rockers to lo-fi masterpieces inspired by the British Invasion and punk rock. Their later albums went into the realm of pop rock and a sort-of-kind-of-not-really progressive rock realm. Guided by Voices also has numerous solo and side projects that stay true to the Guided by Voices "sound", but also goes into some strange and incredible musical territories.

Here are some great selections from the Guided by Voices catalog to show you what I "get"about the band. My first selection is 'Hardcore UFOs', the opening track to their classic 1994 album Bee Thousand. This was the "I get it" song that turned me on to Guided by Voices. I played this album religiously back in '94, and what I love about 'Hardcore UFOs' is that it sounds like a lo-fi transmission from an alternate universe where The Beatles recorded some power-pop tunes.


Guided by Voices have released many fantastic albums. What's incredible about this band is that they have many hidden gems out there on 7" releases, singles, splits, EPs, and LPs. One superb hidden gem is '(I'll Name You) The Flame That Cried', which is featured on the 1997 I Am A Tree single. For those of you that have some sort of hatred of lo-fi music, then I have a killer song that was recorded in a studio.


I placed 'Paper Girl' from Self Inflicted Aerial Nostalgia to showcase the brilliance of this band. How can you hate on this track. C'mon, man!


Guided by Voices is still going strong. last year, they released a great album titled Let's Go Eat The Factory. They were invited to play Letterman and they had a memorable performance thanks to bassist Greg Demos. Watch below and enjoy.


I get Guided by Voices.

 TonyDoug Wright is The Lost Soul of Rock and Roll and is also the head writer and owner of Champion City Comics. Follow him @TonyDougWright on Twitter.

Tipp City by The Amps

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This is Ohio Week at The Lost Soul of Rock and Roll because I am traveling to Ohio this week to celebrate Thanksgiving. Stop drinking my beer! The song of the day for November 19, 2012 is 'Tipp City' by The Amps, which is featured on their debut album, Pacer.

The first time I saw the The Amps, they opened for Guided by Voices at the infamous 1995 'Benefit for the Winos' show at Gilly's in Dayton, Ohio. The Amps featured Kim Deal (guitar and vocals), Nate Farley (guitar), Luis Lerma (bass), and Jim Macpherson (drums). They rocked Gilly's with songs like 'Pacer' and 'Tipp City'. I had the opportunity to see The Amps play a few shows in the Dayton, Ohio area, and they were never disappointing live. Nate Farley and Jim Macpherson later joined Guided by Voices.

Tipp City is about 20 minutes from my hometown of Springfield, Ohio, and I'm pretty certain I've never visited the city formerly known as Tippecanoe. The video below gives an accurate representation of the city where chicks with big hair cruise around in a Camaro. I think that's a Camaro. It's hard to remember all of those popular 80's cruisin' cars. Enjoy.  

Auditorium/Motor Away by Guided by Voices

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This week is the one-two punch week at The Lost Soul of Rock and Roll. Every day this week I will select a great one-two combo where two songs have become one in the world of rock and roll. The song of the day for September 19, 2012 is 'Auditorium/Motor Away', which is featured on Guided by Voices' 1995 album Alien Lanes.

Guided by Voices, a fine rock and roll band from Dayton, Ohio, came out of nowhere in 1994 with the lo-fi Beatles inspired rocker, Bee Thousand, and then they followed up with another lo-fi masterpiece, Alien Lanes. Guided by Voices fans have and will debate which album is better, and they only thing then can agree on is the fact that both Alien Lanes and Bee Thousand are great.

'Auditorium/Motor Away' is one of a few great one-two punches from Guided by Voices. For example, Bee Thousand has 'Yours to Keep/Echos Myron' and Under The Bushes Under the Stars has 'Bright Paper Werewolves/Lord of Overstock'. However, when Guided by Voices plays 'Motor Away' live, they have usually done a one-two punch with 'The King and Caroline' instead of 'Auditorium'. While I have always enjoyed the 'King and Caroline/Motor Away' live medley, I don't recall a time when they played 'Auditorium/Motor Away'. I've decided to embed a clip of the 'Auditorium/Motor Away' video featuring future Guided by Voices member, Nate Farley, and Dayton, Ohio O-Matic rockers Scott and Michelle Bodine. The second clip is GBV's first television appearance on The Jon Stewart Show, which aired on MTV during the mid-1990s. Enjoy.

Big School by Guided by Voices

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Fun time is over because school is back in session. I've decided that this week I'll select songs that remind me of school starting and the end of summer. I'm not always in the mood to do themes at the Lost Soul of Rock and Roll because of my Generation X slacker attitude, but I have some motivation this week.  

The song of the day for August 27, 2012 is 'Big School' by Guided by Voices (GBV), which was released in 1993 on the Static Airplane Jive EP. Why did I choose this song? 'Big School' gets me pumped every time I listen to it  thanks to Bob Pollard's energetic intro of, "One, two, BIG SCHOOL!" I was in college when I discovered GBV in '94 and this song was blasted on my car stereo as I would drive to my classes. I give this song to the younger generation and to those of you that have not embraced the awesomeness that is GBV. Go forth and rock. 

Guided By Voices Monday: Long Distance Man

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Sandbox (1987) was the second album released by Guided by Voices, and there are some fans out there who believe it is quite possibly the worst album released by the band. I spent many hours during the mid to late 1990s defending Sandbox because I feel the album is very underrated album about the complexities of relationships. Perhaps one of the best tracks on Sandbox is 'Long Distance Man', a Beatles inspired acoustic number that clocks in at 1:17, but delivers a powerful punch. Take a listen and enjoy.   

Guided by Voices Monday: Big Boring Wedding

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Propeller, Bee Thousand, Alien Lanes, and Under the Bushes, Under the Stars are in my opinion the four best Guided by Voices albums. The aforementioned albums were released from 1992 to 1996, starting with Propeller, and ending with Under the Bushes, Under the Stars. This is considered the 'classic' Guided by Voices era, and it shows on all of the albums. Some fans have complained that the 'classic' era was not so classic, but I respectfully disagree. As much as I love this band, I can honestly say they never came close to duplicating the greatness of 1992 to 1996. Sure, they had some great songs and some very good albums, but I challenge any GBV fan to tell me that Do The Collapse, Mag Earwhig!, or Half Smiles of the Decomposed is better than any of the four albums.

One of my favorite tracks from Under the Bushes, Under the Stars is 'Big Boring Wedding'. Fortunately, I was raised 20 minutes north of Dayton, Ohio and I discovered Guided by Voices after Bee Thousand was released. I had the opportunity to see the band some 35 times from 1995 until 2001, and out of the 35 shows, I have only heard 'Big Boring Wedding' once, which is something of a bummer because I attended plenty of shows where they played a heavy rotation of songs from Under the Bushes, Under the Stars. This is GBV at their best and pass the word, the chicks are back.

The Quality of Armor by Guided by Voices

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You were finding God in the dictionary

Taking photographs in the cemetery

'Propeller' (1992) was a last-ditch effort by Guided By Voices to achieve success. An initial pressing of 500 albums with hand made covers were sent out to gain national attention for the band and it worked. 'Propeller' features some real rock and roll anthems like 'Over The Neptune/Mesh Gear Fox', 'Lethargy', and 'The Quality of Armor'. What I love about 'The Quality of Armor' is that it is an all-out rocker that blends the British invasion, garage rock, and punk rock. It's hard not to to listen to this song in the car and not shout out, "Oh yeah I'm going to drive my car! Oh yeah I'm going to go real far!" Enjoy!

A Portrait Destroyed By Fire by Guided by Voices

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 A curious pet in an open cage

Subjected to his master's rage

A Portrait Destroyed By Fire, the fifth track on the 1987 album Devil Between My Toes, just might be the creepiest Guided by Voices song ever recorded. There is definitely a REM and Wire influence on A Portrait Destroyed By Fire, and this song is tied with Hey Hey Spaceman as my favorite track on Devil Between My Toes. What I love about A Portrait Destroyed By Fire is the build-up of rage that ends with lead singer, Bob Pollard, screaming, "A portrait destroyed by fire" over and over. Additionally, Bob Pollard and Toby Sprout have a great vocal moment and A Portrait Destroyed By Fire was a song that proved that more brilliant songs were on the horizon for Guided by Voices. Enjoy!

Starry Eyes by The Records

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While you were off in France

We were stranded in the British Isles

There is a special place in my heart for 70s power pop. It was a movement where people were inspired by The Beatles, Big Star, and The Kinks with the end result being some finely crafted rock tunes. One of my favorites is 'Starry Eyes' by The Records. Released in 1978, 'Starry Eyes' is the measuring stick of success for power pop songs. I had the opportunity to see John Wicks, the lead singer of The Records, in the late 90s and he opened for Guided By Voices in Cleveland. He really rocked the house that night and he killed it on 'Starry Eyes'. Enjoy!

Pantherz by Guided by Voices

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Strong words and big black birds on a telephone wire

Secretly placed at the end of Jellyfish Reflector, a live Guided by Voices album, are three songs: Pantherz, I'll Buy You A Bird, and Bughouse. Of the three, my favorite is Pantherz, a power chord rocker that was supposed to be a track on The Power of Suck, a concept album which chronicled the history of Guided by Voices. The Power of Suck was shelved and some of the songs made their way to Under the Bushes, Under The Stars while the rest were eventually released. As a Guided by Voices fan, I have been amazed to find some of their best material in the strangest of places. Some are B-sides to singles, some have existed as unreleased demos only to be found on tapes traded between fans, some can only be found on fan only releases, and some are at the end of a live album. Listen to the song and feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section. Enjoy.

My Son Cool by Guided By Voices

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I must keep a journal

I must boast a victory

Alien Lanes was the fantastic follow-up album to Bee Thousand. Guided by Voices fans have and will debate which album is superior, but there is no need to argue because both are brilliant works of lo-fi rock. A personal favorite from Alien Lanes is 'My Son Cool', a rock anthem recorded on four track or eight track. There is no need to wonder what this would sound like in the studio because songs like these exist to remind us why we go out and buy four tracks and eight tracks.   

Blatant Doom Trip by Guided by Voices

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Bottomless hole - rock and roll

The Same Place The Fly Got Smashed, the fourth studio album from Guided by Voices (GBV), is believed to be a concept album about alcoholism, but it is a continuation of the new sound GBV achieved with their third studio album, Self-Inflicted Aerial Nostalgia. If you listen to GBV from the 1986 EP, Forever Since Breakfast, to their second studio album, Sandbox, you'll hear a band heavily influenced by REM. Self-Inflicted Aerial Nostalgia and The Same Place The Fly Got Smashed have a variety of sounds that are influenced from the British invasion, the post-punk movement, garage rock, and lo-fi rock.

My personal favorite from The Same Place The Fly Got Smashed is 'Blatant Doom Trip', a rock and roll journey that takes one into the world of addiction and hopelessness. Lead singer, Bob Pollard, still shows some REM influence with the Michael Stipe vocals that are hard to decipher at times and the band has put together a rockin' sound that in my opinion blends some Pink Floyd with The Who. Enjoy.

If We Wait by Guided By Voices

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Oh, now I've bored you crying my life away

"We need one more mic", announces an inebriated Robert Pollard at the opening of the classic Guided by Voices (GBV) live album, Crying Your Knife Away, which was distributed by Simple Solution Records. Recorded at Stache's in Columbus, Ohio for Bela Koe-Krompecher's birthday in 1994, Crying Your Knife Away is for the die-hard GBV fan that has experienced the alcohol fueled epic performances of the good kids from Dayton, Ohio. To the non-believers or to a GBV newbie, this album may sound like a hot mess, but believe me, folks, it is a masterpiece. 

I purchased my copy of Crying Your Knife Away from Trader Vic, the man behind Simple Solution Records, at his store Dayton, Ohio. Captain Chemtrail, Ryan Dellwood, and I decided to stop by Trader Vic's during the summer of 1995 to check out his GBV selection. If I remember correctly, it was the smaller store he had on Brown Street before he moved to the storefront on the corner. Let me get back on track before I get lost on this trip down memory lane. Trader Vic's was really cool because he had every GBV release placed on a wall as a shrine to the lo-fi rockers. At the time he had the then ultra rare Forever Since Breakfast on vinyl for sale for $80, which was too rich for my blood at the time. Also, he had a copy of Propeller on vinyl and I am kicking myself to this day for not asking if the album was for sale. Anyway, I purchased a copy of Crying Your Knife Away and promised to make copies on tape for Captain Chemtrail and Ryan Dellwood.

In case you are wondering, I had seen the band live before hearing this record. I've listened to Crying Your Knife Away countless times and it never lets me down. One of my favorite tracks on the album is Bob Pollard and Bela singing 'If We Wait', a sloppy drunk rendition, but still very good.

The mid to late 90s was the time of my tape trading empire. I was subbed to Postal Blowfish, a GBV fan mailing list, and received many tapes in the mail from fans that had copies of various 7" records, EPs, LPs, bootlegs, and rarities. One kind soul added the studio version of 'If We Wait' from the 1993 GBV/Jenny Mae Leffel split to a mix tape and I was blown away. 'If We Wait' from Crying Your Knife Away was fun, but this song kicked me in the teeth when I heard it for the first time. It is still one of their best and it is embedded below, so enjoy.  

Over The Neptune/Mesh Gear Fox by Guided by Voices

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This song does not rock

Happy Memorial Day! The Lost Soul of Rock and Roll has spent many Memorial Day weekends listening to various rock and roll 500s on classic rock radio and WOXY, which was the best damn indie station on the planet. In case you need an explanation, the Indianapolis 500 occurs during this holiday in the U.S., so many moons ago someone was wise enough to count down the top 500 rock and roll songs of all time during Memorial Day Weekend. 

As a Guided by Voices fan, I would love to develop a Guided By Voices (GBV) 500. Maybe I'll be more motivated next year to attempt that massive blogging feat. Maybe. If I were to choose the #1 song then I would award it to 'Over The Neptune/Mesh Gear Fox'.

The GBV catalog is full of rock gems that are worthy of the #1 spot, but to me it belongs to the opening track from the anthem driven album, Propeller. The first time I heard 'Over The Neptune/Mesh Gear Fox' was at my college apartment in 1994 and it was an incredible rock experience. The G-B-V chant, Kevin Fennell yelling 'Is everybody ready to rock?' and Bob Pollard's reply of 'This song does not rock' hooked me before a single note was played. I had heard nothing like it before and may never hear anything like it again. 

My first GBV concert was the infamous Benefit for the Winos show which was at Gilly's in Dayton, Ohio during June 1995. I went to the show with Captain Chemtrail and Ryan Dellwood. We sat through what seemed to be an endless line-up of acts before GBV took the stage around midnight. As they appeared, a chant of G-B-V erupted, and then the band rocked out to 'Over The Neptune/Mesh Gear Fox'. I had died and gone to GBV heaven.

Well, Happy Memorial Day, my GBV true believers. I've embedded the song below. Throw the switch, it's rock and roll time.

I Am A Scientist by Guided by Voices

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I am a lost soul

I shoot myself with rock and roll

The hole I dig is bottomless

But nothing else can set me free

Welcome to the Lost Soul of Rock & Roll. I thought it was appropriate to have the first post relate to the title of the blog.

Am I a lost soul of rock and roll? My former boss referred to me as a lost soul of rock and roll and there are days when I feel that is true. Rock and roll has been a major part of my life since I was a child. Music has helped me along during some difficult, amazing and humorous times, so creating this blog was my way of sharing my love of music with the world. 

The first song I selected to showcase is 'I Am A Scientist' by Guided by Voices (GBV), a band from Dayton, Ohio. This track is from their 1994 masterpiece, Bee Thousand. If you know nothing about this band then the best way I can describe them is imagine that a group of music fans ingested huge amounts of the British Invasion, garage rock, hard rock, psychedelic rock, power pop, progressive rock, avant-garde music, punk rock, and post punk and then formed a band.

Under the leadership of front-man, Bob Pollard, this band has released numerous albums, singles, split singles, box sets, and everything in-between from 1983 until their break-up in 2004. Every release is something different and I mean that in a good way. GBV's sound ranges from lo-fi rock to slick productions without disappointing fans.

Guided by Voices was not a good band - they were great. They are one of a handful of bands that I have been obsessed with in my lifetime. I've attended some thirty-five shows and own countless GBV releases. Somewhere in a cardboard box you'll find some of my live bootlegs and rarities compilations that I acquired from 1995 to 1999 via tape trading. I've met some wonderful GBV fans over the years and still keep in touch with those crazy kids.There are some great GBV related stories I'd love to share, but I'm saving them for some upcoming posts. Gotta save up on material.

How did I fall in love with this band? I went to Lollapalooza '94 in Columbus, Ohio with Captain Chemtrail and Dizzy D to check out out The Breeders, Beastie Boys and Smashing Pumpkins. I heard The Flaming Lips were going to be at the show and wanted to see their performance. At the time, I knew GBV in name only because they were making a name for themselves on MTV and in some music magazines. I grew up twenty minutes north of Dayton and the local paper was also giving them plenty of praise.

Anyway, I had suffered through sets of Nick Cave and The Boredoms. I thought things would get better with L7. They took the main stage but there was a band making noise on the second stage. Lollapalooza had bands on a main stage and bands on a smaller second stage during their festivals. L7 informed the crowd that it was GBV and the ladies of L7 thought it was cool that GBV was rocking hard. On a side note, no tampons were thrown in the crowd by L7. Captain Chemtrail wondered if we should check out GBV and I said no. Big mistake. Perhaps the biggest rock & roll mistake of my lifetime.

A few months later, I was at a CD store near Wright State University with Captain Chemtrail and Ryan Dellwood, andother brother of rock & roll. It was one of those places that allowed customers to listen to a CD before purchase. Dellwood was listening to Bee Thousand and told me to come over to hear a song called 'Tractor Rape Chain'. It was an acoustic number with some fuzzy guitar moments, which did not sit well with me for some reason. I was in a Pixies and Fugazi kind of mood.

I returned to that same store a month later sans Chemtrail and Dellwood. I asked to check out Bee Thousand. This listen was different because I was knocked upside the head with the opening track, 'Hardcore UFOs'. It sounded like a long lost Beatles song. I bought the CD. 

The following weeks were nothing more than a heavy rotation of Bee Thousand. Each listen was a different experience. Then one day it was another knock upside the head courtesy of 'I Am A Scientist'.  I was amazed with the song and still am to this very day. The lyrics alone are fantastic.  

Enjoy 'I Am A Scientist'. This song is one of the best first doses of goodness one can ingest towards becoming a GBV fanatic. 

To all of you GBV fans out there: God bless the Pine Club. The club is open. See ya, sideburns.