Favorite song(s) off Earthquake Glue

[cungar]

Favorite pop song: Best of Jill Hives - rivals Game of Pricks for Bob's best pop song.

Favorite extended prog rock song: Secret Star - Love the end bit... Secret Star of Heavenly Bundles.

Favorite Rocker: She Goes off At Night - Some of the best Who style drumming on any GBV CD.

Least favorite overall - Dead Clouds - Just don't like the vocal. Bob sounds goofy.

Favorite overall - Beat Your Wings - Combines all the elements of why I love GBV: melodic, lots of chord changes and sticks in your head for days.

[gee beer vee]

Top 5

* * * Secret Star * * *
Mix Up The Satellites
Dead Cloud
Main Street Wizards
The Best of Jill Hives

[Sid Hartha]

Dead Cloud rocks!
Listen for that killer bass line right at the end of the chorus.

[johansen smith]

I'm going to say it, 'cause surely I can't be the only one: the Best of Jill Hives is over-rated and one of the weakest tracks on the album. "Beat Your Wings" is my favorite, probably.

[cungar]

When you say overrated, are you basing it on reviews here? When you say it's weak, are you saying it's not a good song or it doesn't fit your criterion for a good GBV song? I'm just asking because I just can't see how anyone could say that's a weak track. I can see how someone could think it's too pop, but I love Bob's pop songs. Just wondering.

[johansen smith]

Originally posted by cungar
When you say overrated, are you basing it on reviews here? When you say it's weak, are you saying it's not a good song or it doesn't fit your criterion for a good GBV song? I'm just asking because I just can't see how anyone could say that's a weak track. I can see how someone could think it's too pop, but I love Bob's pop songs. Just wondering.

I like the opening, but the song itself isn't that special. If I hadn't read everyone practically coming over how great this song was, I wouldn't be so hard on it, but it's just an "okay" track. I don't hate it, but I still think it's one of the weakest tracks on the album.

[bitterfruit]

You're welcome to have and share your opinion, but that's fucking insanity.

It almost like saying that Maloze has written more songs.

[Scott Frost]

I WILL GLADLY ENTER THIS DISCUSSION WHEN I GET THE FREAKING ALBUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[cungar]

Originally posted by bitterfruit

It almost like saying that Maloze has written more songs.

He he, I just checked and they only have 4 songs.

[cungar]

Originally posted by johansen smith
I like the opening, but the song itself isn't that special. If I hadn't read everyone practically coming over how great this song was, I wouldn't be so hard on it, but it's just an "okay" track. I don't hate it, but I still think it's one of the weakest tracks on the album.

To me the song sounds like a classic Cars song and I think it compares favorably to Just What I needed or Let's Go.

[bitterfruit]

Large fonts are for drama hungry high-school girls. They both make my head hurt.

[portablefire]

overall, quite happy. i agree with the folks at matador that the "band" itself has never sounded better.

favorites:

1. Secret Star.
2. Best Of Jill Hives.
3. A Trophy Mule In Particular. (am i alone here? this song kicks ass!)
4. My Kind Of Soldier
5. My Son, My Secretary, My Country.
6. Mix Up The Satellites.
7. I'll Replace You With Machines

GBV Albums rarely end with a great song (An Unmarketed Product being a notable exception) ... and once again: Of Mites And Men is my least favorite by far ...

it'd be nice if slow and pretty songs (a la KING & CAROLINE) could still make it onto proper gbv albums ONCE IN AWHILE. but again, overall: quite happy.

* i am missing Apology In Advance. what's that all about?

[gee beer vee]

Regarding Of Mites and Men, I think Secret Star was the closer in the Live Like Kings Forever days (and Mights wasn't on at all). I think the beauty outro of Star would've been a great way to go out.

[Sid Hartha]

It's weird - track 5 always turns out to be my favorite on practically every GBV release.

[cungar]

Originally posted by portablefire

* i am missing Apology In Advance. what's that all about?

I don't quite know what to make of this song either. I wanna like it but the lyrics seem so awkward. I think it's another sarcastic FU to the critics like "How's My Drinking?".

[Radamez]

I think my favourite thing about Dead Cloud may be Bob's unusual delivery. It sort of reminds me of his voice on Father Sgt...., and that was what I liked best about that song too.
It took me a long time to get into Jill Hives, but then again it took me about a year after buying SIAN to get into Liar's Tale, so go figure.

[bitterfruit]

Originally posted by cungar
I don't quite know what to make of this song either. I wanna like it but the lyrics seem so awkward. I think it's another sarcastic FU to the critics like "How's My Drinking?".

I thought the same thing. Sounds like a pre-FU. Maybe it's because some of the critical remarks made about the past couple of albums.

[portablefire]

sorry:

what i meant was: i am missing that song from my cd and have not heard it.

is it good?

[cungar]

Not one of the best. Bob runs into rough territory when he tries to be too literal (ie a lot of Isolation Drills).

Has a chord progression that I swear I've heard on another GBV song but I can't place it. Anyone know song what I'm thinking of?

[James Riot]

"it'd be nice if slow and pretty songs (a la KING & CAROLINE) could still make it onto proper gbv albums ONCE IN AWHILE. but again, overall: quite happy."

I agree, Portablefire, I think Captain Black would have been a nice addition. And Harrison Adams while I'm thinking about it.

[portablefire]

well: that is part of the larger general problem.

as rewarding as it is to have a favorite songwriter who is as prolfic as the Pop Zeus:

if he would just take the 50 songs he writes every year ... record ALL OF THEM in a studio under proper Guided By Voices release pretenses ... and then take the best 20 of those and release one record a year you would not just have a couple pretty good, beautifully sequenced records ... you WOULD have Bee Thousand, Alien Lanes and Under The Bushes all over again ... ie. the record of the year for years still to come. pitchforkmedia wouldn't even be able to dispute that. Thus, when onstage he declares some kick-ass new song or other the worst song on whatever the forthcoming record: he wouldn't be kidding.

Bob remains, I think, a genius. To even be remotely relevant musically at his age is incredible.

[gee beer vee]

fair enough, but when oh when did *interpretation* and *personal opinion* leave the art of liking a song? bob might think least of the song you love most and vice versa.

[gelgis olowana]

there is nothing in pop music like seeing this flabby middle-aged one-time college baseball star chugging bad beer, high kicking like a Rockette, and twirling the mike while screaming, Electric newspaper boy!

[gee beer vee]

flabby? i guess you've not seen him lately eh?

[cungar]

Earthquake Glue. Songs. Please stay on topic.

Actually Bob's flab is being discussed in the Akron Ohio - June 27 thread. Well actually his "man boobs".

[bmmello]

Beat your wings, Mix up the sattelites, Trophy, Country, My Kind of Soldier, Secret Star.

Also I really like Privately, last song of Isolation Drills. It is maybe their best closing song.

[gelgis olowana]

Originally posted by gee beer vee
flabby? i guess you've not seen him lately eh? Bob, while introducing the band at the last show I saw: And my name is Meatloaf....

[bitterfruit]

I've heard him introduce GBV as Reverend Horton Heat. Pretty funny.

[gee beer vee]

and he's introduced selves as sebadoh. i fail to see the point, G.

[gelgis olowana]

Originally posted by gee beer vee
and he's introduced selves as sebadoh. i fail to see the point, G. the point is that Meatloaf is fat and Bob sees himself as Meatloaf-esque. I also once heard him say, I ain't Frank Black, but I'm pretty god-damn fat

[Jason]

I like one line that was mentioned on the Blowfish list awhile back. One night onstage Bob intro'd the band with "We're the Gee Bee Vee Bees".

Somone should make a bootleg of the best of Bob's stage banter. Having Fun with Bob Pollard On Stage.

Apologies for the non-Earthquake Glue content.

[curly]

Doesn't anyone like Useless Inventions? It's the song I can't get out of my head at the moment and also the most un-prog-like of the bunch, I'd say. Getting frustrated with his current musical stylings but that doesn't mean I'm giving up on him for good. Chalk it up to the "interpretation" and "personal opinion" mentioned earlier.

[cungar]

I love Useless Inventions. Bob's rant against materialism? The chorus is catchy and it has some great guitar work.

Be the first to strap it on.