Guided By Voices: Robert Pollard, Tobin Sprout, Jim Pollard, Mitch Mitchell, Dan Toohey, Kevin Fennell.
Photographers: Stephan Apicella-Hitchcock; Bruce Greenwald; C. Taylor Crothers.
Formed in the mid-1980s by Dayton, Ohio schoolteacher Robert Pollard, Guided By Voices was essentially a rock & roll hobby for the Who-loving frontman and his raucous, ever-changing band. With the success and acclaim surrounding 1994's gloriously lo-fi BEE THOUSAND, however, Pollard was able to quit his day job, sign with Matador Records, and take GBV on the road. Revered indie-rock status, as it turns out, suited Pollard just fine, since it allowed the singer/songwriter to delve further into his quirky aesthetic, marked by surreal lyrics and a deft combination of British Invasion bombast, gleeful pop, and fractured folk-rock.
Although this single-disc collection barely skims the surface of the extensive Guided By Voices catalogue, it does offer 32 gems from various albums and EPs that span from 1987 to 2003. While the tunes and tape hiss of early GBV are present ("Captain's Dead," "14 Cheerleader Coldfront"), the group's post-'94 golden era is the focus of HUMAN AMUSEMENTS AT HOURLY RATES. Of the many Pollard classics featured here, highlights include the gloriously absurd "Hot Freaks," the ridiculously catchy "My Valuable Hunting Knife," the majestic "I Am a Tree," and the air-guitar-inducing "Back to the Lake." A concise introduction to Guided By Voices, this compilation should inspire the curious to seek out even more Pollard-penned wonders.
Professional Reviews
Rolling Stone (11/13/03, p.100) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...Skims thirty-two songs' worth of cream from GBV's mammoth catalog, mixing up sloppy marvels from the one-take/no-tuning early years, strutting mid-career singles...and slicker, punchier tracks..."
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