- Audio CD (Oct 7 2009)
- Number of Discs: 1
- Label: EMI Music Canada
- ASIN: B00000JLI5
- Other Editions: Audio CD | Audio Cassette | LP Record
- Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #102,667 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
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Product Details |
Track Listings
| 1. Teenage FBI |
| 2. Zoo Pie |
| 3. Things I Will Keep |
| 4. Hold On Hope |
| 5. In Stitches |
| 6. Dragons Awake! |
| 7. Surgical Focus |
| 8. Optical Hopscotch |
| 9. Mushroom Art |
| 10. Much Better Mr. Buckles |
| 11. Wormhole |
| 12. Strumpet Eye |
| 13. Liquid Indian |
| 14. Wrecking Now |
| 15. Picture Me Big Time |
| 16. An Unmarketed Product |
Product Description
From Amazon.com
Any doubts about Ric Ocasek producing Guided by Voices' latest record are swiftly put to rest within the first few seconds of "Teenage FBI," the brilliant opening track on Do the Collapse. As new-wavish keyboards snake around Robert Pollard's nasal vocal delivery it's apparent that GBV have always been, among many other things, a great new-wave band and that Ocasek, the one-time crown prince of new-wave techno geeks, is a natural fit. Do the Collapse is GBV's most polished effort yet, although the slick production doesn't sabotage GBV's lo-fi, garage aesthetics. The songs virtually leap out at the listener with typical spontaneity and the hooks still come early and often. This time out Pollard has surrounded himself with a loose aggregate of musicians including the Breeders' Jim Macpherson on drums and guitarist Doug Gillard, a holdover from 1997's Mag Earwhig! The lineup does an exceptional job fusing all of their disparate influences with a consistency not seen on previous GBV releases. Every song here is a gem; there are echoes of Syd Barrett on "Dragons Awake" and "Wormhole," the Who (circa A Quick One) are recalled on "Much Better Mr. Buckles" and "An Unmarketed Product," and the record's most astounding track, "Liquid Indian," finds GBV channeling a myriad of unlikely '70s sources and mingling them with their own sensibilities to create something all their own. The beauty of Do the Collapse is GBV's ability to seamlessly stitch together the best of '60s British garage pop, '70s prog-rock, '80s new wave, and '90s indie rock to create their own personal history of rock & roll. --Paul Ducey
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Top- Notch Production Highlights this GBV Effort,
By
This review is from: Do The Collapse (Audio CD)
Guided by Voices was known in its early days for its "garage band" sound, a tribute to the low- fi production on its music CD's. With "Do the Collapse", GBV made a sizable leap toward a more polished, well- produced sound, thanks to the album's producer, Ric Ocasek, former lead singer for the Cars. His influence can be felt on the first track, "Teenage FBI" (Ocasek even plays the keyboards on this song), and elsewhere on this musical collection. The most memorable things about the songs on this CD are the unusual, quirky lyrics supplied by front man Bob Pollard and the music itself, which takes off in several different directions from one song to the next and sometimes even within the same tune. "Hold on Hope" is a soft, but powerful ballad. "Teenage FBI" and "Zoo Pie" have a techno- pop sound. "In Stitches" and "Much Better, Mr. Buckles" feature the thrashing, grinding guitar of Doug Gillard. "Liquid Indian" is dark and mystifying, while tunes like "Optical Hopscotch" cannot really be placed in any musical category at all. "Do the Collapse" is an interesting album with weird song titles and lyrics, yet catchy musical hooks. It was the first time that GBV got serious about production by hiring the well- known musical talent Ric Ocasek as the albums main producer. It was also the first time that GBV attempted to create a pop song, with the memorable track "Teenage FBI". It didn't become the pop phenomenon that the band would have liked, but it did introduce GBV music to an entirely new audience. Whether you're a die- hard fan of Guided by Voices or a casual listener, you will enjoy "Do the Collapse". Older fans may be reluctant to give this CD a spin, since it doesn't have the raw, basement- taped sound of the earlier GBV material. But it's still worth a listen. You wouldn't want to be without such great songs as Hold on Hope, Surgical Focus, and Liquid Indian.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Their Best record to start with,
By Armchair Rambo (MINNEAPOLIS, MN United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Do The Collapse (Audio CD)
If you are new to GBV, this is a good one to start with. Pollard consistently writes beautiful, silly, acidic lyrics and the band sounds great. From there I would send you to try earlier discs like Alien Lanes, Bee Thousand with some warning about their lo-fi aesthetic. Which I love. I have all their records. They put out a new record about every 5 minutes, all good-to-great, but this is very consistent and almost normal sounding. A great introduction.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Sneaky Good,
By
This review is from: Do The Collapse (Audio CD)
OK, so maybe this is no news to Guided By Voices fans, but to these relatively unfamiliar ears, this is a CD that -- while I don't get it out too often -- gets better with each play. Arrangements often rock and are never less than melodic. Lyrics are intelligent and (very) offbeat. Each song is distinct, albeit usually unfathomable, and the Voices will never be accused of being a one-sound group. Teenage FBI, Things I Will Keep, Dragons Awake!, and Liquid Indian are the four best of this excellent collection.
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