hardwood floor

good stuff, jason!

brian is an awesome guy & awesome musician & B-Rox have been getting it done for years ... new record is as good as anything they've done and live they smoke

uncle tupelo reunion will happen someday but with no original members ... like how there's 11 versions of like the Grass Roots traveling around the country at the same time

Chickamauga / Midnight Confessions medley

great track ...

most of bob's best recent tracks are mid-tempo (the blondes, butler stands for all of us, miles under the skin, no island, circle saw boys club, etc.)

doesn't this one start with the exact same chord as miles under the skin?

good stuff

sitting in starbucks doing some work before going into work

& ripple just came on

most god-damned beautiful song i've ever heard

yeah, that video has been around for quite a while ... bob loves it, apparently

best band from Asia - Asia

best band from Africa - Toto

best band from South America - Argent(ina)

Great job Hardwood Floor. Time and effort appreciated. I have a Top 100, but nothing like this. Wow.

 

>>>>213. Tattered Lily (demo), Robert Pollard (Rich Turiel download)

 

Did Rich post this on the website or on DTS ?

ya know, i don't remember, but check your PM

My 250 Favorite Robert Pollard Songs

1. Bright Paper Werewolves, GBV (Under the Bushes, Under the Stars)

2. Liar’s Tale, GBV (Self-Inflicted Aerial Nostalgia)

3. Death of the Party, Keene Brothers (Blues and Boogie Shoes)

4. Carnival at the Morningstar School, GBV (30 Songs)

5. Edison’s Memos, Robert Pollard and his Soft Rock Renegades (Choreographed Man of War)

6. I Am a Scientist, GBV (I Am a Scientiest EP)

7. Huffman Prairie Flying Fields, GBV (Half Smiles)

8. Release the Sunbird, Robert Pollard (Not in my Air Force)

9. Motor Away, GBV (Alien Lanes)

10. Smothered in Hugs, GBV (Bee Thousand)

11. My Impression Now, GBV (Fast Japanese Spin Cycle)

12. Miles under the Skin, Robert Pollard (C2C)

13. Tractor Rape Chain, GBV (Bee Thousand)

14. Subspace Biographies, Robert Pollard (Waved Out)

15. Wondering Boy Poet, GBV (Suitcase 1)

16. Sad if I Lost It, GBV (Mag Earwhig!)

17. Surgical Focus, GBV (Do the Collapse)

18. Storm Vibrations, GBV (Universal Truths and Cycles)

19. If We Wait, GBV (Sunfish Holy Breakfast)

20. Harrison Adams, Robert Pollard (Motel of Fools)

21. Love Is Stronger than Witchcraft, Robert Pollard (From a Compound Eye)

22. Heavy Metal Country, GBV (Sunfish Holy Breakfast)

23. Time Machines, Lexo and the Leapers (Ask Them)

24. Choking Tara (creamy), GBV (Matador Records 10th Anniversary)

25. Redmen and their Wives, GBV (Under the Bushes, Under the Stars)

26. Hardcore UFOs, GBV (Bee Thousand)

27. I'm Cold, GBV (Suitcase 1)

28. Titus and Strident Wet Nurse, GBV (Colonel Jeffrey Pumpernickel)

29. I Am Decided (alt. version), GBV (30 Songs)

30. Sometimes I Cry, GBV (Forever since Breakfast)

31. The Official Ironmen Rally Song, GBV (Under the Bushes, Under the Stars)

32. No Island, Robert Pollard (The Crawling Distance)

33. Stumbling Blocks to Stepping Stones (acoustic version), GBV (30 Songs)

34. Things that I Will Keep, GBV (Do the Collapse)

35. Everybody Thinks I'm a Raincloud (When I'm not Looking), GBV (Half Smiles)

36. Mascara Snakes, GBV/Phantom Tollbooth (Beard of Lightning)

37. Be it not for the Serpentine Rain Dodger, The Takeovers (Turn to Red)

38. Beauty of the Draft, Keene Brothers (Blues and Boogie Shoes)

39. Dayton Ohio, 19-Something-and-5, GBV (Selective Service Split)

40. Fresh Threats, Salad Shooters and Zip Guns, Robert Pollard (From a Compound Eye)

41. Game of Pricks, GBV (Alien Lanes)

42. Stifled Man Casino, Airport 5 (Tower in the Fountain of Sparks)

43. U.S. Mustard Company, Robert Pollard (From a Compound Eye)

44. Sweeping Bones (demo), GBV (30 Songs)

45. Slick as Snails, Robert Pollard and Doug Gillard (Speak Kindly)

46. Stingy Queens, GBV (30 Songs)

47. 14 Cheerleader Cold Front, GBV (Propeller)

48. Flat Beauty, Robert Pollard (Not in my Air Force)

49. Lightshow, Robert Pollard (From a Compound Eye)

50. Real, GBV (Wish in one Hand EP)

51. Christian Animation Torch Carriers, GBV (Universal Truths and Cycles)

52. Girls of Wild Strawberries, GBV (Half Smiles)

53. Not Behind the Fighter Jet, GBV (Mag Earwhig!)

54. Gold Heart Mountaintop Queen Directory, GBV (Bee Thousand)

55. Fair Touching, Lexo and the Leapers (Ask Them)

56. Trial of Affliction and Light Sleeping, Fiction Man (Robert Pollard)

57. Recovering, Robert Pollard (From a Compound Eye)

58. Sons of Apollo, GBV (Half Smiles)

59. Twilight Campfighter, GBV (Isolation Drills)

60. A Trophy Mule in Particular, GBV (Earthquake Glue)

61. Dig through my Window, GBV (The Pipe Dreams of Instant Prince Whippet)

62. Back to the Lake, GBV (Universal Truths and Cycles)

63. The Enemy, GBV (Isolation Drills)

64. Uncle Dave, GBV (Grifters Split)

65. Underwater Explosions, GBV (Under the Bushes, Under the Stars)

66. Little Lines, GBV (Mag Earwhig!)

67. Why Did you Land?, GBV (Official Ironmen Rally Song)

68. Wrecking Now, GBV (Do the Collapse)

69. Gold, Robert Pollard (From a Compound Eye)

70. Circle Saw Boys Club, Robert Pollard (Silverfish Trivia Working Version #1)

71. Maggie Turns to Flies, Robert Pollard (Not in My Air Force)

72. Girl Named Captain, Robert Pollard (Not in My Air Force)

73. Make Use, Robert Pollard (Waved Out)

74. Everywhere with Helicopter, GBV (Universal Truths and Cycles)

75. Gold Star for Robot Boy, GBV (Bee Thousand)

76. Serious Bird Woman (You Turn me On), Robert Pollard (Normal Happiness)

77. Now to War, GBV (Mag Earwhig!)

78. The Blondes, Robert Pollard (Off to Business)

79. Red Ink Superman, Robert Pollard (Motel of Fools)

80. Starts at the River, Lifeguards (Mist King Urth)

81. Second Spurt of Growth, GBV (Half Smiles)

82. Alone, Stinking and Unafraid, Ask Them (Lexo and the Leapers)

83. Echos Myron, GBV (Bee Thousand)

84. Drag Days, GBV (Under the Bushes, Under the Stars)

85. Chasing Heather Crazy, GBV (Isolation Drills)

86. I Feel Gone Again, Robert Pollard (Normal Happiness)

87. Invisible Train to Earth, GBV (Suitcase 2)

88. Pretty Bombs, GBV (Universal Truths and Cycles)

89. My Valuable Hunting Knife, GBV (Alien Lanes)

90. Jane of the Waking Universe, GBV (Mag Earwhig!)

91. Captain’s Dead, GBV (Devil between my Toes)

92. Lord of Overstock, GBV (Under the Bushes, Under the Stars)

93. Man Called Aerodynamics, GBV (Under the Bushes, Under the Stars)

94. How Loft I Am, GBV (Same Place the Fly Got Smashed)

95. Colossus Crawls West, GBV (Mag Earwhig!)

96. Ester's Day, GBV (Bee Thousand)

97. The Key Losers, GBV (Tonics and Twisted Chasers)

98. Lariat Man, GBV (Scalping the Guru)

99. Sucker of Pistol City, GBV (Plugs for the Program)

100. Lonely Town, GBV (Suitcase 2)

101. The Right Thing, Robert Pollard (From a Compound Eye)

102. Gleemer (the Deeds of Fertile Jim), GBV (Bee Thousand)

103. A Good Flying Bird, GBV (Alien Lanes)

104. Apparent the Red Angus, Circus Devils (Ringworm Interiors)

105. Headache Revolution, Robert Pollard (TVT Records web site)

106. Acorns and Orioles, GBV (Under the Bushes, Under the Stars)

107. Go for the Exit, Boston Spaceships (Brown Submarine)

108. Life of a Wife, Robert Pollard (Coast to Coast Carpet of Love)

109. Big School, GBV (Static Airplane Jive)

110. As we go up we go Down, GBV (Alien Lanes)

111. Quicksilver, Robert Pollard (Not in my Air Force)

112. Decide Now, GBV (Alien Lanes)

113. Downed, GBV (Best of Jill Hives Single)

114. The Hard Way, GBV (Same Place the Fly Got Smashed)

115. Folded Claws, Robert Pollard (Standard Gargoyle Decisions)

116. Free of this World, GBV (Best of Jill Hives CD Single)

117. Catherine from Mid-October, Robert Pollard (Zoom)

118. Cheyenne, GBV (Universal Truths and Cycles)

119. Frequent Weaver Who Burns, Robert Pollard and Doug Gillard (Speak Kindly)

120. Best of Jill Hives, GBV (Earthquake Glue)

121. Industrial Morning, GBV (30 Songs)

122. Jesus the Clockwork, Psycho and the Birds (All that is Holy)

123. Big Boring Wedding, GBV (Under the Bushes, Under the Stars)

124. Chief Barrel Belly, GBV (Self-Inflicted Aerial Nostalgia)

125. Powerblessings, Robert Pollard (demo)

126. Tight Globes, Robert Pollard and Doug Gillard (Speak Kindly)

127. Zoom (It Happens all Over the World), Robert Pollard (Zoom)

128. Unspirited, GBV (Isolation Drills)

129. Psychic Pilot Clocks Out, Robert Pollard (Not in my Air Force)

130. Liquid Indian, GBV (Do the Collapse)

131. Quality of Armor, GBV (Propeller)

132. Dragons Awake, GBV (Do the Collapse)

133. Blimps Go 90, GBV (Alien Lanes)

134. Unleashed! The Large-Hearted Boy, GBV (Propeller)

135. Gratification to Concrete, Robert Pollard (Off to Business)

136. Running off with the Fun City Girls, GBV (GBV.com)

137. Every Word in the World (full-band version), GBV (30 More Songs)

138. Circling Motorhead Mountain, Lexo and the Leapers (Ask Them)

139. Blatant Doom Trip, GBV (Same Place the Fly Got Smashed)

140. Don’t Stop Now, GBV (Under the Bushes, Under the Stars)

141. Drinker’s Peace, GBV (Same Place the Fly Got Smashed)

142. Father Is Good, Psycho and the Birds (All that is Holy)

143. Queen of Cans and Jars, GBV (Bee Thousand)

144. Burns Carpenter, Man of Science, Airport 5 (Tower in the Fountain of Sparks)

145. The Ascended Masters Grog Shop, GBV (I Am a Tree CD Single)

146. Pantherz, GBV (Power of Suck)

147. Bull Spears, Circle Devils (The Harold Pig Memorial0

148. Father Sgt. Christmas Card, GBV (Universal Truths and Cycles)

149. Run (Speak Like Men), demo, GBV (30 Songs)

150. Back to Saturn X, GBV (Hardcore UFOs)

151. Over the Neptune/Mesh Gear Fox, GBV (Propeller)

152. Look at your Life, The Moping Swans (Lightninghead to Coffee Pot)

153. Navigating Flood Regions, GBV (Self-Inflicted Aerial Nostalgia)

154. Pattern Girl, Circus Devils (Sgt. Disco)

155. Sing it Out, GBV (Suitcase 1)

156. 7th Level Shutdown, Robert Pollard / Soft Rock Renegades (Man of War)

157. Visit this Place, GBV (Pipe Dreams of Instant Prince Whippet)

158. Your Name is Wild, GBV (Under the Bushes, Under the Stars)

159. Waved Out, Robert Pollard (Waved Out)

160. Avalanche Aminos, GBV (Hold on Hope EP)

161. Conquerer of the Moon, Robert Pollard (From a Compound Eye

162. Shadow Port, Robert Pollard (Standard Gargoyle Decisions)

163. Twilight Campfighter, GBV (Isolation Drills)

164. Fly into Ashes, GBV (Hold on Hope EP)

165. Dancing Men and Dancing Girls, Robert Pollard (From a Compound Eye)

166. Skills like This, GBV (Isolation Drills)

167. I'll Replace you with Machines, GBV (Earthquake Glue)

168. I'm Dirty, Howling Wolf Orchestra (Speedtraps for the Bee Kingdom)

169. In the Brain, Airport 5 (Selective Service Split)

170. Mannequin's Complaint (Wax Dummy Meltdown), GBV (Bulldog Skin Single)

171. Island of Lost Lucies, Keene Brothers (Blues and Boogie Shoes)

172. It Is Devine, Go Back Snowball (Calling Zero)

173. It’s Like Soul Man, GBV (Under the Bushes, Under the Stars)

174. I Drove a Tank, Lexo and the Leapers (Ask Them)

175. Get under It, Robert Pollard (Not in my Air Force)

176. Little Whirl, GBV (Alien Lanes)

177. My Kind of Soldier, GBV (Earthquake Glue)

178. Peep Hole (early version), GBV (30 Songs)

179. The Singing Razorblade, GBV (Bulldog Skin EP)

180. Sister I Need Wine, GBV (Isolation Drills)

181. Cocksoldiers and their Postwar Stubble, GBV (Sunfish Holy Breakfast)

182. Sot, GBV (Vampire on Titus)

183. Supernatural Car Lover, Robert Pollard (Normal Happiness)

184. Teenage FBI (demo), GBV (Do the Collapse demos)

185. Sensational Gravity Boy, GBV (Red Hot and Bothered)

186.Universal Truths and Cycles, GBV (Universal Truths and Cycles)

187. She Don't Know your Name, GBV (30 Songs)

188. Crunch Pillow, GBV (King Shit and the Golden Boys)

189. My Son Cool, GBV (Alien Lanes)

190. She Goes around in your Head, GBV (30 Songs)

191. Run Wild, GBV (Isolation Drills)

192. She Goes off at Night, GBV (Earthquake Glue)

193. I Am a Tree, GBV (Mag Earwhig!)

194. Beaten by the Target, The Moping Swans (Lightninghead to Coffee Pot)

195. Scissors and the Clay Ox, GBV (30 Songs)

196. Feathering Clueless, Airport 5 (Tower in the Fountain of Sparks)

197. I'd Choose You, GBV (Suitcase 2)

198. Jabberstroker, GBV (Sunfish Holy Breakfast)

199. Picture me Big-Time, GBV (Do the Collapse)

200. She Wants to Know, GBV (Forever since Breakfast)

201. Mammoth Cave, GBV (Same Place the Fly Got Smashed)

202. Heaven’s Gate, Keene Brothers (Blues and Boogie Shoes)

203. Instrument Beetle, Robert Pollard / Soft Rock Renegades (Choreographed Man of War)

204. Met her at a Séance, Robert Pollard (Silverfish Trivia Working Version #1)

205. Salty Salute, GBV (Alien Lanes)

206. Scissors, GBV (King Shit and the Golden Boys)

207. Total Exposure, Airport 5 (Tower in the Fountain of Sparks)

208. Trap Door Soul, GBV (Sandbox)

209. War and Wedding, Airport 5

210. Pink Gun, GBV (Clown Prince of the Menthol Trailer EP)

211. Saga of the Elk, Robert Pollard (Motel of Fools)

212. Love Hurts, Robert Pollard and Kim Deal (Immortal/Epic Soundtrax)

213. Tattered Lily (demo), Robert Pollard (Rich Turiel download)

214. To Remake the Young Flyer, GBV (Under the Bushes, Under the Stars)

215. Tropical Robots, GBV (Hold on Hope EP)

216. Will you Show me your Gold?, Lexo and the Leapers (Ask Them)

217. “Wished I Was a Giant”, GBV (Vampire on Titus)

218. Piss along you Bird, Robert Pollard (Silverfish Trivia Working Version #1)

219. That Ain't No Good, GBV (Suitcase 2)

220. Main Street Wizards, GBV (Earthquake Glue)

221. Late Night Scamerica, Psycho and the Birds (All that is Holy)

222. Ex-Supermodel, GBV (Alien Lanes)

223. Hold on Hope, GBV (Do the Collapse)

224. Pendulum, GBV (Same Place the Fly Got Smashed)

225. Soul Train College Policeman, Robert Pollard and Doug Gillard (Speak Kindly)

226. Wire Greyhounds, GBV (Universal Truths and Cycles)

227. Color Coat Drawing, GBV (Suitcase 2)

228. Pop Zeus, Robert Pollard and Doug Gillard (Speak Kindly)

229. All Men are Freezing, Robert Pollard (Music for "Bubble")

230. Exit Flagger, GBV (Propeller)

231. Lost upon Us, Keene Brothers (Blues and Boogie Shoes)

232. Kickboxer Lightning, Robert Pollard / Soft Rock Renegades (Choreographed Man of War)

233. Closer you Are, GBV (Alien Lanes)

234. Vault of Moons, Robert Pollard (Motel of Fools)

235. Secret Star, GBV (Earthquake Glue)

236. There Are other Worlds, GBV (Rarities fan comp)

237. Somewhere, Sometime, Billy Ray Human (Suitcase 2)

238. Car Language, GBV (Universal Truths and Cycles)

239. Insane/Cool It, The Takeovers (Turn to Red)

240. Shocker in Gloomtown, GBV (The Grand Hour EP)

241. Buzzards and Dreadful Crows, GBV (Bee Thousand)

242. Time, Time, Time, GBV (unreleased)

243. Enon Beach, Psycho and the Birds (We’ve Moved)

244. Circle of Trim, Airport 5 (Tower in the Fountain of Sparks)

245. Citizen Fighter, Robert Pollard / Soft Rock Renegades (Choreographed Man of War)

246. Shoddy Clothes, GBV (Suitcase 2)

247. Beat your Wings, GBV (Earthquake Glue)

248. Aim Correctly, GBV (GBV / Cobra Verde Split)

249, Solid Gold Animal Collection, Yummy Ropes (Suitcase 2)

250. My Will, The Takeovers (Bad Football)

'The Brides Have Hit Glass'

>>>> a very, very underrated track from Isolation Drills. Would certainly make my list.

 

Hardwood Floor - no love for 'Go For The Exit' huh ?

I just listened to Go for the Exit on the headphones at work to check it out ... it's actually a fine track that I probably underestimated.

Moss -- Keene Brothers is definitely worth checking out. very poppy and heavy on guitars. best of all, it is untouched by Todd Tobias's production (other than bob's vox) so it has a real deep rich thick guitar crunch to it, which none of the recent solo records have had. also make sure you check out tommy's solo stuff, which is uniformly great

Agreed. every record is the big return and that gets me excited every time but I am almost always disappointed. To hear the mega fans tell it the man is batting .1000. I believe one should view each Pollard release with a critical eye and not be force-fed some of the crap that is fed us. His record sells have declined to the point where I am surprised that the small # of fans he has left can support his art. The man's last Merge records sold around 2000 or so copies.

 

Alright, I have compiled my top 50 in no particular order (and there are 54 songs):

 

...

nice list ... you're quite the Keene Brothers fan it looks like ... great record ... had a nice chat with tommy about that record when he played in philly a couple months ago

i'm not a fan of winston's atomic bird, go for the exit or you satisfy me & the fiction man tracks i would pick are different than yours (probably run son run, trial of affliction & light sleeping, every word in the world and children come on), but other than that, everything you listed would be somewhere in my top 150 or so ...

still working on my list ... it ain't easy

I love 'the lamb' but I do agree we could trim it down a bit. I could live without 'The Grand Parade Of Lifeless Packaging' and some segments on side two. It wouldn't really interfere with the 'concept' as I never really understood what it was about in the first place!!. Great album though, as was Foxtrot and Selling England.

and Trespass and Nursery Cryme and Trick of the Tail and Wind & Wuthering!

for me, title track, Carpet Crawlers, Lillywhite Lillith, In the Cage, counting out time, cuckoo cocoon, slipperman, maybe riding the scree and it are standout tracks on Lamb ... a few other decent tracks but mostly filler

I love 'the lamb' but I do agree we could trim it down a bit. I could live without 'The Grand Parade Of Lifeless Packaging' and some segments on side two. It wouldn't really interfere with the 'concept' as I never really understood what it was about in the first place!!. Great album though, as was Foxtrot and Selling England.

and Trespass and Nursery Cryme and Trick of the Tail and Wind & Wuthering!

for me, title track, Carpet Crawlers, Lillywhite Lillith, In the Cage, counting out time, cuckoo cocoon, slipperman, maybe riding the scree and it are standout tracks on Lamb ... a few other decent tracks but mostly filler

I find it a waste of time to keep comparing everything to his '92-'97 period. It just won't measure up. I feel part of the charm of that era was the whole lo-fi thing and recording out of the pressure of circumstance and condition. Is 'Off To Business" as good as those aforementioned records, including FaCE ? No, but there are 3-4 songs I'd rather have than not. I do like 'Elephant Jokes' quite a bit and find it to have a lot in common with The Keene Bros record. It may not be as consistent but there are certainly 7-8 good 'rock' songs present.

to me, everything from forever since breakfast through FaCE was absolutely brilliant, and everything since has been bad to average. it's that simple. i'm just tired of pollard and his drunken band of asshole kool-aid drinkers claiming every mediocre solo record that comes out every few weeks "is the best thing he's ever done." it's just sad. i don't think anybody really believes it. everybody knows he just puts out 15 records a year because he knows there's a group of people who will buy everything, no matter how bad it is, and the more he puts out, the more money he makes. remember when it was an event when a Robert Pollard piece of music was released? the buildup, the excitement, the buzz, and then the sense of discovery at 15 amazing new Bob tracks? now he puts out "the greatest thing ever" every few weeks and the product never comes close to living up to the buzz.

anyway ...

 

That being said, I'd love an MP3 (PM please) of Bobby & guitar = 'The Rain Dodger'.

 

- P.A.L. (an underrated Pollard 'classic')

check your PM box

Zero to 99 (Like everyone else, haven't heard it)

>>>>I've heard from a couple people in the Pollard 'camp' that this will be the best one yet.

the dayton mafia says that about every record bob puts out. and then it turns out to be crap. "off to business" was supposed to be as good as anything he'd ever done. and wasn't "elephant jokes" supposed to be "the next alien lanes?" give me a break, gys. comparing any of these completely disposable records to alien lanes is an insult to gbv.

i keep buying them, but i will be stunned if bob ever puts out another record that's half as good as FaCE. sad to see a guy i consider the greatest songwriter ever tarnishing his legacy like this.

C(grade) = Turn to Red

>>>>The Takeovers record prolly does deserve a 'C' rating, but there is one track deep into the record, sounding like it was recorded on a 2-track, bounced back 'n' forth which is as good as any classic Pollard track circa Alien Lanes/B1000 = 'Be It Not For The Serpentine Dodger'

Be it not for the serpentine rain dodger is actually the title, and it's a very old track that first popped up on a fan comp called "30 Songs" with just bob & guitar

the takeovers version is chris slusarenko's treatment - adding drums and bass and some more guitar to the existing track. great stuff but dates back to early 1990s

As for studio LPs I'll throw The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway out there. Not even Genesis' best record but still a masterpiece.

funny, i was just talking to a friend about this ... i think Lamb is a bit overrated and has a lot of filler, especially on side two ...

i do think Lolita Nation by Game Theory is a double album that works perfectly as a double

Miles Under The Skin - Coast To Coast Carpet Of Love

Gratification To Concrete - Off To Business

Death of The Party - Blues and Boogie Shoes

No Island - The Crawling Distance

Beauty of the Draft - Blues and Boogie Shoes

The Naked Wall - Blues and Boogie Shoes

i love all these

beauty of the draft is the shit

i think weatherman & skin goddess might be the most overrated song in the pollard canon. can't stand it.

That song is the bane of his catalog, in my opinion. When I heard it the first time I was like "Really? Really Bob?"

 

I hear what your saying and agree with you. I dropped off the RP radar after Normal Happiness and didn't really get back on until the BS record. I thought the re-recordings were cool, though not as good as the originals. Then there are songs like Go For the Exit, which is one of his best that he's recorded in a long, long time. Probably in my top 50 RP songs.

 

I have since gone back and bought many of the albums that I had missed when I drifted away from the RP scene. It turns out that I didn't miss out on much. Most of the songs were interchangeable and not very distinguishable from release to release.

i can't even place go for the exit but will check it out tonight when i get out of work.

ya know, there are some great songs here and there from the last few years. i really dig shadow port. circle saw boys club. the blondes. no island. miles under the skin is fantastic. folded claws. but i don't think he's put out a good record since FaCE, which i love.

My wife and I play this game on road trips where she'll play a song off my i-pod (22,000+ songs) and I have to guess who it is or the title or whatever. Maybe we should do a Robert Pollard edition of the game. Right now, I have 1,900 RP-related songs on the i-pod...

my wife and i play a game on road trips called, "Did you miss the exit? Did we go too far? Do we need to get gas? You're drifting into the center lane! Isn't the speed limit 55 here? You're going 59! Watch out for that truck!"

i'll put together my robert pollard top 100 in the next few days. curious to see yours

The Cosmos disc is okay, but like most things Pollard nowadays, it was soon forgotten.

 

Hardwood Floors - I agree with your grading but I am surprised that you graded The Boston Spaceship albums so low. Out of all his solo material, those two albums, along with FaCE and The Keene Brother's album, are superior quality in comparison. The Boston Spaceships have restored my faith in Uncle Bob, somewhat. He still issues solo albums that he should keep to himself, but the band dynamic is truly a huge plus for Pollard.

 

I think the fans should challenge him: 1 record, 1 year. try it. Edit and revise all the songs you come up with and see what you come up with. From a Compound Eye is proof that meticulous editing and revision can produce a great album. Taking your time is a good thing.

BJ -- I agree that the Spaceships records sound better than the solo stuff, mainly because they're a departure from the tired formula of Pollard scribbling down some words and Todd Tobias rushing into the studio to match up some faceless music to go with 'em. they do sound good. and the live shows rocked. but i just don't think the songs are anything special. headache revolution is 1,000 times better when it's just bob and his guitar. and the spaceships version of catherine of mid-october, same deal -- the original is wayyyy better. i mean, the guy set the bar so high -- when you write motor away, subspace biographies, smothered in hugs, everybody's a raincloud, liar's tale, storm vibrations, little lines, game of pricks, i am a scientist, etc., etc., etc., and then you give me freaking cave zone? it's just sad.

like every Pollard post-GBV record with the exception of the phenomenal From a Compound Eye & outstanding Keene Brothers, it has two or three great songs and a ton of filler

Pollard's post-GBV career has been a massive disappointment, although the spaceships live shows were great

C- Normal Happiness

C- Standard Gargoyle Decisions

C- Coast to Coast Carpet of Love

F Superman is a Rocker

C- Off to Business

C The Crawling Distance

C- Elephant Jokes

D Brown Submarine

D Planets are Blasted

? Zero to 99 (haven't heard it yet)

D- Sgt. Disco

D- Ataxia

D- Gringo

Just to get this out of the way, we all agree that "Happy" is Keith's best song, right? I mean, it's not even close, right?

yeah, no doubt ... would be in my stones all-time top 20 somewhere around 15 or so?

interesting post, littlesavage ... good stuff

i guess i'm the exact opposite ... i find that the lack of musical inventiveness on the wilco record overshadows some pretty good lyrics

Rick James was once roommates with Neil Young. Does this mean we should be comparing "Superfreak" and "A Man Needs a Maid?"

sure, if you feel like it

I agree entirely that it's going to happen, but at this point it's like asking whether you like the bed or the desk better, because they used to be in the same house.

if that house recorded still feel gone & anodyne, then, yeah, i'm in

i don't see why people get so bent out of shape about the son volt / wilco comparisons

two great bands led by two guys who grew up together and were in an amazing band together whose new records came out a few days apart

whether or not their new records sound similar or not, it's going to happen and that's natural

son volt & it's not close

More Pollard overkill: Suitcase 3 due

 

the first two suitcases are brilliant ... suitcase 2 in particular ... side 7 specifically is as good as any record anybody will release this year

there are some tracks on Suitcase 3 that have been floating around fan comps for years ... speak like men is phenomenal ... there are other worlds, sixland, piss along you bird are all great ... wonder what version of huffman this is ...

pollard's recent stuff is so disappointing - instantly disposable, faceless and limp ... one or two good songs per record if you're lucky

will be nice to get some new/old pollard material with some real vintage GBV energy and life to it

nice seeing driver 8 so high

but everybody hurts? jesus, that's total shit

and no sitting still or harborcoat?

that's fucking daft