From Dayton, Ohio, USA, Guided By Voices took several years to find favour with America's alternative rock audience. Although consistently prolific, in truth, their initial obscurity had much to do with some unfulfilling early material that hardly predicted the comparative artistic grandeur of later albums such as 1994's Bee Thousand and 1997's Mag Earwhig!
The band was led from their inauguration in 1983 by part-time elementary teacher Robert Pollard (b. Robert Ellsworth Pollard Jnr., 31 October 1957, Dayton, Ohio USA; guitar/vocals), with Paul Comstock (guitar/piano), Mitch Mitchell (bass) and Payton Eric (b. Tim Erick; drums) completing the original line-up. Guided By Voices debuted with the risible Forever Since Breakfast EP in 1986, which could have been categorized as progressive rock were it not for a lack of technical ability. The band's first four albums, on which Pollard was joined by a varying line-up including bass players Mitchell and Greg Demos, drummers Eric, Kevin Fennell and Don Thrasher, guitarists Jim Pollard and Steve Wilbur, and songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Tobin Sprout (b. 1955, USA), similarly failed to provide conclusive evidence of a defined sound, which is clearly what Pollard was aiming at.
The real improvement began with 1992's Propeller, which saw the band steer closer to a clean pop sound and suppress some of the irritating, ponderous excesses of earlier albums. Lyrically, too, Pollard was now communicating with more simplicity and conviction, with "Exit Flagger" becoming their first bona fide "classic song". The accompanying The Grand Hour EP also featured "Shocker In Gloomtown", which was later reinterpreted by Guided By Voices fans the Breeders. The band's sixth long-player, Vampire On Titus, recorded by the core trio of the Pollards and Sprout, finally brought Guided By Voices out of obscurity, with late-arriving fans of Sebadoh and Pavement sensing common ground with what became known as the "lo-fi" movement (a sound demanding a simplicity of execution and emotional authenticity). Two 7-inch EPs with typically exotic titles (Static Airplane Jive and Fast Japanese Spin Cycle) then preceded Bee Thousand. On this recording, an expanded line-up simultaneously managed to sound like a US garage band, the 1965 Beatles, early Velvet Underground and Captain Beefheart circa Trout Mask Replica; yet at no time did they sound anything less than highly original - a perplexing yet brilliant combination. The verdict on Bee Thousand was supported by a new maturity in Pollard's songwriting which swapped introspection for more erudite, prosaic character sketches.
The double live album, Crying Your Knife Away, then the career-spanning Box compilation built on Guided By Voices' new-found popularity, as music journalist Jim Greer joined the band as its new bass player. Under The Bushes, Under The Stars, a 24-track collection of minimal pop songs, pushed the band away from its lo-fi four-track origins, building on the success enjoyed by a spate of previous 7-inch singles including "Motor Away" and "My Valuable Hunting Knife" (both included on the sprawling Alien Lanes). Pollard and Sprout's overactive imaginations resulted in a glut of solo product in the mid-to-late 90s. Mag Earwhig! was released following debate about the band's future, with the two principal songwriters, Pollard and Sprout, falling out. The album featured Pollard and several new musicians, including guitarist Doug Gillard, but proved to be as worthy as anything previously released under the Guided By Voices name.
The band's first record for TVT Records, 1999's Do The Collapse, did away with the lo-fi ethic as producer Ric Ocasek opted for a commercial, radio-friendly sound. The follow-up Isolation Drills matched this fuller sound with some of Pollard's most personal lyrics to date. A move to renowned independent label Matador Records saw Pollard hitting a mature peak as a songwriter on Universal Truths And Cycles (2002) and Earthquake Glue (2003). Sadly, he announced that 2004's Half-Smiles Of The Decomposed would be the final studio recording by the band. Their final live show was held on 31 December at the Metro in Chicago, with former members including Tobin Sprout, Greg Demos and Don Thrasher all making guest appearances. Pollard has kept up a regular release schedule of solo and unreleased material on his own Rockathon label.
