5 comments about Hardcore UFOs Box Set: Revelations, Epiphanies and Fast Food in the Western Hemisphere.

1. Okay, 6 disks here so there is a lot to cover.

   Human Amusements At Hourly rates is the greatest hits CD. It has 32 songs, many of which are GBV's best songs. Of the 32 songs, there is only one I can't stand, "Drinker's Peace" from the wretched concept album "Same Place the Fly Got Smashed." Everything else on there is top notch. There are certainly dozens of other songs that could go on here, but a CD is only 80 minutes long. This is the CD you lend to your friends.

   Demons & Painkillers is the B-sides and rarities CD. There are a lot of really good songs here as well as some truly awful ones. I can make a strong case for several of these songs belonging on the greatest hits CD (more on that later).

   Delicious Pie & Thank You For Calling is the demos and outtakes CD. Eh. It is a mixed bag for me. I'd put it in the bottom 25% of the GBV releases I've come across. With so much else to choose from, I can't imagine listening to this all that often.

   Live at the Wheelchair Races is the live CD. The setlist is very strong. I can even tolerate Drinker's Peace in this setting (even more reason not to have it on the greatest hits CD). The flow gets broken up a bit by changing time periods, but it really is not that bad. I will probably listen to this quite a lot.

   Forever Since Breakfast is their first EP. It harks back to a time long ago when GBV were more interested in sounding like REM than The Who. There are good songs and bad songs here which shouldn't surprise anyone. If you liked Devil Between My Toes you will probably like this, and vice versa. Personally, I put half of the songs from the two releases onto my humongous GBV playlist on my MP3 player.

   The DVD is great. I'm not much of a video watcher, but it is nice to have all of that stuff together on one disk (hint, hint).

   The book has a lot of old pictures and a few fun anecdotes. Oh, and a description of where all of the tracks come from.

   So, why 4 stars?
   - I am very happy with the live CD and the DVD. Those two are 5*. The early EP gets 4 stars and I'm glad Bob decided to release it.

   - The Greatest Hits CD covers too much ground. Their sound changed quite a lot in 17 years. I just don't think it sounds right to listen to all of it on one CD. Perhaps the single-CD issue sounds better with its non-chronological order. I was trying to think of a good stopping point and decided Mag Earwhig would be better.

   - There are not enough alternative versions on the greatest hits CD. The two are nice, but why not have the alternate versions of Motor Away, My Valuable Hunting Knife, and Game of Pricks from the rarities CD on there as well? This would give me more reason to listen to it.

   - I think it is a travesty not to have Postal Blowfish on the greatest hits CD. With the extra room on the greatest hits CD, I'd throw in a few more tracks from the rarities CD such as Unleashed! The Large Hearted Boy and Dodging Invisible Rays.

   - I'd pick the best of the outtakes and add them to the rarities CD. We know there are other outtakes and demos lying around. Since the outtakes and demos CD is mostly filler anyway, I don't think it really matters to me what else goes on there.

   So, in summary, there is a lot to like about this box set, but there are enough frustrations for me to keep my rating at 4*. If you are a big GBV fan, you either have gotten this already or are wondering why you haven't gotten it yet. If not, there are plenty of other CDs for you to choose from as you continue your journey towards becoming a big GBV fan.




2. It is somewhat embarrassing to admit that for years I completely missed the boat when it comes to Guided by Voices-even though I've always interested in finding some of the most obscure bands out there. For reasons I'll never be able to explain, Guided by Voices has always flown just under my radar though I always knew that they were out there. Finding this box set for me is like finding one of the sources of the Nile because I can hear influences of their work on many of my other favorites. So while this johnny-come-lately kicks himself for missing out on this band for so long, I can give you one good piece of advice: go out and get the Hardcore UFOs box set and see for yourself. It is like everything, and nothing that you've heard before. My Christmas wish of receiving this box set has been fulfilled. Now I only wish that I'd been a fan all along.



3. It's hard not to love this boxed set. It's got a ton of great music and video for the cash, and it's a nice balance of GBVs more noteworthy pop moments as well as some really cool obscure stuff. There's something in here for every fan, from acolytes to veterans.

   There are five CDs and one DVD in the box. The CDs include the greatest hits disc (also available separately), a CD of outtakes and obscurities available for the first time (these aren't even on Suitcase), a live CD, and GBV's first EP available for the very first time--it'd been out of print for years. There's an excellent photo and essay book as well, which gives colorful insight into the history, personnel, and personality of the band.

   Rumor has it that Robert Pollard hand-picked the songs for the greatest hits disc. I can't quibble with his selections, for the most part, though I bet just about every hardcore fan wishes his or her favorite song made it (I was a little surprised to not find "Gold Star For Robot Boy" from Bee Thousand, "Red Men and Their Wives" from Under the Bushes, "Stabbing a Star" from Sunfish Holy Breakfast, "The Brides Have Hit Glass" from Isolation Drills, and "Useless Inventions" from Earthquake Glue in there somewhere). With so many great songs, it must have been torturous to pare the catalog down to the final 32.

   I was super stoked to see "Back From Saturn X" on the B-sides disc.

   The strongest offering by far is the live disc. This pastiche of songs--also hand-picked by Bob with some help--pulls together songs that flat-out rocked live along with a mix of mellow or more obscure songs. The sound quality of these is pretty phenomenal considering they were all yanked from amateur DATs and the like. I'd buy the whole box set again for this disc alone.

   If you're new to GBV and you want to immediately take a deep dive, I recommend starting here or with the greatest hits CD by itself. If you like this band but have doubts about the box, nix them now and lay your money down: Hardcore UFOs does not disappoint.




4. How can you go wrong with 4 CDs of GBV and the wonderful Watch Me Jumpstart film on DVD? You can't go wrong. By and large, everything here is pure gold. The only reason [I] would give it 4 stars would be because of what songs didn't make it! As far as I can tell, the only drastic omisions on the Best Of CD are: Liars Tale, Quality Of Armor, If We Wait, Jane Of the Waking Universe, Your Name Is Wild, Don't Stop Now. Everyone has their favorites, but I just can't believe these particular songs don't appear anywhere in the boxset, not even in a live version! ... Aside from that, the live Cd itself is very cool. ... For some reason, the Cobra Verde line-up is heavily featured, which is not a bad thing, just a little odd. The "unreleased songs" cd is perhaps the best part. Most of it is actually home recorded demos and early versions of songs that later appeared on album with different titles. There's some really choice stuff on here. The "rare B-sides and Matador singles, etc" is great also, but the operative word here is *Matador*. There are plenty of other EPs and 7"s on other labels that are not represented at all (Fast Japanese Spin Cycle, Static Airplane Jive, Wish In One Hand, etc.)
   Finally, the DVD is great, with some nice, albeit short, extras. The 2 Easter Eggs are actually the Back To the Lake & My Kind Of Soldier videos. Why these are "hidden" I have no idea, but poke around enough and you'll find em. ... This is a great boxset, and unquestionably THE X-mas gift of this year, or any year for that matter!



5. Fantastic box-set. I don't like writing long reviews, so all I'll say is if you're a fan of GBV, this is definitely worth the dosh.

5 comments about Box of Dreams.

1. I think that the way in which the songs were separated into 3 CDs was an excellent idea: first the up-tempo songs, then the instrumentals (which include some of the most beautiful pieces Enya has ever recorded, "River", "Lothlorien" and "Oriel Window" being my favorites) and then the slowest cuts. My only complaint is that "Epona" from _The Celts_ was left out of the compilation, but it is really a minor complaint. This is without a doubt the best Enya compilation out there.



2. This collection might possibly be one of the best box-sets ever made. From the midnight-blue box with silver print, the delicate booklet featuring semitransparent pages as just one of many artistic details, to the beautiful cover artwork - the visuals of this set is outstanding. There's no little detail here that hasn't been considered. Notice how beautifully this matches the artwork of the Best Of CD 'Paint The Sky With Stars', but how this set takes it one step further (the owners of the single-CD collection probably never grasped the significance of the three buckets of "paint" on the back cover - on with Clouds, on with Oceans and one with Stars - this is in fact the three themes of the CDs in this set). But that's only the artwork.
   
   The music has been considered at least as much in this set. The separation of the songs in three different themes are brilliant! Disc 1 -Oceans - contains the more upbeat songs, and thus most of her radio hits like Orinoco Flow, Book Of Days, Caribean Blue, Anywhere Is, China Roses, On My Way Home and the recemt Only If ... However, a plenty of less familiar songs are included as well - personal highlights are the magnificent Storms In Africa and The Longships (imo. two of her best pieces ever), the enchanting I Want Tomorrow and the dark and menacing Cursum Perficio, Pax Deorum and The Celts.
   
   Disc 2 - Clouds - contains instrumental pieces (or songs without any true lyrics, the exception to this being Afer Ventus) - in fact a quite varied selection including piano-pieces (Watermark, Miss Claire Remembers, Portrait (Out Of The Blue)), piano-and-vocal pieces (Shepherd Moons, Morning Glory), multi-instrumental pieces (Tea House Moon, Lothlórien, River) and vocal-and-instrumental pieces (Afer Ventus, The Memory Of Trees, March Of The Celts). There is beauty in such plenty that it can make you cry on this CD - Morning Glory might well be the most beautiful tune ever written - never was a song so aptly named as this one; it actually catches the exact sensation of the sun rising on a clear summer morning. Afer Ventus is so lovely and enchanting, and I cannot imagine anybody not feeling cheered by the wonderful Tea-House Moon.
   
   Disc 3 - Stars - contain a selection of her more hymn-like songs. This was always the CD that I liked the least, but these songs are certainly beautiful. Evening Falls is a favorite, and Marble Halls is quite irresistable in it's charm. Smaointe ... is one of the most heartfelt songs ever written, it moves me to tears every time I listen to it, and is the perfect way to and this collection.'
   
   The thematic separation of the songs is ingeneous, because it in reality gives you three very different CDs, that each matches a different mood. The song arrangement is brilliant, each CD flows naturally from beginning to end in a natural manner.
   
   One could make a comment on the song selection - this set includes nearly - NEARLY - all her songs from her 3 most recent albums (The Memory Of Trees, Shepherd Moon and Watermark). One might wonder why the excluded How Can I Keep From Singing (from Shepherd Moons) and Once You Had Gold (from The Memory Of Trees) - neither song was below standard (in fact Once You Had Gold was a personal favorite from that album) - and there's room for more songs on the CDs. Furthermore, her first album - The Celts - is quite poorly represented, which is even more curious (again, this is in fact my favorite Enya album) - I can accept some exclusions, but some glaring omisions are Epona, the Triad, Bard Dance and To Go Beyond, which are all excelent tracks. Also, I should have prefered the full-length version of On My Way Home to the radio edit included here, and the very rare english version of Storms In Africa would have been a treat for the fans, but that's a detail. A pity, however, that they missed this opportunity to make it perfect.
   
   Still, this box-set is way beyond what's good, this is masterfull. The more recent 4-CD collection 'Only Time' pales when compared to this. Even though it did contaion a couple of excellent songs from her most recent work (A Day Without Rain, Wild Child, The First Of Autumn, Lazy Days and May It Be from The Lord Of The Rings as the only essential pieces) - that set was poorly arranged and much more incomplete. Therefore, stick to this set if you find it at an reasonable price somewhere (try ebay) - 100 $ might be a little over the limit.
   
   Overall rating: 10 / 10



3. This boxed compilation makes a great addition to anyone's music collection who's fond of the new age genre or heard of Enya before. This music is timeless and inspiring. I've been listening to these 3 cd's almost religiously for months now, and I cease to tire of them. From songs like "Aldebaran" who's notes work their way soothingly up and down my spine, to the thundering drums present in songs such as "Storms in Africa", this music will take you away to somewhere you've always dreamed of. Listening to these masterpieces is literally more of an emotional experience for me than anything else, and I'm sure if you take the plunge and buy this compilation, you'll understand why. The three cd's are cased inside an attractive navy-blue box with silver lettering on it, which contains a neat flipbook with interesting poetry, lyrics, and what appear to be almost journal-like entries finely handwritten on the pages inside it. It adds a nice touch to this very classy boxed trio of cd's. Overall, this is a really special item and it'd make for an excellent gift - if you could part with it yourself! The only quibble I have is the price it's selling for most places (I was lucky to find it for $35 over the 'net), and the fact that after playing through all 46 songs, I found that several other works are missing from this compilation such as music from Enya's first album The Celts and other various cd's/singles. As a side note, it does include *most* of the music she's done, with additional singles such as "Only If", "Paint The Sky With Stars", and the very moving "Morning Glory", etc.



4. A must to have! This box winds up all of Enya's work in ten years. Here are songs that will touch the heart and the soul!!! As a big Enya fan, I highly recomend it to those who like Enya. Enya's new songs "Only If...", "Willows on the Water", and "Paint the Sky with Stars" can't be missed. Enya has achieved a great success thanks to her excellent music. It is an incredible blend of magic, irish lore, and devotion (not to mention that she achieves perfect sounds). This boxed set has Enya's memorable "Orinoco Flow", "Watermark", "Book of Days", and so many more that will simply hypnotize any listener. And if you think it is a little expensive, don't worry!!!!!! It is worth the buy!!



5. A DECADE of music. It is a must have .

   The box comes with 3 CD's and a booklet with illustrations. One for each mood. Ocans, clouds and stars. They are all there... Examples are: Orinoco Flow, Afer Ventus, Evacuee.. and so forth. This is yet the one collection that I longed for a quite a while... Thank you Eithne for your music... Mo' cheol Thú!!

5 comments about Just Say Sire: The Sire Records Story.

1. I remember when Sire showed up and started signing up every group worth signing up in NYC in the '70's. They did the same in the U.K. And marched on to one-hit wonders worldwide. I, too, own nearly everything they produced from the late '76+. Some are on vinyl, others I replicated on cassettes, some are irreplaceable. I could quibble with what's left out. I view these box sets as portable greatness to take to parties, cruising in the car, on the boat, or anywhere where I can't grab ahold of the original. I invested so much in vinyl & cassettes I can't begin to replicate ALL of it anymore. I'm old and tired. I need something to remind me why I loved the music in the first place, that sends me back to the Closet of Death for my Lps and singles. Seymour Stein did the era proud. I wish more labels showed as much support for original music & let the Billboard Charts be damned! Sire was one of a kind. And if a Madonna (a long shot back in the day when she was a Danceteria regular) or Ramones or Talking Heads sold a few records, great! For each superstar, he signed cult faves like Radio Birdman and the Saints. Somebody had to. He did. Who's doing it today?



2. The "Just Say Yes" series, from 1987-1994 provides a better cross-section, and more rarities than this boxset. The series was an annual sampler of the label's artists. This is somewhat akin to a sampler of those samplers...



3. I have "Like, Omigod! The '80s Pop Culture Box (Totally) [BOX SET]", pretty good but overpriced at $100.00; "No Thanks! The '70s Punk Rebellion [BOX SET]", previously my favorite box set (and a great book included as well); "Left of the Dial: Dispatches from the '80s Underground [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]", ho-hum; but this Sire set is the best. While it has a bit of early 90's alternative, it reaffirms that Sire was at the peak of attracting the best in the early and main punk years. And, they included great songs from these great groups that are not rehashes of other "pop" collections. Best value for your alternative $ in my opinion, it's the best I have spent yet. The book is pretty good too. But, go buy "No Thanks" if you still have some OTB on your credit card after you get this.



4. I only recently heard about the release of this box set, and it's long over due. EVERYONE from the 80's owned something from Sire, you couldn't avoid it. They were essential to Americans who didn't have ready access to the pricy imports. They signed The Smiths, Aztec Camera, The Undertones, The Cure, The Pretenders, Echo & The Bunnymen, etc.. My only wish now is that they release a box set of the Just Say Sire series, or how about a reissue of Return Of The Killer B's? Even Belle & Sebastian wrote a song about label founder Seymour Stein. Nuff said.



5. The Good
   To be fair, I only have a nineteen track sample to review this set with, but I do have the complete track listing. Sire Records broke more big names in multiple genres than you might think, and include some (I need to stress some) of their biggest hits on this set.
   
   You get Madonna's earliest cut "Everybody" plus her most controversial "Like A Prayer", The Ramones' "Blitzkrieg Bop" and "Rock N Roll High School", The Pretenders "Back on the Chain Gang" and "Brass in Pocket", Talking Heads' "Burning Down the House" and "Once in a Lifetime", The Cult's "Fire Woman" and "She Sells Sanctuary", The Cure's "The Love Cats" and "Let's Go to Bed", and Depeche Mode's "People Are People" and "Enjoy the Silence".
   
   There's more, but you get the point. In addition to artists that went on to long and fruitful musical careers, this box set also includes those who went down in history as `one hit wonders', but still got a lot of mileage out of it either way; Soft Cell's "Tainted Love", M's "Pop Music", Barenaked Ladies "One Week", and Seal's "Crazy". Yeah, you can fight me on the Seal & Barenaked ladies, but you know I'm right.
   
   The Bad
   The majority of this box set focuses on more obscure, underground, or virtually unknown artists; Yaz, The Bluebells, Ofra Haza, Everything But the Girl, Telex, Plastic Bertrand, The Rezillos, The Normal, The Mighty Lemon Drops, Book of Love, Belly, The farm, Spacehog, Apex Twin, and there's a lot more. I'm sure some people know who these bands are, but I'm willing to bet you don't know all of them.
   
   The Verdict
   Let's face it, box sets are rather pricey. When you make the decision to buy one, you're going to expect to hear a lot of songs that you know and love. Just Say Sire is a great archive of what the record label has accomplished over their lifetime, but it's really only appealing to those that were a part of it. There is a decent selection of tracks that any music lover would recognize, but there are far more that they wouldn't.

No comments about 1974-76.

5 comments about The Ultimate Grammy Box.

1. One of the better compilations of music and well worth the price. It has something for everyone from hits of the 40's right through today. I enjoyed the random mix of country, pop, rock, big-band, etc. and the varied song selection on each disk - you never know what's coming next. Great - simply great!



2. I got this for Christmas and was really impressed. I mean getting all these huge names together on one compilation is a feat in itself. But I think they overlooked a few things.

   Ok, how do you get off not putting Barbra Streisand on a GRAMMY CD ? She has won (if my memory serves me right) more then 9 GRAMMIES and has been nominated for tons more. And Toni Braxton. "Another Sad Love Song" Won best song and she got best new artist.

   they also didn't include U2 or Phil Collins. I'm sure thy've won something. I cannot believe (but i am thankful) they didn't put any of Britney Spears'GRAMMY winners on there. And I think they could have waited for a couple of years and put of killer tracks like "Fallin" by ALicia Keys and "Don't Know why" by Norah Jones.

   But I kinda think that the focus of this CD was on the "GRAMMY Hall of famers." Ella Fitzgerald. Louis Armstrong. Duke Ellington. Peggy Lee. Among others, serve up a nice classy feel amidst the modern pop and rock beats.

   All and ALL, if they had put "All the best" on here we would have had a ten CD pack people !! and who knows how much that would have cost. this one is already a little steep. But I think its worth every penny.

   I really think this is great. Its defines the term something for everybody and may help bridge gaps between Teens and parents. It definataly expanded my musical horizon.

   Now all I need to do is write GRAMMY and request "GRAMMY:MUSIC FROM THE NEW MILLENIUM." They might need to wait a few years before they have all the material necesarry for a stellar project like that !!




3. I just bought this boxed set yesterday, and i'm listening to it now as I write this review. It's great and has a very diverse and eclectic song list. It pretty much has "something for everyone". It also only costs around fifty dollars or so, which is a very good deal for a four cd set. Definitely recommended.



4. This Box Set is full of some of the greatest recordings of all time. Be prepared for everything from Louis Armstrong to Mariah Carey to Vladmir Horowitz to Bruce Springsteen, and on and on. It is superb. I find it hard to believe that one would ever tire of it.



5. The Grammy Box is filled with great songs from the past to the present. I highly recommend it.

No comments about People Places Pieces.

5 comments about Galaxie 500.

1. This box set includes all of the albums plus "uncollected" tracks not found together anywhere else. A must for all Galaxie 500 fans, even if you have the albums on vinyl already. I particularly like their cover of the Rutles' "Cheese and Onions".



2. Dismissing Galaxie 500 as "another Velvet Underground knockoff" is like calling Joy Division "another Doors knockoff". Sure, there are obvious similarities. But Galaxie 500 created their own sound: a sound to match a lethargic teenager and his romantic yearnings. "Tugboat" is the ultimate anthem for a shy, withdrawn young man suffering from a case of unrequited love. Played quietly, it's a perfect lullaby. At loud volumes, it sounds almost frantic, with the final guitar solo screaming over the violent drums and chiming two-chord riff. One amazing thing about Galaxie 500 is, if you like their sound, you will probably enjoy every song they recorded. While ON FIRE and TODAY provide instant gratification, THIS IS OUR MUSIC will probably require multiple listens before it provides comparable enjoyment. The UNCOLLECTED disc will exceed most expectations, making the box set a 'must' for fans of the band's released recordings. A word of warning: this music makes lethargy seem appealing and inviting.



3. Cranked out 3 albums and were done with it. And, apparently, made the music they wanted to make. Signature tunes are soaring and sad at the same time. So many good songs on these discs-- Blue Thunder, When Will You Come Home, Plastic Bird, Tugboat, 4th of July, Oblivious-- shoot, everything they did is good, good.

   Saw a car commercial the other day, the music playing in the background was "Instrumental" from _Today_.




4. Where can you begin with this band? How about a reunion tour as coctau twins did't quite cut it for me in 91"? There are but possibly a few bands that have had such a complete influence on my life (way to go guys n gal)!! The music created is very well crafted with a minimalist approach. Though admittedly influenced by VU plus others, this band is in my opinion very original and NECESSARY. They created wonderful new sounds independantly of other sounds around at the time.. how wonderful, a band that was actually creative. The american public was not ready for them at the time, and to this day like most other truely great bands, they remain largely unknown to this day. Best cd-this is our music. Perfect sunday stoner rock and roll perfect for not getting out of bed on a snowy sunday morning(or afternoon) when you had a bit too much fun the night before!! DO NOT let this gem get by you.. FOR REAL



5. How often is is that you can own the entire recorded output of one of the most important bands you will ever listen to? (well, everything excluding the live disc "Copenhagen")

   G-500 is beautiful and unsettling, simultaneously. This music will affect you mind, your soul, the course of your life. Listen.

1 comments about The Fall Box Set.

1. "This is the winter of your mind," Mark E. Smith warns about halfway through the band's career and this five-CD retrospective. It does drone on, as any compilation of nearly a hundred songs does. For fans like me, I bought this since I never bought the great 39-track anthology "50,000 Fall Fans Can't Be Wrong," only because I had all those songs already, most off their two-dozen-plus studio releases. (As of that date; there's been two more out since.) You can never keep up with the band's output, but this brick box of a monument, matching the buff "Peel Sessions" complete set in its shape, scope, and graphics, complements their knotty, gnomic, catchy, and enigmatically constructed and warblingly delivered sound magnificently.
   
   The cast of characters of the ever-changing band defies summary, but those who assembled this set can be summarized as a subsitute. The booklet's superb in look and content. Singles, posters, and promotional material illustrate the band, if out of any order. I would have liked a "yearbook" line-up of a snap of every member, but this booklet might not have had enough space for over fifty mugshots.
   
   Daryl Easlea's sleevenotes detail each track, and offer an A-to-Z ramble through Fall trivia. Conway Paton's compiled this, and various members are thanked; unlike many of the dozens of earlier cheap-o "greatest hits" packages, this box set satisfies the true fan. It's affordable, too, for anyone wanting a compact shelf of essential (well, this might be arguable with so much to choose from in their discography) songs over five discs.
   
   Any follower of The Fall recognizes the peaks and valleys of this group's sonic long march. On disc one, Nick Watson's mastering brings out the early shambling scratchy (post-)punk send-up well. I heard depth in tracks such as "Rowche Rumble (take 4)," "Hip Priest" and "Leave the Capitol" which freshened these songs. Many of the tunes from the late 70s needed this surgical precision, and the stripping down of extraneous noise from their pioneering work manages to scrape off the low-fi rust without distorting their need for manipulation and their contrary pulse, which defies convention even of New Wave. By the end of this initial disc, the band's shift from guitar-based rant to a more nuanced, unsettling interior terrain of dobut and unease nibbles away at the band's own image as satirical malcontents to reveal a deeper existentialist stance, refusing to compromise with early 80s powder and glitz.
   
   The second disc enters what anyone will call the Brix-period from 1983 through 1989. Fans debate whether this represented the high point of accessibility, or a sell-out. The tracks chosen display the range of the band when they tried to balance a more generously layered, less stringently atonal sound, but in hindsight, by the end of the 80s, their restlessness can be sensed underneath the richer production. The energy dissipates with entries such as the instrumental "Shoulder Pads 1#" and an alternate take "Hit the North" that diffuses that song's punch. "A Day in the Life" covered appears to please completists, but it's no match for "Victoria." I'd counter other songs from the albums "Wonderful" and "This Nation's" and "Frenz" and "Curious" (as I would for "Perverted" on disc one), but they do serve to display the reach of the band's ambitions, if not always their best tunes off that album. There's jitteriness, probably reflecting the "personal and musical differences" that would end the Briz-MES partnership. The sound swirls and defies easy categorization.
   
   Disc three wanders. The refusal to give in to a friendlier approach hardens the band. The first seven years of the 90s enter keyboards more, as the rave and Madchester influences both tickle and irritate the hometown indie elders who by this time are The Fall. I'd have to say that this period of relative retreat into a more insular, hermetic mood provides a pricklier barrier for the newcomer to the band. The songs stick less in the mind, and are less memorable than the Brix tunes. The disc takes forever, it seems, to play. If you want an aural picture of the Nineties in Northern England, and one that defies the age of greed and flash, this might be perfect, but it also might prove a difficult disc to play straight through. This can be, naturally, a selling point for many potential Fall fans. "Noel's Chemical Effluence" or "Arid Al's Dream" appear to capture the pre-millennial dread, but they're again not the tunes you'll be humming in the car. "He-Pep" marks the brief return of Brix, and it's a welcome one. Not sure why the album from which this originates gets only this one track. I'd have jettisoned some of the completist tracks (such as so-so collaborations and sketchy rarities) here for more from this 1997 album. The band's invigorated on this, their highly recommended swan-song LP "Light-User" but the great 80s-90s lineup of Craig Scanlon, Steve Hanley, Karl Burns, Simon Wolstencroft, and/or Dave Bush had already crumbled.
   
   I must add that when the songs that end this disc were first released on "Levitation," I found them often impenetrable. Now, a decade and more on, I judge them among their most significant and freshest work. They leap out at you. It's the one studio record MES produced largely by himself, I believe. The ghost of the club returns, and disorients all in a jungle-punk melange that envelops you in ticky-tacky monolithic beeps. The Badly Drawn Boy even sneaks in on his co-written final track, "Calendar." It's up to you to enter this tilting funhouse.
   
   The fourth disc opens with a great quote from H.P. Lovecraft, even if the spoken-word excerpt entices you more than satisfies you. The end of the 90s up to nearly now takes the band into terrain similar to disc three. What's the difference? Without the core band that had for fifteen-odd years sustained the band at its critical and commercial (such as they were) heights, Smith needed to shuffle his musicians, regarded more as backing him than holding him back. The band's domination under one voice, one mastermind, makes for an idiosyncratic foray through his inner demons and angels. There's a sublime guitar riff answered by a winning chant that breaks open "Touch Sensitive" in its "Dance Mix" into the type of song that should have earned him the top of the charts. It's as if "Levitate" and "Saving Grace" albums combined finally into his moment of pop triumph, silly yet solid. "Shake-Off" and "Two Librans" show that his new crew delivered the meaty chords, electronic interludes, and compact rhythms upon which Smith could use his voice as if a dub master. Better this than a loping faux-reggae "Tom Raggazzi," here if only to show that MES stays unpredictable as ever. "Dr. Bucks' Letter" roams about similar crunching paths, and its inclusion forced me to reconsider this stage along the road.
   
   The disc continues into their current era, full of garage-rock, more keys, and a return to enthusiasm at least with the "Real New" and "Fall Heads" records mid-decade. "Mike's Love Hexagon" gets a cleaner treatment here than its non-"original version," whose murkier mix I favor. But, hear the next track, "Last Commands of Xyralothrep," and the determination for MES and his band to matter again jumps out palpably. Perhaps we can thank in part Elena Poulou, as Mrs. Smith, for this infusion. This force carries the rest of the fourth disc (with the exception of the score-settling ho-hum "Portugal") clearly and convincingly. Get the original CDs too.
   
   The fifth disc gathers live tracks, some half-baked covers, and the usual ephemera that fewer than 50,000 fans demand. Usually, I'm less enamored of The Fall from their concert and demo recordings than I am other musicians. I like what Smith and his mates do in the studio. Primitive to the extreme, many of the live songs from the 70s sound like you'd expect, all treble and shout, no discernible bass or any lower register on many of them. However, by "He Talks," the latter half of these eighteen selections largely work well, with a heftier base and a more intriguing range of melodies and inventions. Not the disc I'd play the most, but not that bad.
   
   I admit that I'm dissuaded by both MES' wariness at "look-back bores" who belabor his utterances, and his dismissal of a glut of graduates who dissect his music. But, what else are we reviewers for? If not fans with a longer memory? And, any liner note scribe who can count the 303 "squelches" in the "Susan vs. Youth Club" remix deserves equal acclaim, not contempt, by any Fall follower. Count me in for decade 4.

No comments about Party Pack.

5 comments about Suitcase: Failed Experiments and Trashed Aircraft.

1. Fan club product? Perhaps. There are great songs on this and Suitcase II, and also tossed off lo-fi *recordings* that bring you as much into the basement recordings as being part of early GbV. If you have a bunch of Bob related material and listen to it again and again, then you already understand what this is. You get it. You will need this eventually, but it will be out of print by then. If you don't own Hardcore UFOs yet, get that first. Then buy Suitcases I & II together, all the EPs you don't already own, all the new Robert Pollard, and find the torrents for the live boards and so on.... Ruin your lives. Oh, and if you haven't picked up a turntable and started collecting vinyl again, see ya.



2. how can anyone write so many great songs? c'mon people, plunk down the forty-five stinking bucks and experience the unearthly genius of robert pollard. if you are already a fan, there is no excuse to NOT have this. as one might expect, this is not the starters place to look. bee thousand, alien lanes or the safer(more NORMAL sounding) isolation drills would be the best choices.
   
   nice packaging, good booklet. excellent liner notes. pick your favorite 20 or 25 songs and make the ultimate GbV disc. what a joy the suitcase is.



3. How in the world can this package exist? These guys, leader Robert Pollard in particular, release something like 100 tracks in any given year, and most of them sound like they were rushed out without too much regard for polish or perfection, so how could there have been another 100 tracks sitting around unused? This 4-CD set comprises exactly 100 tracks, 25 per disk, of songs that were lying around, overlooked, tossed aside or didn't seem to fit properly elsewhere. Like I said, though, I just don't get the logic of it, since virtually all GBV disks sound like a random assortment of stuff that was, well, lying around. The main difference is that this box is even more disjointed than most GBV albums, as it contains leftovers and out-takes from what certainly must be one of the most haphazard catalogs of all time. The glue that holds it together (albeit tenuously) is the fertile mind of Robert Pollard, who tosses out song ideas and melodies like Keebler makes cookies. The point, though, is whether or not it's worth your time and money to invest in this and spend time with it. The answer is....maybe.
   Guided By Voices are the real Not-Ready-For-Prime-Time Players. Their audience is limited to those who can sit through impossibly dense, apparently unfocused rants in order to locate the bits that penetrate through the fog. Not everybody can do this, or would want to bother. I buy and listen to things like this so that you don't have to. I suffer for you. As a fan, I was compelled to immerse myself in this box. I was hoping for an embarrassment of riches, but must say that an awful lot of this collection is simply an embarrassment. The box's subtitle can be taken quite literally and if nothing else, represents truth in advertising - "Failed Experiments and Trashed Aircraft." The quality ranges from the excellent to incredibly bad. On the bad side, half-baked ideas share space with horrendous, unlistenable trash; If I never hear "Hold On to Yesterday" or "Big Trouble" again, I will consider myself lucky. That's unfortunate, though, because they sit side by side with some truly great (although very raw) stuff, like "I'm Cold", "In Walked the Moon" and "Wondering Boy Poet". I'm convinced that some other band could make a good living simply by polishing up songs like these and re-releasing them. GBV could do it themselves, but it's all too obvious that they are far too busy just trying to keep up with themselves as it is.
   The truth is that most of this never should have seen the light of day, at least not for mass market release, but GBV aren't really for the mass market, so there's the conundrum. If the best bits were compiled onto one disk, this would be a great collection. But it's four disks, and the bad stuff is so f*&%ing horrible that it makes it impossible to recommend this box to anyone except fellow GBV obsessives and the socially deprived, especially since it retails at over $50.00. For that money, I'd suggest buying any three of their single CD releases instead. Either that or form a band, learn these songs by heart, and give them the attention to detail that they deserve.
   B- Tom Ryan



4. i will depart from the tone set by the reviewers before me. i will automatically assume that anyone interested in buying this box set is already a fan. why would someone shell out the money for this (slightly) pricey set if they didnt already love guided by voices?
   that being said, all thats left to say is WOW. i am in lo-fi heaven. some songs make me jump up and down, and others make me cry. there are a couple of unremarkable songs, but i disagree firmly with anyone who says this box set could have been cut down to 2 cds. there are way more great songs than there are "bad" ones (i hesitate to call anything of robert pollard's bad) if youre thinking about buying the set, just do it. where is the risk? if you dont like it you can always sell it back on amazon.
   by the way i am listening to it right now. i cant seem to listen to anything else since i got it a few weeks ago. *sigh* robert pollard plucks at the pleasure center of my brain with his hauntingly beautiful lo-fi melodies. was there ever a band that comes even close to the genius of guided by voices? no, of course not.



5. "Suitcase" is, like everyone else said, not for newbies to GbV. It's probably not even for some diehards. A few too many of the "songs" are half-baked fragments that are too low-fi for even me, and I love GbV's earlier work represented in "Box" and pre-"Alien Lanes" albums. There are still many gems -- probably about half the songs here are typically bright and shiny pop gems -- but it could've easily been culled down to 2 CDs instead of 4. Don't expect greatness, and definitely try to find it marked down from its original price a little. An interesting artifact for GbV fans in the end.