I don't think I've really touched GBV on this blog. I leave all the Guided By Voices scholarship to this guy - - with good reason, obviously. But I was hoping to excerpt the part of AJS's book (really, I think it's just a footnote), where he actually admits I tried to turn him onto the band that would one-day change his life way back in 1993! Vampire On Titus was the album that hooked me (purchased at Schoolkids Records in Ann Arbor), but AJS scoffed, and didn't see the light until many many years later. Unfortunately Amazon doesn't have that fancy "Search Inside" function for his book, so you'll just have to take my word for it. Or, buy the book and look it up yourself. In any case, with two GBV songs on the playlist today I figured there was something I could add to the subject. Beyond the fact that I own Bee Thousand on blue vinyl (how cool is colored vinyl?), I just want to take a moment praise the one-minute rock song - - or in this case 1:04. Get in. Rock. Get out. It's a formula that GBV embraced and used to their full advantage. How else can you record 1,328 song? This ridiculously incredible archive has all the info on every track, but I couldn't find a sortable list of what I'm curious about: track length? How many clocked in at less than a minute? Right around a minute? What's their longest song? Shortest? (The beauty is, I know, if I put this out there, AJS will surely be on the case. Look to the comments!) In the meantime, since you can sort iTunes by track length, I was able to find out how many other songs I have on the iPod that are about one minute long. It turns out there are a lot. As a sample, here are the other songs (out of 11,012) that are exactly 1:04.
- Tom Waits - "Bone Chain"
- Tom Waits - "Midtown (Instrumental)"
- Jens Lekman - "Rocky Dennis In Heaven"
- Magnetic Fields - "Reno Dakota"
- The Apples In Stereo - "Thank You Very Much"
- James - "DVV"
- Tom Waits - "Blend Down The Branches"
The Apples In Stereo - "Shine (In Your Mind)"
Outkast - "Kim & Cookie (Interlude)"
Vampire Weekend - "Campus"
The American Analog Set - "Immaculate Heart 2"
Guided By Voices - "The Enemy"
Matt & Kim - "No More Long Years"
Cassandra Wilson - "I Want To Be Loved"
Emmylou Harris - "Cup Of Kindness"
Serge Gainsbourg - "Ce Grand Mechant Vous"
Bloc Party - "I Still Remember"
Bright Eyes - "Tourist Trap"
Thelonious Monk - "Abide With Me (Take 1)"
The Decembrists - "The Perfect Crime"
The Replacements - "Can't Hardly Wait"
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 15
Total minutes of music (approx.): 52
Song with the most previous plays: "The Enemy" - 9
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 6
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: I have a cold. But it's my birthday!
6 comments:
Happy birthday.
When I have time, I'm going to reread that passage. You might be right about the footnote since half the book is footnotes.
Bee Thousand/Alien Lanes is by far my favorite time in GBV history.
Have you seen this? I first read about it on AJS.
I've been to Schoolkids Records. They're no Used Kids, but they're OK.
They have at least 30 songs that clock in at under a minute. I'd say over half of their songs are under two minutes, and 80 percent at under three. Longest song? Definitely Local Mix-Up/Murder Charge, off 1990's Same Place the Fly Got Smashed -- nearly seven minutes. (Although technically that might be two songs combined.) Shortest has to be Cigarette Tricks off Alien Lanes -- maybe twenty seconds?
Here's a link to Wire Greyhounds, the best song ever written that is precisely 35 seconds long:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMnQrgZC2xI&feature=related
Happy birthday. You can finally drink legally in bars! Yay!
Happy Birthday!
Pollard is a true rock god.
Bah! I missed your birthday! They do have the internet in Tennessee, but my connection was lousy and I gave up too easily. I hope you had a wonderful, sunny-bunny birthday, and you got some swell presents and a big ol' cake, too.
Also, sorry to comoprozac, but I would like to give Used Kids the finger.
Sarah, you're just upset they didn't offer you any PBR from their stash.
Thanks for all the b'day wishes. I got cupcakes and some clothes. What more could a guy want?
Also, CP, I've been to Used Kids. It's even featured in The 100-Yard War.
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