Bee Thousand

Rate It! Avg: 4.5 (942 ratings)
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EDITOR'S PICK

Total Tracks: 20   Total Length: 36:29

eMusic Review

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Greg Milner

eMusic Contributor

04.22.11
The consensus masterpiece of Guided by Voice’s enormous catalogue.
Label: Scat / Revolver

This one's the fan favorite, the consensus masterpiece, and the easiest GbV album to love instantly and unconditionally. The combination of lo-fi-ness, unbelievable catchiness and clearly enunciated but still impenetrable lyrics, provide the sensation of picking up a faint radio transmission of the greatest band ever practicing aboard one of those “hardcore UFOs” Pollard sings about on the first song. Put it this way: There is one song in particular that you will immediately want to hear again, and will be humming for the rest of your life, and the name of that song is “Tractor Rape Chain.” Another one that has the same effect is “Echos Myron,” in which Pollard announces, “We're finally here, and shit, yeah, it's cool.” That pretty much says it all.

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Serving Notice

carlosdev

GbV first attracted attention on a national level with this release, and why not? It's chock full of great hooks and the best drunken pop music you'll ever hear. It's everything American Idol is not - raw, under-produced, well-written, charming and fun. Give "Queen of Cans and Jars," "I Am a Scientist" and "Hardcore Ufos" a listen, but nearly anything on the album will do.

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Brilliant

musky3390

Everything about this, every song, every line is just great. Just listening to this cd is like reading a great book, it will literally make your life a little better

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I guess I'm not in the consensus then

Synthmesc

It's a fine, fine album, but Alien Lanes is the one for me.

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Deep in the roots

kungfudrummer

I lived with this album for about a year. One of those records that grows so much on you that you have to force yourself to put it away for fear of wearing it out too quickly. Also, the fact that most of these songs were recorded on a four track in Bob Pollard's basement after work...one of the founding moments of the independent music revolution. Do it!

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Dayton's Brightest Sons

MatthiasSchulz

The best thing Guided By Budweiser ever did; the warped, retarded sound of Dayton, Ohio condensed to 40 minutes of brilliant pop music.

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A Most Unusual Album...

Bataille

...unusual in that every one of its 20 songs are mini-masterpieces. Don't believe me? Just listen to "Tractor Rape Chain," "Smothered in Hugs," or "Buzzards and Dreadful Crows." Or, really anything off the album. It was this album that allowed GBV to (at least temporarily) dethrone Pavement as the kings of sloppy and under-produced, yet gloriously brilliant pop.

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Download and play relentlessly

kickerofelves

B1000 along with Propeller and Isolation Drills is a must have GBV album. Bob Pollard is a musical genius. If you don't get it on first listen you will eventually. Smothered in Hugs, Tractor Rape Chain, Hot Freaks, Echos Myron, I Am A Scientist are as good a place as any to start, but really you want it all.

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the only GBV album I can stand

duggie

every other album of theirs i've heard has been total garbage, but this one is listenable. it's very well sequenced, with many of the incomplete segments seeming like full songs because of what they're surrounded by.

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GREAT STUFF!

StreetSidhe

This is real alt/punk/indie! The kind I remember listening to in abandoned warehouses turned indigent nightclub in the 80's and 90's, when the music was pure.

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Must Have GBV

halldad

The first four albums are great and Propeller and Vampire on Titus have tons o' classics, but Bee Thousand is what put GBV on the map. This is the perfect starting point for a new fan. These songs sound as fresh today as they did over a decade ago when they first blew me away. These are the songs that will play over and over in your head after just a couple of playings.

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They Say All Media Guide

The cult of indie rock thrives on the unexpected discovery, and in 1994 Guided by Voices was just the sort of musical phenomenon no one figured was still out there — 30-something rock obsessives cranking out fractured guitar-driven pop tunes in a laundry room. Robert Pollard and his stable of beer buddies/backing musicians had been churning out stuff like Bee Thousand for years, but the album’s surprise critical success marked the first time the group found a significant audience outside their hometown, and it made a clear case for Guided by Voices’ virtues — as well as their flaws. From the moment “Hardcore UFOs” kicks in, it’s obvious that Pollard has an uncanny gift for a hook and a melody, and Bee Thousand’s 20 cuts are dotted with miniature masterpieces like “Echos Myron,” “Smothered in Hugs,” and “Queen of Cans and Jars.” However, there are also more than a few duds that threaten to cancel out the goodwill the great songs generate, and Pollard is an acquired taste as a lyricist — his freakishly poetic verse has a real charm, but it’s hard to figure out what he’s on about. (GBV’s other principal songwriter, Tobin Sprout, contributes less often, but manages a higher batting average.) The lo-tech rumble of the album’s D.I.Y. production also wavers between being a help and a hindrance, depending on the songs, and as musicians Guided by Voices veer between sounding like inspired amateurs and, well, just amateurs. On Bee Thousand, Guided by Voices sounds like a passionate and gloriously quirky garage band fronted by a thrillingly and maddeningly idiosyncratic songwriter; its many pearly moments make it a fascinating discovery for rock enthusiasts, but a few years would pass before this band was fully earning the new accolades showered upon it. – Mark Deming

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Activity

  • 02.06.12 Guided By Voices is on @RollingStone 's playlist at #6 http://t.co/zSsOmpSh http://t.co/6qjXBh4S
  • 01.23.12 Record Of The Month Club: Let's Go Eat The Factory (complete with Bob portrait) http://t.co/BVM18W5q
  • 01.06.12 Guided By Voices: Don't give up the day job http://t.co/9tTAgANd via @guardian
  • 01.03.12 Soundcheck, Guided By Voices on David Letterman tonight: http://t.co/j3tGa7r6
  • 12.19.11 The Ash Gray Proclamation's review of Let's Go Eat The Factory - http://t.co/V3meOXnJ
  • 12.19.11 Preview the new Guided By Voices album, Let's Go Eat The Factory, on NPR Exclusive First Listen! http://t.co/j9P5N5st
  • 12.19.11 To celebrate the release of Let's Go Eat The Factory, Guided By Voices will be appearing on the Late Show With David Letterman Jan 3, 2012.
  • 12.16.11 Photo: Let's Go Eat The Factory LP sleeve http://t.co/T0jipdZA
  • 12.16.11 Photo: Let's Go Eat The Factory LP stickers http://t.co/eU4FLSux
  • 12.12.11 Let's Go Eat The Factory got a 4.5/5 from The Fire Note http://t.co/NvduPA3I "Already a favorite of 2012!"
  • 12.12.11 Neon Filler calls Let's Go Eat The Factory "a classic Guided By Voices record." 9/10 http://t.co/G0OlK6aS
  • 12.09.11 Download Let It Bear Boombox Demos for FREE! The limited edition CD sold out in one day. Happy holidays from Uncle Bob! http://t.co/12Jjx1SJ
  • 12.09.11 Let's Go Eat The Factory is available for preorder in (CA and the US) on @iTunesMusic http://t.co/OiflA55t
  • 12.09.11 Let's Go Eat The Factory is available for preorder in the US (and CA) on @iTunesMusic http://t.co/ooicSOrt
  • 12.07.11 GBV have not split up & continue to work on new material. In addition to Factory, GBV are at work on another album, Class Clown Spots A UFO.
  • 12.07.11 Unfortunately GBV are canceling Primavera and IBYM due to personal reasons. The band apologizes and thanks everyone for their support.
  • 12.02.11 Magnet magazine recently picked their fave 100 GBV songs of all time. You can hear 92 of them on Spotify http://t.co/9lXU01GB
  • 12.02.11 Guided By Voices are on the cover of Magnet Magazine. Read Factory Men http://t.co/KwBQ52So
  • 12.01.11 Back catalogue CDs from 1997-2009 are now only $5 each! Robert Pollard, GBV, Boston Spaceships, Circus Devils & more http://t.co/iQvGbhK6
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