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Average: 4.0 (46 ratings)
- Date Released: May 20, 1997
- Genre: Alternative/Punk
- Style: Indie Rock
- Label: Matador
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We Say...
At the time of Mag Earwhig!'s release in 1997, the indie-rock community let out a collective cry of "Judas!" at the album's full-blown rock production style and razor-sharp musicianship. GBV ringleader Bob Pollard's largely unsentimental breakup with his beloved four-track cassette recorder did have profound implications (imagine Apple's Steve Jobs trading in his PowerBook for a Dell) and his seemingly cold-blooded liquidation of the band's original (and loveable) rag-tag lineup in favor of ace lead guitarist Doug Gillard and his group, Cobra Verde, largely exploded the myth that GBV were as much a happy-go-lucky drinking club as a serious rock band. Unfortunately, the brouhaha and bad vibes surrounding the album's release largely eclipsed the fact this was — and might continue to be — the greatest and most cohesive Guided By Voices album. Gillard's guitar work on the anthemic "I Am a Tree" is, hands-down, the hottest alt-rock guitar workout since Television let rip "See No Evil." "Jane of the Waking Universe" and "Not Behind the Fighter Jet" are sparkling refutations of the theory that the perfect song died with the Lennon/McCartney byline, and "Bulldog Skin" is slobbering proof that sometimes, a big dumb riff is all you need to attain the sublime.
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They Say...
After Bee Thousand gave Guided By Voices a wider audience, it became evident that Robert Pollard saw himself as more than just the band's songwriter and frontman, and as his career ambitions grew, he became increasingly frustrated with the limitations of his band. Matters came to a head prior to the recording of Mag Earwhig! as Pollard broke ties with longtime guitarist and fellow songwriter Tobin Sprout and fired the rest of the group. While Pollard and Sprout soon buried the hatchet, Sprout opted not to stay on as a full-time member of the group, and Pollard was now Guided By Voices' uncontested leader. He hired Cleveland-based blues/garage rockers Cobra Verde as his backing band for the next GBV album, and Mag Earwhig! sounded a good bit different as a result; while there were a few stray four-track experiments with Sprout scattered about, most of the album had a solid, professional sheen, and Cobra Verde rock harder and sound tighter than any of the lineups Pollard had worked with in the past. Unfortunately, his songwriting wasn't quite up to his usual standards, which the new clarity of this album makes all the more evident. Pollard is incapable of making an album without a few fine songs, and "Bulldog Skin," "Sad If I Lost It," "Not Behind the Fighter Jet," and "Portable Men's Society" certainly fill the bill, but it may well be significant that Mag Earwhig!'s most exciting song, the joyous "I Am a Tree," was written by Cobra Verde's Doug Gillard. While there's plenty to enjoy here, Robert Pollard's next experiment in hi-fi record making, Do the Collapse, would prove to be much more successful.
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You Say...
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| 01. |  |
Can't Hear The Revolution |
1:36 |  |
| 02. | |
Sad If I Lost It |
3:10 | |
| 03. | |
I Am A Tree |
4:40 | |
| 04. | |
The Old Grunt |
1:28 | |
| 05. | |
Bulldog Skin |
2:59 | |
| 06. | |
Are You Faster? |
1:13 | |
| 07. | |
I Am Produced |
1:06 | |
| 08. | |
Knock 'Em Flyin' |
1:52 | |
| 09. | |
Not Behind The Fighter Jet |
2:13 | |
| 10. | |
Choking Tara |
1:24 | |
| 11. |
Hollow Cheek |
0:32 | |
|
| 12. | |
Portable Men's Society |
4:17 | |
| 13. | |
Little Lines |
2:02 | |
| 14. | |
Learning To Hunt |
2:24 | |
| 15. | |
The Finest Joke Is Upon Us |
3:08 | |
| 16. |
Mag Earwhig! |
0:39 | |
|
| 17. | |
Now To War |
2:44 | |
| 18. | |
Jane Of The Waking Universe |
2:26 | |
| 19. | |
The Colossus Crawls West |
2:13 | |
| 20. | |
Mute Superstar |
1:24 | |
| 21. | |
Bomb In The Bee-hive |
2:03 | |
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Credits
- Guided by Voices - Main Performer // Kevin Fennell - Drums // Gary King - Assistant Engineer // John Shough - Programming // John Shough - Engineer // Tobin Sprout - Guitar (Acoustic) // Tobin Sprout - Bass // Tobin Sprout - Guitar // Tobin Sprout - Drums // Tobin Sprout - Vocals // Tobin Sprout - Vocals (Background) // Tobin Sprout - Engineer // Tobin Sprout - Slide Guitar // Tobin Sprout - Casio // Robert Pollard - Guitar (Acoustic) // Robert Pollard - Guitar // Robert Pollard - Piano // Robert Pollard - Drums // Robert Pollard - Guitar (Electric) // Robert Pollard - Vocals // Robert Pollard - Casio // John Croslin - Engineer // Jim Pollard - Bass // Jim Pollard - Guitar // Dave Swanson - Drums // Dave Swanson - Maracas // Dave Swanson - Vocals (Background) // John Petkovic - Synthesizer // John Petkovic - Guitar // John Petkovic - Guitar (Electric) // John Petkovic - Vocals (Background) // Doug Gillard - Guitar (Acoustic) // Doug Gillard - Bass // Doug Gillard - Guitar // Doug Gillard - Guitar (Electric) // Doug Gillard - Vocals (Background) // Mark Ohe - Design // Bob Ohe - Design // Don Depew - Organ // Don Depew - Synthesizer // Don Depew - Bass // Don Depew - Guitar (Electric) // Don Depew - Vocals (Background) // Don Depew - Engineer // Johnny Strange - Bass // Mitch Mitchell - Bass // Mitch Mitchell - Guitar // Joe Buben - Drums // Chedomir Stanisic - Organ
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