I’ve ducked in and out with GBV over the last couple of decades, but the last couple of years have been especially interesting as they become less loosy-goosy and more of a cohesive unit. The Doug Gillard/Bobby Bare Jr guitar duo is rock solid. There have been times when I thought the band might outshine Pollard, whose voice was starting to sound a little blown out, but they all seem to be keeping pace with each other.




Seeing them next week. Anyone seen them lately? How long of a set are they playing these days?

Pollard seems determined to crush my impulses to carefully work through a prolific artist's catalog. I got very excited when he got the team back together around "Let's Go Eat the Factory". Then he released six albums in two years that all felt very B-/C+. I even tried to pick a couple favorites from each to make a sturdy playlist but it didn't stick.

Now a decade later I find it even harder to keep up. Once in a while some enthusiastic rock writer convinces me to dive in. The quality range seems to have stepped up to B-/B+. "How Do You Spell Heaven" is pretty good and I really liked "Crystal Nuns Cathedral" which was kind of his absurd barfly take on prog.

I haven't even dipped a toe in "Earth Man Blues", "Mirrored Aztec" or half a dozen others. I might. But I like that no one can reason with him and he keeps overwhelming my attention span. Somewhere a more devoted listener must have ranked the last 20 albums since they reformed.

I haven't seen them but a friend said they were a snooze at Riot Fest. I imagine they vary a lot from night to night, and they're better in a smaller in door venue.

I am/was a big fan of the band, but I stopped being all “ooh, new GBV album!” right around Do the Collapse.

It’s great that Pollard is still performing, people are still listening, and I’d be tempted to see them live again, but I’m maxed out on new Pollard material.

I voted “meh”.

To me?

This is the best this band has ever been.

Same goes for the tune "Crystal Nuns Cathedral"

Every band should be able to hit that close to the mark that far in.

One other thing about that record...

To me?

Guitar parts on any given tune get judged by "Can this part actually stand shoulder to shoulder with the guitar parts in 'For Those About To Rock'?..."

The guitars in the beginning of Birds In The Pipe?

It's the first time in recent memory that I actually thought that a set of guitar parts could actually do so.

numberthirty wrote: Sun Oct 16, 2022 4:06 pm This is the best this band has ever been.

Agreed.

Last time I saw them, it was during the “classic line-up” reunion. I was underwhelmed and wished Doug was on guitar. Glad he’s back. Much of this new stuff is on par with Universal Truths and Earthquake Glue, but it definitely has an extra something. They clearly have a new songwriting and arrangement method, and I’m totally onboard.

^ Though I have a preference for the “classic” lineup (mainly because of the albums they released), Doug Gillard is one kickass guitar player, no doubt.

Always a few gems on each album, even though the recent records sound a bit too "on the grid" to me. I wish there was a little more of that lo-fi sloppiness of the golden era. I still love them and try and catch them when they are in the area. The live band kicks major ass, and I love that Bobby Bare Jr. is in the band. Would someone please make a "best of the last 10 years playlist?"

Dave N. wrote: Sun Oct 16, 2022 1:45 pm
Seeing them next week. Anyone seen them lately? How long of a set are they playing these days?

I saw them a few years ago, and it was like a GBV album - excessive, but in a good way. The show was about 3 hours, and it ended with them covering 'Baba O'Riley'. I didn't think Bob's voice would be up for that song, but he did an impressive job on it. Here's a setlist from last month:

https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/guided-b ... 1bdfc.html