I bought their best of cd "Human Amusements at hourly rates" hearing one of their singles on internet radio. One of my friends had always liked them and even stuck a couple of their songs on mix-tapes, but I guess I had to "discover" them myself. They're awsome, faux-brit low-fi power pop-rock that is incredible. And now they're over/ disbanding? Why now? Just when I'm humming about Jill Hives and singing about being a scientist. Oh well, any of you like GBV? Any album recommendations? Questions? Comments?

I wouldn't worry too much about them disbanding. Singer/writer Robert Pollard basically IS Guided By Voices. If you pick up some of his solo albums like "Not In My Airforce" or "Speak Kindly of Your Volunteer Fire Department" (both excellent), you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference between those and a regular GBV release.

Basically, if you're just starting to collect the albums, you still have a ton of stuff to get anyway. They're very prolific so there's at least one "real" GBV release from each of the last 10 years, plus they have lots of odds and ends collections and whatnot.

The only problem with GBV/Pollard releases is that he seemingly releases every song that he writes, to the point that some of the more obscure releases are for the hardcore only. For the last few years, newer Pollard solo albums have only been available though mail order or in select indie record stores. Presumably since they'll be his main focus in the future, whatever comes next will be readily available.

The collection you bought is an excellent start. They actually have a boxset called "Hardcore UFO's" that includes that disc, a live disc, a rarities disc,a dvd, and a phenomenal b-sides disc that hopefully will be released on its own some day. They would often put excellent material on b-sides, and this disc includes some rerecorded versions of originally lo-fi songs like "motor away" and "game of pricks" and completely rocks them out with high quality recordings.

The first GBV album I'd probably buy is "Under the Bushes, Under the Stars".

I'll take the obvious "Bee Thousand".

If you like GBV, check out some lo-fi classics like:
Neutral Milk Hotel: In the Aeroplane over the Sea.
Sebadoh: III and Bakesale
Apples in Stereo: Tone Soul Evolution

or newer stuff like The Microphones: Glow Pt. 2.

fallfan -- thanks for the recommendation. i may be picking up the box set.

kms

Thanks for the recommendations. I think the box set will be a Christmas request.