Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
tight fit, 25 Jun 2004
By A Customer
GBV have been around for donkeys' years, offering lo fi inspiration to scores of important guitar bands ( and the Strokes )Given that they've released approximately eleventy grillion albums so far, any compilation album was going to have to be a severely compromised affair, but this'll do the job very nicely. Decidedly, avowedly, determinedly unconcerned with the trappings of rock n roll fame and fortune, they freed themselves to work under their own steam. Under their own steam, as it turns out, they went at it like demons. The secret of their success was always their prolific work rate. They tirelessly jammed their way through thousands of songs looking for awesome riffs, powerchords and melodies. Even still, their hit rate was incredible. There are more "Eargasms" on a typical GBV album than you'll find anywhere else. And it's all such goodtime stuff ! I can't agree with the comment in the previous review, though. DO NOT WAIT for another compilation album to come along - I doubt there'll be one. GBV recently announced they've split. There will be one last studio album this Autumn, then they go their separate ways. Instead, work your way back through as many albums as you can. "Mag Earwig" is my favourite, but they're all great. A real tonic for indie kids. Rocks like a barrel of monkeys on top of a wonky wardrobe.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ideal primer for GBV , 28 Jan 2007
Human Amusements at Hourly Rates is a 77-minute, 32 track compilation of Guided By Voices material from 1987 to 2003 that serves as an ideal introduction to the hugely prolific cult concern. Having heard the odd track and aware of the fan devotion - akin to those who obsess over bands like The Boredoms, The Fall, Sonic Youth & Throbbing Gristle - I wondered where to start and borrowed Alien Lanes and Universal Truth and Cycles from a friend. I wasn't quite sure and there are those who think that Bee Thousand (which now has its own 33 1/3 book title), Mag Earwig and Under the Bushes, Under the Stars. & what about all those box-sets? I was confused then and thought that while Guided By Voices would probably be my kind of band, this compilation is the best place to start - so I would have to agree with the comments in reviews thus far. The ideal GBV primer.
Things are probably not helped by the non-linear presentation of 32 tracks from the epic career of Robert Pollard & co - then again, the compilation has been selected by Pollard, so it probably makes sense and he seems to have a good self awareness of what is needed (there is a slightly different version of this compilation in the Hardcore UFO's box set incidentally). I think I'm going to base my next few GBV's purchases on my favourite tracks here, which will become a problem as even after a few listens it's all becoming my favourite. GBV box-set crazy I will be.
It's lo-fi indie alternative rock at its finest and bands I was reminded of, who GBV may have been influenced by and or influenced, include Mission of Burma, Husker Du, The Strokes, Meat Puppets, The Who, Pavement, & The Wipers. Just pointers and I ain't getting papal regarding plagiarism! This budget-price compilation is extremely good value, the tracks I'd say are the highlights of the highlights and the songs you should play before purchase (if you're that kind of person) are My Valuable Hunting Knife (the 1995 song that certainly influenced Is This It? like the same year's A Salty Salute - GBV were in the video to Hard to Explain), My Kind of Soldier, I am a Tree, The Official Ironmen Rally Song, Bulldog Skin, and Teenage FBI. But it's all a highlight and if you're an indie-alternative type and haven't yet and thought you might, well Human Amusements at Hourly Rates.
Bit of an insult to call Guided By Voices a hobby!
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7 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Low fi at its highest, 20 Dec 2003
A few years I stumbled into Guided by Voices. Noisy, erratic, uneven but a bunch of the most beautiful songs in each album. This CD would have saved me a lot of money. Buy it but don't buy any other GBV album, wait instead 10 more years for the second compilation.
Still here? Come on, click add to shopping cart, you won't regret it.
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![Alien Lanes [VINYL]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21ARVCS2TTL._SL500_SS90_.jpg)
