Do the Collapse [Import]

Editorial Reviews
Album Description
Japanese edition of the highly acclaimed American lo-fi/ indie rock outfit's 1999 album with 'Avalanche Aminos' added as a bonus track. 17 tracks total, also featuring the single 'Teenage FBI'. 1999 release.

Tracks:

Teenage FBI
Zoo Pie
Things I Will Keep
Hold On Hope
In Stitches
Dragons Awake!
Surgical Focus
Optical Hopscotch
Mushroom Art
Much Better Mr. Buckles
Wormhole
Strumpet Eye
Liquid Indian
Wrecking Now
Picture Me Big Time
An Unmarketed Product

Amazon.com

Any doubts about Ric Ocasek producing Guided by Voices' latest record are swiftly put to rest within the first few seconds of "Teenage FBI," the brilliant opening track on Do the Collapse. As new-wavish keyboards snake around Robert Pollard's nasal vocal delivery it's apparent that GBV have always been, among many other things, a great new-wave band and that Ocasek, the one-time crown prince of new-wave techno geeks, is a natural fit. Do the Collapse is GBV's most polished effort yet, although the slick production doesn't sabotage GBV's lo-fi, garage aesthetics. The songs virtually leap out at the listener with typical spontaneity and the hooks still come early and often. This time out Pollard has surrounded himself with a loose aggregate of musicians including the Breeders' Jim Macpherson on drums and guitarist Doug Gillard, a holdover from 1997's Mag Earwhig! The lineup does an exceptional job fusing all of their disparate influences with a consistency not seen on previous GBV releases. Every song here is a gem; there are echoes of Syd Barrett on "Dragons Awake" and "Wormhole," the Who (circa A Quick One) are recalled on "Much Better Mr. Buckles" and "An Unmarketed Product," and the record's most astounding track, "Liquid Indian," finds GBV channeling a myriad of unlikely '70s sources and mingling them with their own sensibilities to create something all their own. The beauty of Do the Collapse is GBV's ability to seamlessly stitch together the best of '60s British garage pop, '70s prog-rock, '80s new wave, and '90s indie rock to create their own personal history of rock & roll. --Paul Ducey

Customer Reviews:

an important item in their catalog.......2007-02-10

This cd - their first attempt at being "produced" - gets knocked by a lot of their early, purist, fans. But unjustly. Like all GBV releases it contains some great songs and some that may not hit you too hard.
Teenage FBI, Zoo Pie, Things I Will Keep, Hold On Hope, and Surgical Focus are all great songs by any measure: lyrics, melodies, inventive chord changes, arrangements, band interaction. Excellent Pollard songs. Songs that could have (should have) gotten radio play.
Mushroom Art, Much Better Mr. Buckles, and Liquid Indian all certainly hold up to repeated listenings.
I understand and appreciate the reverence for Bee Thousand, Vampire On Titus, etc. But GBV phase two (featuring guitarist Doug Gillard who became a key player for the rest of GBV's run) put out several great cds.
This cd isn't a full picture of what GBV recordings were about - there are none of the incomplete song fragments that Pollard often throws in, none of the lo-fi recording quality found on a lot of their releases, and none of the disconnected abrupt stitched together changes they sometimes use. This cd is more "produced" and the songs are all "finished" and arranged. Not a necessarily a bad thing.
I also highly recommend Universal Truths and Cycles - The best cd of GBV phase two .... probably (I know I'm out on a limb here) the best cd of their whole career. Universal Truths and Cycles is the complete GBV picture: arranged songs/fragments, lo-fi/hi-fi, crystal clear/obscure, etc.

don't listen to the haters!.......2006-07-23

how could any album with teenage FBI, things i will keep, surgical focus, liquid indian, mushroom art and an unmarketable product suck? answer: it can't and it doesn't. yes, ric ocesek produced it and it is slick and pollard tried his hand at writing a hit song (the power ballad hold on hope), this is a really good album. forget alien lanes and listen with new ears. for my money, this is the third best GbV album (after bee thousand and alien lanes.) unduly critized by so-called fans. your venom probably cost pollard his only chance at actually making some real money. all the joy he brought to the world and this is how he was thanked...by his own people. shame on you all. your true colors came out in 2000. so what did you move on to, anyway? built to spill or modest mouse?

ignore most of these reviews and enjoy!

Don't listen...to these reviews.......2005-12-08

Lot of bad-mouthing going on here. I'd say most of these people weren't truly fans of the band. Either you get Guided By Voices or you don't. They have some mp3's of their's here,listen and judge for yourself. As for me...I WORSHIP AT THE ALTER OF ROBERT POLLARD. GBV was the best thing to happen to rock music in God knows how long. We miss you already...

Had a shot at the big time and choked.......2005-07-09

"Do the Collapse" is not quite as insufferable as a lot of hardcore GBV fans think, but it's still pretty bad.

Professional production is not the problem-- "Earthquake Glue," "Isolation Drills," and parts of "Mag Earwhig!" are just as elaborately produced, but those albums are packed with great songs. "Do the Collapse" sounds great, but it piles on one turgid, tuneless, meandering song after another. And as another reviewer pointed out, starting an album with two of its worst tracks is a huge handicap that "Do the Collapse" does not need. After that clumsy start, it never builds up any momentum despite stumbling onto a decent melody once every few tracks.

Robert Pollard had already paid his dues and proven his songwriting genius many times over; his band deserved the publicity and success that major label money can help achieve. It's frustrating that he blew that chance with such a weak album. (Plus, the moronic "Liquid Indian" broke his streak of great songs with "Indian" in the title. Sad!)

The greatest hits album "Human Amusements at Hourly Rates" cherry picks the best songs from "DTC" ("Things I Will Keep" and "Surgical Focus" are undeniably great), plus it features the vastly superior demo version of "Teenage FBI" instead of the dreadful album version. Stick with that unless you're a big Guided by Voices fan; nothing else here really needs to be heard.

(Also, the "Hold on Hope" EP is a good buy-- most of the solid material from the "Collapse" sessions seems to have ended up on that EP instead of the album itself. Why terrible songs like "Optical Hopscotch" and "In Stitches" saw the light of day instead of "Tropical Robots" and "A Crick Uphill" is a mystery for the ages. See my review of the EP for a suggested alternate "Do the Collapse" tracklist.)

a thing that i would gladly keep.......2005-06-19

Folks who say that this puppy has too much filler, probably hasn't listened to the album in the right mood. This is very much a spring album. The general positive attitude can be easily seen in most if not all of the songs. First of all, "Teenage FBI" is not a bad song! maybe those of you who think that the lo fi years were truer to the indie aesthetic thought that this was the ultimate sellout. Not (entirely) true. The song itself is wonderfully poppy, and it really should have been a hit. "Zoo Pie" is a B-, meaning it's OK but I could do without it. "Things I Will Keep" and "Hold On Hope" rank among my favorite GBV tracks of all time, anthemic without being overbearing (the former) and just plain gorgeous (the latter and the solo in the former) "In Stitches" and "Dragons Awake" are simply put underappreciated highlights. "Surgical Focus" and the four (or is it five) which follow, though not the choice album tracks, do have some parts which really are great, especially the chorus of "Optical Hopscotch" and the basic message of "Wormhole" "Liquid Indian" is another song that is also really underrated. The last three, unfortunately, do sorta qualify as filler, but usually you're in such a good mood that you hardly notice. Although not exactly perfect, this album really deserves more credit than it has been given.

Average customer rating:

worth the price!

Do the Collapse
Guided by Voices
Manufacturer: Sony/Columbia
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | American Alternative | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Lo-Fi | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Alternative Rock | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00004SZAI

Tracks:

Teenage Fbi
Zoo Pie
Things I Will Keep
Hold On Hope
In Stitches
Dragons Awake
Surgical Focus
Optical Hopscotch
Mushroom Art
Much Better Mr Buckles
Wormhole
Strumpet Eye
Liquid Indian
Wrecking Now
Picture Me Big Time
An Unmarked Product
Avalanche Aminos

Album Description

Japanese edition of the highly acclaimed American lo-fi/ indie rock outfit's 1999 album with 'Avalanche Aminos' added as a bonus track. 17 tracks total, also featuring the single 'Teenage FBI'. 1999 release.

Album Details

Same as the European Version. Features the Bonus Track Avalanche Aminos

Customer Reviews:

worth the price!.......2006-07-21

there may be a problem getting the TVT version of this amazing record. therefore the import copy should find its way into your collection. robert pollard and the boys were forced into sobriety by producer ric ocasek for this oft-maligned classic. how can any album with teenage FBI, things i will keep, surical focus, liquid indian and mushroom art suck? answer: it can't and it doesn't. yes, hold on hope is a little sappy, but can you blame a guy for trying to write one friggin' hit? uncle bob deserves to be cut a little slack.

the japanese version includes avalanche aminos, available in the US on the hold on hope EP. another song which proves that GbV can do more in two minutes than any other band since the beatles. there-i said it. guided by voices is the best band this rotten planet has witnessed in the last thirty years. or was. RIP GbV!!!!

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