Guided By Voices - Human Amusements at Hourly Rates: The Best of Guided By Voices (Matador, 2003)

Guided By Voices
Human Amusements at Hourly Rates: The Best of Guided By Voices
Matador
2003

Rating: 8 minimum wage workers out of 10

This is a fantastic release not just for newcomers but even long time fans of Guided by Voices. This spans the entire GBV catalog and was compiled and sequenced by the man himself, Robert Pollard. For those not in the know, he is one of the most prolific songwriters of the last 15 years, and I’ve heard he’s written at least 5000 songs at this point in his career. Or as he said in an interview I once read, paraphrased – “I can write 5 songs while just sitting on the toilet and three of them will be good." Anyone who has never heard this great band would do themselves a favor of just buying this release – it hits on nearly all of their highlights (although you could never fit ALL of their best songs on just one disc). And most likely, after hearing this album you’ll want to go out and get the rest of their albums anyways ( I highly suggest "Bee Thousand" and "Alien Lanes", and if you can find them the "Fast Japanese Spin Cycle" and "Sunfish Holy Breakfast" EPs).