Customer Reviews

We All Got Out of the Army [Vinyl]

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This record is one of those strange records that takes a while for you to appreciate how amazing this record is! I'm serious folks, this is THE best stuff he's done since his GBV days. I know, I know, people say that every time he releases a new record but I mean it! This is a stunning collection of songs from one of Today's most prolific songwriters. If you are wondering where to start if you are new to his Solo stuff, this is a great starting point.

After the excellent BS release, Zero to 99, this is the best thing he has released under his own name. This one proves that Bob is at another peak in his songwriting. "Silk Rotor" is a great opener with a snappy guitar riff and sing-along chorus. "I Can See" does seem to borrow the chord progression from I Am A Scientist but evolves into a great Pollard Stomper. "Post-Hydrate Update" is one of those melodic tunes that only Bob can write these days. There are a couple of LoFi guitar interludes but the closer Faster to Babylon turns into full blown prog epic in it's 2:21 length. "On Top Of The Vertigo" seems the most radio friendly and in an ideal world would be a hit. I love "Your Rate will Never Go Up" with its catchy overdubbed chorus that you can't help singing along with in your best RnR voice. This is another great one folks by a songwriting institution! This one also sports the best Tobias production yet(New Studio!) and Bob actually adds some guitar solos. Turn up "Silk Rotor", it will stun you with it's immediacy and when Bob hits that bum string its thrilling.

I haven't got all of Robert Pollard's solo albums or stuff under other guises like Boston Spaceships. Who has that much money at their disposal? However, I can say with confidence that We All Got Out of The Army is the best one I've heard. It seems that Uncle Bob writes a song every time he goes to the loo, so separating the wheat from the chaff has always been a problem in a post-Guided by Voices world. It is true that Bob has no edit function, but when he's on his game, he's bloody well on. We All Got Out of the Army, starting with the scintillating Silk Rotor is a consistently strong set of songs. You will play this often and find yourself humming these ditties in the shower, at work, on elevators -- while eating a ham sandwich. As usual, Todd Tobias does a fantastic job with the production and plays bass, drums, guitars and keyboards. Back in the old days, GBV devotees loved the early albums most notably Bee Thousand that were decidedly low-fi. I never got that. We All Got Out of The Army proves that a Robert Pollard offering can have brilliant tunes and sound good to boot. This is not as polished as Ric Ocasek's work on Isolation Drills but Tobias makes sure the production is in service of the songs. We All Got Out of the Army is a keeper, for sure!