Bee Thousand

Guided by Voices | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 20, 1994)
• Original Release Date: June 21, 1994
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Scat Records
• ASIN: B000002363
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (86 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,966 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #3 in Music > Indie Music > Alternative Rock > American Alternative
  • #5 in Music > Indie Music > Alternative Rock > Indie & Lo Fi
  • #8 in Music > Indie Music > Alternative Rock > Rock

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Midwestern obscure-rock archivists and curators Guided by Voices are back before you could consider them gone with another fun-filled, hook-happy hodge podge of songs, half-songs, ideas, and vaguely pleasing sounds to get you through summer. How many influences can you find in this picture? A Beatles harmony and a Syd Barrett musing here and there are easy to spot, but how about the pack of no-name psychedelicists and prepunk garage dwellers that only Guided by voices have ever heard of? Could be thousands. GBV are so good at integrating references, in fact, their records sound like nothing more than well-groomed and quirky modern rock. Call them post-postmodernists--what else to brand a group that sings a song named "The Golden Heart Mountain Top Queen Directory" without even a smirk and doesn't come off disgustingly pretentious? Sincere? Timeless? We get the joke while they swear they never made one. --Roni Sarig

Product Description

The cult of indie rock thrives on the unexpected discovery, and in 1994 Guided by Voices was just the sort of musical phenomenon no one figured was still out there -- 30-something rock obsessives cranking out fractured guitar-driven pop tunes in a laundry room. Robert Pollard and his stable of beer buddies/backing musicians had been churning out stuff like Bee Thousand for years, but the album's surprise critical success marked the first time the group found a significant audience outside their hometown, and it made a clear case for Guided by Voices' virtues -- as well as their flaws. From the moment "Hardcore UFOs" kicks in, it's obvious that Pollard has an uncanny gift for a hook and a melody, and Bee Thousand's 20 cuts are dotted with miniature masterpieces like "Echos Myron," "Smothered in Hugs," and "Queen of Cans and Jars." However, there are also more than a few duds that threaten to cancel out the goodwill the great songs generate, and Pollard is an acquired taste as a lyricist -- his freakishly poetic verse has a real charm, but it's hard to figure out what he's on about. (GBV's other principal songwriter, Tobin Sprout, contributes less often, but manages a higher batting average.) The lo-tech rumble of the album's D.I.Y. production also wavers between being a help and a hindrance, depending on the songs, and as musicians Guided by Voices veer between sounding like inspired amateurs and, well, just amateurs. On Bee Thousand, Guided by Voices sounds like a passionate and gloriously quirky garage band fronted by a thrillingly and maddeningly idiosyncratic songwriter; its many pearly moments make it a fascinating discovery for rock enthusiasts, but a few years would pass before this band was fully earning the new accolades showered upon it. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 35 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Utterly Life Changing July 12, 2001

By faster eddy

Format:Audio CD

Be warned. This is audio heroin. One listen, and you will be an addict. Of course, Bee Thousand is just the gateway album. You will love it. (Haven't met a soul who doesn't.) And once you come to grips with your love of Bob Pollard's perfect lo-fi pop, you'll go in search of more. And, yes my friends, there is plenty more. Not just Guided By Voices, but Bob Pollard solo albums, side projects, ex-members side projects...Lexo and the Leapers. You'll buy them. I'm just letting you know ahead of time. Because it can get ugly. Vinyl EP imports from Holland. Split singles with obscure Canadian bands. You're going to need them all. And you'll get them. Whatever it takes. Trust me, I've been there.

So, go ahead and listen. But a year from now, when you're sitting in an empty apartment surrounded by nothing but GBV music and a crappy record player you borrowed from your cousin. Don't say nobody warned you. And welcome...you're one of us now.

33 of 38 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The definition of Do It Yourself ****1/2 April 1, 2005

By JWK

Format:Audio CD

Though I do have some pride, I'm far from most pretentious internet music critics; I know nothing about Guided by Voices. I wouldn't know Pollard if I saw him in a grocery store. I'm not sure what other indie bands were influenced by them. I don't own any of their other albums. I can't spout off this or that song title from this era that was import because it showcased both a reserve of political mindedness, while being forward-thinking and.... I don't care about any of that. I'm saying that despite my reluctance to get to know this band, I admit this album is one of the most interesting (and yes, BEST) albums of the 90's.

I'm amazed with the production. How anyone can listen to the White Stripes and really believe that their records are low-fi are beyond me. (I like the White Stripes, by the way). The production has this kitsch, kind of quirky homespun quality that extends beyond the production. It feels like that basement record your semi-close friend in high school made and bugged you every day about what you "really" thought. Only now he's a song-craft genious with ADHT. BGV sometimes abandon a catchy song right as it's getting interesting and somehow it doesn't detract. It sticks in your head. I find myself hitting the repeat button (but never the skip button) on this album more than any other I've listened to. Some records are great because they're catchy enough to move you and low-fi enough to not become popular. Not even CLOSE to popular. Those records make you feel like you're the only person in the world who's ever heard it and you feel great about yourself because of it. "Bee Thousand" is that record. Enjoy.

Overall: 9 out of 10.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Catchy beyond belief December 21, 1999

By A. Marc Decaro

Format:Audio CD

Anyone who considers themselves a music enthusiast or even just a fan must listen to "Bee Thousand" by GBV. I have been listening to GBV for almost four years and I own over 450 CDs-this is in my top five with ease and next to Close to The Edge by Yes-may be my favorite. This album is the first of 4 masterpieces they released in succession(Bee Thousand, Alien Lanes, Under the Bushes Under the stars and Mag Earwhig) and although much deserved debate exists as to which is best, I truly believe this to be it. All any "music fan" has to do is listen to the first 5 songs 2 or three times and they will be hooked. This is a timeless masterpiece and I am almost glad that GBV is not nationally recognized, they are our little secret. Buy all their albums-including Robert Pollard's solo work. Buy Bee Thousand first- it's what hooked me!You wont' be disappointed , this is some of the catchiest music ever written.