Customer Reviews

Crickets

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you are looking for a place to get started with Bob's vast solo catalogue, this would be a good place to start.

Crickets culls the best from the mammoth 43 records released under Pollard's Fading Captain Series moniker with excellent results.

As with "Human Amusements" the track sequencing is inspired and will have even those familiar with the material hearing it in a new light.

Highly recommended!

I have a serious problem with all things connected to Bob Pollard. I want them in multiple formats everywhere I go. I have some trouble fitting other artists, not connected to Bob/GbV, into my music listening schedule. Not really a problem, in that Bob doesn't write or record anything that sucks or blows. His counterparts are nearly as good. This collection is beyond the regular offering in that it has been hand picked by the artist for cohesive flow and accessibility. You cannot go wrong here if you consider yourself a music head in any form. Do you like rock music, infused with punk, progressive, and POP!? Well then, Psychedelic must be out of the question! Is this thing on?

Possibly the best Pollard release after Bee Thousand, Under The Bushes.., and Alien Lanes. This two disc comp covers such a variety of Pollard's styles, (garage/punk rock, psychedelic experimental Kraut rock, Prog rock, folk rock) yet seems to play smoothly and has cohesiveness, if that makes sense. So many gems that I don't really know where to begin. In my opinion, many Pollard solo releases and The Airport 5 albums were really spotty, but this comp collects most of the songs that deserve to be saved. This is one of those records where pieces of music will stick with you all day until you really crave to get into your car or home and here it again.

No doubt Robert Pollard's astonishing versatility in creating unexpected melodies is his greatest talent. He is also a very good singer who is rarely off-key unless doing so intentionally. Where he fails is in his lyrics, 95% of which consist of randomly-generated images and associations which make no sense to anyone other than their author. Meaningless phrases like "flings of the waistcoat crowd" and "feathering clueless" rapidly grow tiresome when repeated endlessly in hundreds of songs. His protean musical invention greatly exceeds his word-smithing. He should have collaborated with a lyricist on most of his work.