Customer Reviews

Hold on Hope

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I saw two Guided By Voices shows in 1999, the first largely consisting of songs from Pollard's solo album "Kid Marine," and a whole lot of stuff from the (then) as yet unreleased "Do The Collapse." I was really, really disappointed. The next show restored my faith in the band, even as "Do The Collpase" came out and was pretty mediocre. While I'm not opposed to the improved production values, most of the songwriting just wasn't up to par: too many tracks consisted of a single-minded mid-tempo sludge. "Wrecking Now" and "Surgical Focus" were a couple of the standouts.

This EP, however, is like that second show, sending me into rock'n'roll ecstasy. "Avalanche Aminos" (co-written with the ever-great Doug Gillard) is so cool: brilliant lyrics, buzzsaw guitar, and a touch of pop genius in the guise of kick-drums and hand claps. "Fly Into Ashes" is a little more subdued song which was the b-side of "Surgical Focus" (watch for that 7" record, by the way, with the entertaining-yet-scary dial-an-eye feature). "Tropical Robots" is a classic under-a-minute acoustic tune that might've fit nicely on Pollard's "Not In My Airforce" or even a Tobin Sprout record. The other great song to make this required listening (and a welcome relief from the overly processed indie records of this year) is "A Crick Uphill," which sports the unlikely lyrics "Yeah, you're okay, blow some life into me Jesus." Not sure what's going on there, but it's a must-have, sounding totally unlike anything GBV has done, with acoustic guitars, an unusual time-signature (for them), and a perfect rock-out build up at the end. Sadly, the EP closes with the title track which was the low point of "Do The Collpase," and supposedly the song that got them signed to TVT. Where "Avalanche Aminos" is rock transcendence and "A Crick Uphill" is earthiness incarnate, "Hold On Hope" is a schmaltzy slow-dance for a TV prom. Even with that complaint, this is still a wonderful slice of GBV, and I look forward to more...oh wait...what's that?..."Suitcase?"...4 discs? I guess I'll always be playing catch up with these guys. But it's a damn fun game.

While I will not dismiss the spotty "Do The Collapse", this is clearly superior. Someone in the band clearly said "Hey, this is is good!" And I think this is one of the best. There is not a song I would skip and it puts a radically different song, "Hold On Hope" in a more "traditional GBV set". And let's nit forget how songs like "Uphill Crick" or "Avalanche Aminos" kick the band into a familiar but new realm (for the the times). So is this the place to start? Actually I would say to check out this ep with two others, the relatively obscure "Fast Japanese Spin Cycle" and "The Pipe Dreams of Instant Prince Whippet" That should give you some idea of the trajectory of the band. And that would give an idea if you want to check classic albums like "Alien Lanes" or "Isolation Drills". And from there you can check out such obscure jewels like "Under Bushes, Under The Stars" or "Universal Truths & Cycles" And oh yeah, pick up something like "Bee Thousand" or "Propeller" so you don't look clueless. Oh by the way, get on board before the VH1 crowd gets on to tell that it's cool. This IS the best rock of the 90s!

I'll bet even a lot of GBV fans have looked at that title and said, "hmmm it's That Corporate Rock single (which even Robert Pollard can't stand and refuses to perform) plus a bunch of b-sides and outtakes, stuff that wasn't good enough to get on Do The Collapse, and that wasn't even all that good of an album."

It's a shame that of all the items in the vast GBV catalogue, this is about the only one without a cool, idiosyncratic title, so it'll go through life called The Hold On Hope EP. I guess the good news is that the titular song was thoughtfully placed last, so we can enjoy a terrific little sampler of GBV's skills, featuring Pollard's killer songwriting and the band rocking like mad.

Even in the condensed EP format, the breadth of Pollard's songcraft is incredible. And if this little gem proves one thing it's that whoever was responsible for choosing the tracklist on Do The Collapse must have had temporary insanity when they left these off. These outtakes and b-sides are to a song better than most of the official album.

Love that patented GBV blend of Who/Beatles/Big Star/Cheap Trick hard rockin' power-pop? Try "Underground Initiations" or Doug Gillard's "Avalanche Aminos" featuring his razor sharp leads. Love Pollard's inimitable British Invasion popcraft? You'll be humming "Fly Into Ashes" for days. Want grungy garage rock? There's a remake of "Reptilian Beauty Secrets" called "Idiot Princess." But the real ace in the hole is the incredible and completely unexpected "A Crick Uphill," truly one of a kind in Pollard's bottomless suitcase of songs. Starting out sounding like John Lennon singing a country song (!) it builds to a gospel-infused rockin' hoe-down that is truly unique in the GBV discography. Like the rest of this fine collection it deserves to be heard.

...but unfortunatly were left off. I have no idea why but can only surmise that Ric Ocasek was given a bit too much latitude in choosing the song selections and thus shaping the final product. Actually, I did read an interview with Bob Pollard where he said he wanted to put "Fly Into Ashes" on the album but Ric was against it. !? What a great song it is! In fact, the first five songs plus "Avalanche Aminos" are all very strong and have a great cohesion of sound/writing style. These songs are definitely more guitar-rock oriented than anything on DTC and hopefully a better indication of what the next GBV album will be like! Two of the others are just re-recorded versions of songs from Tonics and Twisted Chasers, and then of course, there's "Hold On Hope", the sappiest GBV ballad yet.

Ric Ocasek produces 6 of the 9 songs on this EP. Unlike on "Do The Collapse", his production is understated and doesn't overwhelm. No overdose of keyboards here. Actually, more like 3.5 stars. One reviewer for DTC mentioned that Pollard must have lost his White Album. He must have found it before recording 'Tropical Robots' and 'A Crick Uphill' which are more acoustic-based. 'Avalanche Aminos' is the highlight. Overall, better understated production and better material than DTC.

The "Hold on Hope" EP represnts a period of history in the band that many, many, MANY fans would like to forget. And yet, this EP provides songs that fans would cherish as part of the essential GbV experience.

"Tropical Robots" is amusingly light fare lyrically, and a short pleasant acoustic ride. "Underground Initiations" is a great track similar to GBV's material of the period just preceding this one. "Fly Into Ashes" and "A Crick Uphill" respresent what GbV might have become had they been willing to take their brand of indie rock into the realm of bands like Wilco who were exploring folkish instrumentation.

The title track "Hold on Hope" is the best of the ill-conceived and poorly-received album "Do the Collapse". The song is great, but the album deserves to be ignored by GbV fans, yet this EP is a release I would suggest owning.

why did robert leave 'fly into ashes' off 'do the collapse'? the ep is worth it for this one song. thanks for making me scream and then run to my guitar yet again, rob. i'm getting too old to pogo dance, you know.

I felt sort of cheated when I bought this, because both "Do the Collapse" and "Idiot Princess" were on Tonics and Twisted Chasers as "Girl from the Sun" and "Reptilian Beauty Secrets" respectively. The TandTC versions were better too! "Girl from the Sun" had a cool vocal that bob ditched for this ep. I hope when/if they play it live, they include it, because the song was better that way. I really like "Interest Position" though, and the others are good songs. If you already have Tonics and the Teenage FBI ep (which has Tropical Robots and Fly Into Ashes) this one really isn't worth the money unless you are a diehard gbv fan and have to own everything. Of course if you own those two, you probably are...

If you've enjoyed either of the two latest offerings from the Bob & Doug team-up, you need this EP. Other than the title track, 'Underground Initiations' is straight-ahead-rock "Do the Collapse" material, while 'Fly Into Ashes' and the acoustic 'A Crick Uphill' both sound like outtakes from "Speak Kindly of Your Volunteer Fire Department." My vote for the best track, though, is the stellar 'Avalanche Aminos': hand-claps, Bob's double-tracked vocal bridge, and the incomparable combination of Doug Gillard's incredible songwriting and the drive of the GBV rhythm section make this song the highlight of a fantastic EP.

The "Hold on Hope" EP is like a breath of fresh air after the disappointing "Do the Collapse" album. These songs are tight, melodic, energetic-- qualities that most of the LP sorely lacks. It's frustrating that given such great material from the sessions, Pollard picked the worst tracks for the album and left the best stuff languishing on this EP.

Luckily, programmable playlists allow us to rewrite history. Using "Do the Collapse," "Hold on Hope," and "Human Amusements at Hourly Rates," it's possible to create a worthy follow-up to "Mag Earwhig!" Here's my suggested tracklist:

1. Underground Initiations
2. Avalanche Aminos
3. Hold on Hope
4. Dragons Awake!
5. Surgical Focus (clean outro)
6. Things I Will Keep (clean intro)
7. Fly into Ashes
8. Mushroom Art
9. Tropical Robots
10. Wrecking Now
11. Picture Me Big Time
12. A Crick Uphill
13. Teenage FBI (demo version)
14. An Unmarketed Product