Mag Earwhig!

Guided by Voices | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 20, 1997)
• Original Release Date: May 20, 1997
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Matador Records/Ada
• ASIN: B0000036XD
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #18,301 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #21 in Music > Indie Music > Alternative Rock > American Alternative
  • #29 in Music > Indie Music > Alternative Rock > Indie & Lo Fi
  • #48 in Music > Alternative Rock > Indie & Lo-Fi > Lo-Fi

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Really cohesive, June 17, 2002

By 

Micah Newman (Dallas, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mag Earwhig! (Audio CD)

This is definitely the most overlooked GBV album, and I can't get over how well it holds together as a whole. Although the preceding _Under the Bushes_ has perhaps more "standout" tracks, _Mag Earwhig_ is a more complete album and sounds less cobbled-together. This is probably the GBV album I'd point someone to after the indispensable "Bee Thousand", "Alien Lanes", and "Isolation Drills". _Mag Earwhig_ is packed with tunes that gradually come out and wrap around your brain, like all classic GBV albums.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The pefect Guided By Voices album., April 2, 2002

By 

D. Bagley "davejustdave" (AQ, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mag Earwhig! (Audio CD)

Although "Alien Lanes" to me captures their sound best, "Mag Earwhig!" is the perfect balance of their lo-fi and hi-fi sound.
The songs range from short and fast to long and well composed.
In my opinion this is their finest, but it's all subjective, just if you are new, get this one as a first, that way you can travel from "Bee Thousand" to sat "Isolation Drills" without being shocked.
But alone on this albums merits, GBV really shine.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Earwhig is Mag, December 10, 2003

By 

John E. Pioli (Easton, CT United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mag Earwhig! (Audio CD)

Every GBV fan has a different opinion over this album, and for that matter everything GBV has ever done. My opinion: this is the MOST WELL-ROUNDED ALBUM THEY HAVE DONE THUS FAR.

Not to down-play any other album they have made so far, but this one contains every element of their career. Examples: Lo-fi recordings AND hi-fi recordings next to each other, snippet songs intertwined with well-rounded completed pieces, etc.

Furthermore, the songwriting is peak here. Just to pick a few:

SAD IF I LOST IT is impossible to imagine on any album before this one; a definite break-through for GBV.

LEARNING TO HUNT - the first blatant romance song to appear on a GBV record; another break-through which would serve them on future albums.

I AM A TREE, MUTE SUPERSTAR, PORTABLE MEN'S SOCIETY - cleverly crafted, as well as perfectly executed. The drive in these songs makes them perfect for highway driving and mosh pits alike.

MAG EARWHIG, OLD GRUNT, CHOKING TARA - 3 songs that you definitely will not "get" the first time you listen to them, but will grow on you with further listening; being "snippets" (songs under 1:30 and feel like drafts), these would have fit well on the ALIEN LANES album, but thankfully were held onto for this collection.

THE FINEST JOKE..., JANE OF THE WAKING UNIVERSE, BOMB IN THE BEE-HIVE, KNOCK EM FLYIN' - classic GBV. Period. These would have fit on any album, but after a few listens you begin to believe they were saved for just the right occasion.

All in all, every song on this album is perfectly unique and the results are that the songs never get old. You wouldn't want another second to any of the shorter songs, and if you edited the longer ones they would feel incomplete.

If you are new to GBV, I reccommend this album first. Then, pick up UNDER THE BUSHES..., BEE THOUSAND, and UNIVERSAL TRUTHS. If you are a longtime fan and don't own this yet, shame on you. Stop what you are doing. Put one in your check-out cart.