Customer Reviews

Suitcase 2-American Superdream Wow

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

 

 

Look...I really love Robert Pollard! I REALLY do! I have dozens of GBV/Pollard discs. They're/He's easily my favorite artist of the past twelve years or so. And I truly enjoyed the first Suitcase. I still listen to it on a fairly regular basis. But this new collection truly seems (to me at least) to lend credence to some critics' belief that Pollard is in serious need of an editor. I know...as even Bob says, if ya don't want it then don't buy it. But I did want it and I did trust Bob that my $45 would buy lots of good stuff. For the first time ever, I feel more than a little let down with a GBV/Robert Pollard release. Very few of the songs on Suitcase 2 have caught my interest, even after repeated listens. It's not a matter of atrocious sound...I love lo-fi and in fact, would rather listen to 'old-skool' GBV, Pavement, Book of Kills, Rob Christensen, Daniel Johnston, et al...but this four disc set comes perilously close to scraping the bottom of the proverbial barrel. That said, there are still some really good songs scattered throughout, but nothing as good as the best stuff on Suitcase 1. The most interesting thing about Suitcase 2 are the several tracks which are clearly early blueprints for later GBV classics, most notable being "Rocket Head" which later morphed into "Teenage FBI". In the end, though I don't think this is a very good collection, I'd still buy it if you're a big GBV fan. While it won't set your world on fire, there's probably a few tracks on it that will make you smile and the package is pretty cool as well.

That's *almost* an exact quote from Bob Pollard about the Suitcase series. I thought it was just a joke at the time, but there's definitely some truth there! It could be argued that each Suitcase will be more *amusing* than the previous one, but we'll have to wait for #3 to make that distinction. Personally, I really like about 50% of the first Suitcase, and closer to about 20% of what's here. I don't regret the purchase though- "I am Decided", "Your Charming Proposal", "Invisible Train to Earth" and the versions of "Perch Warble" and "Dusty Bushworms" here are all really, really good. Plus there seems to be a good recording of a very early (Forever Since Breakfast early) live show spread throughout, with songs that haven't appeared elsewhere. But the large majority of "songs" here are just complete throw-aways: weird (sometimes cool) tape collages, solo (sometimes interesting) guitar instrumentals, noisy and inebriated jam sessions with Bob improvising lyrics, etc etc. Don't get me wrong, I'm not one of these people who says Pollard "needs an editor"; a talent like his should not be censored or compromised in any way, imo. But with this, the whole point is that it's scraping the bottom of the barrel as it were, so it shouldn't be too surprising that much of this falls into the "somewhat amusing" category rather than the "simply amazing."

i actually dig this release a lot more than suitcase 1. though suitcase 1 had many amazing songs, including my favorite GBV song ever ("sing it out"), suitcase 2 is entirely more listenable. there are many highlights and not as many that drag (which makes suitcase 1 a rather spotty listen for me). the bulk of this set is stuff from the 80's that tends to eclipse the tracks that ended up on GBV's 80's albums. the only songs i could do without are most of the 2005 demos, which sound like they were intended for the suitcase (that defeats the purpose, right?).

favorites include two from 1992: "drugs and eggs" is an infectious little ditty with such a beautiful melody it's astounding that it was never released. "heavy crown" is a hard rocker that sadly lacks a band (another acoustic gem). a bit of melody from the latter song later showed up on the GBV hit "everywhere with helicopter" but this song is ten times better.

my advice is that if you don't own suitcase 1, get 2 first. 2 is more accsessible. both are fine purchases for a GBV nut, and provide hours of listening. the fun is sifting through the wreckage and discovering the good stuff.

100 songs worthy of being their respective 4 and individual albums, and what a high caliber they are. If you think that GBV is your favorite band, this is recommended and essential listening. I'm not sure if I could condense these 100 songs onto one cd for a best-of briefcase copycat, so I'm leaving the editing alone.

In some ways, this is a tough item to review. Admittedly, it's not among GBV's best in terms of the songs offered here (and not really even close), but to judge this collection on that argument is, in many ways, unfair. This was never meant as a proper GBV release--it's a collection of 100 outtakes and experiments--and the second installation of such, at that. Of course there are going to be some throwaways--shoot, nearly every proper GBV album has at least one; I would think we can accept a handful in a collection of 100 songs that never saw the light of day before now. There's a handful of really good songs that make me wonder why they never were released before now, and the majority of the songs are generally decent, but not necessarily astounding. Still, each disc is essentially very listenable. I rarely feel the need to actually skip a song, which, again, for the second set of 100 outtakes and other previously unreleased songs, that's pretty impressive.

As other reviewers have mentioned, you have some early and/or alternate versions of some noteworthy songs here (Teenage FBI, Office of Hearts, Dusty Bushworms, etc--though not necessarily all named the same as their better-known counterparts). You also get some material that Pollard later used is some capacity on/for his solo work. Most of the songs, especially the better ones, are older (think Box-era). As a big fan of their first few records, I really enjoy returning to those years of the band. Fans of only their middle or later work may likely be less impressed by this collection. I actually find myself returning to Suitcases 1 and 2 more than I do much of their other works (and I have nearly everything). Again, it's obviously not their best stuff, but it seems to have an authenticity that, once you hear it, their other releases don't quite measure up to. GBV has more or less always been a low-fi pop experiment, and these four discs capture that--the good and the less good. Is this an essential GBV release? No, but it is a gem to those who really love what the band is about, as it gives you a glimpse into the very heart and essence of it all. Honestly, I'm a bit shocked that fans of the band in general, and especially fans of Suitcase 1, struggle with this collection. Like nearly every Pollard release, it takes time and some effort to really appreciate it (I confess that I thought I wasted my money on this, at first). With some patience, you'll see the value in this, too.

Another collection of basement experiments from the resident rock and roll genius of Dayton, OH Bob Pollard. Mostly good collection of songs with some real classics thrown in but seven or eight of the tracks have digital noise glitches (as in cracking, popping, and clicking) during the track which is very distracting. Don't let that stop you though- pick up a decent sound editor, run the tracks through a declicker, and they'll be good as new.

For the hardcode, it's 100 songs of Bob and can't be missed.

For the casual fan there are better purchases out there. Get SC1 first!