Propeller (album)
Encyclopedia
Propeller is the fifth album
by Dayton, Ohio
indie rock
group Guided by Voices
, considered by many to be one of their greatest works.
as a farewell album in the face of years of obscurity
and mounting debt
, the album ended up "propelling" the band to a higher-profile status and influence, affording the band a lasting position in the indie rock
establishment.
While significant portions were recorded in a professional recording studio (though later to be "lovingly f*cked with" by Mike "Rep" Hummel, of Mike Rep and the Quotas), the album is notable for being the first of the band's albums to make extensive use of 4-track
cassette and lo-fi recording techniques as an aesthetic unto itself. Songs are frequently punctuated by unexpected blasts of noise, awkward tape edits, sped-up or slowed-down vocal or instrumental parts, and other sonic bric-a-brac
. An interesting result of this technique is the intro
to the album's opening track, "Over the Neptune/Mesh Gear Fox". What appears to be the sound of a band taking the stage before a throng of thousands of fans chanting "G-B-V! G-B-V!" was actually created by Guided by Voices in the studio (the band had not played live in years and, more to the point, never to more than a handful of people at the time of recording). Nevertheless, the inclusion of this clip ensured the canonization of the "G-B-V!" chant, heard at essentially every Guided by Voices concert thereafter, and the entire opening sequence was faithfully recreated at the band's final show in 2004.
The cover art also contributed to the album's legend
. Initially self-released only in a limited vinyl
run of 500, each copy of the album received a unique, handmade cover. Decorated by band members, friends and family with myriad methods such as screen-printing, hand-painting, and affixing various found objects (including an empty six-pack carton of Natural Light
) to plain white sleeves, these albums grew in value over the years and as of 2005, were known to have sold for prices in the thousands of dollars. The album was first given a wide release by Scat Records when it was appended to the CD version of GbV's 1993 album Vampire on Titus
. Later, both albums were given a standalone CD release.
In 2005, a new, non-limited and non-handmade vinyl edition was released, along with an updated CD version using a reproduction of a selection the original covers.
A gallery of original Propeller covers can be seen at the Guided by Voices database.
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
by Dayton, Ohio
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
group Guided by Voices
Guided by Voices
Guided by Voices is an American indie rock band originating from Dayton, Ohio. Beginning with the band's formation in 1983, it made frequent personnel changes but always maintained the presence of principal songwriter Robert Pollard...
, considered by many to be one of their greatest works.
Description
Conceived initially by Robert PollardRobert Pollard
Robert Pollard is an American rock musician and singer-songwriter who is the leader and creative force behind indie rock group Guided by Voices, who disbanded in 2004, only to reform in 2010...
as a farewell album in the face of years of obscurity
Obscurity
Obscurity may refer to:* Obscurity , German melodic metal band* Security through obscurity, a controversial principle in security engineering which attempts to use secrecy to provide security...
and mounting debt
Debt
A debt is an obligation owed by one party to a second party, the creditor; usually this refers to assets granted by the creditor to the debtor, but the term can also be used metaphorically to cover moral obligations and other interactions not based on economic value.A debt is created when a...
, the album ended up "propelling" the band to a higher-profile status and influence, affording the band a lasting position in the indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
establishment.
While significant portions were recorded in a professional recording studio (though later to be "lovingly f*cked with" by Mike "Rep" Hummel, of Mike Rep and the Quotas), the album is notable for being the first of the band's albums to make extensive use of 4-track
4-track
4-track or 4-track tape may refer to:* The 4-track cartridge as an analogue music storage format popular from the late 1950s* A 4-track tape used in professional recording studios for multitrack recording...
cassette and lo-fi recording techniques as an aesthetic unto itself. Songs are frequently punctuated by unexpected blasts of noise, awkward tape edits, sped-up or slowed-down vocal or instrumental parts, and other sonic bric-a-brac
Bric-a-brac
Bric-à-brac , first used in the Victorian era, refers to collections of curios such as elaborately decorated teacups and small vases, feathers, wax flowers under glass domes, eggshells, statuettes, painted miniatures or photographs, and so on...
. An interesting result of this technique is the intro
Introduction (music)
In music, the introduction is a passage or section which opens a movement or a separate piece. In popular music this is often abbreviated as intro...
to the album's opening track, "Over the Neptune/Mesh Gear Fox". What appears to be the sound of a band taking the stage before a throng of thousands of fans chanting "G-B-V! G-B-V!" was actually created by Guided by Voices in the studio (the band had not played live in years and, more to the point, never to more than a handful of people at the time of recording). Nevertheless, the inclusion of this clip ensured the canonization of the "G-B-V!" chant, heard at essentially every Guided by Voices concert thereafter, and the entire opening sequence was faithfully recreated at the band's final show in 2004.
The cover art also contributed to the album's legend
Legend
A legend is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude...
. Initially self-released only in a limited vinyl
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
run of 500, each copy of the album received a unique, handmade cover. Decorated by band members, friends and family with myriad methods such as screen-printing, hand-painting, and affixing various found objects (including an empty six-pack carton of Natural Light
Natural Light
Natural Light is a reduced-calorie light pilsner brewed by Anheuser-Busch since its introduction on July 31, 1977. Its ingredients are listed as water, barley malt, cereal grains, yeast, and hops...
) to plain white sleeves, these albums grew in value over the years and as of 2005, were known to have sold for prices in the thousands of dollars. The album was first given a wide release by Scat Records when it was appended to the CD version of GbV's 1993 album Vampire on Titus
Vampire on Titus
Vampire on Titus is the sixth album by indie rock group Guided by Voices, from Dayton, Ohio, United States.The image on the cover is from The Vegetable Lamb of Tartary by Henry Lee, 1887...
. Later, both albums were given a standalone CD release.
In 2005, a new, non-limited and non-handmade vinyl edition was released, along with an updated CD version using a reproduction of a selection the original covers.
A gallery of original Propeller covers can be seen at the Guided by Voices database.
Back to Saturn X Radio Report
The eleventh song on Propeller "Back to Saturn X Radio Report" is a collage of many songs Guided By Voices had recorded at the point of the release of the album. Most of the songs were originally going to appear on an album called Back to Saturn X that was scrapped in favor of Propeller http://gbvdb.com/album.asp?albumid=1748. All of them were later released. They are (in order):- "Buzzards and Dreadful Crows" (released on Bee ThousandBee ThousandBee Thousand is the seventh album by American indie rock band Guided by Voices released on June 21, 1994. The album was recorded on consumer-quality audio recorders rather than in a studio, and many of the songs included were less than two minutes long...
)
- "Sopor Joe" (released on King Shit And The Golden Boys a part of the GBV box set Box)
- "Fantasy Creeps" (also on King Shit And the Golden Boys)
- "Back to Saturn X" (released on Hardcore UFOs: Revelations, Epiphanies and Fast Food in the Western HemisphereHardcore UFOs: Revelations, Epiphanies and Fast Food in the Western HemisphereHardcore UFOs: Revelations, Epiphanies and Fast Food in the Western Hemisphere is an anthology box set released by Guided by Voices in 2003.-Disc 1: Human Amusements at Hourly Rates:...
box set)
- "Mr. Japan" (released on Suitcase: Failed Experiments and Trashed AircraftSuitcase: Failed Experiments and Trashed AircraftSuitcase: Failed Experiments and Trashed Aircraft is a four-CD box set released by Guided by Voices in 2000. Named for the reputed literal Suitcase in which bandleader Robert Pollard allegedly stored his hundreds of unreleased tapes, the set is a trawl through decades worth of material from...
)
- "Chicken Blows" (released on Alien LanesAlien LanesAlien Lanes is a 1995 album by lo-fi band Guided by Voices, their eighth full length album.Pitchfork Media included Alien Lanes in their 'Top 100 Albums of the 90s' polls, at No. 27. Magnet named it the best album of 1995....
)
- "Damn Good, Mr. Jam" (also on Static Airplane JiveStatic Airplane JiveStatic Airplane Jive is a 1993 EP by Guided by Voices.-Side A:# "Big School" – 2:26# "Damn Good Mr. Jam" – 3:35-Side B:# "Rubber Man" – 0:34...
)
- "Tractor Rape Chain (Clean it Up)" (original, and very different, version of "Tractor Rape Chain," which would later appear in a redone form on Bee Thousand. This version has only appeared on the Darla 100 - Sixth Year Anniversary Compilation CD)
- "Damn Good, Mr. Jam" reprise.
Side A
- "Over the Neptune/Mesh Gear Fox" – 5:41
- "Weedking" – 2:39
- "Particular Damaged" (R. Pollard, Tobin SproutTobin SproutTobin Sprout is an American artist and musician, best known for his contributions as a member of indie rock group Guided by Voices.-History:A self taught musician. From an early age he played with and was a major collaborator to the Dayton, OH band Guided By Voices...
, Dan Toohey) – 1:59 - "Quality of Armor" – 2:37
- "Metal Mothers" – 3:18
- "Lethargy" (Mitch Mitchell, Jim Pollard, R. Pollard, Sprout) – 1:20
Side B
- "Unleashed! The Large-Hearted Boy" (Mitchell, J. Pollard, R. Pollard, Sprout) – 1:59
- "Red Gas Circle" (R. Pollard, Sprout, Toohey) – 1:25
- "Exit Flagger" – 2:19
- "14 Cheerleader Coldfront" (R. Pollard, Sprout) – 1:31
- "Back to Saturn X Radio Report" – 1:33
- "Ergo Space Pig" (R. Pollard, Sprout) – 2:48
- "Circus World" – 2:40
- "Some Drilling Implied" – 1:40
- "On the Tundra" (J. Pollard, R. Pollard) – 2:38