Guided by Voices: Zeppelin Over China ( 2019 )

      Ok. I'm on the record as being generally in favor of double albums. Love the White Album. Love Physical Graffiti. Exile on Main Street should just be a single album. I'm also on the record that there should be no limits to the amount of music Robert Pollard releases...ever. That said, we are about to enter an era of Pollard-ian excess. I'm still alright with that, but it's a bit of a slog. Guided by Voices begin 2019 with the release of another double album, consisting of 32 tracks, called Zeppelin Over China. They will also release a compilation album, Warp and Woof, which is a collection of four EP's from 2018-9 that has 24 tracks. Finally, they would put out a tight 12 song album, Sweating the Plague. If my math is correct, that's 68 songs. In addition, they will release three more albums in 2020. At the time, it was too much even for me to take in. For this exercise, I will be listening to most of these albums for only the second time. I couldn't keep up. 

     As I re-listened to Zeppelin Over China the other day, my initial reaction after the first 20 songs was that this would be a solid 4-star album. Unfortunately, there were 12 more tracks that consisted of mostly of demo quality scraps and assorted filler. The exceptions being "Cold, Cold Hands" and "My Future in Barcelona". Both of these tracks are well-conceived rockers that are reminiscent of early 2000's Guide by Voices. I'm not going to argue that ZOC should have been a really good single album, but I did have to knock it down to a high 3.5 stars. 

     In general, I love the fleshed out, 3+ minute songs here, such as, "Step of the Wave" with its turbo-charged chorus, "Your Lights Are Out" with its masterful vocal performance by Uncle Bob, "You Own the Night", and the exquisite chord play on "Charmless Peters". Somewhere in here is a 5-star album, but I will never begrudge Pollard following his muse wherever it leads him. These early albums serve as a testing ground for this new lineup. You can hear them launch off from the solid ground of Earthquake Glue and Half-Smiles of the Decomposed where Pollard, Gillard and March carry most of the load. Soon, this band will develop its own unique sound with Mark Shue and Bobby Bare Jr. featured more prominently. A perfect example is the dynamic track "Windshield Wiper Rex" which features some excellent bass work by Shue. "Holy Rhythm" is a stomping, prog song that is the template for many a future Guided by Voices track. "Jack Tell" is like a rock opera by The Who crammed into 3:20. 

     Maybe after repeated listens to the scrap songs, I could get back up to 4-stars on ZOC, but for now I need to keep pressing on. I will be skipping Warp and Woof, because it's a compilation, not a proper album. Maybe some time in the distant future I will circle back to it. I will leave you with the single from ZOC, "The Rally Boys". Peace.