Noted at first for its lo-fi aesthetic and typically Portastudio four-tracks-to-cassette production methods, Guided by Voices' music revealed influences from post-British Invasion garage rock, psychedelic rock, progressive rock, punk rock and post-punk. The band also garnered much attention for its prolific output, with a seemingly endless stream of releases. Most songs are in the two-minute range, but many are even shorter; often they end abruptly or are intertwined with odd and homemade sound effects. Some even start with songs fully incorporated on earlier albums, like how "Ester's Day" from Bee Thousand has a snippet of "At Odds With Dr. Genesis" from King Shit and the Golden Boys.
Formed in Dayton, Ohio in the early 1980s, Guided by Voices began their career as a bar band working the local scene. As lineups and day-jobs shifted, however, Pollard moved the band towards a studio-only orientation. Guided by Voices' recording career began with a stream of self-financed, independent releases. With only a few hundred copies of each album being pressed, these tended to circulate only among the band members' family and friends.
With the release of the ultra-limited album Propeller in 1992 (of which only 500 copies were pressed, each with a unique, handmade cover), Guided by Voices for the first time gained some recognition outside of their hometown. This was due in part to gaining fans in the college rock circuit and bands such as Sonic Youth, R.E.M. and The Breeders. New York City and Philadelphia were host to Guided by Voices' return to the live stage (and first shows outside of Ohio) in 1993. At this time, the always-fluid Guided by Voices lineup coalesced around the core of Pollard, guitarists Tobin Sprout and Mitch Mitchell (not to be confused with Jimi Hendrix's drummer), bassist Dan Toohey, and drummer Kevin Fennell. Sprout, who was briefly featured in an early-'80s version of the band, had re-joined circa Propeller and soon became Pollard's primary musical foil, in addition to contributing several of his own songs to the band's catalog. 1993 also saw the release of Vampire on Titus, as well as the Fast Japanese Spin Cycle and Static Airplane Jive EPs. Over the next year, the band began to receive national media exposure from sources such as Spin magazine.
In 1994, after culling both new songs and reams of archival recordings from GBV's history, Pollard delivered the indie landmark Bee Thousand via Scat Records, with a distribution deal through indie label Matador Records. Soon, the band officially signed with Matador, concurrent with Pollard and his bandmates finally retiring from their day jobs to work in music full-time. The band surprised early audiences accustomed to the generally shambling, lo-fi and collage-like quality of the records with their energetic live show, featuring Pollard's homegrown rock theatrics (consisting of karate-kicks, leaps, and Roger Daltrey-inspired mic-twirling), Mitch Mitchell's windmilling and chain smoking, sometime bassist Greg Demos' striped pants, a never-ending barrage of tunes that all seemed to clock in under 90 seconds, and prodigious alcohol consumption all around.
Their true Matador debut came in 1995 with Alien Lanes, which, despite a five-figure recording allowance, was constructed out of home-recorded snippets on the cheap. The band's underground following continued to grow, with notices coming from mainstream sources such as MTV and Rolling Stone. After sessions for a concept album entitled The Power of Suck were aborted, the band assembled Under the Bushes Under the Stars out of their first 24-track studio sessions, recorded with Kim Deal and Steve Albini among others, in 1996. However, the strain of heavy touring would ultimately lead to the demise of the "classic lineup", with Sprout deciding to retire from the road in order to focus on raising his first child, his painting, and his solo musical career. Sprout and Pollard marked the occasion by releasing simultaneous solo albums on the same day in 1996: Sprout's Carnival Boy and Pollard's Not in My Airforce, with each making a guest appearance on the other's album. Pollard maintained an active, parallel solo and side project career alongside GBV releases for the remainder of that band's existence. These records were primarily self-released. Because GBV alumni were regularly featured, and songs from these albums were frequently included in GBV setlists, they are informally considered to be part of the GBV canon. Also in 1995, the band contributed the song "Sensational Gravity Boy" to the AIDS benefit album Red Hot + Bothered produced by the Red Hot Organization.
Pollard created a new incarnation of Guided by Voices with Cleveland glam rockers Cobra Verde in 1997. The following album Mag Earwhig!, combined a new hard-rocking swagger with classic lo-fi fragments and one track, "Jane of the Waking Universe", that featured the classic lineup for one last time. However, after another year of rigorous touring, the "Guided by Verde" lineup split in late 1997 following Pollard's announcement in an interview that he intended to work with other musicians on the next Guided by Voices project.
Cobra Verde's Doug Gillard was tapped for yet another new Guided by Voices lineup in 1998, which also included "classic"-era bassist Greg Demos, former Breeders drummer Jim Macpherson, and eventually, former Amps/Breeders guitarist Nate Farley. Departing from Matador, this lineup (without Farley) worked with producer Ric Ocasek to create what was intended to be Guided by Voices' major label debut. Initially produced for Capitol Records, Do the Collapse was repeatedly delayed and finally released in mid-1999 on pseudo-indie label TVT. (In the UK it was released on Creation Records). Featuring a slick, heavily processed sound previously foreign to GBV albums, Do the Collapse failed to catch on at radio, and was for the most part greeted with mixed reviews.
Through touring heavily throughout 1999 and 2000, Guided by Voices' live act became legendary, with shows often stretching past the three-hour mark, and populated by an endless stream of new and classic songs, Pollard solo tracks, impromptu covers of The Who, David Bowie and The Rolling Stones, all accompanied by continuous alcohol consumption. In addition to multiple swings through the United States and Europe, 2000 saw the band's first and only visits to Australia and Japan. 2000 was capped with the release of the massive Suitcase, a four-disc, 100-song trawl through three decades worth of Pollard's enormous reserve of unreleased material. (Two more box sets of unreleased songs, Suitcase 2 and Suitcase 3, were released in October 2005 and November 2009, respectively.)
2001's Isolation Drills was recorded with Rob Schnapf, who aimed to capture the band's live sound more closely than did Ocasek. Though the album debuted in Billboard's top 200 and received higher critical notices than its predecessor, it did not achieve the sought-after radio breakthrough.
After departing from TVT in 2002, Guided by Voices returned to Matador and released Universal Truths and Cycles, a departure from the previous two radio-aspiring albums, and a return to the band's mid-90's, mid-fi aesthetic. Universal Truths producer Todd Tobias would also record the band's final two albums for Matador. 2003 saw the release of the prog-styled Earthquake Glue, followed by the anthology box set Hardcore UFOs: Revelations, Epiphanies and Fast Food in the Western Hemisphere and the greatest hits compilation Best of Guided by Voices: Human Amusements at Hourly Rates.
In 2004, Pollard announced he was disbanding Guided by Voices following the release of the Half-Smiles of the Decomposed LP, and a final farewell tour.
On November 9, 2004 Guided by Voices performed on the stage of Austin City Limits, broadcast by PBS on January 22, 2005. Their last television appearance was on Late Night with Conan O'Brien on December 2, 2004. They played the single, "Everybody Thinks I'm a Raincloud (When I'm Not Looking)". After a select round of final US shows, Guided by Voices played their final show at The Metro in Chicago on December 31, 2004. The four hour, 63-song marathon finale is documented on the DVD The Electrifying Conclusion
In June 2010, Matador Records announced that the "Classic '93-'96 Lineup" of Robert Pollard (vocals, guitar), Tobin Sprout (guitar), Mitch Mitchell (guitar), Greg Demos (bass) and Kevin Fennell (drums) would reunite to perform at the label's 21st Anniversary celebration in Las Vegas, in October of that year. A full reunion tour was subsequently announced, with the band selling out nearly every date. The tour included stops at Hoboken's Maxwell's and the Southgate House in Newport, Kentucky, two venues that the band had built a history with due to legendary shows there in the past. When asked by Spinner if there might ever be another proper GBV record Pollard said "I've thought about it sometimes but it's a very long shot," he says. "We all kind of do our own thing. I'm not completely eliminating the possibility."
The band played their "last ever" performance at North Carolina's Hopscotch Music Festival in September 2011, however later that month the band announced that they would be releasing a new album, Let's Go Eat the Factory on 1 January 2012. The band released a second post-reformation LP, Class Clown Spots a UFO, on June 12, 2012. A third, The Bears for Lunch, followed in November. Another album, English Little League, was released in 2013. In a July 2013 interview with Magnet Magazine, Pollard stated that English Little League could be the final GBV album. However, in September, a fifth reunion record, Motivational Jumpsuit, was confirmed for release on Guided By Voices Inc. and Fire Records in February 2014. A sixth reunion album, Cool Planet, has also been announced for May 19, 2014.
In 2016, Guided by Voices (lineup at the time only Robert Pollard) released their 22nd album, Please Be Honest. Pollard played every instrument on the album. In 2017, the band, with another new lineup, released their 23rd album, August by Cake. This lineup has since recorded 16 studio albums, with their newest, Nowhere to Go But Up, released on November 24th, 2023.
Barricade
Guided by Voices Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Emotional avalanche
Six bottles of rum and a
Kilo full of character change
I don't have to come out on my own
Barricade
{chorus}
On chin again and I can't find my medication
Or my occupation
But please don't show me the things should see (anymore)
In the finger paint I've been dabbling
With the 60 vessels of the ocean
In the critical line (cryptical lie) of the fashion world I become
The agressor of no one.
Takes a stronger wind to blow out this
Candle than the other fires I've made
And the lion (lying) mouth won't blow my handle
Knocking down my
Barricade
Blowing up my
Barricade
Little child Little child
Won't you dance with me
Little child Little child
Little child
Won't you dance with me
{chorus}
Go away and leave alone to
Work the crossroad
A nowhere (Runaway) train, I'm leaving (I need)
To find a long lost brother (railroad Bound and gagged)
Moutain day. I leave today to (I'm feeling the need)
Think it over. Lost my home
Don't find my home
Let me walk
I can stand on my own two feet
I don't care what you do
I don't like you
Be a clown Be a man
Be all you can be
And you don't have to
Stay.
It's all over now.
The song "Barricade" by Guided by Voices is a contemplation of one's personal struggles and the obstacles placed in front of them throughout their life. The lyrics describe the internal chaos and emotional instability of the singer through the use of vivid imagery and metaphor. The opening lines "Six guns alone and emotional avalanche/Six bottles of rum and a kilo full of character change" paints a picture of someone who is struggling to cope with their inner turmoil by using excessive amounts of alcohol and drugs as a coping mechanism. The line "I don't have to come out on my own barricade" suggests that the singer feels trapped by their own personal barricade and is unable to emotionally connect with others.
The chorus is a reflection of the singer's dissatisfaction with their current state and a desire for change. The line "I can't find my medication/Or my occupation" suggests that the singer is seeking some sort of external source of relief from their inner turmoil. However, they do not want to face the harsh reality of the world as the line "But please don't show me the things I should see (anymore)" portrays. The final lines of the song "Be a clown, be a man/Be all you can be/And you don't have to stay/It's all over now" suggest that the singer has come to some sort of resolution within themselves and is ready to move on from their struggles.
Line by Line Meaning
Six guns alone and a
Starting off with nothing more than six guns to protect myself
Emotional avalanche
Carrying an overwhelming emotional burden
Six bottles of rum and a
Drinking heavily to cope with the internal struggle
Kilo full of character change
Desiring to fundamentally alter my personality and character
I don't have to come out on my own
I don't have to face my problems alone
Barricade
Creating a barrier to protect myself from the outside world
I walked into the (line of fire/blinding light) and took it
I faced a dangerous situation and accepted the consequences of my actions
On chin again and I can't find my medication
Suffering a setback and unable to find my usual remedy for pain or distress
Or my occupation
Losing my sense of purpose or direction in life
But please don't show me the things should see (anymore)
I don't want to see or know about certain things anymore
In the finger paint I've been dabbling
Trying out new things in a playful or experimental way
With the 60 vessels of the ocean
Exploring a vast and unknown space
In the critical line (cryptical lie) of the fashion world I become
Trying to fit into a deceptive and superficial realm
The agressor of no one.
Asserting my independence without attacking or harming anyone
Takes a stronger wind to blow out this
I'm more resilient than some may think
Candle than the other fires I've made
I've faced greater challenges before and still managed to cope
And the lion (lying) mouth won't blow my handle
False rumors or gossip won't shake my resolve
Knocking down my
Breaking through my defenses
Barricade
The protective barrier I've created
Blowing up my
Destroying
Little child Little child
A plea for help and companionship
Won't you dance with me
An invitation to connect and share joy
Go away and leave alone to
Asking others to give me space
Work the crossroad
Trying to figure out which path to take in life
A nowhere (Runaway) train, I'm leaving (I need)
Being lost and uncertain, needing to escape and get a fresh start
To find a long lost brother (railroad Bound and gagged)
Seeking answers and closure for a past trauma or unresolved issue
Moutain day. I leave today to (I'm feeling the need)
Taking a journey to gain clarity and perspective
Think it over. Lost my home
Reflecting on past mistakes and regrets, feeling like I've lost a sense of belonging
Don't find my home
Feeling displaced and out of place in the world
Let me walk
Allowing me to follow my own path
I can stand on my own two feet
I am capable of taking care of myself and making my own decisions
I don't care what you do
I respect your freedom and autonomy, while not necessarily agreeing with your choices
I don't like you
Expressing a dislike or disagreement with someone
Be a clown Be a man
Telling someone to decide what role they want to play in life
Be all you can be
Encouraging someone to reach their full potential
And you don't have to
You have the freedom to make your own choices
Stay.
You can leave if you wish
It's all over now.
Accepting that something has ended and moving on
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
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