Guided By Voices — Fair Touching
Album: Isolation DrillsAvg rating:
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Total ratings: 491
Length: 3:07
Plays (last 30 days): 2
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Under the iron shop
The farewell ladies wink
Always promising
No one to crush them
Always pokerfaced before bingo
Does it snap or just happen?
But a queen's prize awaits
She might rub her legs
But a queen's prize awaits
Currently fabulous
And perhaps at last
The song you sing will have meaning
But a queen's prize awaits
She might rub her legs
But a queen's prize awaits
She might rub her legs
But a queen's prize awaits
She might rub her legs
But a queen's prize awaits
She might rub her legs
The farewell ladies wink
Always promising
No one to crush them
Always pokerfaced before bingo
Does it snap or just happen?
But a queen's prize awaits
She might rub her legs
But a queen's prize awaits
Currently fabulous
And perhaps at last
The song you sing will have meaning
But a queen's prize awaits
She might rub her legs
But a queen's prize awaits
She might rub her legs
But a queen's prize awaits
She might rub her legs
But a queen's prize awaits
She might rub her legs
Comments (75)add comment
Poppy GBV, but I’ll take it. Any GBV is good GBV.
Jayesea wrote:
Kicker of Elves!
GBV! GBV! Is everybody ready to rock? Would love to hear more from Dayton's finest on RP.
Kicker of Elves!
GBV! GBV! Is everybody ready to rock? Would love to hear more from Dayton's finest on RP.
love this.
but, for some reason it makes me want to hear the posies, too. then, the lemonheads...
but, for some reason it makes me want to hear the posies, too. then, the lemonheads...
Enjoying the jangle.
Four miles high.
One of my all time favorite albums. More GBV!!!
horstman wrote:
Yeah, I hear that too with the melody, but that guitar tone is GBV distinct
prickelpit96 wrote:
Sounds like R.E.M. sometimes.... 
Agree
Yeah, I hear that too with the melody, but that guitar tone is GBV distinct
mnmrosen wrote:
And it's still with us.
And for that I'm glad.
My friends rave about this band and I don't know why. It's basic pop guitar rock with affectedly obtuse lyrics. Heard it. Been hearing it since 1965.
And it's still with us.
And for that I'm glad.
Love the Power Poppyness!
Excellent segue from "Fall on Me"by R.E.M.
so silly... so funny ... so senseless... so BEAUTIFUL!
power-pop at it´s VERY best. love it!
power-pop at it´s VERY best. love it!
Shimmer wrote:
...indeed!..
...i heard that before i heard the byrds, but they're there, too...
You could drop this right into R.E.M.'s "Reckoning".
...indeed!..
...i heard that before i heard the byrds, but they're there, too...
love this whole record.
not my fav song, but it's a goodie!
not my fav song, but it's a goodie!
Stingray wrote:
It's a great thing!
Guided by the mainstream-nephews of the Byrds!
Stingray!
Stingray!
It's a great thing!
Vocals by Roger McStype.
If ya don't get it... get a cab.
mnmrosen wrote:
exactly.
My friends rave about this band and I don't know why. It's basic pop guitar rock with affectedly obtuse lyrics. Heard it. Been hearing it since 1965.
exactly.
Going to see them this Friday in Chapel Hill, NC. It's a reunion tour thing and I'm so excited!
Nice Song.
mnmrosen wrote:
It's the live show that makes these guys amazing. Sadly- they are no longer playing out as GBV.
My friends rave about this band and I don't know why. It's basic pop guitar rock with affectedly obtuse lyrics. Heard it. Been hearing it since 1965.
It's the live show that makes these guys amazing. Sadly- they are no longer playing out as GBV.
Guided By Beers!!!
You could drop this right into R.E.M.'s "Reckoning".
These guys are the only thing I'm proud of from my hometown of Dayton...well...the Breeders are pretty great too!
thunderfish24 wrote:
Yes! A good song from one of their stronger albums.
It was awesome to hear GBV on RP!
Yes! A good song from one of their stronger albums.It was awesome to hear GBV on RP!
topcat wrote:
Hilarious!
Sort of sounds like REM doing the Byrds..... Or is it the other way around? 
Hilarious!
yes, very basic and boring.
This station needs to play songs with stronger melodic lines, I think. After 2 days membership yes, but . . .
My friends rave about this band and I don't know why. It's basic pop guitar rock with affectedly obtuse lyrics. Heard it. Been hearing it since 1965.
prickelpit96 wrote:
Sounds like R.E.M. sometimes....
Agree
Sounds like R.E.M. sometimes....
REM inspired.
Guided by the mainstream-nephews of the Byrds!
Not really bad - but without relevance!
I know what's missing on RP: More good, new and fresh British music.
The Americans all seems to be top-musicians who can really handle their instruments better than most, but..., still...., something's seems missing all too often. All see to be inspired by simelar sources, and right now that source is clearly (American)FOLK.
Too much of it on RP, if you ask me!
Stingray!
Guided By Voice's Bee Thousand by Marc Woodworth--a great new book out about these guys. perfection.
One final note...
Last week I was offered tickets to go see Pearl Jam for free. For most that is a no-brainer and I understand that. I kind of gave a "enh, I might want to go" sort of answer and stumbled upon the question... "who is opening". The answer I got from PJ fan was... "some Robert Pallard... something or other". I said "check the ticket". It turns out it was indeed Robert Pollard so I said heck yeah Ill go.
Seeing Bob in an arena was uncomfortable as I thought it would be and Pearl Jam fans are scary. The highlight was when Bob hijacked the encore "teenage wasteland". Bob stole the show and of course the PJ fans loved it... not because bob was singing but because of crazy-zany vedder antics.
I guess opening for Pearl Jam is a step in the right direction for those who want Bobby to get his due recognition. For me it was a disappointing glimpse of what GBV could have become. I saw Bob in front of 200 in Columbus at Little Bros and the show was head and shoulders above the US Bank arena show in Cincy.
handyrae wrote:
Four things--
1. So what if REM is terrible to a lot of people? You've got to admit that REM is the more successful band, both by number of fans and monetary reward.
2. I find GBV's really short songs terribly annoying, not fun--you get a tiny taste of something really good and that's it. And while you could say a tiny taste is better than nothing, I'd say write a longer song, darn it!
3. It's not that I don't like GBV, because I do. It's just that I find their lack of success frustrating, especially since I think a good deal of that lack of success is because of Bob Pollard himself.
4. It's rather selfish to be happy that a band you like never got too successful, isn't it? In fact, GBV is one of my husband's favorite bands and he's told me it upsets him that such a fantastic band never really made it big. He'd like GBV to have gotten the recognition he thinks they deserve.
I agree that I'm selfish in my reasoning. I believe when other people begin putting thier grubby mitts on others creativity the end result is a vastly different product. i.e. The production value of Ric Ocasek on Do The Collapse (though I do appreciate that album).
Like before... listening to the early GBV songs out of context is wrong. Take Bee Thousand for example. Esther's Day without Kicker of Elves preceeding it and Demons are Real following is just wrong. Wrap them up... you have 3:43. Plenty long if ave track length of popular songs is the benchmark.
on high seas you search of the sickly sweet milk of selfish love
GBV reached thier pinnacle, if you want to call it that, when I heard "Everywhere With Helicopters" while walking through the juniors dept of Macy's
/me shakes his head
MrMocha wrote:
First off... REM is terrible to a lot of people...
To say "these guys might have been famous" is kind of funny.
Im glad they didnt completely lose it (aka become "famous") with Ric'ie "O" on Do The Collapse. The short pop songs that characterized GBV early on is what made them so much fun to listen to. Alien Lanes is by far my favorite GBV album and listening to AL in a random mix does no justice. These short songs back to back create a listening experience unlike most of the indie bands out there.
I wish Animal Collecvtive would finally play on the OC and "get famous".
Four things--
1. So what if REM is terrible to a lot of people? You've got to admit that REM is the more successful band, both by number of fans and monetary reward.
2. I find GBV's really short songs terribly annoying, not fun--you get a tiny taste of something really good and that's it. And while you could say a tiny taste is better than nothing, I'd say write a longer song, darn it!
3. It's not that I don't like GBV, because I do. It's just that I find their lack of success frustrating, especially since I think a good deal of that lack of success is because of Bob Pollard himself.
4. It's rather selfish to be happy that a band you like never got too successful, isn't it? In fact, GBV is one of my husband's favorite bands and he's told me it upsets him that such a fantastic band never really made it big. He'd like GBV to have gotten the recognition he thinks they deserve.
handyrae wrote:
Their very early work sounds EXACTLY like REM. Every time my husbands plays one of those CD I always think, "Is this an REM CD I somehow missed along the way?"
I don't hear the connection in their later work.
Had Bob Pollard had the discipline to disgard his mediocre work and to write slightly longer songs, these guys might have been famous.
First off... REM is terrible to a lot of people...
To say "these guys might have been famous" is kind of funny. Im glad they didnt completely lose it (aka become "famous") with Ric'ie "O" on Do The Collapse. The short pop songs that characterized GBV early on is what made them so much fun to listen to. Alien Lanes is by far my favorite GBV album and listening to AL in a random mix does no justice. These short songs back to back create a listening experience unlike most of the indie bands out there.
I wish Animal Collecvtive would finally play on the OC and "get famous".
topcat wrote:
Sort of sounds like REM doing the Byrds..... Or is it the other way around?
Their very early work sounds EXACTLY like REM. Every time my husbands plays one of those CD I always think, "Is this an REM CD I somehow missed along the way?"
I don't hear the connection in their later work.
Had Bob Pollard had the discipline to disgard his mediocre work and to write slightly longer songs, these guys might have been famous.
One of my favorite bands; not one of my favorite tracks. Solid, but not compelling. Check out Bee Thousand to see how they became legendary.
Quite Likeable, indeed.
Big fan of them. It works, even if it isn't as intense as their other stuff. You've gotta spin some catchy and poppy tunes in good frequency, my friend. Some of us are rolling around the grounds doing stuff, and a catchy tune by GBV is quite welcome.
On an unrelated note, I, too, am stumped, if what you are saying about Bob Mould is true. He's got several tunes that would sound great on RP.
Great opener of the 2003 tour
In Bob we trust !!!
I'm sorry I latched onto these guys only after they broke up. Great band.
topcat wrote:
Sort of sounds like REM doing the Byrds..... Or is it the other way around?
Very well put. A great friend loves these guys, but can't really describe them.
topcat wrote:
Sort of sounds like REM doing the Byrds..... Or is it the other way around?
I have to strongly agree. Why doesn't this song break into "Sidewinder sleeps tonight"... or "What's the frequency?"
I'm confused now. My head hurts along with my ears...
GBV...yeah! One of their better albums also....
Sort of sounds like REM doing the Byrds..... Or is it the other way around?
It's interesting that we'll hear this in RP but every Bob Mould song I've uploaded as been sorried...
I like the "Eight Miles High" kind of parts best!
'Nondescript' is the word which springs to my mind.
Several shows for download...
Great tune. Keep on rockin' the GBV!
A great but bizzare band - and one of my favorite of their tracks! Live they are a mess in my opinion, but still worth the ticket.
As opposed to unfair touching which, according to Webster's includes any form of tweeking, fondling, kneading or inappropriate jabbing...
I recently got into GBV. Sounds like their live performances are memorable, though, alas I don't speak from experience. If you listen thoroughly to Isolation Drills there's a remarkable variety to the tracks. Rock on Bob Pollard! 
Shimmer wrote:
Could these guys possibly try any harder to sound like early REM?
I'm sure that's exactly what they talked about when they formed the band. Actually, most bands have that conversation..... there isn't much that gets by you, huh?
veegez wrote:
Interesting. I thought it was kind of Bob Mould/Sugar-like with those nicely layered guitar riffs. The drumming is also very similar. Unoriginal? Probably no more so than any other band. Which would include REM, a band whom many were drawing comparisons to The Byrds back when Murmur was released.
This song is excellent. If you ever dig any further into GBV (which you probably won't), you'll find that they are a completely unique outfit.
Nice eduation, veegeez, and astute observations all around. I agree--the GBV cataloque is a trove of brilliant and rather innovative gems. The fact that it invites comparisons to the Beatles, REM, Bob Mould, and so forth only speaks to how well-versed and eclectic Tobin Sprout and Robert Pollard are as song writers and musicians.
Long live Rockathon! and keep playing that GBV...
A most excellent set happening now...
dignan2 wrote:
Whoops! Thought it was the Gin Blossoms with special guest REM. How unoriginal can a band be?
Interesting. I thought it was kind of Bob Mould/Sugar-like with those nicely layered guitar riffs. The drumming is also very similar. Unoriginal? Probably no more so than any other band. Which would include REM, a band whom many were drawing comparisons to The Byrds back when Murmur was released.
This song is excellent. If you ever dig any further into GBV (which you probably won't), you'll find that they are a completely unique outfit.
I think it\'s pretty good, but like the album produced by Rick Okasak (sp?) better.
I\'ve been waiting for quite a while for RP to play some GBV.
Thanks.
More.
Originally Posted by mrtyler:
Seriously. I keep forgetting it *isn't* REM every time this track gets played.
First time I've heard this. I had to open the RP home page to see which REM song it was. Lo and behold, it isn't REM. Imagine my surprise. Sounds just like them.
Ah, here we go. Now we're getting an REM song - "Pretty Persuasion". I see what the rest of your comment meant now.
Mike
Whoops! Thought it was the Gin Blossoms with special guest REM. How unoriginal can a band be? :roll:
Originally Posted by Shimmer: Could these guys possibly try any harder to sound like early REM?
Seriously. I keep forgetting it *isn't* REM every time this track gets played. When it's followed with "Pretty Persuasion", it's like six minutes of bad REM instead of just three.
Also, i'm not sure i understand the lyrics, but this title makes me feel vaguely creeped out in the same way as an Illegal Touching penalty during a Raiders game does.
pretty much. very good you know. yep.
dot
Could these guys possibly try any harder to sound like early REM?
hmmmm... not really bad, but not really all that interesting either. kind of plain.
GBV are one of the most prolific bands in the past 15 years. It is amazing the amount of material these guys have. And as for their live show, how many other bands out there play an average of 40 songs in a 3 or more hour set EVERY SHOW?
Originally Posted by Jim:
I didn't catch the whole song, but I caught enough to recognize the melody from the Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows". Is this song a new arrangement of that melody with different lyrics or something?
Really? I don't hear that at all. The lead vocalist sounds a bit like michael Stype (or is it stipe?) and the harmonies and to a lesser degree some of the guitars remind me of the Byrds.
And there's REM following them coincidence?
Kevin