Her Psychology Today
I went on record last year to say that From a Compound Eye was Robert Pollard's best LP, his first true masterpiece after several near misses. I'm not sure anyone actually bothered to read through to the second page of the Popmatters feature where I made this bold proclamation, and more than a year later I'll admit I'm not quite as enamored of FaCE as I was at the time. I will, however, stand behind the piece, particularly this: "Bee Thousand, the band's acknowledged high point is, charitably, two-thirds of a classic album -- skeptics should try listening only to the second side for a bit and then re-evaluate."
"Her Psychology Today" was among the tracks to which I referred; I love Bee Thousand and consider it among my two or three favorite GBV albums, but it isn't the top-to-bottom masterpiece that some fans proclaim. Among the pop gems that dominate the disc are a few songs that probably should have seen the cutting room floor, this one chief among them ("A Big Fan of the Pigpen" and, on some days "Mincer Ray" and "Kicker of Elves" would join it).
It's the kind of song that Pollard sticks on nearly all of his LPs, one with a couple of passable ideas, some head-scratching and little to latch onto to keep your interest. It has at least three parts, and while none are awful, none do much for me either, and I find myself skipping the track every time I listen to the album. I defy anyone to argue that side two of Bee Thousand wouldn't be improved immeasurably if it went directly from "Queen of Cans and Jars" to "Esther's Day." I'll leave Pollard the last word, this from the song's lyrics: "Could be better, gotta be better, you know..."
"Her Psychology Today" was among the tracks to which I referred; I love Bee Thousand and consider it among my two or three favorite GBV albums, but it isn't the top-to-bottom masterpiece that some fans proclaim. Among the pop gems that dominate the disc are a few songs that probably should have seen the cutting room floor, this one chief among them ("A Big Fan of the Pigpen" and, on some days "Mincer Ray" and "Kicker of Elves" would join it).
It's the kind of song that Pollard sticks on nearly all of his LPs, one with a couple of passable ideas, some head-scratching and little to latch onto to keep your interest. It has at least three parts, and while none are awful, none do much for me either, and I find myself skipping the track every time I listen to the album. I defy anyone to argue that side two of Bee Thousand wouldn't be improved immeasurably if it went directly from "Queen of Cans and Jars" to "Esther's Day." I'll leave Pollard the last word, this from the song's lyrics: "Could be better, gotta be better, you know..."
Labels: Bee Thousand
posted by John at 7:36 PM
3 Comments:
"("A Big Fan of the Pigpen" and, on some days "Mincer Ray" and "Kicker of Elves" would join it)."
Yowch! "A Big Fan of the Pigpen" is one of my favorites. In fact, I can't imagine Bee Thousand without those three songs on it.
I will admit "Her Psychology Today" isn't as "pop-genius" as the rest of Bee Thousand, but I think it has its place. I would miss it if it were gone.
Cheers,
Robert
Well, maybe by the time I get there I'll have a new appreciation. I've just found over the years that there are so many great Pollard songs that I have less patience for the ones that aren't. I can appreciate songs within the context of an album that may work stuck between two other songs, and know it's not fair to take them out of context and over-analyze things, but I've just found that those songs keep Bee Thousand from being t the unqualified, top-to-bottom masterpiece most proclaim it.
agreed with robert, "a big fan of the pigpen" is one of my favorites as well. and "her psychology today" rocks so hard, whenever i listen it's playing in my head for hours and hours.
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