History Music / GuidedByVoices

* StepUpToTheMic: Doug Gillard, Bobby Bare Jr., Mark Shue, and Kevin March all sing lead on ''August By Cake''.

Guided By Voices are an [[ArchivePanic insanely prolific]] AlternativeRock band from Dayton, Ohio, active from 1983-2004, 2010-2014 and 2016 ongoing.

The band was formed by guitarist/vocalist Robert Pollard, and mostly featured a [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters large cast]] of other band members, chiefly because of Pollard's habit of recording with whoever was on hand or announcing the band's breakup and assembling a new lineup shortly afterwards.

-->'''Robert Pollard'''

''Bee Thousand'', like ''Propeller'' before it, was planned to be the group's final album, as Pollard planned to focus on his day job as an elementary school teacher after its release. Consisting of both new songs and archival recordings, ''Bee Thousand'' was critically acclaimed and became the band's biggest album to date. With the help of the single "I Am a Scientist", it also turned them from a somewhat-known entity into one of the biggest American indie rock groups of the 1990s. Once again, the plans for Guided by Voices to break up were put on hold and the group signed to the influential indie label Matador. The follow-ups ''Alien Lanes'' and ''Under the Bushes, Under the Stars'' were similarly well-received.

''Bee Thousand'', like ''Propeller'' before it, was planned to be the group's final album, as Pollard planned to focus on his day job as an elementary school teacher after its release.Consisting of both new songs and archival recordings, ''Bee Thousand'' was critically acclaimed and became the band's biggest album to date. With the help of the single "I Am a Scientist", it also turned them from a somewhat-known entity into one of the biggest American indie rock groups of the 1990s. Once again, the plans for Guided by Voices to break up were put on hold and the group signed to the influential indie label Matador. The follow-ups ''Alien Lanes'' and ''Under the Bushes, Under the Stars'' were similarly well-received.

The band finally attracted some attention beyond that with 1992's limited release ''Propeller'', which had only 500 copies pressed but gained a fandom in the alt-rock scene (which included bands like Music/SonicYouth and Music/TheBreeders). Now becoming increasingly known and having a steady lineup that included guitarists Tobin Sprout and Mitch Mitchell (no, not [[Music/JimiHendrix that one]]), bassist Greg Demos and drummer Kevin Fennell, GBV released its landmark album ''Bee Thousand'' in 1994. Consisting of both new songs and archival recordings, ''Bee Thousand'' was critically acclaimed, allowing the band to sign a deal with Matador and make the band their full-time job. The follow-ups ''Alien Lanes'' and ''Under the Bushes, Under the Stars'' were similarly well-received.

GBV's first release was the EP ''Forever Since Breakfast'' in 1986, which [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness was recorded in a professional studio and had a harmony-laden folk-rock sound not far removed from]] Music/{{REM}}. However, the EP sank without a trace, and Pollard grew to regret it, deriding it as "sterile". From next year's ''Devil Between My Toes'' on, GBV became a purely studio band (to accomodate Pollard's day job as a teacher), and gained its SignatureStyle: [[MinisculeRocking short songs]] written at [[ArchivePanic a blindingly fast pace]] recorded in a lo-fi manner (usually to a Portasound 4-track), and drawing influences from what Pollard called "the four P's": PunkRock, {{Pop}}, PsychedelicRock and ProgressiveRock (PostPunk, [[TheBritishInvasion Pthe Pbritish Pinvasion]] and [[GarageRock Pgarage Rock]] also provided an influence). The material released during this period tended to only circulate among friends and family members.

* ThrowItIn: Technically it's "keep it out" - the band accidentally erased part of one of the guitar lines in "Hardcore UFOs" and decided not to re-record it.

Guided By Voices are an [[ArchivePanic insanely prolific]] AlternativeRock band from Dayton, Ohio, active from 1983-2004 and recently reunited in 2010.

Albums

The band's "classic" Pollard-Sprout-Mitchell-Demos-Fennell lineup announced a reunion in 2010, and true to their prolific reputation they released six albums between 2012 and 2014 before breaking up once more. They announced another reunion in 2016 with a lineup that initially consisted of Kevin March in his third stint for GBV on drums, plus newcomers Bobby Bare Jr. (the son of CountryMusic legend Bobby Bare) and Nick Mitchell (no relation to Mitch) on guitars and Mark Shue on bass, before Mitchell was replaced by long-serving post-classic era guitarist Doug Gillard. The reunion included a tour and a new album, ''Please Be Honest''.

The band's "classic" Pollard-Sprout-Mitchell-Demos-Fennell lineup announced a reunion in 2010, and true to their prolific reputation they released six albums between 2012 and 2014 before breaking up once more. They announced another reunion in 2016 with a lineup that initially consisted of Kevin March in his third stint for GBV on drums, plus newcomers Bobby Bare jr and Nick Mitchell (no relation to Mitch) on guitars and Mark Shue on bass, before Mitchell was replaced by long-serving post-classic era guitarist Doug Gillard. The reunion included a tour and a new album, ''Please Be Honest''.

The band's "classic" Pollard-Sprout-Mitchell-Demos-Fennell lineup announced a reunion in 2010, and true to their prolific reputation they released six albums between 2012 and 2014 before breaking up once more. They announced another reunion in 2016 with a lineup consisting of Pollard, Bobby Bare jr and Nick Mitchell (no relation to Mitch Mitchell) on guitars, Mark Shue on bass and Kevin March on drums. March played with Guided By Voices in the early 00s and again shortly before their second breakup; Bare, Mitchell and Shue are newcomers. The reunion included a tour and a new album, ''Please Be Honest''.

* NamesTheSame: This isn't the Mitch Mitchell from The Music/JimiHendrix Experience.

* {{Word Salad Title}}s: Most of them.
* WriteWhatYouKnow: Some of Pollard's songs are inspired by his experiences as a fourth-grade teacher, like "Gold Star for Robot Boy", "Teenage FBI" and "Non-Absorbing". "Your Name Is Wild" and "My Son Cool" are about his daughter and son, respectively.

* ArchivePanic: To say they have a '''LARGE''' discography is quite the understatement.
** This isn't even taking the numerous side projects into account.
* AttentionDeficitCreatorDisorder: Pollard is not only in GBV and has a solo career, but is in several other side projects like Boston Spaceships and Circus Devils. And that's not getting into Sprout's solo career.

* NamesTheSame: This isn't the Mitch Mitchell from The JimiHendrix Experience.

The band's "classic" Pollard-Sprout-Mitchell-Demos-Fennell lineup announced a reunion in 2010, and true to their prolific reputation they released six albums between 2012 and 2014 before breaking up once more.