Lost in Space

"Sunday Sunny Mill Valley Groove Day" by Frank Black

Frank Black is an incredibly prolific artist, who seems to release music quicker than I can physically ingest it. Every time I blink, he's either releasing a new double album, or a collection of rarities, or contributing tracks to some weird compilation. I've heard him comment in the past that he doesn't really look at records the same way other artists might. He doesn't labor over them or view them as some unifying statement. He simply records songs as he writes them, then releases a record when he has enough songs.

Because of this, his albums are frequently spotty. Classic songs are often blanketed by two completely forgettable ones. With that in mind, I find it especially curious that Mr. Black would have anything left behind in the can.

"We made a record that ended up on the Internet called Sunday Mill Valley Groove Day, and it was just an OK session but in general it was not an album, so we didn’t release it as an album. I had a few copies of it in my pocket and I was on tour and a couple of super-excited kids who seemed like they deserved something special happened to be there and I said, 'Here you go,' and they posted it, like, the next day. I didn’t ask my audience to buy it. It’s a freebie, I’m not going to sell it."- Frank Black - Magnet Magazine, 2002

Though most of the ten songs have since trickled out as B-sides or on rarities comps, a few of the versions here are completely different. 5 of the songs appear elsewhere as is. “Humbolt County Massacre” is slower, and has more of a lazy country groove. “Le Cigare Volant”, unlike the released acoustic version, is given the full band treatment, and plows along at full force. “I Will Run After You” sounds more like an Exile on Main Street outtake, but the coda doesn't build as convincingly as the version on Black Letter Days.

Critics like to believe that Black rediscovered his creative voice over the last few albums. Redefining himself as an Alt-Americana-Country-Punk-Dylan. The truth is, his country roots were seeded long ago, and his STYLE is as evident on this record as it is anywhere.

The Power of Suck - Guided By Voices - "Recorded and shitcanned in 1995"

Unlike Sunday Sunny Mill Valley Groove Day, which was recorded, but not officially released, GBV’s “The Power of Suck” exists in concept only. It was supposed to be the follow-up album to the classic Alien Lanes. Some demos were recorded with Kim Deal and Steve Albini, but ultimately, the album was aborted. The remnants sort of evolved into Under The Bushes, Under The Stars.

The version I received was painstakingly recreated based on some sly detective work by GBV fans. It's completely speculative - there is no definitive tracklisting for The Power of Suck. 21 songs. 5 previously unreleased. 4 from Under The Bushes. The rest from assorted B-sides and rarities compilations. What we do know, is that the album was originally intended to be an autobiographical concept album about the rise of Guided By Voices.

The record is a great listen. It kicks off with the rockin' “Pantherz”, and segues into the unreleased gem, “In Previous Trials”. Like a lot of tracks here, it's just Pollard and guitar. Moody, pensive, and whole-heartedly embracing his Anglophile/Mod sensibilities. Track 8, “He's The Uncle”, is so catchy, it's mindboggling that it only officially exists as a B-Side. Later, an unreleased demo of “Ironman Rally Song” reveals just how fully formed the song was before it was given the full band treatment. The album closes with the Under The Bushes version of “Don't Stop Now” (sans piano intro). The melody that plays over the bridge perfectly echoes the guitar lead from the first track “Pantherz”, giving the album the perfect bookend. Bob Pollard always referred to “Don't Stop Now” as "The Ballad of Guided By Voices", and when they retired on New Years Eve 2004, it was the final song they played.

GBV seems to have an endless well of unreleased songs. There are endless stories about scrapped albums or completely different tracks and running orders for existing records. GBV has put out way too many records of unreleased tracks (Suitcase 1 & 2 has 200 songs over 8 cds!) and they actually even released a reimagined Bee-Thousand a couple years back. Someone could probably make a career compiling versions of their albums.

Both Robert Polalrd and Frank Blank are continuing to make albums with a vitality that contributes to their legendary status. Check out any non-lost album for a kick in the ass...