by Scott Yohe
Guided by Voices will always be heroes to the people of Dayton, Ohio, whether the people here know it or not. As a native of Dayton myself, I have spent a great deal of time listening to the band and will always hold them in the pantheon of great things to come from this city. It was 33 years ago that Robert Pollard recorded what was almost the last Guided by Voices album, Same Place The Fly Got Smashed, which would have been a complete travesty to music. Now you can go to your favorite local record store and buy a new reissue of this album via Scat Records, the first label that truly believed in Bob and co. Same Place The Fly Got Smashed stands out as a special album in the huge discography of GBV for two main reasons, the first is that it is a concept album, albeit very loosely. The second is that it starts the run of amazing albums that the band would release at a breakneck pace for the next fourteen years.
The album follows the story of an alcoholic and his many trials and tribulations, and while it can be difficult to pick up on the thread, that doesn’t really matter. What matters is that Bob ramps up the number of perfect songs he's writing tenfold. Prior to this album, there were hints of the genius of Guided by Voices, flashes of pop-brilliance. It is here that the band finally becomes who we all wanted them to be.
The album opens with “Airshow ‘88” which hears Bob howling over borderline doom riffs. It’s an interesting song to open the record with but it also proves that GBV are the masters of lo-fi. The next song, “Order For the New Slave Trade” deals with the themes of alcoholism, taking place at what seems to be an AA meeting. With lyrics like “Only 40% of all participants have remained alcoholic,” it is a slower and much more mellow song showing off the more tender side of GBV. A song like “The Hard Way” is the band at power-pop perfection, the kind of song that wouldn’t sound out of place being played by the house band at a local bar. The next song “Drinker’s Peace” is the most devastating song on the record, a love letter to alcohol, with Bob singing about the give and take of alcoholism. Lyrics like “At times I wish I were dead/Busy People dancing all over my head” and “Life was too real till you got there/ my life is dirt, but you seem to make it cleaner” show the main character of our story thinking that turning to alcohol is making his life better but in reality is just using it as a coping mechanism to deal with their problems.
“Mammoth Cave” is the classic kind of GBV song with a guitar line you can latch onto in an instant. It talks about the real cave in Kentucky that is a true wonder to see, losing your way, and being buried at Mammoth Cave. “Club Molluska” is a lo-fi wonder, something so catchy and out of this world you can’t help but like it. The song “Pendulum” perhaps contains some of Bob’s most mission-like statements about the band itself. The lyrics “No need to get all caught up in society’s stipulations/you’re a member of the freak generation” and “we’ll be middle aged children, but so what?” show what GBV is all about, a band that is always going to do their own thing on their own terms, no matter what anyone says about them, popular or not.
“Ambergris” is one of GBV’s trademark short lo-fi songs that doesn’t seem to go anywhere but needs to exist because it is so charming. Once the song “Local Mix-up/Murder Charge” hits you realize that this is what you have been waiting for. The song exists as a two-in-one kind of thing. We see the protagonist of our story finally meet his end in an electrifying conclusion. The song even features the name of the album as a lyric which is not something you see in GBV records. “Starboy” is another slow and short lo-fi song which sees the tender side of Bob. “Blatant Doom Trip” is yet another classic song which cements the direction the band will be heading for years to come. The final song “How Loft I Am?” is the perfect pop song to end the record with its “Maybe baby” chorus repeated to bring a smile to your face.
While most of the music is played and written by Bob, we still see all the members shine. Greg Demos adds bass which always gives you something to latch onto and bob your head with. Don Thrasher keeps the pace with the drums and turns every song he is featured on into perfect. Bob’s own brother Jim Pollard adds guitar that compliments Bob in every way. Even long-time GBV veteran Tobin Sprout features on a song to add his trademark sound. In many ways this album sounds like the kind of music that only a band that is local to you could sound like, the guys down the street playing in their basement, because that is what Guided by Voices is. The difference is that they are a group of musicians that are shooting for the moon with everything they do. They create some of the best songs you will ever hear in your life and just come across as guys who like to make music and have a good time.
Same Place The Fly Got Smashed exists as a testament to how great of a band Guided by Voices was, is, and will be. The concept and story of the album doesn’t matter much to the enjoyment but it is an interesting time capsule of just how ambitious the lo-fi rockers of Dayton, Ohio were. It stands out in their vast discography and yet it still remains consistent with the sound they would go on to be known for. It marks the beginning of what would become one of the greatest runs in all of music. If you like indie rock, power-pop, concept albums, or just music in general you owe it to yourself to listen to Same Place The Fly Got Smashed and Guided by Voices in general.