Robert Pollard's Superman Was A Rocker is a return to old ways. This mini-album (13 songs, 30 minutes) finds Pollard using recording methods he hasn't engaged in since his time in Guided By Voices.
Pollard recently poured through a bunch of old cassette tapes and found some great, never-used instrumentals that he either wrote or co-wrote, and and he decided to go into the studio and put vocals (and melodies!) over them, just like he "used to back in the old Guided By Voices days." The music spans a 20+ year period, so in essence, this is an album 20 years in the making.
Due to the span of time and body of work from which the clips were accessed, many of the classic Guided By Voices alumni appear on this album: Tobin Sprout, Mitch Mitchell, Kevin Fennell, Doug Gillard, Nate Farley.
This is the most fun Pollard album in years. It plays like an old-time radio show with recurring song lead-ins by two "guest DJs." "Love Your Spaceman," co-written by Pollard and ex-GBV drummer Kevin March, is one of those instant Bob-classics that will surely wind up on various Best of Bob comps down the line. "Peacock" has a bluesy, Stones-like feel to it that recalls early Guided By Voices live basement recordings. The album's closer, "More Hot Dogs Please," is flat-out screaming punk rock that includes the original vocal track by Pollard recorded on the song back in the '80s.
Superman Was A Rocker is the type of release that Bob-ophiles will simply adore. Guessing when the music was originally recorded, speculating which ex-GBV member plays on what song, deciphering what's new and what's classic--it's a Bob musical puzzle ready to decode. You can bet if Superman was a rocker, he would have loved this album!
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