Bad and Rare

Taken from "Suitcase 1" 2003


"Bad and rare
Done your own hair
All that lovely money
Makes me want to stare
??? and doctor
Very good talker
Excellence makes you bad and rare
That's not fair
More than a monkey
Or an average bear
All that lovely money
Makes us bad and rare
We like that..."

This song reminds me of The Rolling Stones "Paint It Black" with that mystical eastern guitar sound. Feels like a jam over the repetitive riff. Interesting.

A Farewell To Arms

Taken from "Suitcase 1" 2003

"A farewell to arms
A man with his charms
???
???

You can die if you want to
You can live in a penthouse ???
???

A farewell to arms
A jacket in with his charms
Another man with a ???
A farewell to arms

Every boy ???

A farewell to arms..."

Isnt this a Hazzard Hotrods songs? My Pollardian mind is reaching here. Muffled vocals over a slinky groove. Words are not clear but this is song has a fantastic feel to it. An enigma.

Shrine To The Dynamic Years (Athens Time Change Riots)

Taken from "Suitcase 1" 2003

"The mood of the courtroom was gloomy
tested the waters and looked for a sign
Shrine to the dynamic years
Shrine to the dynamic years
The quest for the gold was frustrating
Roll into a ball yeah
The quest for the ???
???
Shrine to the dynamic years
Shrine to the dynamic years
???
Roll into a ball yeah
Shrine to the dynamic years
Shrine to the dynamic years
???
Roll into a ball yeah
Roll into a ball yeah
Roll into a ball"

Crunching and stumbling and almost indecipherable mumbled vocals before the song explodes into a classic Guided By Voices refrain. I am sure this song has been reworked into another song as the hooks sound very familiar. A good song.

Spinning Around

Taken from "Suitcase 1" 2003

"A change another mob threw through the window
And visions encompassed within
Began to spin
Spinning around
Spinning around
Spinning around
Spinning around
Each chance we take is another chance we break
I feel two needs to explore you
Spinning around
Spinning around"

So many Pollard song, So many Suitcase songs cropping up. A delicate lo-fi song here with a shakey chorus and a gentle pulsing guitar. Subtle is a good word to use when describing this song.

Messenger

Taken from "Suitcase 1" 2003

"Why can't you see that it's not cool?
To wait in handing (?) after school
Tell you what I'll do
I'll leave it up to you

Messenger, messenger
I wanna be your boy, your messenger
Messenger, messenger
I wanna be your boy, your messenger

I know it gets so hard to choose
I'll be the one to break the news
Tell you what I'll do
I'll leave it up to you"

A very 60s garage pop slice of early Guided By Voices pleasure. A great upbeat tune and some fantastic vocals. The chorus is amazing and would easily make it onto a "proper" album release by GBV or REM. Great song.

Excellent Things

Taken from "Suitcase 1" 2003

"Mirrors reflect only what we expect
Just what we wanna see
Clothes looking fresh
Cotton, Rayon, and Mesh
Household warm and germ free

I filled up a jar with colorful capsules
Jewelry and rings
Notice how we constantly thrive on excellent things

Came here to stay
Incarnated I sway
Toward material needs
Television hums
Busy hand pounds and strums
Two or three knuckles bleed

Boats and trains and commercial flight airplanes
That whistle and sing
See how we persistently thrive on excellent things


Mirrors reflect only what we expect
Just what we wanna see
Clothes looking fresh
Cotton, Rayon, and Mesh
Household warm and germ free

I filled up a jar with colorful capsules
Jewelry and rings
Notice how we constantly thrive on excellent things

Came here to stay
Incarnated I sway
Toward material needs
Television hums
Busy hand pounds and strums
Two or three knuckles bleed

Boats and trains and commercial flight airplanes
That whistle and sing
See how we persistently thrive on excellent things"

A very melancholic and downbeat song that also has a hint of hope. A very catchy song that has an early Smiths like quality. Shame it didn't grow up onto a proper album but that's Bob for you.

Buzzards and Dreadful Crows

Taken from "Suitcase 1" 2003

"The lifeblood lighthouse flashing
Sixteen chicks remain on watch
The wheels took a rolling in
And they do
Hey oh hey they always do
I'd be disappoint'n'bored if they didn't

Buzzards and dreadful crows
Right on the tip of my nose
They wait like cats and fly out
For the light in my eyes to die out
And it does
Hey it always does
I'd be shocked and appalled if it didn't

Buzzards and dreadful crows
A neccessary evil I suppose
There's something in this deal for everyone
Did you really think you were the only one?"

The Suitcase version of Buzzards that appears in it natural form on "Bee Thousand". This one has more crazy rock vocal histrinoics from Bobs and a bit of screaming. Prefer the original version but its nice to have this little oddity.

Cinnamon Flavored Skulls

Taken from "Suitcase 1" 2003

Lyrics Unknown

Crazy title. Drum sticks click. Lumbering tempo. Lumbering vocals. Shouting. All over quickly, thankfully.

Where I Come From

Taken from "Suitcase 1" 2003

"No sense in arguing
about something you believe in
Can't hope for knowledge, someones good advice
Don't have much money to lay around and grieve in
Better off just keep your mouth shut
Come on boys be nice
You can't hurt me now
I don't know how to cry
But I'm still young

I see the outstretched arms that beckon me
But I can't come
I hear the spoken words that make no sense
Where I come from

Keep everyone happy with county recreation
work 50 hours a week, take out frustrations on the field
put bars and churches on every other corner
nice the working conditions with much better yield
You can't hurt me now
I don't know how to cry
But I'm still young

I feel the stinging truth
The slaps me hard
And makes me numb
I eat the bitter fruit that grows on trees
Where I come from"

Love the gently military drumbeat that pervades that starts this song. This is very early GBV. Where they sounded like early REM. Very tuneful and wistful. This is a gem of a song and any fan of REM would love it. Whatever happened to REM? I remember their last album being crushingly dull and bland.

Good For A Few Laughs

Taken from "Suitcase 1" 2003

"Driving northwards
Well-mapped cautious
All that we knew and ???
All night parties
Drinks and deliveries
Suddenly vanished
No more the explorer
Consider this
There was a dark side
Perhaps the real self
Never emerged
Gouge changed that (?)
All those powerful lines
Swim in a bottle
Now let's pay our last respects"

A delicate tap of cymbals begins this song in a mysterious manner before the guitar chimes in and Bob mumbles some hung over sounding and weary vocals. A song about the day after some drinking perhaps?

Cruise

Taken from "Suitcase 1" 2003

"It runs throughout
The place of fate
She can keep you up to date
And her ???? to intervene
Coming closer in between you now
Between you now

And so the plan is up to you
But no one tells you what to do
And if they do you'll make a scene
Nothing will get in between you now
Between you now"

The bass at the start of this sort of sits halfway between Joy Division and some Jazz improv. Quite a slow throbbing song but not too bad. Has the classic GBV sound to it and overall is quite good.

Sing it Out

Taken from "Suitcase 1" 2003

"Came into town just to sing it out
Let the children play
Help them on their way
Save them
Took a turn with a temperature drop
Now I wanna go
Don't like driving in the snow
And when you call him
Will he be happy
I don't think so
Got a girl in trouble
Get him out on the double
Now when she close to be a good woman
Will you care to follow
Where next will you go?
Though your ??? will know
Sing it out"

The tune in this song has imbedded itself inside my brain for the last couple of years and always crops up on my iPod on random play. Its very infectious and catchy with a sad little middle section but overall a fanstastic minute of Pollard magic.

I'm Cold

Taken from "Suitcase 1" 2003

"I go outside and it's cold
I walk downtown and it's cold
I do everything that I'm told
The people I meet, so hooked on defeat
And if it's not one thing then it's ten
I shouldn't have to be told
So I just keep moving around
'Cause I'm cold

I picked up the pieces that break
And try not to make a mistake
and sometimes I'm sick when I wake
I jump in my car and go to a bar
Because it's so much warmer in there
For my decrepit soul
Then I get back to moving around
'Cause I'm cold

All wound up
All broken down
Animal person
Carnival clown
The only thing that hurts
Is knowing it gets worse
As it goes

I work every day 'til I'm tired
Emotionally uninspired
And some think I'll maybe get fired
But what else is new
You do what you do
Because you're told to
It's something of which I'm really not yet quite sold
But it must just be a problem with me
'Cause I'm cold"

Very downbeat lyrics on this track that reminds me of The Smiths a little bit. Its a very good song and a quality song from a Suitcase album. Other bands would love to have a song like this on their main albums but Bob just sticks it on an Outtake album. Genius.

The Flying Party

Taken from "Suitcase 1" 2003

"The flying party is here..."

This songs reminds me a bit of the short guitar bit on "Kid Marine". Its a soft minute of the title repeated until fade and is kind of mellow and sweet but definitely a joiner track.

Bug House (2 Version)

Taken from "Suitcase 1" 2003

"Sugary Jane cakes lace (?)
Her hair smells nice
First one is the worst one sometimes twice
Are you careful?
Are you in the mood?
Sugary Jane is sweet like baby food
I won't flame you
I can't blame you yet
But when you crave it
I'll say that's all you get
Knives are sharpened by fidgety hearts
Fidgety hearts are foaming like sweet tarts
*??? mosquitoes on the dough (?)
*Pull the plug and watch the party go"

2 songs for the price of one, well actually 2 different versions of the same song stitched together to show the progression and the different productions. I think I prefer the stripped down Guitar and Vocals version, though the slightly muffled version does have a certain charm to it.

Why Did You Land?

Taken from "Suitcase 1" 2003

"Standing around
Hoping everything works out
Cause I want them all to work out
You were always so in love with the truth
Why did you change?
Why did you land?

Look at the photograph
Nothing is real
Spend another lonely life
With nothing to feel

Was it something
In the stories everyone told you
You needn't heed them
Maybe you should read them
Go back to where you came from
Why did you land?
You couldn't stayed in flight forever

Look at the photograph
Nothing is real
Spend another lonely life
With nothing to feel

Why did you land?
Why did you land?
Why did you land?
Why did you land?
Why did you land?"

A demo version of a track that appears on a few Pollard releases. Starts off very slow and lumbering in this version (some versions tear through the song like nobodies business). A bit of a live favourite in its more upbeat form but this slower version is an interesting curiosity too.

Meddle

Taken from "Suitcase 1" 2003

"I'm never in your problems
You've never really been in mine
You're going over the middle
I'm crossing the line
I just wanna help
But you just really wanna argue
Won't you let it shine
What are dispositions
Can you make the right decisions
When our worlds collide?

I'm never in your problems
You've never really been in mine
??? we can dish it out or we can take it
Not a very good sign
Find out what we're thinking
Now we're far too busy thinking
Something passed us by
Block it ???
Stay behind or pass them through
Won't you let them by
Let them by..."

This song has an almost phasey sound to it with the guitars and vocals throbbing away but theres a great memorable tune tucked away in here too. The "Let Them By" chorus is quite lovely and the whole songs adds up to an interesting Suitcase snippet. You sometimes wish some of these Suitcase songs would be dusted off and given the more "major" production treatment on a main album.

Our Value Of Luxury

Taken from "Suitcase 1" 2003

"These men came down from heaven
Come here to tell you something
You stomped on rotting floorboards
Your world's an inaccurate graphic

Our value of luxury
Allows us to believe we are free
Our value of luxury
Allows us to believe we are free

That's OK we've got airplanes
Silos in mirrored highways
Your earmarked for collision
With frozen opposition"

For a Suitcase offcut this song sounds very produced and formed. It has a ethereal sounding vocal and a proper chorus that burst to life. Its not up there with Pollard classics but as I say has the sound of a proper song.

Shit Midas

Taken from "Suitcase 1" 2003

"Say shit Midas
This world's looking funny to you
World's looking funny to you
Shit Midas
Everything you touch
Everything you touch
Is turning to as much
Is turning to as much
As such
As you would have it
Shit Midas"

More Suitcase fun in this little song. Very delicately played and sung by Bob. Sometimes I feel like a Shit Midas. Everything you touch turns to crap. lol. Nice little ditty.

Mr. Media

Taken from "Suitcase 1" 2003

"Oh Mr. Media
Will you capture our heads
Mr. Media
Lives are breaking down
They will be ??? you
They will be calling you
Oh what would you be without your perfect world
Without your telescope under eiderdown
Hey give me the dope
Mr. Media
Well c'mon and ???
We told you everybodys's ??? now
About to break it down, break it down now
Mr. Media
Oh Mr. Media
Oh Mr. Media"

A simple strummed song with a very muffled vocal so its hard to pick out the lyrics. The song sounds new and both derivative at the same time. I cant put my finger on what old song this sounds like. Anyone?