Search - Guided By Voices - The Who Went Home and Cried on DVD

More a historical document than a concert video

Abe Sapien | 02/06/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"All complaints of poor audio/visual quality are noted, but that's not why you should buy this DVD. This DVD chronicles the last rehearsal and snippets of the last concert for bassist Greg Demos, a long time on again off again member, but more importantly a member during the Do the Collapse re-launch when GBV turned into a touring machine.

On some level its easy to compare Pollard's penchant for rotating through bandmates as sad in an "I'm Evan Dando and don't need anyone else" sort of way, but this film document shows in a small way how much Pollard cares about his friends and community. He's still a small town Dayton Ohio boy at heart.

My favorite part of the DVD is the label overlays they drop on friends of the band/Pollard like showing a big guy with a white mullet and labeling him "300lb Ghost", a reference to a GBV song. Its clear that Pollard's influences are just the freaks and oddities surrounding him.

This isn't for a fan looking for a great concert video, although there is some interesting behind the scenes concert footage, as well as some bonus concert tracks. Buy this if you are die hard, or if you like other band members outside of Pollard, or if you've ever wondered what hanging out with the band on a lazy Sunday would be like."

Step into the world of GBV....

Abe Sapien | 07/26/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Not many bands would release a DVD of a sunday jam recorded on primitive equipment, with poor visual and sound quality. Then again, not many bands are GBV, and once you get over the quality, you can enjoy what truly is an insight into the preparation of a show (some of which is shown on the DVD). There are some fantastic versions of songs old and new and you get to see Bob play guitar, which is a true treat. This DVD is also worth buying because of the addition of some footage from another show, which rocks. Recommended."

A day in the life of Rob Pollard

jeff_giant_robo | Fairfield, CT United States | 01/05/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The appeal of this DVD to me is its lo-fi look into the jam sessions of Rob Pollard. I always enjoyed the unpolished, raw audio recordings of GBV the most, and the porch footage in this DVD really captures that same essence. Its a brief, unfiltered look into Pollard's concert preparation (and some of the concert itself). If you'd like to see Rob Pollard jamming outside with some friends on a lazy, sunny afternoon, then you'll like this DVD. My only complaint is with the song selections for the DVD. I would have liked to have heard some more stuff from the pre-Urge Overkill era."