| Devil Between My Toes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 15, 1987 | |||
| Recorded | October 1986 – February 1987 | |||
| Studio | Steve Wilbur's home studio (Dayton, Ohio) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Label | Ə Records | |||
| Producer | Robert Pollard | |||
| Guided by Voices chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [1] |
Devil Between My Toes is the debut studio album by American indie rock band Guided by Voices. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]
After consistently receiving lukewarm reception from Dayton locals and poor sales of their first release, 1986's Forever Since Breakfast , GbV had stopped playing live and dedicated themselves to be a studio band only.
This would be the first of multiple GbV releases (until Vampire on Titus ) produced by Steve Wilbur in his 8-track studio. With the exception of "Crux", "3 Year Old Man", "A Proud And Booming Industry", "Artboat", and "Bread Alone", which were recorded in R. Pollard's basement, all songs were recorded with Wilbur. The album was self-financed and only 300 original pressings were released. [2]
The cover art was initially supposed to be a painting done by a high school friend's of Pollard depicting a "colonial-era cockfight" that would be redone to include “bikers and businessmen and shit”, [7] but when the friend could not be located, the band instead used an image of Pollard's rooster, Big Daddy, that then-bassist and later-guitarist Mitch Mitchell took through a chain link fence. "Big Daddy" was later referenced in the song "Don't Stop Now", off of 1995's King Shit and the Golden Boys, with a studio version appearing in 1996's Under the Bushes Under the Stars . [8]
Several of the songs would be re-issued on the 1993 European GbV compilation "An Earful 'o Wax", and then the whole record would be re-issued later in 1995 on Scat Records as a part of the Box compilation. Scat Records reissued it again in 2021.
Devil Between My Toes has been described as post-punk. In an article for HHVmag, writer Bjorn Bischoff stated, "Influences of R.E.M. and post-punk can be heard, but also the charming touch of Guided By Voices itself. While in "A Portrait Destroyed by Fire" the guitar intones a swan song, "Discussing Wallace Chambers" delivers much more light-hearted tones that anticipate part of the band's future sound. [2]
The song "Hank's Little Fingers" is about a friend of Pollard's, who had a birth defect on his right hand and played guitar.
All tracks are written by Robert Pollard except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Old Battery" | 1:46 | |
| 2. | "Discussing Wallace Chambers" | 1:48 | |
| 3. | "Cyclops" | 1:50 | |
| 4. | "Crux" | R. Pollard, Jim Pollard, Mitch Mitchell | 2:24 |
| 5. | "A Portrait Destroyed By Fire" | R. Pollard, Mitchell | 5:09 |
| 6. | "3 Year Old Man" | R. Pollard, J. Pollard | 1:39 |
| 7. | "Dog's Out" | 2:09 | |
| 8. | "A Proud And Booming Industry" | R. Pollard, J. Pollard, Mitchell | 1:03 |
| 9. | "Hank's Little Fingers" | 2:13 | |
| 10. | "Artboat" | 2:27 | |
| 11. | "Hey Hey, Spaceman" | 2:51 | |
| 12. | "The Tumblers" | 2:39 | |
| 13. | "Bread Alone" | R. Pollard, J. Pollard | 1:09 |
| 14. | "Captain's Dead" | 2:00 |
Guided by Voices (GBV) is an American indie rock band formed in 1983 in Dayton, Ohio. It has made frequent personnel changes but always maintained the presence of principal songwriter Robert Pollard. The most well-known lineup of the band consisted of Pollard, his brother Jim, Mitch Mitchell, Tobin Sprout, Kevin Fennell (drums), and bassist Greg Demos. Noted at first for its lo-fi aesthetic and Portastudio four-tracks-to-cassette production methods, Guided by Voices' music was influenced by early post–British Invasion garage rock, psychedelic rock, progressive rock, punk rock and post-punk. The band has had a prolific output, releasing 35 full-length albums along with many other releases, and has garnered a dedicated cult following. Their songs are known for their frequent brevity and for ending abruptly or intertwining with homemade sound effects.
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William Sherille Levise Jr., known professionally as Mitch Ryder, is an American rock singer who has recorded more than 25 albums over more than four decades.
Robert Ellsworth Pollard Jr. is an American singer and songwriter who is the leader and creative force behind indie rock group Guided by Voices. In addition to his work with Guided by Voices, he continues to have a prolific solo career with 22 solo albums released so far.
Tobin Sprout is an American visual artist, musician, songwriter, and children's author. He is best known as a former member of the indie rock band Guided by Voices. He served as a secondary major songwriter and guitarist of the group from 1987 to 1997 and again from 2010 to 2014.
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Under the Bushes Under the Stars is the ninth Guided by Voices album overall, and the last until 2012's Let's Go Eat the Factory to feature the "classic" lineup including Tobin Sprout, Mitch Mitchell, and Kevin Fennell in addition to leader Robert Pollard. The album is noted as Guided by Voices' first stab at professionalism, being recorded in 24 track studios rather than their customary 4 track. Sessions for the album were reportedly arduous, spread as they were across at least four studios and as many sets of producers, and many titles and configurations were vetted before a final sequence was reached.
Suitcase: Failed Experiments and Trashed Aircraft is a four-CD box set released by Guided by Voices in 2000. Named for the reputed literal suitcase in which the bandleader Robert Pollard allegedly stored his hundreds of unreleased tapes, the set is a trawl through decades worth of material from throughout Guided by Voices' recorded career.
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