Superman Was a Rocker

Last updated
Superman Was A Rocker
Supermancover.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedJanuary 29, 2008
Recorded1980–2007
Genre Rock, indie rock
Label Happy Jack Rock Records
Producer Robert Pollard, Todd Tobias
Robert Pollard chronology
Coast to Coast Carpet of Love
(2007)
Superman Was A Rocker
(2008)
Weatherman and Skin Goddess
(2008)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg link
Pitchfork Media 5.0/10 link
Pop Matters Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg link

Superman Was A Rocker is the ninth studio album from singer-songwriter Robert Pollard. It was released on January 29, 2008. Superman Was a Rocker marks the first LP released by Pollard's Happy Jack Rock Records label. [1] It differs from Pollard's past solo albums in that it is very lo-fi in comparison to his more polished releases.

Contents

Background

The album was created by adding vocals to previously unused instrumentals, spanning nearly three decades of dormant recordings. The track "Back to the Farm" opens with a radio conversation supposedly between Guided by Voices band members and a southern speaking critic of their music. Many of the GBV band members appear on the recording as a result of the extended periods of the work.

According to the Rockathon Music website:

"Robert Pollard's Superman Was A Rocker is a return to old ways for Bob. This mini-album (13 songs, 30 minutes) finds Bob using recording methods that he hasn't engaged in since the old GBV days."

"Bob recently poured through a bunch of old cassette tapes of his and found some great instrumentals that he either wrote or co-wrote, and never used. He decided to go into the studio and put vocals (and melodies!) over them."

Track listing

  1. "Another Man's Blood"
  2. "Go Down First"
  3. "Back to the Farm" (instrumental)
  4. "Substitute Heaven"
  5. "Prince Alphabet"
  6. "You Drove the Snake Crazy"
  7. "Surveillance"
  8. "Fascination Attempt"
  9. "Love Your Spaceman"
  10. "Jumping"
  11. "St. Leroy"
  12. "Peacock"
  13. "More Hot Dogs Please"

Personnel

Other/production

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Surfaris</span> American surf rock band

The Surfaris are an American surf music band formed in Glendora, California, in 1962. They are best known for two songs that hit the charts in the Los Angeles area, and nationally by May 1963: "Surfer Joe" and "Wipe Out", which were the A-side and B-side of the same 45 rpm single.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guided by Voices</span> American indie rock band

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.

<i>Surrealistic Pillow</i> 1967 studio album by Jefferson Airplane

Surrealistic Pillow is the second studio album by the American rock band Jefferson Airplane, released on February 1, 1967, by RCA Victor. It is the first album by the band with vocalist Grace Slick and drummer Spencer Dryden. The album peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 and has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It is considered to be one of the most influential and quintessential works of the early psychedelic rock era and 1960s counterculture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crash Test Dummies</span> Canadian rock band

Crash Test Dummies are a Canadian rock band from Winnipeg, Manitoba.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Pollard</span> American singer and songwriter

Robert Ellsworth Pollard Jr. is an American singer and songwriter. He is the leader of indie rock group Guided by Voices. In addition to this, he has also released 22 solo albums.

<i>You Bought It – You Name It</i> 1983 studio album by Joe Walsh

You Bought It – You Name It is the sixth studio album by the American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Joe Walsh. The album was released in mid 1983, on the label Warner Bros., two years after Walsh's successful album There Goes the Neighborhood. It was Walsh's second and final studio album to feature George "Chocolate" Perry as producer.

<i>Stranger in Town</i> (album) 1978 studio album by Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band

Stranger in Town is the tenth studio album by American rock singer Bob Seger and his second with the Silver Bullet Band, released by Capitol Records in May 1978. As with its predecessor, the Silver Bullet Band backed Seger on about half of the songs and the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section backed Seger on the other half.

<i>Nosferatu</i> (Hugh Cornwell and Robert Williams album) 1979 studio album by Hugh Cornwell and Robert Williams

Nosferatu is an album by Hugh Cornwell of the Stranglers and Robert Williams, drummer in Captain Beefheart's Magic Band. It was released on 16 November 1979 by United Artists.

<i>Welcome</i> (Santana album) 1973 studio album by Santana

Welcome is the fifth studio album by Santana, released in 1973. It followed the jazz-fusion formula that the preceding Caravanserai had inaugurated, but with an expanded and different lineup this time. Gregg Rolie had left the band along with Neal Schon to form Journey, and they were replaced by Tom Coster, Richard Kermode and Leon Thomas, along with guest John McLaughlin, who had collaborated with Carlos Santana on Love Devotion Surrender. Welcome also featured John Coltrane's widow, Alice, as a pianist on the album's opening track, "Going Home" and Flora Purim on vocals. This album was far more experimental than the first four albums, and Welcome did not produce any hit singles.

<i>They Only Come Out at Night</i> 1972 studio album by The Edgar Winter Group

They Only Come Out at Night is the debut studio album by American rock band The Edgar Winter Group, released in November 1972 by Epic Records. A commercial success, the album reached #3 on the US Billboard 200 chart and features the band's signature songs, "Frankenstein" and "Free Ride". The album was certified gold on April 30, 1973, and platinum on November 21, 1986, by the RIAA. The single "Frankenstein" was certified gold June 19, 1973, by the RIAA. In Canada, the album reached #4 on 2 separate occasions - May 5 and June 16, totaling 14 weeks in the top 10. The third single, "Hangin' Around", reached #39 in the singles chart.

<i>Waved Out</i> 1998 studio album by Robert Pollard

Waved Out is the second solo studio album by the American indie rock musician Robert Pollard, released in 1998 on Matador Records.

<i>Missing Man Formation</i> (album) 1998 studio album by Missing Man Formation

Missing Man Formation is an album by the rock band Missing Man Formation. Their only album, it was released by Grateful Dead Records on April 28, 1998.

<i>The Flying Burrito Bros</i> (album) 1971 studio album by The Flying Burrito Brothers

The Flying Burrito Bros is the third album by the country rock group, The Flying Burrito Brothers, released in the spring of 1971. Before recording sessions for the album began, Chris Hillman fired Gram Parsons from the band, leaving Hillman and "Sneaky" Pete Kleinow as the only original continuing members. In Parsons' place, the band hired a young unknown musician named Rick Roberts, who later was the primary lead singer of Firefall. Guitarist Bernie Leadon would also leave the band shortly after the album's release, going on to co-found the Eagles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geraint Watkins</span> Musical artist

Geraint Meurig Vaughan Watkins is a Welsh singer, songwriter, rock and roll pianist and accordionist. He has backed many notable artists, including Nick Lowe, Dave Edmunds, Van Morrison, Mark Knopfler, Paul McCartney, Roy St. John, Shakin' Stevens and most recently Status Quo. He has also pursued a solo career and issued a number of albums under his own name, the most recent of which, Rush of Blood, was released in September 2019.

<i>Tinsel Town Rebellion</i> 1981 live album with studio elements by Frank Zappa

Tinsel Town Rebellion is a double live album released by Frank Zappa in May 1981. The album was conceived by Zappa after he scrapped the planned albums Warts and All and Crush All Boxes, and contains tracks that were intended for those albums.

<i>More Light</i> (J Mascis + The Fog album) 2000 studio album by J Mascis The Fog

More Light is the debut album by the alternative rock band J Mascis + The Fog, released in 2000. It can be seen as a solo album of sorts because Mascis played almost all of the instruments on the recording.

<i>Inside</i> (White Heart album) 1995 studio album by White Heart

Inside is the tenth album by the Christian rock band White Heart and the band's only album with John Thorn on bass guitar and also the final album for both lead guitarist Brian Wooten and drummer Jon Knox. The band stylized its name as Whiteheart for this album. It is the first of two albums released on Curb Records. The album was produced by Ken Scott, whose producing and engineering credits include the Beatles, Elton John, Supertramp and David Bowie. Whiteheart's sound was scaled back from the arena rock from their previous releases to a more modern rock sound. Music videos were made for "Even the Hardest Heart" and "Inside".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">(Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman</span> 1978 single by The Kinks

"(Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman" is a song written by Ray Davies that was first released on the Kinks' 1979 album, Low Budget. The song, inspired by Superman: The Movie, employs a disco beat and lyrics that describe the singer's wish to be like the fictional character Superman. The song's disco style was created as a response to Arista Records founder Clive Davis's request for "a club-friendly record," despite Ray Davies' hatred of disco.

Everest is a rock band from Los Angeles, California and Nashville, Tennessee, which consists of Russell Pollard, Joel Graves, Elijah Thomson, and Dan Bailey (drums). The band released three acclaimed full length albums respectively on Neil Young and Elliot Robertss' Vapor Records, Warner Bros. Records and ATO Records. The group toured extensively in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Europe with artists such as Neil Young, Wilco, My Morning Jacket, Death Cab for Cutie, Hayden, Minus the Bear and Young the Giant and more. The band performed on live national television broadcasts including Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, and The Late Show With David Letterman.

"City's Burning" is a song by the American rock band Heart, which was released in 1982 as the opening track on their sixth studio album Private Audition. It was written by Ann Wilson, Nancy Wilson, Sue Ennis, and produced by the Wilsons, Ennis and Howard Leese. The song reached No. 15 on the US Billboard Rock Albums & Top Tracks chart. A music video was filmed to promote the song. The song was re-recorded for the band's sixteenth studio album, Beautiful Broken, released in 2016.

References

  1. "Superman Was A Rocker - Robert Pollard". GBVDB.
  2. "Robert Pollard - Superman Was a Rocker (credits section)". AllMusic .