Alien Lanes

The Matador debut: 28 songs in 41 minutes, made at home on a big label's money.
Guided by Voices, 1995

Released
4 April 1995
Recorded
1994
Studio
Tobin Sprout's home studio, Dayton
Label
Matador
Producer
Robert Pollard
Length
41:01

Recorded in 1994 at Tobin Sprout's home studio in Dayton, with Sprout engineering and Bob Ludwig mastering. Matador's advance was close to $100,000, and Jim Greer said the recording cost about ten dollars, not counting the beer. Motor Away was the single. Pitchfork gave it 9.2, Magnet named it the album of 1995, and songs from it have been covered by the Strokes, Jimmy Eat World and Magnapop. Its 25th-anniversary vinyl in 2020 launched Matador's Revisionist History reissue series.

Track listing

  1. A Salty Salute1:29
  2. Evil Speakers0:58
  3. Watch Me Jumpstart2:24
  4. They're Not Witches0:51
  5. As We Go Up, We Go Down1:37
  6. (I Wanna Be A) Dumbcharger1:13
  7. Game of Pricks1:33
  8. The Ugly Vision1:35
  9. A Good Flying Bird1:07
  10. Cigarette Tricks0:18
  11. Pimple Zoo0:42
  12. Big Chief Chinese Restaurant0:56
  13. Closer You Are1:56
  14. Auditorium1:02
  15. Motor Away2:06
  16. Hit0:22
  17. My Valuable Hunting Knife2:00
  18. Gold Hick0:30
  19. King and Caroline1:36
  20. Striped White Jets2:15
  21. Ex-Supermodel1:06
  22. Blimps Go 901:40
  23. Strawdogs1:17
  24. Chicken Blows2:21
  25. Little Whirl1:46
  26. My Son Cool1:41
  27. Always Crush Me1:44
  28. Alright2:56

Personnel

More from Guided by Voices

Bee Thousand (1994), Isolation Drills (2001), I Am a Scientist / Tractor Rape Chain (30th Anniversary Versions) (2024)

Sources

  1. Alien Lanes, Wikipedia
  2. Alien Lanes, GBVDB
  3. Guided by Voices documentary, Paste (2020)