Guided by Voices

USA, 1983–now

Dayton, Ohio band led by Robert Pollard, known for a very large output of short songs recorded on four-track cassette. Bee Thousand and Alien Lanes made them central to American lo-fi indie rock of the 1990s.

MusicRoots documents 4 artists who influenced Guided by Voices and 0 artists Guided by Voices influenced in turn. Every connection cites a published source.

Who influenced Guided by Voices?

• The Beatles — Robert Pollard's whole method chases Beatles-style pop craft — 'we always wanted to be The Beatles on record'.
• The Who — The Who's explosive live rock is the other half of Pollard's ideal — 'The Beatles on record and The Who live'.
• King Crimson — The dark, cerebral heaviness of early-1970s prog — King Crimson among them — runs beneath Pollard's pop.
• R.E.M. — R.E.M.'s melodic American college rock is among the touchstones for Guided by Voices' indie songcraft.