I believe I've noted a time or two here about songs discovered on the Canadian MTV, Much Music (which was actually, uh, much better than MTV). Sadly, Much Music as a music channel no longer exists...but we'll always have Paris....
Guided by Voices got its start in 1983 in Dayton, Ohio, and while they haven't had a great deal of commercial success, they have found their niche with a solid cult following that allows them to still be touring and recording to this day. There have been 25 different members, with the only constant being lead singer and songwriter Robert Pollard. The band has had three separate stints, from 1983-2004, 2010-2014, and from 2016 through the present. For their career, they have released 33 studio albums (including three just last year and one this year), two live albums, 19 EP's, and twelve compilations. Only three of their albums have ever hit the Billboard 200, with the highest hitting #160. They've also released 39 singles (many of them of my beloved 7" 45 records), and have never had one hit the Billboard Hot 100. Still, while I'm not familiar with most of their material, they are one of those bands that you just have to love, who have persevered and continued recording and touring despite their lack of commercial success, if only for the love of music and to please a small, devoted following. Hear, hear!
"Bulldog Skin" was released in 1997 on their oddly named LP, Mag Earwig! Neither never so much as sniffed the charts, though the single should have, goddamnit.
I enjoy nuanced and multi-layered rock and roll songs as much as anyone, but there's still a lot to be said for three chord garage rock, and "Bulldog Skin" is a proud member of its legion. There's nothing fancy (and there doesn't need to be) as the guitars rip right through those three chords and drive Pollard's defiant vocals through to the end. Near as I can tell this one's about developing mental toughness the hard way (experience) and keeping the gumption train rolling even when it's breaking down. There's an excuse me guitar solo thrown in toward the end, and the short and sweet chorus closes it out. "Bulldog Skin" makes the most of its two minutes and forty seconds, leaving us with a power pop punk gem--and another fist pumping wonder for Friday Night Jukebox.
Lyric Sheet: "I played around/I heard the sound/Of certain trouble on the way/I got bulldog skin..."
Unfortunately, I was unable to find the official music video (it's a heartwarming treat) on YouTube, so I had to settle for the famed Album Cover Video--nonetheless, enjoy:
537,000+ Dead Americans Because of Donald Trump's Incompetence
Peace,
emaycee
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