Guided By Voices – Chasing Heather Crazy

I hope everyone is having a fantastic Friday. I posted a song by this band a year or so ago. I really liked their sound and songs but after posting it I got distracted by something else. CB brought this band up to me recently and I returned to them. This song is a very good power pop song. You have some power and jangle…the recipe for good power pop…this band can dish it out.

Guided By Voices was formed in Dayton, Ohio, United States in 1983. The band’s lineup has changed several times throughout the band’s history, with its only constant member being singer/songwriter Bob Pollard. They are still together and touring… Bob Pollard is with the current lineup.

Bob Pollard is terribly prolific. They have had 37 studio albums, 12 Compilation albums, 19 EPs, 39 singles, 2 live albums, and 2 books! On top of that, they have appeared on several soundtracks including Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Crime and Punishment, Scrubs, and many more. They also counted Rik Ocasek as one of their producers.

Their first EP came out in 1986 and their first LP came out in 1987. They have released 15 albums since 2016.

Chasing Heather Crazy was released in 2001 on the Isolation Drills album. The album peaked at #6 on the Heat Seekers Charts, #8 on the Indie charts, and #168 on the Billboard Album Charts.

Review by Allmusic Tom Maginnis: “Chasing Heather Crazy” is a blissed-out rocker of the sort that showcases Robert Pollard’s sharp pop songcraft skills. His infectious melody is fully fleshed out here, with big clean studio production miles removed from the scrappy lo-fi quality of past efforts, such as Bee Thousand, which first brought Guided By Voices to the attention of the mainstream press and independent rock audiences alike. Pollard also seems more comfortable delving into personal matters, addressing his lyrics with a directness that was seldom found on earlier works, which also helps bring a margin of intimacy that could otherwise be lost in the slickness of the recording. 

Chasing Heather Crazy

Trailing off the likes of it
She likes it when it grows
Sending out a candidate
She’s sinking her foes
Peaking out then leveling
Wherever it goes

And her mother will greet you
And a river will reach you
Breaking out to make you slave again

Chasing Heather crazy
Chasing Heather crazy
Making sure that all the world is coming down
All the world is coming down on her
Anywhere I want to
And if you want to come too
We’ll go down where
All the girls are stumblin’ round
All the world is crumbling down around her

Staring out from otherworldly windows painted red
Doesn’t have to listen to the voices in your head
That’s a different lie
Do you remember what was said?

And her mother will greet you
And a river will reach you
Breaking out to make you slave again

Chasing Heather crazy
Chasing Heather crazy
Making sure that all the world is coming down
All the world is coming down on her
Anywhere I want to
And if you want to come too
We’ll go down where
All the girls are stumblin’ round
All the world is crumbling down around her

Around her
Around her
Around her
Around her

…

Unknown's avatar

Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

26 thoughts on “Guided By Voices – Chasing Heather Crazy”

      2. Thanks Randy…one of the biggest reasons I started to blog was because of bands like Big Star who never got their due. I thought if one person listens…my job is done lol.

        Liked by 1 person

  5. nice jangly sound on this one and a very interesting, cool video – looks like a big label one that the company spent a lot of money on more than an indie one. Got to admire their durability and productivity- 37 albums!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  9. Wow, “Chasing Heather Crazy” is one of those tunes where I only need to listen to the first few bars to know I dig it – that jangly guitar sound is totally up my alley!

    I’m pretty sure I read your previous post from a year ago. Then I ran into the same issue you apparently did: I was on to a million other things and cheerfully forgot about Guided By Voices.

    I still have this problem. With my attempts to keep up with newly released music, it’s probably even worse than ever before! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. I know man…that album…if FULL of these songs. The song that most people point to is Glad Girls…thats the post I did before. If CB wouldn’t have mentioned it…I probably would have fogot again. You just don’t hear this band everyday. I did hear of them before though…but knew nothing.

      It’s hard to stay concentrated I agree.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  10. I remember hearing them for the first time, after hearing their reputation, they were a lot more classic rock-sounding than I expected, reminding me of The Who. Lots of good songs, including this one.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  11. Though I’ve been familiar with their name for years, I’m not very familiar with their music. This is a good song, and I’m now listening to more of their music on Spotify. Many of their songs are on the short side, and to my ears, Robert Pollard almost sounds British.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

Leave a comment