Zeppelin Over Dayton - by Jeff Gomez (Paperback)

About the Book

The first serious study of Guided By Voices, one of the most important rock groups of the past thirty years.

Book Synopsis

Led by indefatigable singer and songwriter Robert Pollard, GBV are one of the most important rock groups of the past thirty years. After toiling for a decade in obscurity, they broke onto the scene in the early '90s by delivering generation- and genre-defining records such as 1994's Bee Thousand and 1995's Alien Lanes.

Pollard and a rotating cast of musicians have kept at it ever since, releasing LP after LP of stadium-worthy rock'n'roll. Zeppelin Over Dayton: Guided By Voices Album By Album is the first serious and comprehensive look at the band's work. Based on the popular GBV podcast Self-Inflicted Aural Nostalgia, it takes an in-depth look at each one of the group's records, looking at who was in the band at the time and how the LP fits into the band's discography, and providing commentary and analysis of every song.

Drawing on new interviews and extensive research, Zeppelin Over Dayton offers an honest and thorough assessment of GBV's amazingly sprawling discography, providing ardent admirers with tons of fresh anecdotes and insight, and new fans a way to successfully navigate the group's dozens of LPs.

Review Quotes

"In the early 80s, Bob came to practice with a list of band names. As he read through them the one that stuck out was Guided By Voices. That was it. It had a magic about it, as if a window to the future of the band had been opened, and a vision of what the band would be could be seen To me, it felt like it was to be, and we were on our way to a journey into rock history. Little did I realize how long and plentiful the GBV journey would be. Jeff Gomez lets you travel that road with all the elements and players that would make up GBV as a whole. A psychedelic ride from album to album, song by song, with the love, and studied detail of a dedicated Guided By Voices fan. And, like my moment of hearing Old Battery for the first time, after finishing this book, you will want to experience it again."--Tobin Sprout (Guided By Voices, 1987-97, 2010-14)

"There are too many books about the wrong songwriting Bob. With Zeppelin Over Dayton, Jeff kicks off what I hope will develop into a rich, vast field of study that aims to analyze, organize, and reckon with the massive universe of art Bob Pollard has invented on this cool planet. Gomez's level of detail is impressive, and his associations with other cultural touchstones are unexpected and delightful. Its a reference book for hot freaks and a helpful guide through the discography of the greatest rock band of all time."--Ryan H. Walsh, author of Astral Weeks: A Secret History Of 1968

About the Author

A writer of fiction and non-fiction, Jeff Gomez has been a fan of Guided By Voices for over twenty-five years and has seen the band live numerous times. He has also written music criticism and interviewed bands. His first two novels, 1995's Our Noise and 1997s Geniuses of Crack, were set in the world of indie rock.