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2008 studio album by Robert Pollard

Superman Was A Rocker

Studio album by Robert Pollard

Released

January 29, 2008

Recorded

1980–2007

Genre

Rock, indie rock

Label

Happy Jack Rock Records

Producer

Robert Pollard, Todd Tobias

Robert Pollard chronology

Coast to Coast Carpet of Love
(2007)

Superman Was A Rocker
(2008)

Weatherman and Skin Goddess
(2008)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	link
Pitchfork Media	5.0/10 link
Pop Matters	link

Superman Was A Rocker is the ninth studio album from singer-songwriter Robert Pollard. It was released on January 29, 2008. Superman Was a Rocker marks the first LP released by Pollard's Happy Jack Rock Records label. It differs from Pollard's past solo albums in that it is very lo-fi in comparison to his more polished releases.

Background

The album was created by adding vocals to previously unused instrumentals, spanning nearly three decades of dormant recordings. The track "Back to the Farm" opens with a radio conversation supposedly between Guided by Voices band members and a southern speaking critic of their music. Many of the GBV band members appear on the recording as a result of the extended periods of the work.

According to the Rockathon Music website:

"Robert Pollard's Superman Was A Rocker is a return to old ways for Bob. This mini-album (13 songs, 30 minutes) finds Bob using recording methods that he hasn't engaged in since the old GBV days."
"Bob recently poured through a bunch of old cassette tapes of his and found some great instrumentals that he either wrote or co-wrote, and never used. He decided to go into the studio and put vocals (and melodies!) over them."

Track listing

"Another Man's Blood"
"Go Down First"
"Back to the Farm" (instrumental)
"Substitute Heaven"
"Prince Alphabet"
"You Drove the Snake Crazy"
"Surveillance"
"Fascination Attempt"
"Love Your Spaceman"
"Jumping"
"St. Leroy"
"Peacock"
"More Hot Dogs Please"

Personnel

Robert Pollard - Vocals, guitar, piano, producer
Jim Pollard - Bass, drums, guitar,
Tobin Sprout - Drums
Mitch Mitchell - Bass, guitar
John Bert Dodson - Drum machine, guitar

Other/production

Kevin March - Engineer, various Instruments
Todd Tobias - Audio Engineer, Producer, Vocal Engineer

References

v t e Guided by Voices
Robert Pollard Doug Gillard Mark Shue Bobby Bare Jr. Kevin March Tobin Sprout Mitch Mitchell Greg Demos Kevin Fennell Jim Macpherson James Greer Discography
Studio albums	Devil Between My Toes (1987) Sandbox (1987) Self-Inflicted Aerial Nostalgia (1989) Same Place the Fly Got Smashed (1990) Propeller (1992) Vampire on Titus (1993) Bee Thousand (1994) Alien Lanes (1995) Under the Bushes Under the Stars (1996) Tonics & Twisted Chasers (1996) Mag Earwhig! (1997) Do the Collapse (1999) Isolation Drills (2001) Universal Truths and Cycles (2002) Earthquake Glue (2003) Half Smiles of the Decomposed (2004) Let's Go Eat the Factory (2012) Class Clown Spots a UFO (2012) The Bears for Lunch (2012) English Little League (2013) Motivational Jumpsuit (2014) Cool Planet (2014) Please Be Honest (2016) August by Cake (2017) How Do You Spell Heaven (2017) Space Gun (2018) Zeppelin Over China (2019) Warp and Woof (2019) Sweating the Plague (2019) Surrender Your Poppy Field (2020) Mirrored Aztec (2020) Styles We Paid For (2020) Earth Man Blues (2021) It's Not Them. It Couldn't Be Them. It Is Them! (2021) Crystal Nuns Cathedral (2022) Tremblers and Goggles by Rank (2022) La La Land (2023) Welshpool Frillies (2023) Nowhere to Go but Up (2023) Strut of Kings (2024)
EPs	Forever Since Breakfast (1986) The Grand Hour (1993) Static Airplane Jive (1993) Get Out of My Stations (1994) Fast Japanese Spin Cycle (1994) Clown Prince of the Menthol Trailer (1994) I Am a Scientist (1994) Tigerbomb (1995) Sunfish Holy Breakfast (1996) Plantations of Pale Pink (1996) Wish in One Hand… (1997) Plugs for the Program (1999) Hold on Hope (2000) Dayton, Ohio–19 Something and 5 (2000) Daredevil Stamp Collector (2001) The Pipe Dreams of Instant Prince Whippet (2002) Down by the Racetrack (2013) Wine Cork Stonehenge (2018) 100 Dougs (2018) 1901 Acid Rock (2019) Umlaut Over the Ozone (2019)
Live albums	Live from Austin, TX (2007)
Compilation albums	The Best of Guided by Voices: Human Amusements at Hourly Rates (2003) Crickets: Best of the Fading Captain Series 1999–2007 (2007) Scalping the Guru (2022)
Box sets	Box (1995) Suitcase: Failed Experiments and Trashed Aircraft (2000) Hardcore UFOs: Revelations, Epiphanies and Fast Food in the Western Hemisphere (2003) Suitcase 2: American Superdream Wow (2005) Suitcase 3: Up We Go Now (2009) Suitcase 4: Captain Kangaroo Won the War (2015)
Robert Pollard solo albums	Not in My Airforce (1996) Waved Out (1998) Kid Marine (1999) Motel of Fools (2003) Fiction Man (2004) Relaxation of the Asshole (2005) From a Compound Eye (2006) Normal Happiness (2006) Silverfish Trivia (2007) Standard Gargoyle Decisions (2007) Coast to Coast Carpet of Love (2007) Superman Was a Rocker (2008) Weatherman and Skin Goddess (2008) Robert Pollard Is Off to Business (2008) The Crawling Distance (2009) Elephant Jokes (2009) We All Got Out of the Army (2010) Moses on a Snail (2010) Space City Kicks (2011) Lord of the Birdcage (2011) Mouseman Cloud (2012) Jack Sells the Cow (2012) Honey Locust Honky Tonk (2013) Blazing Gentlemen (2013) Faulty Superheroes (2015) Of Course You Are (2016)
Tobin Sprout albums	Carnival Boy (1996) Moonflower Plastic (1997) Let's Welcome the Circus People (1999) Lost Planets & Phantom Voices (2003) The Bluebirds of Happiness Tried to Land on My Shoulder (2010) The Universe & Me (2017)
Airport 5 albums	Tower in the Fountain of Sparks (2001) Life Starts Here (2002)
Boston Spaceships albums	Brown Submarine (2008) The Planets are Blasted (2009) Zero to 99 (2009) Our Cubehouse Still Rocks (2010) Let It Beard (2011)
Lifeguards and Doug Gillard albums	Speak Kindly of Your Volunteer Fire Department (1999) Mist King Urth (2003) Waving at the Astronauts (2011)
Robert Pollard side projects	In Shop We Build Electric Chairs: Professional Music by Nightwalker 1984–1993 (1999) Big Trouble (2000) Choreographed Man of War (2001) Calling Zero (2002) Blues and Boogie Shoes (2006)
Circus Devils albums	Ringworm Interiors (2001) The Harold Pig Memorial (2002) Pinball Mars (2004) Five (2005) Sgt. Disco (2007) Ataxia (2008) Gringo (2009) Mother Skinny (2010) Capsized! (2011) When Machines Attack (2013) My Mind Has Seen the White Trick (2013) Escape (2014) Stomping Grounds (2015) Laughs Last (2017)

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