Editing Guided by Voices (section)

=== Lo-fi era (1992–1996) ===
With the release of the ultra-limited album ''[[Propeller (Guided by Voices album)|Propeller]]'' in 1992 (of which only 500 copies were pressed, each with a unique, handmade cover), Guided by Voices for the first time gained some recognition outside of their hometown. This was due in part to gaining fans in the [[college rock]] circuit and bands such as [[Sonic Youth]], [[R.E.M.]] and [[The Breeders]].  New York City and Philadelphia were host to Guided by Voices' return to the live stage (and first shows outside of Ohio) in 1993.  At this time, the always-fluid Guided by Voices lineup coalesced around the core of Pollard, guitarists [[Tobin Sprout]] and Mitch Mitchell (not to be confused with [[Jimi Hendrix]]'s drummer), bassist [[Greg Demos]], and drummer [[Kevin Fennell]].  Sprout, who was briefly featured in an early-'80s version of the band, had re-joined circa ''Propeller'' and soon became Pollard's primary musical foil, in addition to contributing several of his own songs to the band's catalog. 1993 also saw the release of ''[[Vampire on Titus]]'', as well as the ''[[Fast Japanese Spin Cycle]]'' and ''[[Static Airplane Jive]]'' EPs.  Over the next year, the band began to receive national media exposure from sources such as ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]'' magazine.

In 1994, after culling both new songs and reams of archival recordings from GBV's history, Pollard delivered the indie landmark ''[[Bee Thousand]]'' via [[Scat Records]], with a distribution deal through indie label [[Matador Records]].  Soon, the band officially signed with Matador, concurrent with Pollard and his bandmates finally retiring from their day jobs to work in music full-time.  The band surprised early audiences accustomed to the generally shambling, lo-fi and collage-like quality of the records with their energetic live show, featuring Pollard's homegrown rock theatrics (consisting of karate-kicks, leaps, [[Roger Daltrey]]-inspired mic-twirling, later beer can throwing at rival bands<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/Xnb4GuuR2Lw Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20181010044323/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xnb4GuuR2Lw Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{Cite web|publisher=[[YouTube]]|title=Bob Pollard throwing empty beer can at band|date=July 11, 2010|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xnb4GuuR2Lw&list=LLzjuRvUk5CF_p8rBConuR8g&index=15|access-date=November 7, 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref>), Mitch Mitchell's [[Guitar showmanship|windmilling]] and [[chain smoking]], sometime bassist [[Greg Demos]]' striped pants, a never-ending barrage of tunes that all seemed to clock in under 90 seconds, and prodigious alcohol consumption all around.

Their true Matador debut came in 1995 with ''[[Alien Lanes]]'', which, despite a five-figure recording allowance, was constructed out of home-recorded snippets on the cheap.  The band's underground following continued to grow, with notices coming from mainstream sources such as [[MTV]] and ''[[Rolling Stone]]''. After sessions for a concept album entitled The Power of Suck were aborted, the band assembled ''[[Under the Bushes Under the Stars]]'' out of their first 24-track studio sessions, recorded with [[Kim Deal]] and [[Steve Albini]] among others, in 1996. However, the strain of heavy touring would ultimately lead to the demise of the "classic lineup", with Sprout deciding to retire from the road in order to focus on raising his first child, his painting, and his solo musical career.  Sprout and Pollard marked the occasion by releasing simultaneous solo albums on the same day in 1996: Sprout's ''[[Carnival Boy]]'' and Pollard's ''[[Not in My Airforce]]'', with each making a guest appearance on the other's album. Pollard maintained an active, parallel solo and side project career alongside GBV releases for the remainder of that band's existence.