Guided By Voices: Robert Pollard (vocals, guitar); Steve Wilbur (guitar, bass); Jim Pollard (guitar); Mitch Mitchell (bass); Payton Eric, Kevin Fennell (drums).

Additional personnel includes: Tobin Sprout, Bruce Smith.

Producers: Bob, Guided By Voices, Steve Wilbur.

Engineers include: Steve Wilbur.

Recorded between 1986 and 1993.

Compiling all of Guided By Voices' '80s albums -- Devil Between My Toes, Sandbox, Self-Inflicted Aerial Nostalgia, and Same Place the Fly Got Smashed (the vinyl version includes Propeller, which was on the Vampire on Titus CD) -- and adding a collection of rarities called King Shit and the Golden Boys, Box is a bit of an intimidating listen for some devoted fans, let alone beginners. On each of their albums, Guided By Voices packs their records full of brief songs -- if they reach the three-minute mark, it's an epic for the band. That can make such a massive collection of music rather daunting; it all seems to speed by without much distinction, if you're listening casually, but on closer inspection, it withstands repeated listens. The first records, Devils and Sandbox, are unpolished versions of R.E.M.'s Murmur. On the next two albums, the group's distinctive, British Invasion-inspired abbreviated pop begins to coalesce; their music sounds more like messages than songs, albeit messages that are driven by undeniable hooks. Retailing for under $50, Box is a worthwhile investment for dedicated fans. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Most bands don't generate enough material for a five-CD box set in their entire careers, but Guided by Voices didn't break a sweat in collecting this trove. Active in their hometown of Dayton, Ohio since the mid-'80s, Robert Pollard, Jim Pollard, Tobin Sprout, and Mitch Mitchell had recorded over a dozen albums, EPs, and singles before 1994's BEE THOUSAND made them the darlings of the newly dubbed lo-fi underground. So new fans might have a chance to catch up with the band's long pre-"fame" career, GbV released the unpretentiously titled BOX.

This handsome package containins four of GbV's first five albums--DEVIL BETWEEN MY TOES, SANDBOX, SELF-INFLICTED AERIAL NOSTALGIA, and SAME PLACE THE FLY GOT SMASHED--excluding only the debut FOREVER SINCE BREAKFAST. The set also includes an exclusive CD of 19 previously unreleased tracks, many of them outtakes from the BEE THOUSAND sessions. BOX documents GbV's growth as the musicians shattered their influences--Wire, R.E.M., British Invasion pop, and jangly '80s post-punk-and gradually reassembled the shards into something startlingly new. Hardcore GbV enthusiasts and casual fans alike will find this collection essential and illuminating.