# Carnival Boy

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***Carnival Boy*** is the debut solo album by the former [Guided by Voices](/source/Guided_by_Voices) member [Tobin Sprout](/source/Tobin_Sprout), released in 1996.[3][4]

## Production

The album was produced by Sprout.[5] "The Bone Yard" is an instrumental track.[6] GBV's [Kevin Fennell](/source/Kevin_Fennell) played drums on the album; Sprout played all of the other instruments.[7]

## Critical reception

*[Entertainment Weekly](/source/Entertainment_Weekly)* called the album "more carefully crafted and compositionally linear but no less infectious" than [Robert Pollard](/source/Robert_Pollard)'s *[Not in My Airforce](/source/Not_in_My_Airforce)*, released at the same time.[8] *[Rolling Stone](/source/Rolling_Stone)* deemed it "a collection of 14 pristinely crafted baubles, all in the manner of GBV's trippy, hard pop ... Of the two solo albums, *Carnival Boy* feels more vital, possibly because Sprout's musical voice isn't as familiar as Pollard's."[9] *[Newsday](/source/Newsday)* thought that "the album's disposition goes from plaintive folksiness ('Gas Daddy Gas'), which gives way to a rave-up punker ('White Flyer') and back to a wistful bucketful of excuses ('I Didn't Know')."[10]

[AllMusic](/source/AllMusic) wrote that "even though Sprout has a bit more focus than Pollard, *Carnival Boy* is still hit-and-miss, featuring as many rough pop gems as outright duds, but it does confirm that he is a talented songwriter in his own right."[11] The *[Chicago Reader](/source/Chicago_Reader)* deemed the album "mellow, sentimental pop."[12]

## Track listing

1. "The Natural Alarm" – 2:59
1. "Cooler Jocks" – 1:16
1. "E's Navy Blue" – 2:43
1. "The Bone Yard" – 1:17
1. "Carnival Boy" – 2:48
1. "Martin's Mounted Head " – 2:17
1. "Gas Daddy Gas" – 2:20
1. "To My Beloved Martha" – 2:09
1. "White Flyer" – 1:43
1. "I Didn't Know" – 2:33
1. "Gallant Men" – 1:26
1. "It's Like Soul Man" – 2:34
1. "Hermit Stew" – 2:01
1. "The Last Man Well Known to Kingpin" – 2:23

## References

1. Greer, James (December 1, 2007). [*Guided by Voices: A Brief History*](https://books.google.com/books?id=R9ZThGGWg9EC&pg=PA152). Grove/Atlantic, Inc. ISBN 9781555846411. – via Google Books.

1. ["Matador Records Released Albums By Cat Power, Robert Pollard, Tobin Sprout And Yo La Tengo 25 Years Ago Today"](https://magnetmagazine.com/2021/09/10/matador-records-released-albums-by-cat-power-robert-pollard-tobin-sprout-and-yo-la-tengo-25-years-ago-today/). *Magnet*. September 10, 2021.

1. ["Tobin Sprout Biography, Songs, & Albums"](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/tobin-sprout-mn0000932331/biography). *AllMusic*

1. ["Genius Rock From Guided By Voices Tobin Sprout"](https://web.archive.org/web/20220304221049/https://www.mtv.com/news/508197/genius-rock-from-guided-by-voices-tobin-sprout/). *MTV News*. Archived from [the original](https://www.mtv.com/news/508197/genius-rock-from-guided-by-voices-tobin-sprout/) on March 4, 2022.

1. "Albums". *Billboard*. Vol. 108, no. 36. Sep 7, 1996. p. 97.

1. Roe, Tom (Oct 1996). "Reviews". *CMJ New Music Monthly*. '***(38): 44.***

1. Simmons, Carol (6 Sep 1996). "GUIDED BY VOICES SOLO EFFORTS INCLUDE PLENTY OF HELP FROM THEIR FRIENDS". *Dayton Daily News*. p. 18.

1. ["Carnival Boy"](https://ew.com/article/1996/09/13/carnival-boy/). *EW.com*

1. Diehl, Matt (Nov 28, 1996). "Not in My Airforce/Carnival Boy". *Rolling Stone*. No. 748. p. 130.

1. Amorim, Kevin (12 Jan 1997). "Voices Sound Familiar". *Newsday*. p. C19.

1. ["Carnival Boy - Tobin Sprout | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic"](https://www.allmusic.com/album/carnival-boy-mw0000075327). – via www.allmusic.com.

1. Cimarusti, Luca (April 20, 2017). ["Tobin Sprout's lo-fi pop majesty rides again"](http://chicagoreader.com/music/tobin-sprouts-lo-fi-pop-majesty-rides-again/). *Chicago Reader*

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Carnival Boy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnival_Boy) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnival_Boy?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.