Pixies: Classic or Dud

I love the Pixies dearly (and the doc made me want to dig out Come on Pilgrim again). But here's the thing: when I first heard Surfer Rosa, in a small, cold student flat in Norwich 1989, I thought it was abysmal, shouty, formless and stupid. One year later, driving around downtown Portland, Oregon it all made fantastic sense. Which makes me wonder: how does location and geographic cultural space affect the way you hear music? As an English box bedroom boy I grew up favouring the intimate confessional indie (Smiths) and domestic disco (Pet Shop Boys) one would expect, and I'm not sure the Pixies could ever make sense to me in that context. However, blasting out of a car stereo on an open Oregon highway there was suddenly *room* for the music. Maybe only a certain type of uptight, claustrophobic Englishman needs to actually go to the US to understand rock, but it puts me in mind of something Gertrude Stein said - what makes America what it is "is that there is more space where nobody is than where anybody is". And I think I heard something like that in the sound of Surfer Rosa.

The only Pixies album I ever had was Doolittle. Now I want it back again!

What is "guitar tone", and should I know about it?

And Frank Black's 1st album has just as much to offer as _Teenager of the Year_. I have no idea how his other stuff is (though the word is to beware of later albums, regardless of his semi-newfound fondness for the 2-track demo get-it-on-the-first-take ethos).

Plus, great lyrics.

Vamos (Come on Pilgrim vers.)
Isla de Encanta
Bone Machine
Break My Body
Something Against You
Gigantic (album vers.)
River Euphrates (album vers.)
Where is My Mind?
Debaser
Wave of Mutilation (album vers.)
Here Comes Your Man
Monkey Gone to Heaven
La La Love You
Hey
Winterlong
Cecilia Ann
Velouria
Allison
Ana
Dig for Fire
The Happening
Havalina
Evil Hearted You
Trompe Le Monde
Alec Eiffel
Palace of the Brine
Letter to Memphis
Motorway to Roswell
The Navajo Know

(80:36)

Caribou
The Holiday Song
Nimrod's Son
Bone Machine
Something Against You
Broken Face
Gigantic
River Euphrates
Where is My Mind?
Debaser
Here Comes Your Man
Monkey Gone To Heaven
Mr. Grieves
No. 13 Baby
Gouge Away
Velouria
Dig for Fire
Trompe Le Monde
Planet of Sound
Alec Eiffel
The Sad Punk
U-Mass
Letter to Memphis

(It's been a while since I've heard Bossanova, so I may be forgetting some other tracks I like from that.)

1. Debaser
2. Break My Body
3. Gigantic
4. River Euphrates
5. Where Is My Mind?
6. I've Been Tired
7. Nimrod's Son
8. Brick Is Red
9. La La Love You
10. Hey!
11. Ana
12. U-Mass
13. Subbacultcha
14. Monkey Gone to Heaven
15. Here Comes Your Man
16. Wave of Mutilation (UK surf)
17. Dig for Fire
18. Head-On
19. Alec Eiffel
20. Bird Dream of the Olympus Mons
21. Vamos (Surefer Rosa version)
22. Gouge Away
23. Velouria
24. Is She Weird?
25. Planet of Sound
26. The Navajo Know
27. Havalina

I knew the Pixies loved Pet Sounds

ya, this ^^^ cover from their final peel session.

^^Which was re-recorded on the first Frank Black album.

Doing a deep dive into the Pixies, I knew Lovering was doing a magic act before the reunion, but I didn't realize he occasionally opened for Charles's solo shows (pre-reunion) doing that act. To my surprise, he was still doing it after the reunion and found some video of it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lcHbH_xHcM

saw them last night in berkeley; was really on the fence about going but glad I did in the end. I only saw the pixies twice before, both with Kim Deal, but also both times post-reunion. The first show was not great, second one I don't remember anything about other than that it was too packed and we had a bad time; this was way more enjoyable though I concur, the new songs are sluggish and didn't help at times, but I guess I give them some credit for packing the setlist with 8 tracks from the most recent album that not a single person has listened to. Otherwise they played almost everything you'd want to hear at a Pixies show (except for Alec Eiffel). They also seem to get along great, which I'd been long under the impression was not the case.

they played well at red rocks last night, a very long complete set. their four piece attack is amazing, so powerful. as usual with them for me, the whole is less than the sum of its parts? i enjoy all the ingredients being put in there, great tone, great parts generally, good at doing pixies things. but the songs are a bit burdened. the bass is not elastic or melodic and it goes beyond heavy to lead. still recommended they seemed spirited and unified to me.

Honestly, this is a treat:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v63FopvRtWQ

(CBeebies Bedtime Stories with Black Francis)

How did that ever come about???

Cbeebies do this a lot. Josh Homme read a story a few years ago.

I saw them on Monday in Chicago -- highlights for me were "Debaser," both versions of "Wave of Mutilation," and "The Happening." About half of the new songs were fine/good, but the other half were momentum killers, and a three or four song run in the 3rd quarter of the set seemed to take the air out of the crowd. Nonetheless, I had a great time and was thrilled to see them. They don't mess about, do they? Started at 8:30 on the dot, didn't say a word -- not even a "hello" or "Thank you" -- barely stopped between songs, and finished at 10 on the dot, no encore of course.

The other highlight of the evening was Spoon who sounded fantastic and treated us to a pretty spot on Greatest Hits collection. Has Britt Daniel's voice changed at all in 25 years? What an incredible band.

I saw them in 90 and 91, then they split up, then I saw them twice more when they reformed (still with Kim) in 04 and 05. That thirteen year gap felt like ages, it is so weird to think it's now 20 years since I last saw them. I can't recall listening to anything they've done since then.

dud

1987-1991 classic (even though I thought they were Violent Femmes the first time I heard them because it sounded like Gordon Gano's voice to me)

Ha that CBeebies thing is great

xpost They owe a lot to so many, yet their own take is so distinctive you sometimes have to squint a little. Like, Violent Femmes *for sure*, but the noise and amplification throws you off a little. Husker Du, absolutely. But, for example, the Replacements. I never would have made the connection, but these podcasters did and now I hear it. Stuff like this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94iUMXh26H8

I think this was the song the podcast mentioned? Either way, eerily presages Nirvana, too.

first thing i wanted to do after waking up was hear Kim's backing vocals on "Monkey Gone to Heaven". also, is she humming in the background of "Gouge Away"?