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

But it's so fun! Best lyrics ever!

although this might be. maybe not though.

"Frank Black has earned the right to do whatever the hell he wants, and he unfortunately seems to know it. The man who brought you the Pixies and, by extension, the alternative rock boom of the early 90s. . . ."

http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/record-reviews/b/black_frank/honeycomb.shtml

That's right, The Pixies brought us the alternative rock boom of the early 90s. Forget REM, Dinosaur Jr., Replacements, Husker Du, Galaxie 500, Meat Puppets, Butthole Surfers, Flaming Lips, Mission of Burma, etc. Bow down before The Pixies.

Doolittle's alright, but could a band possibly be more overrated?

**** You kyle you kyke.

Thwok shows that a whole album of Deal songs backed by the Pixies blokes could have been great, but Bam / Ain’t is a great imaginary A-side / B-side commemoration of their whole reunion. She was right to quit rather than risk blowing their legacy; whatever the name has done since, it’s fine to think of as a different band.