Pixies “Doolittle” released in April, 1989. 4AD Records. Today, April 6th, is Pixies singer-guitarist Black Francis/Frank Black/Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV’s birthday (b. 1965). Doolittle was the Pixies second full-length studio album, reaching #8 on the UK album charts and at #98 in the US. They released two singles in 1989, the sunnily upbeat “Here Comes Your Man” and the surreal “Monkey Gone to Heaven,” which both charted on the US Modern Rock Tracks charts (at #3 and #5 respectively) and on the UK singles charts (at #54 and #60).  “Debaser” was released as a single in 1997 as a promo for the comp Death to the Pixies.

Doolittle is a gem; over the years it has been increasingly praised by critics (Pitchfork rated at #4 in its top albums of the ‘80s and Spin rated it at #36 in its 2005 list of the 100 greatest albums from ‘85-’05) and cited as inspiration by alternative bands (Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, PJ Harvey). The released singles (except “Debaser” which is amazing) are actually some of my least favorite tracks (though I do like them) on Doolittle. My favorite are the more punkish, screamy, loud-quiet-loud songs: “Tame,” “Dead,” “Number 13 Baby,” “Gouge Away” and the mud-draggy swirly ones (also admittedly a bit screamy and loud-quiet-loud) like “I Bleed” and “Hey.”

I saw the Pixies while they were their Doolittle tour, opening for Love and Rockets at the Civic Center in Madison (now called the Overture Center for the Arts) in the fall of ‘89. It was a small venue so even with our relative nosebleed seats, the stage was fairly close, close enough to smell Kim Deal’s cigarettes while she chain-smoked her way through the set.