pixies Archives - Vinyl From The Vault

Pixies “Here Comes Your Man”

sfilzen — Wed, 19 Aug 2020 21:45:37 +0000

Pixies “Here Comes Your Man” 1989. 12″ single, 4AD Records. “Here Comes Your Man” was the Pixies’ second single from their ‘89 release Doolittle, and one of their poppiest songs ever (written by Black Francis as a teenager about hobos riding the trains; the rest of the band apparently called it the Tom Petty song and while I never thought about it before, it does have a relaxed Petty-pop twang). Quite honestly, “Here Comes Your Man” is one of my least favorite Pixies songs (though it’s still pretty good). The other tracks on the 12″ are much better, much more Pixie-esque. “Wave of Mutilation (UK Surf)” is great – dark and the remix (the regular version of “Wave of Mutilation” is also on Doolittle) has a relaxed vibe but not Petty poppy, more surfer don’t give a shit. Side B of the 12″ has “Into the White” – strong industrial beat, a great guitar riff and Kim Deal vocals (always a treat!), and “Bailey’s Walk” – a brief loud-quiet-loud screamer.

The post Pixies “Here Comes Your Man” appeared first on Vinyl From The Vault.

Pixies “Doolittle”

sfilzen — Thu, 18 Apr 2019 11:12:29 +0000

Pixies “Doolittle” released 30 years ago today, April 18th, 1989. 4AD Records. Doolittle was the Pixies second full-length studio album, reaching #8 on the UK album charts (it was released in the UK on April 17th, ‘89) 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, WI (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.

The post Pixies “Doolittle” appeared first on Vinyl From The Vault.

Pixies “Trompe le Monde”

sfilzen — Tue, 10 Jul 2018 21:26:38 +0000

Pixies “Trompe le Monde” 1991. 4AD Records. Trompe le Monde was Pixies’ fourth album and their last before their breakup in 1993 (which Black Francis announced on the radio before informing the rest of the band, via phone call and fax). The LP reached #92 in the US and #7 in the UK. Allmusic calls it “essentially Black Francis’ solo debut. It focuses on Francis’ sci-fi fascination and lacks any Kim Deal songs; even her backing vocals are far and few between. Yet the band sounds revitalized on Trompe le Monde, as if it were planned as their last hurrah…Though Trompe le Monde doesn’t sound quite like the Pixies’ other work, Come on Pilgrim’s spooky beginnings, Surfer Rosa’s abrasive assault, Doolittle’s deceptively accessible punk-pop, and Bossanova’s spacy sonics helped make Trompe le Monde a rousing swan song and a precursor to alternative rock’s imminent success.”

Pixies released four singles from the album: “Planet of Sound,” “Alec Eiffel,” “Letter to Memphis” and the excellent cover of The Jesus and Mary Chain’s “Head On” (only the last two charted, on the Modern Rock Tracks chart, both at #6). Trompe le Monde includes one of my all-time favorite Pixies songs – “U-Mass,” a blistering raucous punk-caustic rant about higher education (Francis met Joey Santiago at U-Mass Amherst before dropping out to form Pixies. Santiago says the original guitar riff was written while they were still enrolled).

The post Pixies “Trompe le Monde” appeared first on Vinyl From The Vault.

Pixies “Surfer Rosa”

sfilzen — Wed, 21 Mar 2018 15:07:31 +0000

Pixies “Surfer Rosa” 4AD/Rough Trade. Released 30 years ago today, March 21st, 1988. The Pixies first full-length LP (released a year after the EP Come On Pilgrim) is still hailed as one of the best alternative rock albums of all-time and cited as inspiration by musicians like PJ Harvey and Kurt Cobain (who hired Steve Albini, recording engineer for Surfer Rosa, to work on Nirvana’s In Utero).

Even 30 years later, Surfer Rosa sounds and feels fresh and revolutionary. Soooo many amazing tracks: the killer tension of “Bone Machine,” the weird guitar and vocal edges on “Break My Body” and “River Euphrates” and the breakneck punk pace of “Broken Face” and “Vamos.” The musical density offset by the sweetness of Kim Deal’s vocals on “Gigantic” is perfection. “Tony’s Theme” has always been a favorite (especially of friends of mine named Tony). And then there’s the gorgeous “Where Is My Mind?” which regained popularity (notoriety) with its inclusion many TV shows, commercials and movies – most notably 1999′s Fight Club – and is considered the Pixies signature song, with prominent use of “loud-quiet-loud” composition.

The post Pixies “Surfer Rosa” appeared first on Vinyl From The Vault.

Pixies “Doolittle”

sfilzen — Thu, 06 Apr 2017 18:08:19 +0000

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.

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.

The post Pixies “Doolittle” appeared first on Vinyl From The Vault.

Pixies “Come on Pilgrim”

sfilzen — Wed, 06 Apr 2016 15:08:03 +0000

Pixies “Come on Pilgrim” 1987. 4AD Records. Today, April 6th, is Black Francis/Frank Black’s birthday (b. Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV in 1965) so I’m spinning one of my favorite Pixies recordings, their debut mini-LP which was compiled from a quickly, inexpensively made demo tape. Full of signature loud-quiet-loud yelps and howls, this album has so many great tracks: “Caribou,” “Isla de Encanta,” “Ed Is Dead,” “The Holiday Song” and “Nimrod’s Son” among my all-time favorite Pixies songs.

I’ve seen the Pixies play live a couple of times, the first back in the fall of ‘89 in Madison, WI when they opened for Love and Rockets (Kim Deal chainsmoked through the entire show in a very non-smoking venue) and then again in late 2004 in Milwaukee. I was several months pregnant and we had seats in the 10th row, close to Deal, and her deep bass had the kid kicking inside and in time.

The post Pixies “Come on Pilgrim” appeared first on Vinyl From The Vault.