Pixies - Surfer Rosa/Come on Pilgrim
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Music CD Cover
Artist: PixiesEdition: Music CD
Format: Import
CD Release Date: 1992-01-01
Music Label: 4ad
Soundtracks:
- Bone Machine
- Break My Body
- Something Against You
- Broken Face
- Gigantic
- River Euphrates
- Where Is My Mind?
- Cactus
- Tony's Theme
- Oh My Golly!
- Vamos
- I'm Amazed
- Brick Is Red
- Caribou
- Vamos
- Isla De Encanta
- Ed Is Dead
- The Holiday Song
- Nimrod's Son
- I've Been Tired
- Levitate Me
- Bonus Track 1
Free Music Notes for Surfer Rosa/Come on Pilgrim
Free Music Review: Sort of sounds like Sex Pistols meets the B52s & The Exorcist
Hit: 4 Stars
About a couple of weeks ago I saw a documentary on this band on ABC 2 [Australia] called, I think, "Pixies: Gouge". Previously I'd come across articles mentioning this band's influence on Nirvana [hmmm, bands which influenced Nirvana...that must be one Hell of a long list, it seems!]. Anyway, hearing snippets of songs from this band made me go out and get this album.
I'd describe this band as hardcore pop/rock/indie/alternative/punk. Which is to say that at their best, the band delivers melodic songs in a hardcore kind of way. What do I mean by "hardcore"? Topics which conventional commercial music stations would run miles from, like incest, for starters; or language-some songs have very strong swear words in them; singing which is, at times, extreme-the lead singer screeches lyrics at times. In "Gouge", lead singer 'Frank Black' mentions how an old man speaks to him after a concert and says [something like] "You sure can holler". Black knows exactly the significance of what the old man says-he's got every angle covered; lastly, the sound of the music can be hardcore at times too...grinding guitars which can thrash out songs at a breakneck pace, on occasion.
At their best, the band produces some really good pop songs, albeit unconventional ones. Kim Deal, the band's bass player [inexplicably listed as "Mrs John Murphy in the credits, for some reason!], is a real positive for this band. The Pixies are a band where the bass guitar doesn't hide its light under a bushel. If you like pop/rock music with bass guitar getting a look in, this is the band for you. Furthermore, Kim is a wondeful vocalist-whether taking the lead, or backing up. She has an ethereal quality to her voice. The best evidence of that is her work in the song "Where is my mind?". In that, her voice has a ghostly, haunting quality. If any horror movie makers are looking for a ghostly voice to creep people out, Kim's your woman!
Now, to the songs on this two for the price of one offering: my main problem with the cd was the sound-it sort of sounds digital if you know what I mean. By that I mean the sound lacks impact-if Surfer Rosa had a cleaner and purer sound to it, I'd give it 4/5. It sounds a little 'distant' in quality...as if the microphones were a little to far from the singers and instruments. For that reason I'd give that album 3.5/5. I'm giving the entire package an extra half a star for the second cd, "Come on Pilgrim", as it has a couple of tracks that I particularly like.
Best songs from the album? Well, I've had a look at the band's "best of" compilation: "Wave of mutilation", and I thought that it was missing some songs from this collection. The songs I would include in a best of from this particular cd would be: "Bone machine", "River Euphrates" [not on their actual compilation] and "Gigantic". "Caribou" [now looking at songs from "Come on Pilgrim"], "The holiday song", "I've been tired" [not on their compilation] and "Levitate me".
Although I think this band is "hardcore" in many ways, I do think that they are a fun band, with a great sense of humour...sort of schoolboyish humour [this is where my comparison with the B52s comes in]. At least I hope there is humour there...I'd hate to think that any of their songs are autobiographical! E.g. on "Bone machine", Black sings, in a sort of retarded way "You buy me a soda and you tried to molest me in the parking lot". Funny, no? Well, you gotta listen to it I suppose. In case Frank, as a small boy, was offered a soda by a Catholic priest in a parking lot, I unreservedly apologise!
In "River Euphrates", Black moves on from sounding retarded to sounding absolutely insane...and it doesn't half work effectively! This is the song I have in mind for the heading I gave this review-Sex Pistols meets B52s meets The Exorcist.
A telling comment from the docu "Gouge" came from one of the famous musicians being interviewed about the band-not sure if Bono from U2 or David Bowie made this comment, but he said words to the effect that The Pixies alternate within songs from quiet to loud, or some such. The song that best illustrates that is "I've been tired", I think. It's a quality that makes it worthy of inclusion in a "Best of" compilation. This song also mentions Lou Reed. On their later album "Dolittle", I think you can hear the influence of Lou Reed there.
If Frank Black's histrionic [at times] vocal delivery is a bit much, check out Kim Deal's turn at lead singing with "Gigantic"-a fun, 60's sounding bit of indie girl pop. And Kim is very funny when she sings on "Tony's theme"-a song about a superhero...who isn't particularly super.
There is one particularly confusing thing about this compilation-the track listings and actual tracks don't co-incide. It's clear what's going on if you check out the Amazon listing for "Surfer Rosa" itself [at least on the 2003 issue of that album]...there is a bonus track on this album-it's track 11, and is really a funny, short interlude of Frank, I think, swearing. Fortunately, for Frank, he finally says something which explains why he's talking drivel, thus alleviating the perception that he just plain mad.
As the band are often said to have influence other bands, I'll just mention some songs here which I find echoes too in other songs, or where I think the band echoes earlier music:
"Bone machine"-bluesy rhythm guitar/"Break my body"-has a 60s sound to it...sort of similar in melody to the song "Bus stop", I think that is the song I have in mind/"Something against you"-I'm guessing that The Mighty Mighty Bosstones' song "The impression that I get" was influenced by a melody in this song...this Pixies song has what sounds like a demented melody which the Bosstones' refined. This song also illustrates best the sound issues with this cd-it has a wall of noise feel to it, but the lyrics start off being barely audible. Wall of noise can be good, but you want the sound to kick you in the head, which this cd fails to do/"Cactus"-reminded me of T Rex's "Get it on"/"Oh my Golly"-Australia's indie pop/rock band The Hoodoo Gurus had "Wipe out", I think, which had a similar drum sound or pattern to this Pixie's song/"I'm amazed"-XTC's "Senses working overtime" has a similar guitar sound [dampened strumming]/"Brick is red"-reminded me of "Bus stop"?/"The holiday song" also sounded a bit 60s-ish.
A couple of the songs have Spanish lyrics, and it works well.
Having bought "Doolittle" a few days after buying this compilation [yes, this band is interesting enough to warrant further exploration of their catalogue], I can say that this cd doesn't have a "killer" track like "Monkey gone to Heaven", but it's probably stronger overall, with better "album" tracks-songs that are good, without having "greatness" stamped all over them.
If you think pop sucks, this album might ignite or re-light that fire. This is hardcore pop that demands your attention.
P.S. as I went beyond the well trodden path to find this band, can I suggest a hidden gem of a heavy metal band? Coldseed. Debut album called "Completion makes the tragedy". I think I am the only person in the world who knows this band. Like Pixies, they do a good job mixing hardcore with catchy hooks.
Surfer Rosa/Come on Pilgrim Poster
1988 4AD release featuring all of the tracks from their 1987debut mini-album 'Come On Pilgrim' and their 1988 debut fulllength album 'Surfer Rosa' on one CD. Eventually they were both were reissued on Elektra in the U.S. in the early '90s,but separately! 22 tracks in all, including 'Gigantic', 'Bone Machine', 'Where Is My Mind?', 'Cactus', 'Vamos' (bothversions!), 'Isla De Encanta', 'I've Been Tired', 'Tony's Theme' and more. Also contains the original cover art from 'Surfer Rosa' of the topless Italian prostitute.Post-modern Alternative Rock begins here! The Pixies may not have scaled the top of the charts during their existence, but without them, the Alternative scene wouldn't exist as we know it. This CD features their first two releases on one disc: 1987's Come On Pilgrim (their debut mini-album) plus Surfer Rosa, their first full-length album from 1988 These releases excited and influenced a new generation of fans, some of whom would go on to form some the bands responsible for turning the music business upside down in the '90s (most notably, Nirvana). 22 tracks in all, including 'Gigantic',' Bone Machine', 'Where Is My Mind?', 'Cactus', 'Vamos' (both versions), 'Isla De Encanta', 'I've Been Tired', 'Tony's Theme' and more. Also contains the original 'topless Italian prostitute cover art from 'Surfer Rosa'. 4AD.
The Pixies' Second Album on CD was Coupled with their First EP on CD to Present a Complete Audio Portrait of the Band's Early Years Together. Both Are Some of the Most Trailblazing and Admired Recordings of the Era and Are Often Referenced by Bands that Emerged on the Scene in their Wake. Produced by Steve Albini (Who also Ended Up at the Knobs for Nirvana's Second Album "in Utero").
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