The Pixies live on (Death To The Pixies - Pixies)

Name: cswann

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Product:	Death To The Pixies - Pixies
Date:	30/04/01 (332 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Essential pre-grunge post-punk rock music

Disadvantages: Just that the band is no longer together

Regarded by many as the most important band in the 80s, and a definite influence on Nirvana, and Kurt Cobain said that on "Smells Like Teen Spirit" he was trying to rip off the Pixies. It was obvious enough to anyone - and given away in the very first few notes, but it was good of Kurt to admit it.

The choice of tracks for this "Best of" is perhaps a little odd, but all the really essential things are on it.
Probably any fan will be the same, taking issue with the tracks chosen. Personally I think "Tony's theme", "Head on" and "Motorway to Rockwell" should be there, but there you go. This selection has been approved by frontman / songwriter Frank Black, even if he didn't make the selection. Probably any fan will be the same, taking issue with the tracks chosen.
But it doesn't really matter - everything here is solid gold grunge / wacko stuff.

The order of the tracks is also somewhat strange - first off is a cover version, the Surftone's "Cecilia Ann", a blistering track but hardly typical, and also one of the Pixies' later recordings.

"Here comes your man" is quite an upbeat song with a bit of a Velvet Underground influence, and that yodelling ah-oooo howl sounds just like Michael Stipe did in the early days.
Songs like "U-Mass" and "Tame" - now one of the Pixies' most famous songs, due to its use in a vodka advert - are perhaps more typical, louder, plenty of screaming. But there's always a good tune in there too.

"Debaser", a shocking song about a shocking film (Un Chien Andalou), and seems to be about a guy who gets off on film violence, from the way that lines like "got me a movie... slicing up eyeballs..." are delivered, with absolute excitement... and it's followed by "Wave of mutilation", about Japanese businessmen killing themselves, with their families.
So, clearly, this is not an album full of love songs - we're in a different world, Frank Black's (or Francis Black, as he was known while the Pixies were together).

"Monkey gone to heaven" has to be their greatest song, a quite desperate, gloomy song (lyrically, anyway) about ozone depletion, pollution, the devil, the end of the world.... but still it's musically so powerful, I found the song extremely uplifting. As I do with most of their songs, come to think of it - even the one about slicing up eyeballs.

Frank Black was definitely the driving force behind the band? but Kim Deal's contribution was very important - driving bass, and vocals that touch just the right chord. On "Gigantic" she sings lead, and produces a supremely sexy, and gigantic, song.
Dave Lovering on drums, and Joey Santiago on scorching lead guitar were of course equally important. I had the honour of seeing the band live, and it was seriously excellent - there was one particular guitar solo that I'd describe as transcendental, in fact, and will live with me forever.
Early editions of this album came as a double, with an extra CD of live tracks - a must for any Pixies fan.

With me it's a toss up between REM and the Pixies for the title of "Most important band in the 80s", but that's close enough.

Listen to this album, and I defy you not to start head banging.

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