Pixies/ Black Francis/ Frank Black & Catholics/ Breeders

Posted by: Disposable hero on 17 October 2012

Alongside The Fall, The Pixies had a very unique sound. But The Pixies gave lifelong listening materials where none of their output included a rubbish studio album.

 

Then there were the post Pixies solo bands.

Black Francis & Frank Black and the Catholics have some good albums too, some are a bit duff. The Breeders seem to only have that one single, the albums aren't so great.

 

Frank Black or Black Francis at the end of his time will go down as a musical genius, what were the highpoints and memories of The Pixies for you, especially if you were a youngster/student during their heyday?

Posted on: 18 October 2012 by blythe

I have one Frank Black & The Catholics album and several of the Pixies. Saw Pixies live once too which was a great experience. Certainly not mainstream but I think all have a cult following. Maybe in time, all will be seen as you suggest , as musical genius.

Posted on: 18 October 2012 by Mike Hughes
None of their output includes a rubbish studio album??! I'd say everything after Doolittle has its moments but there's nothing essential about those subsequent albums. They are but a pale shadow of the Ep and first two albums.
Posted on: 18 October 2012 by Kevin-W
Originally Posted by Disposable hero:

Alongside The Fall, The Pixies had a very unique sound. But The Pixies gave lifelong listening materials where none of their output included a rubbish studio album.

 

Then there were the post Pixies solo bands.

Black Francis & Frank Black and the Catholics have some good albums too, some are a bit duff. The Breeders seem to only have that one single, the albums aren't so great.

 

Frank Black or Black Francis at the end of his time will go down as a musical genius, what were the highpoints and memories of The Pixies for you, especially if you were a youngster/student during their heyday?

Gotta disagree with you there - both Breeders albums were brilliant, far better than Frank Black/Black Francis' output. "Pod" in particular was utter genius.

Posted on: 18 October 2012 by Mike Hughes
I'm with Kevin. The Frank Black stuff is mildly engaging at best. Pod on the other hand is a terrific album.
Posted on: 18 October 2012 by Disposable hero
Originally Posted by Mike Hughes:
None of their output includes a rubbish studio album??! I'd say everything after Doolittle has its moments but there's nothing essential about those subsequent albums. They are but a pale shadow of the Ep and first two albums.

 

I suppose opinions will always be split, Surfer Rosa and Come on Pilgrim being their best "growers".

Originally Posted by Mike Hughes:
I'm with Kevin. The Frank Black stuff is mildly engaging at best. Pod on the other hand is a terrific album.


Thanks for the tip on this one, will have to look it up.

Posted on: 18 October 2012 by Dave Hedgehog

I have a couple of Pixies albums - Surfer Rosa and Doolittle - and one Breeders album - Pod.

 

I should imagine that for every time I play either Pixies album I must play Pod about 20 times.  I'm probably in a minority but I never really took to the Pixies whereas I loved Pod from the first time I played it.

Posted on: 18 October 2012 by mfan

+1 for Pod - an absolute belter.  Would also recommend Safari from the Safari EP for anyone new to The Breeders.

 

Saw the Pixies live a couple of times around 90-91.  They opened my mind and ears to a whole new world of noisy music.  I clearly remember being in the mosh pit at Brixton Academy thinking as a live experience they were in a different league to anyone else at the time.  It was like being run over by a runaway steamroller.  To this day still a 'top ten' gig.

M

Posted on: 18 October 2012 by Mike Hughes
As a live experience they were certainly not in a league of one. They first toured the UK Omar double handler with Throwing Muses with each band alternating as headliner. Both bands were unbelievably good but Throwing Muses matched them for intensity and ferocity all the way.
Posted on: 18 October 2012 by Mike Hughes
Bit confused as to why anyone would describe the Pixies best two albums as "growers". Sounded pretty instant to me then and now.
Posted on: 19 October 2012 by Gavin B

Surfer Rosa / Come On Pilgrim are just fantastic.

 

Pixies are one of those bands that went onto greater commercial and critical acclaim after their first album (counting Pilgrim as an EP) but for me failed to match the quality.

 

I saw them live twice in pretty small venues - excellent.

 

I'll have to look into Pod, although I'm sure I used to have it on vinyl.

Posted on: 19 October 2012 by TWP

Another vote for Surfa Rosa and doolittle as brilliant . both would be if i had to choose in my top 20 albums.

 

Like most bands that produce outstanding first albums for me The Pixies got a bit bloated with tromp le monde and bossanova and lost that initial apeal.

Again have to agree the breeders Pod is worthy of a top 20 album list. interestingly both Pod and surfa rosa were produced or engineered as he preferes to call it by Steve Albini, who seems to have a knack of getting the best out of bands with his simplistic aproach to recording.

 

A Steve Albini best of thread ,, now thats a thought.

 

Just to add On youtub e you can see the Pixies documentory made a few years ago , interviews with the band and plenty of live clips well worth an hour or so .

 

TWP

Posted on: 19 October 2012 by Disposable hero
Originally Posted by Mike Hughes:
Bit confused as to why anyone would describe the Pixies best two albums as "growers". Sounded pretty instant to me then and now.

For me I was a latecomer due to my age group and by the time I discovered them The Pixies had already released all their studio albums. I only arrived to them through the impact they had had on Radiohead's Thom Yorke and Nirvana's Kurt Cobain. For me it wasn't instant perhaps for this reason.

Posted on: 19 October 2012 by hego99

I really like Bossanova, good songs and great sound. Not as good songs as Doolittle though.

Trompe Le Monde is just boring....

Posted on: 19 October 2012 by Sloop John B

Come on pilgrim you know he loves you.........

 

While Trompe Le Monde is the weakest of the 4 (5) Pixies albums there are some great tracks on it. You can't really go wrong with any of these albums.

 

Pod is indeed an excellent album (released as a  solo project while the Pixies were still active) and Last Splash and Title TK (also Albini) are very good also.

 

But Charles Thompson IV must be one of the most under-rated artists going. His first solo album is extremely good and would be the all time missing album of the 90's were it not for..........

 

 

his second, a absolute classic with nere a dud track  but NME etc. were more interested in a Frank vs Kim scenario and this album was criminally overlooked.

 

 

His third solo album is nearly as good with Men in Black and You ain't me

 

and then The Catholics 

 

 

all my ghosts, back to Rome, Dog Gone,   another very strong and really rockin album.

 

Pistolero, Dog in the Sand, Black Letter days and Devils workshop are not as strong but all have some great moments.

 

His "hits" album is a wonderful introduction to this whole  era

 

 

 

 

and then another classic

 

 

containing  "New House of the Pope" showing myself and Frank have a similar taste in wine as well as music.

 

Honneycomb and Fast man raider man are more laid back with less of Frank's screaming and together are 2 wonderful albums where he finds a great Lou Reedish/ Dyanish voice.

 

Then he became Black Francis again and once again started screaming in Bluefinger and Svn fngrs. When they come to murder me, ostensibly the story of Cu Chulainn from Irish mythology still provides my ring-tone and is one of my favourite songs of all time.

 

His output since then is more patchy than previously but I still would not miss a FB album.

 

 

Buy any of the pictured albums with confidence.

 

 

 

 

SJB

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted on: 19 October 2012 by Mike Hughes
Bossanova and Trompe Le Monde are Pixies by rote. The sound of a band capable of great things not achieving them as they ripped themselves apart. I had three of the Frank Black albums listed above. All three were subsequently disposed of. Standard singer songwriter fare at best and offensively dull at worst. Confidence is what you can have with the first three Pixies products. Suggesting that with FB is having a laugh really. One of those solo careers that if compiled would struggle to put together an album and a half of decent material.
Posted on: 19 October 2012 by Sloop John B

Thanks for setting me right there Mike, and to think I actually thought some of FB solo works were my favourite CDs!

 

SJB

Posted on: 20 October 2012 by Mike Hughes
Sorry SJB We're clearly on the same page on Pixies and Breeders and you're perfectly entitled to have FB amongst your fave solo albums but I don't think he was criminally over-rated or that writers brains were elsewhere. I persisted for three albums and found them downbeat; lacking in excitement; of average song quality; fairly ploddy and periodically just plain dull. It seems to be a view held by a small majority of reviewers. Not sure the NME had any relevance by the time his solo stuff came out.