Date: Thu, 11 Sep 1997 17:34:05 -0400 From: Jeff Keibel Subject: Sometimes it rains fish... PIXIES "Debaser" EP Released Sept. 22nd 7" : AD7011 Debaser, #13 Baby (both demo versions) CD : BAD7011CD Debaser, Bone Machine, Gigantic, Isla De Encanta Tracks 2-4 studio session recorded for VPRO Radio 3 program "De Wilde Wereld" in 1990. CD : BADD7011CD Debaser, Holiday Song, Cactus, Nimrod's Son All 4 tracks live, recorded 8-10-89 at Cabaret Metro for Chicago's WXRT NOTE: Other territories releasing a different single, more info to come. PIXIES "Death To The Pixies" Released Oct. 6th UK & Oct. 7th US and Canada Vinyl 10" box set : insert cat. number number here Cassette: DADC7011 CD : DAD7011CD Limited CD with bonus live CD : DADD7011CD Cecilia Ann, Planet of Sound, Tame, Here Comes Your Man, Debaser, Wave of Mutilation, Dig For Fire, Caribou, Holiday Song, Nimrod's Son, U-Mass, Bone Machine, Gigsntic (EP version), Where Is My Mind?, Velouria, Gouge Away, Monkey Gone To Heaven. Bonus live CD, recorded by VPRO Radio 3 on 9-25-90 in Vrendenburg, Utrecht features Debaser, Rock Music, Broken Face, Isla De Encanta, Hangwire, Dead, Into the White, Monkey Gone To Heaven, Gouge Away, Here Comes Your Man, Allison, Hey, Gigantic, Crackity Jones, Something Against You, Tame, Wave of Mutilation, Where Is My Mind?, Ed is Dead, Vamos, Tony's Theme. Date: Tue, 16 Sep 1997 18:56:11 +0000 From: Andrew Norman Subject: Re: News: Miller; Reviews: Donnely, Raymonde, Pixies, Seely, > Contrasting that, "Death to the Pixies" was given the top > "indispensible" rating. The reviewer commented on how many bands > mention the Pixies as a strong influence, hinting that at the time > everyone just saw them as quirky but it's only now that the "jump > on the bandwagon" mentality is surfacing with bands like Beck, etc. > Not sure I agree - the majority of my friends circa Doolittle loved > the stuff. Nirvana cited them as a huge influence. The Velvet Underground of the eighties? I'm amazed only one track from "Trompe le Monde" will be on the compilation - what about the title track, or "Alec Eiffel", or "Motorway to Roswell", or "U-Mass", which stomp all over anything on the previous album? "Trompe le Monde" is the Pixies album I go back to most. Date: Fri, 3 Oct 1997 06:59:57 -0400 From: Jeff Keibel Subject: Rebirth To The Pixies PIXIES "Death To The Pixies" 4AD "I was trying to write the ultimate pop song, I was basically trying to rip off the Pixies." Kurt Cobain on 'Smells Like Teen Spirit', Rolling Stone magazine, January 1994. This collection is a 17 track celebration, spanning the career of one of rock's most influential bands, compiled with the approval of Black Francis now known as Frank Black). The Pixies were of course Black Francis (vocals, guitar), Kim Deal (aka Mrs John Murphy, vocals, bass), Joey Santiago (guitar) and David Lovering (drums). All tracks were written by Black Francis, with the exception of 'Cecilia Ann' (written by The Surftones) and 'Gigantic', which was written by Black Francis and Mrs John Murphy. Steve Albini, Gary Smith and Gil Norton produced the various tracks on the album. Tracklisting: Cecilia Ann, Planet Of Sound, Tame, Here Comes Your Man, Debaser, Wave Of Mutilation, Dig For Fire, Caribou, Holiday Song, Nimrod's Son, U-Mass, Bone Machine, Gigantic, Where Is My Mind?, Velouria, Gouge Away, Monkey Gone To Heaven. The Pixies' five albums which changed the face of rock music were "Come On Pilgrim" (1987; MAD 709), "Surfer Rosa" (1988; CAD 803), "Doolittle" (1989; CAD 905), "Bossanova" (1990; CAD 0010), "Trompe Le Monde" (1991; CAD 1014). A special, limited-edition version of "Death To The Pixies" is also available; it features a bonus disc of live tracks - a true collectible. The vinyl version is spread across four 10" vinyl records in an attractive box and is very limited. See http://www.pixies4ad.com for additional details about this band called Pixies and their volcanic rebirth. JEFF KEIBEL SCARBOROUGH, ONTARIO CANADA E MAIL: redshift@interlog.com Date: Tue, 7 Oct 1997 20:54:54 +0000 From: Andrew Norman Subject: Re: pixies hidden tracks On 7 Oct 97 at 10:23, Manuel Feig [La Laiterie / Ar wrote: > Sorry, but i have no idea for the cd edition : i guess the tracks > are the same, but you never know with Ivo :-P No extra tracks on mine. Perhaps I should have gone for the vinyl after all. Instant review: This compilation sucks because they missed off [insert your four favourite missing songs here] which they should have put on instead of [insert your four least favourite songs from the compilation here] and there are too many songs from [insert your least favourite Pixies album here] and not enough from [insert your favourite Pixies album here] and why didn't they put any B-sides on, [insert your three favourite B-sides here] are far better than most of the songs on the albums. 47 minutes does seem a little short to me, I would have preferred an extra disc with radio sessions or B-sides rather than the live one (all the B-sides could sit quite happily on one CD, and the live recording isn't as good as the four tracks on the live "Debaser" EP, rather a muddy sound and I hate hearing the audience singing along), packaging is great. Let's face it, most of us on this list will have everything on the compilation anyway, so we'll be buying it for the lovely artwork (top marks) and the bonus disc (hmm..). Date: Fri, 10 Oct 1997 13:44:46 +0200 From: Emiel Efdee Subject: More about those Pixies hidden tracks... ---> Sorry Frank - I received them today ;-) It took a few days more but now I've got them too; the limited cd and 10" Death To The Pixies compilations. And indeed the first cd has the number DAD 7011 CDGT and contains the hidden tracks. They are hidden behind track 17 (Monkey Gone to Heaven). The total time of this track is 12 minutes and 20 seconds. Monkey stops at 2.53... the demo tracks are: 1. 'I'm Amazed' (from 9.02 to 10.45) 2. 'Broken Face' (from 10.45 to 12.20) --> both from 'Surfer Rosa' I'm glad I also bought the 10" box cause the 'golden overprint' on the limited cd booklet makes it completely unreadable (like the limited 'This Rimy River'). So people who only buy the limited cd have to get the regular cd sleeve to read the info ;-) I love those design statements (or is it just a joke?) One of the things I could read is: "Vrendenburg, Utrecht" this should have been "Vredenburg" but "VPRO" is spelled good this time ;-) The PIAS double cd is btw just a regular flat 2-cd jewel case with a booklet (as I remember "Vredenburg" is spelled right on this one). Date: Mon, 13 Oct 1997 15:51:35 BST From: Steve Hipkiss Subject: Pixies chart confusion Seems that the multiple formats of "Death to the Pixies" has resulted in it getting two chart positions. This from http://www.nme.com/newsdesk/PixiesHolehitbychartrules.html "The Pixies suffered the strangest fate with the result that their album has two, entirely separate chart placings this week. The CIN ruled that because certain formats of the album include a 21-track live LP, the release must count as two separate albums. A CIN rule brought in earlier this year states that 80 per cent of what is included on a deluxe package must also be available on standard vinyl and CD releases. There are four formats of the Pixies album in total: the standard CD and cassette versions which are being treated as one release and a limited edition CD format including the live album and a boxed set of four vinyl ten-inchers also including the live album which are being treated as a separate release. CIN will call the second release, 'Death To The Pixies (Deluxe)'. "Instead of getting one chart entry at somewhere around Number Ten we'll get two around God knows where," a spokeswoman for the Pixies told NME. "The whole idea was to give away something free to Pixies fans. I don't think that's such an evil thing." Date: Tue, 21 Oct 1997 17:18:01 -0400 From: Zarqa Javed Subject: Death...redux Nothing y'all don't already know but found this cute little snippet in the NY Times today. (not alternative press by any stretch of the imagination but still the best, better-edited book and movie reviews in this fine nation of ours): 'DEATH TO THE PIXIES' Death to the Pixies," Elektra Records' two-CD set commemorating the late 80s rock of the Pixies, serves as a much-needed reminder of a time when alternative rock was fresh and exciting. An influence on Nirvana and the Smashing Pumpkins and one of the most popular college rock bands of its time, the Pixies were also one of the first casualties of the mainstream acceptance of alternative rock, breaking up after a disastrous stint as an opening act on U2's "Zoo TV" tour. Perhaps the band's frontman, Frank Black, was too eccentric, enigmatic and unattractive to ever lead the band to the top of the pop charts, but the songs on these CDs are fast, clattering, irresistible shards of punk, surf and quirk rock populated by bizarre Mex-American characters and a cryptic life philosophy alternately innocent and violent. The first disk is a collection of greatest hits; the second features live recordings. Despite omissions (the band's live adaptation of "Heaven" from the movie "Eraserhead," for one), this set is strongly recommended for rock fans both well acquainted and unfamiliar with the group. zarqa Date: Tue, 18 Nov 1997 14:08:50 -0500 From: Roy Burns Subject: Rock me Joe! http://mtv.com/mtv/music/reviews/pixies_rev.html Pixies Death To The Pixies (4AD/Elektra) Most anyone will tell you that live, the Pixies sucked. On a good day the sound was crap and on a bad day the band was. Which is not to say that the Pixies were not a fabulous band. They were, and what made them great was that they had real ideas. A Pixies album was a slew of call-and-response boy/girl harmonies, falsetto caterwauls, Spanish babble, cha-cha rhythms, beach party beats, studio in-fighting and some of the most ferocious guitar playing ever. And that was just Surfer Rosa. Death To The Pixies is a strange double-CD celebration of a strange band now entering its seventh year of being dead. The first disc is a retrospective covering 17 of the Pixies' more well-known songs. No surprises here. Selections from Doolittle (1989) make up the majority, including the wild "Debaser" and its sinister companion, "Wave Of Mutilation." A nice triptych of songs from 1988 appears clumped together for the first time: "Bone Machine" and the seductive "Where Is My Mind?" from Surfer Rosa sandwich "Gigantic" from the EP of the same name. Nice touch, but nothing that hasn't already appeared on many a fan's mix tape. In fact, there is nothing about this first disc that warrants any attention from anyone who has followed the band. But wait. The second disc is a previously unreleased, 55-minute live set recorded in The Netherlands in 1990. It does not suck. At all. Except for some dropped-out guitar moments (a real shame, considering that Joey Santiago's sonic plow was the key element in the Pixies' monstrous presence), this performance is potent and utterly professional. Many of the songs from the first disc are repeated here, rendering the originals flaccid in comparison. Live, Black Francis' vocals are more demented; Kim Deal's usually slight voice is more menacing, her bass keeping a nearly impossible pace with Dave Lovering's insane battery. Mr. Santiago's inventive non sequiturs and all-out guitar assault grind everything into the signature mash. Even "Here Comes Your Man" sounds good. Less than a year from this show, the Pixies would be no more. This document of a particularly good show is sort of like proving aliens really do exist. The Pixies were really good. Give the studio half to your little cousin. Keep the live one. And rock me, Joe. -- Laurel Bowman Date: Thu, 12 Feb 1998 18:53:27 +0000 From: David Thorpe Subject: "the collective sales potential of a Sleeper outtakes box-set" --------cut here-------------------- OBVIOUS BUT NECESSARY statement: advertising, sales and marketing people are the enemies of art. Were Rembrandt around in 1998, he would have been asked to make The Nightwatch smaller so it could easily be accommodated on to T-shirts, while you can just hear the man at Scraatchi & Bottlebanque complaining that The Mona Lisa's an OK painting but it needs more titty action. The late Bill Hicks advised members of this noble profession to shoot themselves - presumably to save the rest of us the trouble. Rock'n'roll, of course, is not art - not even, these days, if released by arch aesthetes 4AD. Proof thereof arrives with the label's decision to reissue the entire album output of seminal surf-punk surrealists the Pixies. Yes, momentous stuff, especially when one considers that the Pixies' albums have been unavailable for all of three months. Indeed, stocks began to dry up only following the release of last October's 'Death To The Pixies' compilation. Hmmm... One trusts you're getting the idea. Label releases a posthumous 'best of', of which the only possible criticism is its teasing brevity. Label then makes the band's exalted back catalogue, from which 'best of' is entirely compiled, artificially difficult to obtain. And now, label makes back catalogue available once more, and at mid-price to boot. Such selflessness, such esprit du coeur. The fact that 4AD's current roster has the collective sales potential of a Sleeper outtakes box-set obviously has nothing whatsoever to do with any of this. Such grubby demographic pitch-shifting should not detract from the beauty of this source material, however. Had the Pixies emerged during the post-'Nevermind' alternarock era they helped usher forth, rather than splitting up as it began, they would no dou bt have sold a great deal more records than they did. But would heightened commercial imperatives have nurtured the astounding creative impetus that produced five albums in as many years? Unlikely. At the risk of stating the obvious, none of these albums are any less than great, while two - 'Surfer Rosa' (1988) and 'Doolittle' (1989) - helped define that which became the heartland rock noise of the '90s. Both were preceded by 'Come On Pilgrim' 8/10, a mini-album, in effect a demo for 'Surfer Rosa' in as much as it contained all the elements that Steve Albini would amplify into glorious oblivion for the band's full-length debut. What we appear to have is a heavy metal version of the Violent Femmes. Songs are either about sex ('I've Been Tired'), death ('Ed Is Dead') or, more usually, a combination of the two ('The Holiday Song', 'Vamos'), plus a smidgen of Old Testament namechecking. Issued here - as on th e original CD issue, naturally - as a misleading coda to 'Surfer Rosa', '...Pilgrim' heralds a band crawling from the womb fully-formed, DNA structure shared evenly between Heaven and Hades. Ten years after its release, 'Surfer Rosa' 10/10 still sounds terrifying. Albini patented his production hallmarks on this record: the kick-drum feels as if it's about to obliterate the listener's cochlea, guitars and bass are cranked up to compensate an d Black Francis serrates his vocal chords just for fun. For light relief there's 'Gigantic' - significantly an isolated star vehicle for Kim 'Mrs John Murphy' Deal - while the new version of 'Vamos' is almost comical in its satanic- Hispanic crossover. It would take Albini and rock another five years to emulate its ghastly visceral thrill - except 'In Utero' didn't have so many funny bits. The shinily produced 'Doolittle' 9/10 actually saw Black Francis refining his songwriting techniques to new levels of brutality. What Albini might have made of 'Debaser', 'Tame', 'I Bleed', 'Dead', 'Gouge Away' or 'Wave Of Mutilation' hardly bears thinkin g about. 'Debaser' perfectly epitomises the Pixies' blend of calculation and intuition. While ruminating on its wry cinematic imagery, you may wish to consider that the line "I am un chien! Andalusia!" was originally (allegedly) scripted as "I want you to shed! Apollonia!". However much Black Francis enjoyed the idea of one of Prince's backing singers stripping, not even he could be so flippant as to employ it as the basis of a song. 'Bossanova' 9/10 represented a band surfing a plateau, but what a marvellous plateau it was. Songs about sex and death gradually diminish in deference to songs about anthropology and the cosmos, while 'Velouria' and 'Is She Weird' reintroduce the Theremi n to pop's lexicon. The shock of the new is gone, replaced by almost endlessly satisfying consistency. Here, to quote the band's original unamended name, was Pixies In Panoply. 'Trompe Le Monde' 7/10 makes for a frustrating valediction. Stunning individual moments ('Planet Of Sound', 'Space (I Believe In)', 'Alec Eiffel') suggest a return to the riotous physicality of old, but as many as four superfluous tracks represents unpre cedented Pixie profligacy. Still audacious, still loquacious, the Pixies simply seemed to be tiring of each other and a sound which now evidently constrained them as much as it once felt liberating. Like all the truly great bands, the individuals concerned subsequently failed to sustain their initial reservoir of inspiration through respective future projects - though The Breeders and Frank Black have both had their moments. These so-called reissues need not concern first generation fans: there are no extra tracks, no new packaging, no surprises, other than these songs' still-robust demeanour. Neophytes, however, can wallow in a delirious wave of Pixillation. They have nothing to lose but their minds. Keith Cameron (c) Copyright NME / IPC Magzines Date: Sun, 16 Aug 1998 11:37:58 -0400 From: Jeff Keibel Subject: Unlimited "Death" confusion Patrick Oltraver wrote: > I just got the limited Death to the Pixies box (DADD7011CD) and was > wondering what the difference is between this and the other one I've heard > about (DAD7011CDGT). Is it even worth it to get this for only two extra > tracks? Is the artwork different? OK, to add more haze to an already foggy release, the DADD7011CDGT, or the "golden ticket" version with the two bonus tracks only bears the above number on the MATRIX of the CD, not on the packaging, which still shows a DADD7011CD number. HOWEVER, I have a copy of DAD7011CD with DAD7011CD on the packaging AND the discs BUT bears a DADD7011CDGT on the matrix and indeed features the two bonus tracks. Anyone care to add to this? JEFF KEIBEL TORONTO, ONTARIO CANADA E MAIL: redshift@interlog.com