To talk about influential alternative punk rock music in the late 80s/early 90s and not even mutter the word Pixies would be downright laughable, this is because Pixies are the sort of act that only come around every so often and transmit through the radio waves a mutilation of timeless classics. They are one of those rare bands where the last song you heard of theirs is now your favourite song and there is a certain style they have established throughout the years which distinctly sets them aside from other artists within their orbit.
There can be no doubt in any way shape or form that a very particular raw-feel-good-vibration is present in what Pixies have achieved through several tracks on their respective studio albums.
Playlist on Spotify - PIXIES: THE BEST OF
Tensions have probably been a tad lower in other bands I’m sure (One notable incident - Pixies frontman Black Francis threw a guitar at bass player Kim Deal during a concert in Stuttgart 1993) but who really wants to go see a band where all the members actually like each other? As demonstrated throughout rock n roll history, band tensions can be the underlying ingredient which in turn brings out the absolute best in musical output – Fleetwood Mac, Oasis & The Beatles come to mind. With a few hiatuses, break-ups and new bass players, Pixies membership perhaps is not always an easy feat. However, to produce such a significant and interesting contribution to music they have in my opinion soared high through the clouds of crunchy guitar creativeness and established a real dynamic sound that has the potential to melt your soul.
Time signatures can change dramatically in certain songs, which not only keeps drummer David Lovering on his toes, it grabs the listeners’ attention with a skipped heartbeat and catapults them into the chorus. Uplifting major/minor chord changes, prominently distinct bass lines and melodic lead guitar accompaniment combined with a touch of dreamy backing vocals is a majestic formula, that Pixies sound. Francis’s lyrics express a wide range of emotions while also explore some dark and provocative themes from space, religion, sex, death, and pop culture. It is no wonder their music has enraptured countless fans/critics throughout the world as well as featuring in TV and film.
Pixies: The Best Of
1. Havalina
The final track on their third album Bossanova, a beautifully crafted tune containing a sublime guitar melody and dreamy vocal accompaniment of Havalina. The song is a pastoral image of a Javelina (Skunk Pig) wandering about the trees of Sedona, Arizona. Very pleasant and arguably the most Pixies Pixies song ever.
2. Velouria
A song that will have you nodding your head, particularly the chorus which contains a suitably fitting walking bass section. It features the use of an interesting instrument called a Theremin which you can hear humming in the background giving the track an incredibly unique touch.
The first single from the 1990 album Bossanova, it was their first release to break into the UK Top 40. As ‘Velouria’ was climbing up the UK charts, Pixies were offered to play on Top of the Pops. However, a rather peculiar BBC rule stated that only singles with official videos could be performed on the show. To counter this, an extremely low budget video was made of the band running down a quarry. In the video, 23 seconds of footage (the time needed for the band members to reach the camera) is slowed down to last for the duration of the song. Sadly the effort in filming the video was in vain; Pixies in the end did not get to play ‘Velouria’ on Top of the Pops while the single was in the charts.
When asked about the lyrics of the song in an interview Black Francis explained, "It's folklore based; the Rosicrucians of 1920s San Jose California had some pretty interesting ideas."
3. Nimrod’s Son
Nimrod’s Son featured on their debut mini-LP Come on Pilgrim released 1987. A twisted quickfire punk song that references a biblical story of a man who discovers his father is also his brother. With cries of ‘’You are the Son of a Motherfucker!’’ & ‘’Bury me far away, please bury me’’ the dark themes of death and incest are quite vivid. Francis’ vocals are on point throughout also with an appropriately placed bellowing scream which he lets roar at the end of each chorus is a vivid expression of the pain and suffering contained within the song’s subject.
4. Letter to Memphis
A dirty crunchy guitar rock song from Pixies? Yes please, they do it so well! ‘Letter to Memphis’ has been described as a melancholic love song regarding a letter Black Francis failed to write and it is apparently his take on Chuck Berry's song ‘Memphis, Tennessee’. From the 1991 album Trompe le Monde. Careful, the chorus ‘’trying to get to you’’ could be stuck in your head all day.
5. Magdalena 318
From the 2014 album Indie Cindy, which was the first release by Pixies since Trompe le Monde in 1991. They announced around this time that bass player Kim Deal was no longer going to continue in the current line-up and essentially the majority bass parts were provided by Simon "Dingo" Archer, a former member of the British post-punk band The Fall. ‘Magdalena 318’ has all the qualities of a Pixies classic and demonstrates their consistency in form even with an albeit lengthy break from recording together. Concerning a lean mean transvestite called Magdalena, the reference to ‘’318'' is to a genuine asteroid belt which orbits our Sun.
Meaty guitar that cuts through your soul!
6.Wave of Mutilation
From the album Doolittle released 1989, an instant classic to be blasted at full volume by alternative rockers everywhere (particularly in Europe). Due to the title of this song, you will not be surprised to discover that the subject matter of ‘Wave of Mutilation’ is one of death. Apparently back in the 1980s, news stories appeared about Japanese men committing suicide with their entire families by driving off piers because they had failed in business, Black Francis took this tragic story and encapsulated the horror creating a beautiful song.
Interestingly, there are two versions of the track in circulation, both of which are regularly played live by Pixies sometimes even at the same show. The Doolittle version is fast paced and punky whereas the alternative simply named ‘Wave of Mutilation (UK Surf)’ is a much calmer slowed down version which accentuates their musical versatility.
7. River Euphrates
The sixth track on their album Surfer Rosa released 1988, River Euphrates contains some impeccable backing vocals from bass player Kim Deal, the combination of the bass and lead guitar at this moment with the repetition of ‘’Ride, Ride, Ride’’ sang harmoniously by Deal has the potential to give you goosebumps. The song itself has been interpreted as being about premature ejaculation, either that or it is literally about being out of gas in the Gaza strip and riding a tiger from the car down the by the river. Make up your own mind if you need clarification I suppose, it is still a great song, in any circumstance.
8. Hey (Demo 1)
Hey, a member of arguably their finest studio album Doolittle, released 1989. It commences with a unique introduction of vocals, bass, and guitar - in terms of alternative rock songs this is up there with the best due to its originality and intriguing musicianship. The pure expression of Francis’ lyrics and vocals are quite breath-taking – he solemnly portrays sexually tormented hunger, epitomised by a damaged, pathetic man demanding “where have you been?” his voice breaking as he cries out, “If you go, I will surely die.”
To keep things a little fresh in this playlist it is the alternative version named ‘Demo 1’ which is included. What appears to be a live take of the song performed flawlessly by the band, it was released in 2014 on the compilation album Doolittle 25: B-sides, Peel Sessions And Demos.
9. La La Love You
Another majestic track hailing from the album Doolittle is ‘La La Love You’. Immediately, appreciation to the drummer and whoever oversaw their recording (the principal sound engineers involved in Doolittle were Gil Norton and Steve Haigler). It is quite fittingly to comment on the drums in this song as it was indeed Pixies drummer David Lovering who sang lead vocals, you will be able to tell as he possesses a much deeper voice compared to Black Francis. Apparently, Lovering initially was reluctant to ‘’pull a Ringo’’ but once he got going, he actually enjoyed his time on the mic.
From what comes across as love song is perhaps more ironic and has been referred to as "a dig at the very idea of a love song’’.
10. Ana
From the album Bossanova, ‘Ana’ begins with an instrumental section featuring some excellent lead guitar by Joey Santiago. The combination of vocals from Black Francis and Kim Deal is sublime, it is almost as if they are whispering directly into Ana’s ear.
11. Hear Me Out
Released as a single in September 2020 ‘Hear Me Out’ features lead vocals performed by bass player Paz Lenchantin (who subsequently replaced original member Kim Deal in 2014). It features some sublime lead guitar sections and has a rather catchy chorus. The official video (shown above) was directed by Lenchantin and stars Henry Hopper.
12. Where Is My Mind?
The most iconic song by Pixies. ‘Where Is My Mind?’ was recorded in 1987 and featured on the album Surfer Rosa. From start to finish the song is a melancholic dream. With the simplistic, distinctive, and highly effective wail by lead guitarist Joey Santiago to the soothing sound of Kim Deal’s backing vocals the song is exceptionally original and capable of transcending to you shear musically blissful enlightenment.
Black Francis wrote the song while he attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, inspired by his experiences while scuba diving in the Caribbean. Having only discovered this information recently I must confess that as being a huge fan of the song for years’ personally thought the meaning was about mental health issues and/or drug addiction. I guess sometimes we can take meaning from song lyrics that were not actually intended by the writer.
‘Where Is My Mind?’ featured in the final scene of the iconic film Fight Club, there will probably never be a more well-fitting song to accompany a scene in a movie such as this. It was this reason that the song gained so much popularity as it had never been formally released as a single and in turn has more than likely introduced a lot of people to the band in general.
Interestingly NASA used the song in 2004 to wake up the team working on the Mars rover, Spirit, in honour of its software transplant.
13. All I Think About Now
From the album Head Carrier released in 2016, ‘All I Think About Now’ was written by Black Francis however is sang by bass player Paz Lenchantin. Many have said, and I agree, it is a tribute to previous bass player Kim Deal in which Francis perhaps feels some regret in the breakdown between himself and Deal. The lead guitar is rather similar to ‘Where Is My Mind?’ but I reckon this has been done intentionally to fit in the nostalgic theme of the song. With all things said, it is an exceptional piece of work from Pixies.
14. Debaser
Another iconic song from the album Doolittle, ‘Debaser’ is a fiery no-nonsense number that explodes in your ear – the bass and guitars collide flawlessly while Francis’ vocals follow suit. The song references Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí's 1929 surrealist film Un Chien Andalou, the lyric "slicing up eyeballs" refers to an early scene in that film. Francis sings "I wanna grow up to be a debaser" because the film debased the art community at the time, which effectively inspired him to do the same.
Francis once explained in an interview about the song, ‘’I wish Buñuel were still alive. He made this film about nothing in particular. The title itself is a nonsense. With my stupid, pseudo-scholar, naive, enthusiast, avant-garde-ish, amateurish way to watch Un chien andalou (twice), I thought: 'Yeah, I will make a song about it.'…"Un chien andalou"... It sounds too French, so I will sing "un chien andalusia", it sounds good, no?’’
15. Indie Cindy
The title track of the album Indie Cindy is a raw, intricate, and beautifully written. It is essentially two songs in one. The verses consist of a bouncing bass and guitar melody which is a beast within itself (not the easiest to learn on guitar/bass!), accompanied with a roaring monologue from Francis. The chorus dramatically changes in tone and the tempo drops slightly creating the vibe of a classic pop song about love with memorable lines such as ‘’I’m in love with your daughter’’ & ‘’Indie Cindy be in love with me’’. The two contrasting sections do work together in my opinion and deliver that remarkably familiar Pixies dynamic down to a tee.
16. Motorway to Roswell
From the album Trompe le Monde in 1991, ‘Motorway to Roswell’ is a song which explores the subject the famous Roswell UFO Incident. Essentially this piece of work considers the alien coming to earth on his spaceship, crashing near a motorway and unfortunately dying. Subsequently the craft and body are taken in by the US Government, he is photographed and put into army crates. The narrator empathises about this situation and he feels he must go to where the alien landed - the motorway.
17. Greens and Blues
From the album Indie Cindy released 2014, ‘Greens and Blues’ is a classic Pixies track which takes you back to their early days. The lead guitar from Santiago should be commended, his use of the wah wah pedal at moments is stupendous. The song describes opioid Oxycodone (Green 15mg & Blue 30mg tablets) – a major addiction problem currently plaguing the USA - and how it is easy to abandon a relationship when you can numb your senses on the drug. On the subject of analysing this song meaning, Francis said, ‘’As with all my songs, I would prefer people add their own interpretation to it.’’
18. Gouge Away
The final song on the album Doolittle, it refers to the biblical story of Samson, who had his eyes gouged out by his enemies and eventually killed them all when he was chained to two pillars in their stronghold. He pulled the pillars down, bringing the building down and killing himself and his enemies. A strong finish to a masterful album, drummer David Lovering explained, “It's the perfect example of a true Pixies song. It's got the quiet verse and then it goes all-out for the chorus. The way it's structured, it's two opposing layers. I remember when we recorded it, I thought it was the most compelling thing we ever did.”
19. Andro Queen
Another achingly beautiful atmospheric track by Pixies. ‘Andro Queen’ is from the 2014 album Indie Cindy. A Sci-Fi love story told through a futuristic vision of society - the protagonist is a human, in love with an android, considering exchanging some human parts for biomechanics so that the relationship with Andro Queen will be compatible. She leaves, he upgrades, and now he is waiting for her to return from space so they can be together. Francis sings the bridge in the international language Esperanto, here is the translation:
I look to the heavens for your return
I look at your hand to see the ring
And we will walk together to your room
Our love will be a new
Our love will be a new
20. Bel Esprit
From the 2016 Head Carrier album, ‘Bel Esprit’ starts with a thumping drums and guitar intro. There is even a clever key change which occurs at the bridge which breaks up the tune well. The supporting vocals of bassist Paz Lenchantin are particularly important in this song too as she adds another layer to the equation. When looking at the lyrics I would suggest this is referring to Saint James the Great and the Camino de Santiago, as the story goes in Catholic literature James spent time in Spain to preach the word of God but was eventually beheaded in Jerusalem some time after. The legend goes that his remains were carried by his apostles to Galicia where he was buried.
21. Gigantic
A huge favourite amongst Pixies fans, part of the album Surfer Rosa it is the song they traditionally closed their live shows with. Cowritten and sang beautifully by Kim Deal with a simple yet distinctive bass line to match the song's lyrics revolve around a woman's observation of an attractive black man making love to another woman!
22. Here Comes Your Man
The second single released from the album Doolittle, ‘Here Comes Your Man’ opens with the Hendrix chord and a guitar melody which could be loosely inspired by The Beach Boys. Francis wrote this song when he was 14 years old but was reluctant to use it in the previous releases due to it being too pop, it was in fact sound engineer Gil Norton who encouraged Francis to eventually include this track on the album.
23. Death Horizon
From the bands recent album Beneath the Eyre released 2020. ‘Death Horizon’ is a quite simple acoustic guitar driven tune. Regarding the track Francis was quoted saying, “It feels like a very Velvet Underground-inspired song, like Lou Reed's Tin Pan Alley traditional chord shapes juxtaposed with the darker lyric. You know, it's just about three levels of death. A relationship, civilization and planetary – boom, boom, boom.”
24. Head On
‘Head On’ appeared on Pixies fourth studio album Trompe le Monde in 1991. It is in fact a cover of Scottish alternative rock band The Jesus and Mary Chain. The original version is approximately 4 minutes whereas Pixies version is smashed out on just over 2 minutes, both rock hard.
25. Monkey Gone to Heaven
Hailing from the album Doolittle. ‘Monkey Gone to Heaven’ features two cellists and two violinists on the album recording. In the lyrics Francis is questioning the way in which we are treating our home planet with humanity's destruction of the ocean and he also references Hebrew numerology at one point, ‘’in the Hebrew language, especially in the Bible, you can find lots of references to man in the 5th and Satan in the 6th and God in the 7th.’’
26. Wave of Mutilation (UK Surf)
An alternative slowed down version of ‘Wave of Mutilation’ which was included on the compilation album Complete B Sides released 2001.
FIN
Some tracks that haven't made this particular Best Of list but in my opinion deserve an honorary mention are Caribou, The Happening & I Bleed. In the end there are too many to choose from. Pixies are and continue to be one of the most creative, unique and inspiring bands of the 20th/21st Century.
