Published on Oct 7, 2003
Back in 1999, I went into a large record store. In an attempt to
find Bjork’s original band (The Sugarcubes), I mistakenly picked up
The Pixies. Somehow, I associated Bjork with a pixie. Oops, my
mistake. When I went home, I tossed in
Pixies At The BBC.
Thinking to myself: “Hey, where’s Bjork? I do not hear anything
that sounds like “Vitamin” or “Hit,” huh? Oh, but I like
this…really. It kind of reminds me of early Nirvana and I dig the
lead singer’s sonance.”
The next day, I listened again. As a direct result of my
subconscious, this CD leapt onto my top shelf.
The Pixies were Black Francis (lead vocals), Kim Deal
(background vocals and bass), Joey Santiago (lead guitar) and David
Lovering (drums).
Pixies At The BBC balanced insanity-riddled chants, harmony,
an unorthodox structure and dark balladry. Moods shifted from
insane, slaphappy, bittersweet, intense and desperate.
Schizophrenia highlighted the tones of Black Francis’ delivery
and lyrical contributions. His primal personality was reflected
with the dementia that poured from his vocal chords in the
demonized cover of the Beatles’ “Wild Honey Pie” and “Is She
Weird’s” progressive deliriousness. Teetering within his periphery
were the tones of cryptic melancholy (“Wave of Mutilation”),
teenage giddiness (“Down to the Well” and “Hey” respectively) and
many others. Although Black Francis’ multiple temperaments
frequently contributed, “they” were not the only notable
contributors to the Pixies’ oeuvre.
A combination of the elements from each and/or all of band
member’s talents glossed every song. Whether it was Deal’s
harmonies and templates (“Levitate Me” and “Down to the Well”),
Lovering’s savage pounding (“Dead”) and/or Santiago’s blustery riff
and lick work (entire album), they concertedly championed the
Pixies significance. Unfortunately, Francis’ solo vision and ego
collided with Kim’s ever-growing need to be heard and the band
(err…Francis) called it quits a decade ago.
Although it is considered a ‘live’ recording, these BBC sessions
did not sound especially unique to the studio versions because they
were without audience noise and only “Wave Of Mutilation” was
arranged noticeably different. For completists, the “Wave”
arrangement, Beatles cover (not on any other official release), raw
energy of the songs included and odd yet effective sequencing make
this very worthwhile.
Pixies At The BBC includes 15 songs that display both
recording and track selection excellence, so it’s total duration of
only 35:23 should not deter any.
My Pixies mistake turned into my richest CD ‘find’ and I have
purchased all of their officially registered and many of their
bootleg CDs since. The Pixies now rank as my third favorite musical
artist/band (behind only Elvis and Bob Dylan). Collectively, the
songs compiled here generally encapsulate the qualities of their
brief, but rich recording career (1988-1991). There is no
chronological listing of the tracks, thematic or any other
recognizable order to them, but somehow (much like the band) they
play accomplished “AS IS”. Listen to
Pixies At The BBC if you want to hear the sound that the
White Stripes and Nirvana looted.