Best Ever Albums

Re: The Pixies in 20 years from now

nitro2k11 — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:17:12 GMT

Author: nitro2k11

Posted: 06/19/2013 05:17

Neither.

Re: The Pixies in 20 years from now

Cymro2011 — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 17:20:19 GMT

Author: Cymro2011

Posted: 06/17/2013 21:20

strongerthanhate wrote:

they are like the beatles, they were probably the 2 best bands mixing catchy pop with rock and making the music great.

Smart edit. 🤣

Re: The Pixies in 20 years from now

Anonymous — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 17:08:07 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 06/17/2013 21:08

ScottyBaboon wrote:

The Pixies aren't a band that I listen to. In 20 years they will probably be the same to me as they are now, nothing more than a band that Kurt Cobain was highly into.

Surfer Rosa was one of his favorite albums ever.

Re: The Pixies in 20 years from now

strongerthanhate — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 17:05:39 GMT

Author: strongerthanhate

Posted: 06/17/2013 21:05

they are like the beatles, they were probably the 2 best bands mixing catchy pop with rock and making the music great.

Re: The Pixies in 20 years from now

EyeKanFly — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 09:44:45 GMT

Author: EyeKanFly

Posted: 06/14/2013 13:44

This is the most one-sided poll I've ever seen.

Re: The Pixies in 20 years from now

Norman Bates — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 09:15:57 GMT

Author: Norman Bates

Posted: 06/14/2013 13:15

Pixies Facebook page wrote:

We are sad to say that Kim Deal has decided to leave the Pixies. We are very proud to have worked with her on and off over the last 25 years. Despite her decision to move on, we will always consider her a member of the Pixies, and her place will always be here for her. We wish her all the best.

Black Francis, Joey Santiago and David Lovering

Re: The Pixies in 20 years from now

HazeyTwilight — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 15:04:13 GMT

Author: HazeyTwilight

Posted: 06/11/2013 19:04

If you want my opinion they'll probably...
*puts sunglasses on*
😎 Do little

Re: The Pixies in 20 years from now

AlecEiffel — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 14:52:43 GMT

Author: AlecEiffel

Posted: 06/11/2013 18:52

I wanted to put a third option but somehow I did not work.

Anyway, you are entitled to think whatever you want about these comparisons, any such comparison is questionable because every band, every period is unique, but this was not the point of my question.

The frequent comparison with The Velvet Underground is a fact, no matter how relevant it is. You cannot watch a documentary on the Pixies or read book without this comparison being made. Gary Smith, who recorded the Purple Tape, made it. David Bowie made it, and many others repeated this statement. Right or wrong, it is one of these cliché things that can hardly be avoided when speaking about the Pixies, like citing Kurt Cobain.

The occasional comparison with The Beatles is also a fact. It mainly originates from British people, those who witnessed and were part of the adoration The Pixies met in the UK in 1988 and later.

The question is whether these comparisons will last in the future as part of the obliged pitch about the Pixies, and whether or not the Beatles one will eventually take precedence over the Velvet one or will simply vanish. In order to prevail, it would require that the Pixies fanbase extends its size with the new generations coming. This already happened between the break up and the reunion, and in the 10 years since the reunion.

I have been a Pixies fan since 1989. In the early 90's I made a fan site that was long the reference about the Pixies. I had first hand contact with other fans. I was amazed seeing how the band's popularity slowly grew over time. Seeing the band ranked on BEA at such a high level by members is something I could have never believed in the 90's. Something has been going on, where will it stop?

Re: The Pixies in 20 years from now

Patman360 — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 14:18:15 GMT

Author: Patman360

Posted: 06/11/2013 18:18

Norman Bates wrote:

As to their future status : they'll be remembered as one of the very best 80s/90s rock bands, who influenced the greatest 90s rock band, Nirvana (not my opinion, but how I think it will end up, and actually already is) plus a certain number of other bands.

Yeah, think this sums it up for me. Maybe the poll needs an 'other' option, neither The Velvet Underground or The Beatles feel relevant to me personally in terms of answering the question.

Re: The Pixies in 20 years from now

junodog4 — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 13:46:19 GMT

Author: junodog4

Posted: 06/11/2013 17:46

Norman Bates wrote:

I don't consider either comparison relevant. Pixies where nowhere near the Beatles' fame (and therefore, influence), and nowhere near the VU's lack of commercial success or revolutionary approach to music (and therefore, influence).

As to their future status : they'll be remembered as one of the very best 80s/90s rock bands, who influenced the greatest 90s rock band, Nirvana (not my opinion, but how I think it will end up, and actually already is) plus a certain number of other bands.

I don't think that's true. I was around when Surfer Rosa, and more importantly Doolittle, were released, and critical acclaim was huge. By the time they were disbanded, they were already in the history of rock books (just checked out my 2000 edition of 'Le Dictionnaire du Rock', they're there, on two columns - I can translate the entry if you like).

^this.

Well done Norman, my thoughts exactly.

Re: The Pixies in 20 years from now

ScottyBaboon — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 13:38:38 GMT

Author: ScottyBaboon

Posted: 06/11/2013 17:38

The Pixies aren't a band that I listen to. In 20 years they will probably be the same to me as they are now, nothing more than a band that Kurt Cobain was highly into.

Re: The Pixies in 20 years from now

kramerfan86 — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 12:31:57 GMT

Author: kramerfan86

Posted: 06/11/2013 16:31

Clearly neither. They are much more popular than the Velvet Underground for sure (they have multiple gold albums for christ's sake) but they clearly are no where close to the Beatles. They are a moderately popular band that had a large influence on 90s music, attempting to make any comparisons beyond that simply doesnt work or make much sense.

Re: The Pixies in 20 years from now

AlecEiffel — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 07:03:10 GMT

Author: AlecEiffel

Posted: 06/11/2013 11:03

To add to the difficulty of classifying the Pixies...

They were too alternative to suit the taste of many classic rock fans. They still are. Now the question is: what will be "classic rock" in 20 years from now?

On the other hand, this seems to be forgotten now, but in their heyday the Pixies were far from consensual in the alternative rock community. Too pop-oriented, too successful. There were many claims that they were not a real alternative band while Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr, Slint, Black Flag or Husker Du were.

I think it is accurate to say that they fit somewhere in-between alternative and classic rock or pop music, only closer to alternative. This has been both an advantage and a drawback. And this is certainly where the innovation of the Pixies mainly stands.

Re: The Pixies in 20 years from now

Anonymous — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 07:00:20 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 06/11/2013 11:00

Norman Bates wrote:

I'd gladly read an elaboration on this.

Alright, maybe I was a little hasty with my wording. VU's approach was likely more innovative (I'll think about this some more and get back to you if I come up with any insights to the contrary).

That being said, I maintain that the Pixies created an entirely new musical aesthetic with their first two albums. They juxtaposed straightforward pop basslines with screaming vocals, upbeat tunes with demented lyrics. They had dissonance down to a science, and they pioneered what was essentially an entirely new dynamic structure (I say "essentially" because there are certainly other songs from before the Pixies' time that employ the soft verse-loud chorus structure; however, I personally perceive there to be relatively few pre-Pixies examples of songs that do it in quite the same explosive manner).

So yeah, their style wasn't quite as innovative as VU's. That was a hasty comment on my part. However, I do consider the innovations of both bands to be comparable in type, if not in degree.

Re: The Pixies in 20 years from now

AlecEiffel — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 06:14:38 GMT

Author: AlecEiffel

Posted: 06/11/2013 10:14

I did not want to elaborate on the status of the Pixies before their reunion.

Yes they were very popular. In Europe and in countries under direct British influence. Not in the USA, hence the comparision with the Velvet Underground.

I also think that their early earning of a spot in rock history was a European phenomenon, even stronger in France than most other countries. We, the French, tend of make everything cultural. This is not as much the case in many other countries, where it took more time to go from the band-of-the-day to the band-in-history status. Once again, the eventual recognition of the band in their home country is a key factor. For instance the fact that a new generation of journalists took over via Pitchfork or by replacing the previous generation in US rock magazines.

As far as comparisons with the Velvet or the Beatles, I wanted to avoid the type of fight that is already everywhere, Pixies vs. Nirvana, Pixies vs. Radiohead, Pixies vs. Sonic Youth.

My question is more about what the "official" history will tell, whether this is accurate or not. At the moment, it tends to say that the Pixies directly or indirectly influenced all modern rock since the 90's.

Re: The Pixies in 20 years from now

Norman Bates — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 04:56:16 GMT

Author: Norman Bates

Posted: 06/11/2013 08:56

swedenman wrote:

As for their approach to music, well, I consider it to be as innovative, if not more so than VU's.

I'd gladly read an elaboration on this.

Re: The Pixies in 20 years from now

Anonymous — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 04:50:12 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 06/11/2013 08:50

Norman Bates wrote:

I agree about The Beatles, but I think they are extremely comparable to VU in terms of commercial success and their approach to music. I don't have the sales charts in front of me at the moment and am too lazy to look them up, but even if Pixies were more commercially successful than VU, the fact remains that they can hardly be called "popular" or "well-known"; among music listeners, yes, but the vast majority of people I know who don't really listen to music have either never heard of Pixies or have only heard of them because "Wave of Mutilation" was on Rock Band.

As for their approach to music, well, I consider it to be as innovative, if not more so than VU's. It's true, their influence may not have been quite as pervasive as that of VU, but most of the grunge and alternative bands that emerged during the late '80s and early '90s owe a pretty sizable debt to Pixies.

Re: The Pixies in 20 years from now

Norman Bates — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 04:18:55 GMT

Author: Norman Bates

Posted: 06/11/2013 08:18

I don't consider either comparison relevant. Pixies where nowhere near the Beatles' fame (and therefore, influence), and nowhere near the VU's lack of commercial success or revolutionary approach to music (and therefore, influence).

As to their future status : they'll be remembered as one of the very best 80s/90s rock bands, who influenced the greatest 90s rock band, Nirvana (not my opinion, but how I think it will end up, and actually already is) plus a certain number of other bands.

AlecEiffel wrote:

The Pixies earned their place in rock book history when they reunited in 2004, 12 years after their break up.

I don't think that's true. I was around when Surfer Rosa, and more importantly Doolittle, were released, and critical acclaim was huge. By the time they were disbanded, they were already in the history of rock books (just checked out my 2000 edition of 'Le Dictionnaire du Rock', they're there, on two columns - I can translate the entry if you like).

The Pixies in 20 years from now

AlecEiffel — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 04:07:39 GMT

Author: AlecEiffel

Posted: 06/11/2013 08:07

I would like to get your opinion on the current and future status of the Pixies in rock history.

The Pixies earned their place in rock book history when they reunited in 2004, 12 years after their break up.

The main group they are likened to is the Velvet Underground. Translation: band that sold few albums but became hugely influential. Pushing the image further: arty and elitist band that every serious rock fan must know but from which the mass barely knows the name. Alternative reference: Sonic Youth.

However, there is another band the Pixies are sometimes compared to. Thom Yorke may have been the first to do it: the Beatles. Provocative variant used by a British journalist in the BBC documentary Gouge: Pixies and Abba are no different! These comparisons add a popularity and huge commercial appeal to the band, despite relatively low commercial success originally and now.

For me there is now doubt that the Velvet comparison is more accurate right now than the Beatles one. But in the next decades?

There are some hints that the future status of the Pixies is not settled yet:
- Their reunion did not gather only people in their 30s and 40s. Most of the audience was very young. As a matter of fact, Pixies albums released 25 years ago are still considered as very fresh. They could as well have been released today.
- The song Where Is My Mind has reached the status of a classic. Other songs may follow in the years to come, more especially if they are covered by commercial artists: Here Comes Your Man, Gigantic, Hey, Velouria...
- The pop sensibility of the Pixies has always been underlined. In the early 90's, Black Francis highlighted his preference for the accessibility of the Beatles over the more intellectual approach of Sonic Youth.
- In the recent years, the Pixies have been subject to numerous high profile re-releases: mini LP replicas in Japan, audiophile rereleases in the US, Minotaur, one of the most luxurious box set ever released so far.

So what do you think?

As a side topic, there is a video that can appeal to both the casual fan who would like to hear a rare Pixies recording (In Heaven sung in German by the Pixies in 1988) and the owners of the Minotaur Limited Edition that wonder about variants of the box set (people are invited to communicate their box color and number at the end of the video).
As I have no right to post a link yet, the video is titled "Pixies RARE In Heaven 1988 live version in German + Minotaur variants & survey" on yt.