Surfer Rosa (studio album) by Pixies

Pixies bestography

Surfer Rosa is ranked 2nd best out of 26 albums by Pixies on BestEverAlbums.com.

The best album by Pixies is Doolittle which is ranked number 18 in the list of all-time albums with a total rank score of 37,843.

Pixies album bestography « Higher ranked (18th) This album (97th) Lower ranked (441st) »
DoolittleSurfer RosaBossanova

Upcoming concerts

May
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PIXIES and MODEST MOUSE with special guest CAT POWER Summer 2024
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PIXIES and MODEST MOUSE with special guest CAT POWER Summer 2024
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PIXIES and MODEST MOUSE with special guest CAT POWER Summer 2024
Ascend Amphitheater, Nashville, United States. United States
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Surfer Rosa track list

  Track ratingsTrack ratings The tracks on this album have an average rating of 85 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).

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1.
Track pick
Rating: 89 (422 votes)Comments: 7
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2.
Rating: 85 (355 votes)Comments: 6
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4.
Rating: 83 (328 votes)Comments: 4
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5.
Track pick
Rating: 89 (453 votes)Comments: 10
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8.
Rating: 85 (325 votes)Comments: 5
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9.
Rating: 81 (314 votes)Comments: 4
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10.
Rating: 80 (304 votes)Comments: 7
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11.
Rating: 83 (328 votes)Comments: 10
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12.
Rating: 80 (295 votes)Comments: 7
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13.
Rating: 83 (302 votes)Comments: 7
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Track pick Top-rated track as rated by BestEverAlbums.com members.

Surfer Rosa rankings

Surfer Rosa collection

Surfer Rosa ratings

Average Rating: 
85/100 (from 1,821 votes)
  Ratings distributionRatings distribution Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this album. | Show all 1,821 ratings for this album.

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RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
95/100
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03/10/2024 21:48 RadioGraaah  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 46878/100
 
85/100
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03/09/2024 15:12 poblo  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 16380/100
 
85/100
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03/02/2024 16:19 Brassmat  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 9274/100
 
55/100
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02/28/2024 19:03 Gavin Cook  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 24965/100
 
75/100
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02/14/2024 04:48 robertoveltri  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 33279/100

Rating metrics: Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)

This album is rated in the top 1% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 84.5/100, a mean average of 83.5/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 84.6/100. The standard deviation for this album is 14.6.

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Surfer Rosa comments

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Rating:  
80/100
From 12/18/2023 20:46
Listening to the Pixies' 'Surfer Rosa' is like being swept into a whirlwind of energy and unexpected sounds. The album's mix of loud guitars and unique vocals, with some songs feeling calm and others full of shouting, creates a really interesting contrast. It's not like most music I've heard; it has a raw, almost unpolished feel that makes it stand out.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
70/100
From 05/17/2023 21:35
Solid album, wonderful production - band sounds great and terrific drum sound in particular - let down (for me) by Black Francis' vocals - too whiney to my ears!! = Highlights: Gigantic, Where Is My Mind?
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 04/19/2023 18:06
This is such a high energy album that would go on to influence the majority of music that came out in the 90's, alongside Doolittle, making it a hugely important release. This isn't all there is too this album however as there is so much quality across this release. The two obvious examples are Gigantic and Where Is My Mind? as they both sound so incredibly unique yet are also extremely infectious. They then strengthen the release with songs like River Euphrates, Cactus and Bone Machine which help to bulk up the record. However, there is quite a significant amount of filler on this release especially for the short run time that it has. Most of the skippable songs arrive near the conclusion of the release as well which can make this 33 minute listen feel unnecessarily elongated. Overall, a hugely important album in the history of music that might not be the groups best record but it is a lot of fun to experience time and time again.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 04/11/2023 19:11
Quite influential and revolutionary album, there is some great material on this album like Break My Body, River Euphrates and Bone Machine all of this songs rip and deliver this raw punk energy that clearly influenced grunge and 90s alt rock. Of course we have masterpiece Where Is My Mind? on this record and this song is great both lyrically and sonically. I love it. The biggest problem for me are half-baked tracks and sometimes annoying vocals (on Broken Face and Vamos especially). Overall it is really a solid record with some minor flaws.
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Rating:  
100/100
From 04/07/2023 04:11
While it doesn't quite reach the heights of Doolittle, it brings its own unique sense of relentless aggression and utter weirdness. Less cerebral, more impulsive. Surfer Rosa is an unhinged thrill ride from start to end, and I can definitely see how some would prefer it to its successor. Albini's production, with its pummeling bass and brittle guitars, adds to the blistering experience. "River Euphrates" may just be my single favorite Pixies song. Exhilarating, and addicting; I reach for this album a lot.
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From 02/06/2023 19:13
The sound is so much impactful than on Doolitle, but the song-writting is not as immediate for sure.
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Rating:  
35/100
From 08/22/2022 09:48
Don't really "get" this band, but I still enjoyed Doolittle and some of this album. Where is my mind and Gigantic are the highlights, and I like the first two tracks too. It's okay, but as for top 100 albums ever... I just don't see it. Maybe I'm missing something.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 01/19/2022 03:11
Even the comments between songs are great. Raging songs played with punk aggression and virtuoso skill. Contains possibly the greatest alt-rock song ever. Kim and Frank at their interplay best.
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Rating:  
90/100
From 11/03/2021 11:37
Why are the Pixies so good? Surfer Rosa and Doolittle are two of the most influential albums of all time. So many artists have tried to emulate this sound.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 10/04/2021 20:22
Libro Where Is my Mind y poco más
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)

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Best Albums of 1988
1. Daydream Nation by Sonic Youth
2. Surfer Rosa by Pixies
3. Spirit Of Eden by Talk Talk
4. It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back by Public Enemy
5. ...And Justice For All by Metallica
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