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Avg: 4.0 (205 ratings)
- Date Released: March 5, 2001
- Genre: Alternative/Punk
- Style: Alternative
- Label: 4AD
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We Say...
Is there a more paradigmatic Pixies song title than "Weird at My School"? "My father lives in the radio/And I live right here in my school," a phased-in Black Francis announces, before the band does a weird little acoustic-skiffle bunnyhop. They zig, they zag and then it's over, nothing resolved. Welcome to the Pixies' B-sides, which frequently sound even more willful than the stuff that made it onto the albums, and sometimes just as good. Are you a fan of Joey Santiago's nutzoid guitar? The first two tracks on this compendium, "River Euphrates" and a live "Vamos," have you covered. Love Kim Deal's Peppermint Patty-eating-cherry-sours voice? You should get acquainted with the deadpan rave-up "Into the White"; ditto the duet between Francis and Deal on a charming cover of Neil Young's "Winterlong." Sometimes these are complete goofs (the crooked "Bailey's Walk"), or seemingly drift off in mid-song, unfinished ("The Thing") or both ("Dancing the Manta Ray"). But that's part of the general looseness on display — the most appealing thing about Complete B-Sides as a whole, and certainly about its best tracks. The prime exception: "Wave of Mutilation (U.K. Surf Version)," such a fan (and band) favorite that the Pixies dug it out for the first concert of their 2004 reunion.
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They Say...
Like the rest of 4AD's Pixies retrospectives, Complete B-Sides is equally exciting and frustrating: Many of their B-sides are just as good as their album tracks, so it's terrific to see them collected onto a single disc. But a number of factors make it somewhat disappointing, not the least of which is that Complete B-Sides is available only as a U.K. import, due to U.S. licensing problems. That won't dissuade Pixies diehards from seeking it out, but many longtime fans probably already have these songs, either on the original singles or on the bootlegs that proliferated while 4AD inexplicably sat on them. At any rate, Complete B-Sides mostly delivers the goods, kicking off with a ferocious version of "River Euphrates" from the Gigantic single. Witty, spooky Doolittle B-sides like "Manta Ray," "Weird at My School," and "Into the White" are so good that it's a shame they weren't saved for Bossanova, when the band really could have used them. Meanwhile, the Neil Young cover "Winterlong," which also appeared on The Bridge tribute, reaffirms the Pixies' ability to turn any artist's songs into their own. Not every song here scales these heights -- "Bailey's Walk" and "Dancing the Manta Ray" are slightly less inspired bits of Doolittle-era pop perversity, and the snappy, strutting "Santo" and demented cow punk of "Build High" weren't quite ready for prime time, but they're still more interesting than many other bands' A material. Quirky cuts like "Make Believe," David Lovering's strangely charming tribute to Debbie Gibson, give the collection extra personality. The album also features some fun, if not extremely informative, comments about each track from Frank Black, as well as the clips for "Here Comes Your Man" and "Allison," which will only make fans clamor for the next logical Pixies release: a video collection. Though it doesn't quite do justice to the band's legacy, Complete B-Sides does a good job of filling in the gaps in the Pixies' body of work.
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| 01. |  |
River Euphrates |
3:23 |
|
| 02. | |
Vamos (Live) |
3:28 |
|
| 03. | |
In Heaven (Lady In The Radiator Song) (Live) |
1:46 |
|
| 04. | |
Manta Ray |
2:39 |
|
| 05. | |
Weird At My School |
1:59 |
|
| 06. | |
Dancing The Manta Ray |
2:13 |
|
| 07. | |
Wave Of Mutilation (U.K Surf Mix) |
3:00 |
|
| 08. | |
Into The White |
4:42 |
|
| 09. | |
Bailey's Walk |
2:23 |
|
| 10. | |
Make Believe |
1:54 |
|
| 11. | |
I've Been Waiting For You |
2:45 |
|
| 12. | |
The Thing |
1:59 |
|
| 13. | |
Velvety Instrumental Version |
2:04 |
|
| 14. | |
Winterlong |
3:07 |
|
| 15. | |
Santo |
2:16 |
|
| 16. | |
Theme From Narc |
1:48 |
|
| 17. | |
Build High |
1:43 |
|
| 18. | |
Evil Hearted You |
2:37 |
|
| 19. | |
Letter To Memphis (Instrumental) |
2:41 |
|
19 Total Tracks, 48:27 Total Length
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Credits
- Pixies - Producer // Pixies - Main Performer // Frank Black - Song Notes // Frank Black - Song Notes // Frank Black - Song Notes // Frank Black - Song Notes // Steve Haigler - Mixing Engineer // Paul Q. Kolderie - Engineer // John Loder - Mixing // Gil Norton - Producer // Claude Fixler - Engineer // Alistair Clay - Engineer // Ronnie Stone - Engineer // Gary Smith - Producer
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