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Avg: 4.0 (102 ratings)
- Date Released: July 14, 1998
- Genre: Alternative/Punk
- Style: Alternative, Live Alt/Punk
- Label: 4AD
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We Say...
The cover of the Beatles' "Wild Honey Pie" (originally from The Beatles, aka The White Album) that opens Pixies at the BBC isn't anywhere near the Pixies' greatest moment — in fact, it's a throwaway. But it's the kind of throwaway that demonstrates as well as anything how the band operates: charged, almost frightening screaming of the title phrase by leader Black Francis over raw, scraping guitars alternating with a tinny, silly single-string "lead," all for maybe the silliest song in the Beatles' catalogue. That combination — goofy plus fearsome — defines the Pixies' approach, and it may be even more pronounced on this disc than on the band's studio recordings. Like all BBC sessions (the Pixies recorded six between 1988 and 1991), these were done fast: bands are typically given just a few hours to cut a handful of songs, and given that even their later, more studio-buffed albums were pretty raw, it's not terribly different from their work's main body. Which, along with the range of material (cuts from all of their studio albums plus covers and B-sides) means it's a pretty good way to learn about one of the most important bands of the alt-rock era.
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They Say...
Between 1988 and 1991, the Pixies performed six sessions at the BBC, playing on a variety of programs. For years, these sessions were hot bootleg items, especially since their first session for John Peel (on May 3, 1988) featured two otherwise unreleased covers -- the Beatles' "Wild Honey Pie" and "(In Heaven) Lady in the Radiator Song," from Eraserhead. It took Elektra/4AD until 1998 to release the six sessions, and when the 15-track Pixies at the BBC did appear, it was a mixed blessing. Certainly, the music itself is pretty terrific -- none of the versions are radically different (although "Wave of Mutilation" is performed in its "UK Surf Arrangement" from the "Here Comes Your Man" single, not the Doolittle version), but each cut is raw and vital, and recasting "Wild Honey Pie" as pure primal dementia was brilliant. What is suspect is the presentation. Instead of keeping each session intact, the compilers have assembled individual tracks in seemingly random order so the disc bounces from 1989 to 1991 to 1988 to 1990. For an archival release, such tactics are infuriating -- the sessions make more sense in chronological order, as most bootleggers know. Still, not every hardcore fan can track bootlegs down, nor is he willing to shell out the cash, which makes Pixies at the BBC a welcome (and overdue) addition to the official Pixies catalog. (Be aware, though, that the full-price disc clocks in at about 35 minutes.)
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| 01. |  |
Wild Honey Pie |
1:52 |
|
| 02. | |
There Goes My Gun |
1:24 |
|
| 03. | |
Dead |
1:29 |
|
| 04. | |
Subbacultcha |
2:08 |
|
| 05. | |
Manta Ray |
2:14 |
|
| 06. | |
Is She Weird |
2:52 |
|
| 07. | |
Ana |
2:14 |
|
| 08. | |
Down to the Well |
2:31 |
|
| 09. | |
Wave of Mutilation |
2:22 |
|
| 10. | |
Letter to Memphis |
2:33 |
|
| 11. | |
Levitate Me |
2:18 |
|
| 12. | |
Caribou |
3:18 |
|
| 13. | |
Monkey Gone to Heaven |
2:57 |
|
| 14. | |
Hey |
3:17 |
|
| 15. | |
In Heaven (Lady in the Radiator Song) |
1:51 |
|
15 Total Tracks, 35:20 Total Length
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Credits
- Pixies - Main Performer // Paul Roberts - Engineer // Kim Deal - Guitar (Bass) // Kim Deal - Vocals // Kim Deal - ? // Black Francis - Guitar // Black Francis - Vocals // Black Francis - ? // Dale Buffin Griffin - Producer // David Lovering - ? // Mike Robinson - Producer // Joey Santiago - Guitar // Joey Santiago - ? // Miti - Producer // James Birtwistle - Engineer // Chris Bigg - Treatments // Kevin Westenberg - Portraits // Vaughan Oliver - Art Direction // Vaughan Oliver - Design // Mike Walter - Engineer // Tim Vary - Art Direction // Tim Vary - Design // Chris Staley - Mastering
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