| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| two reelers |
Posted - 02/20/2018 : 15:18:37
It was 1993 when the self-titled debut came out. The yellow album (on CD) and the orange album (LP), respectively...
Where was I, way back then? In high school, in Europe, 17 years old or so. I just had discovered the Pixies, and was really getting into them. At one day, out of the blue, I heard rumours that they have broken up (pre-internet times for me; a class mate who had MTV at home reported this to me). I felt sad, for having lost a very fresh and very passionate love. But then more rumours: The main Pixie, Mr. Black Francis, will follow up with a solo record. Exciting! But slightly frightened as well: How will it compare to the incomparable? Will I be disappointed? Every week I went to my local record store, just to be told to be patient until the album arrives, and they don't know when that will be. Ah, these pre-internet times - no spoilers, no leaking, just the beautiful excitement of eagerly anticipating the unknown...
Then it was here, and it took me by a very pleasant surprise: The LP sleeve was made of rough paperboard, not the usual smooth/laminated and glossy paper sleeve. It also had a folding flap, which I stupidly removed later on. The cover itself was fantastic, so different from the Pixies style. Very simple, but somehow much more warm and human. It had a sticker which became my motto for years to come: "DEATH TO THE PIXIES - HERE COMES FRANK BLACK!". And the best thing was the logo: The F & B, entwined to represent a man with a guitar. Ingenious, once for the form and once just for the idea to have a logo for a one-man-band. (For the old folks on this forum, you may want to remember that I made frankblack.net-T-shirts with that logo and distributed them among some of you).
What about the most important thing - the music? I probably was very nervous when I put it on the record player. When the first chords of "Los Angeles" started to resonate, all anxiety was blown away. I was immediately in love with this new thing. It was very different from the Pixies, more playful, less mysterious, in some way much more approachable. Despite being very much into loud and rough guitars and noise at that time, I was hooked to the synthie-pop sound of "Two Spaces" in an instant. I was so happy.
What other snippets or thoughts are there to share? Just two days ago, I listened to "Ten Percenter", and it really made me wish that Frank and David Bowie would have performed it together at the 50th birthday of Bowie. Imagine Reeves on the guitar, and Gail Ann Dorsay on the bass. Bowie and Frank sharing vocals 'if you wanna wile a while ..IF YOU WANNA WILE A WHILE!...JERK JERK JERK!!!' "Parry the wind, high low" - another highlight. I still think the Pixies 2.0 should do that song.
Anybody else?
I joined the cult of Souled American / 'cause they are a damn' fine band |
| 35 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Bedbug |
Posted - 06/04/2020 : 07:49:02
Don't really know where (or why) to post this, but just came across this batman cartoon edit with Don't Ya Rile Em as the soundtrack. Why not! Pretty cool. What an awesome song that has barely any of the recognition it deserves.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6-S6Y9tITY |
| Sprite |
Posted - 01/08/2019 : 06:37:55
quote:
Originally posted by Bedbug
Since the topic of expectations is high around here lately, I thought I would ask everyone:
What were your expectations for this album when you knew it was coming out?
Honestly my response was FFS! First you break up my favourite band of all time, a band that was my obsession for 3-4 years (and still remains in a league of its own of great bands in my life) and now you are going to impose your solo stuff on me. Of course once I got it and played it I loved it, a kind of more poppier Pixies vibe. Loved the production and EDF.
By the time Teenager came along I was fully converted telling people he was right to break up the Pixies. Again the production and EDF were key. So sharp, crisp and quirky.
And then COR hit and I spent my 40 days in the desert. Did not make it back until DITS. |
| Bedbug |
Posted - 01/07/2019 : 10:36:07
Since the topic of expectations is high around here lately, I thought I would ask everyone:
What were your expectations for this album when you knew it was coming out?
For me, I really didn't know. I wanted it to be another Pixies album, but I had heard about the whole Beach Boys Cover Album thing, so I really had no idea.
I think a big thing with this album was the first few seconds, where it's clear that the man's voice, while still the best thing, was not going to be the voice from 1.0 that might get confused for being a female. "I met a man" sounded like a post-apocalyptic cowboy and that was definitely different than the Black Francis voice that had largely characterized most of the Pixies' and sounded like a maniacal field hockey player (obviously there were exceptions with songs like Sad Punk).
It sounds crazy to say this now, but when it first came out I didn't love it anywhere near as much as I do now. I wish I had the same optimism for Indie Cindy and Head Carrier, both of which are still only okay to me after several years. |
| Bedbug |
Posted - 11/11/2018 : 23:56:37
Thanks again Old Man David. Always good to read more thoughts on this album.
Not much to tell about me, I’m just an old bed bug.
Sometimes listening to the album in complete reverse order gives a unique experience. In fact, whenever I listen to IC in reverse I like it better, like at least 50% better if not more |
| oldmandavid |
Posted - 11/10/2018 : 11:38:32
How funny! I didn’t realize that I had previously commented on your original post. I just did again today, and then afterwards, I just saw your reply to my first post. I’d like to provide my more detailed take on the orange album, and will circle back around to do so when I have more time. Needless to say, it is absolutely amazing! I actually just recently listened to most of the album, basically from Czar onwards on my last trip to Rocky point Mexico about a month ago. It really is one of his best, and has a lot of my favorite songs to cover on it. I love singing (or actually screaming) Adda lee and playing on my guitar, and don’t ya rile em and every time I go around here are just amazing. It soothes me that there are others out there who take this music so seriously. The only person I knew who loved Frank Black as much is I do was my best friend who passed away eight years ago. Now I have no one to share that enthusiasm with. More details on the orange album later, gotta run. I’d love to hear more about all of you guys, like where you live, and what you do for a living, and your background story, cuz you just don’t run into hard-core frame black fans very often.
quote:
Originally posted by Bedbug
quote:
Originally posted by oldmandavid
I really appreciate all you're saying here! I can identify with so much of it. I miss him so much, and I do agree that he is the greatest of all time. Hands down! No one can compare with him. a genius among geniuses!
quote:
Originally posted by Bedbug
Great post Two Reelers.
I was a Pixies fan all through high school, got to see them live, and was burning out the cassettes listening to them non-stop. I remember we could only find the B-Sides literally on side B of the CDs, so I had these mix tapes of those. I was super bummed to hear that they had broken up. They just missed the opportunity to become "Alternative Darlings" like Nirvana, Chili Peppers, et. al. had become. If they released another album in 93 or 94 it would have gotten a huge push.
I remember hearing (maybe through Rolling Stone magazine of all places) that Black Francis was releasing an album of Beach Boy covers and calling it Frank Black. I was both skeptical and psyched on the idea. I was a freshman in college when the album came out. As Two Reelers said above, the album cover blew me away. It still does. It is the single best album cover of anything Charles has been associated with, bar none. I keep meaning to make a T-shirt of it and send the merchandising fee to Charles. Maybe soon.
When I put the tape (I still didn't have a CD player) in my car and heard the opening of Los Angeles I was disoriented. It was both awesome and offputting. I knew the Pixies were dead, and I missed that sound, but this sound was amazing too, just so different. It was very dreamlike. It was beautiful and garish, a mix of earth and space. I knew that although I was really into it I didn't get it. My favorite song would change which each listen, and sometimes I wouldn't like parts that I ended up loving a little later. The whole album is a trip.
You could also really feel that Frank was having fun here. As much as I love Bossanova and Trompe, it seems that Frank was maybe having a lot more fun with the Pixies being behind him. I think that would still be the case in 2018, but I digress.
When he came to NYC that summer I went and saw him. I remember some people in the crowd yelling "Monkey" and "Debaser," but he was Frank Black now, and that was awesome. It was a sick show.
His production from 1988 to 1994 is just insane. It's better than anyone else. Can you believe in those few years he turned out everything from Surfer Rosa to Teenager of the Year? It's unbelievable.
Frank Black, the one who is post Pixies but pre-Catholics, is my favorite incarnation of the man. I miss him. I wish he would have given it a longer run. All those concerts from 93-95 are priceless.
All these years later, this album is probably the one that has the fewest songs I skip on it. I would probably say that Trompe and TOTY are tied for first on my list of his favorite albums, and this album would be next, but I skip fewer songs on it than I do on those.
The excitement I felt when I heard this in 93 for the first time is still with me, and I have listened to it countless times. I can't say that about his 2.0 efforts, but I totally support him being able to make some money now finally. Sometimes I get sad seeing him perform Wave for the billionth time, wondering if he wishes he could strum a few chords of Czar.
If I were in a band that was opening for the Pixies, I would get his permission to play Tossed. I think that would both get the crowd amped and would be a great gift to the fans who love everything he's ever done.
Bad Frank Black music is better than the Beatles entire catalog plus Prince multiplied by Bob Dylan's legacy (had a lot of coffee today). And his best stuff, like Frank Black "Frank Black," is beyond description.
I'll be listening to this album today.
Thank you oldmandavid.
It really was a magical time for FB fans.
I guess the old adage "don't be sad that it's over, be glad that it happened" is appropriate.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on the album.
|
| oldmandavid |
Posted - 11/10/2018 : 11:22:19
quote:
Originally posted by Bedbug
Great post Two Rellers
If I were in a band that was opening for the Pixies, I would get his permission to play Tossed. I think that would both get the crowd amped and would be a great gift to the fans who love everything he's ever done.
Bad Frank Black music is better than the Beatles entire catalog plus Prince multiplied by Bob Dylan's legacy (had a lot of coffee today). And his best stuff, like Frank Black "Frank Black," is beyond description.
I'll be listening to this album today.
Wow! How beautiful it was to read all of that! It resonates so soundly with me. I erased the majority of your text so that this wouldn’t be too long, but every word of it rings true. It’s exactly how I feel on every level. From the part where you talk about your favorite song changing each time you listen to it, and parts that you didn’t like becoming parts you love, that’s so frank black! You need time to digest his music to truly understand it and appreciate it. A lot of my favorite songs of his now, are ones that originally didn’t speak to me at all, and then one day I would find myself with a particular hook stuck in my head that I couldn’t get rid of and I didn’t even know what song it went to you, but just that it was frank black, and i’d have to go back and search through a given album to find it and then that would became one of my favorite songs. It’s happened countless times. Gosh I miss him so much! Recently when the pixies came to Arizona with Weezer, I didn’t even go. I actually kind of regret that and wish I would have, but it’s just not the same as Frank like solo stuff. Anyways, I just wanted to say that your sentiment echoes exactly how I feel and it was like reading a post that I myself had written. Thank you for that! |
| Troubles A Foot |
Posted - 10/12/2018 : 06:10:16
Ha, that assumes people were at my shows to hear it! I quit playing live for a reason...
I just put this up for you guys, me playing Czar to an empty room from 2007! Enjoy! I mess up one line, woops. I looked for Pray A Little Faster but apparently I never recorded any live show where I did it!
https://soundcloud.com/troubles-afoot/czar-frank-black-cover-may292007 |
| Bedbug |
Posted - 10/11/2018 : 21:35:36
Yes, I enjoyed it too Troubles A Foot. Great to hear a new cover of a great FB song, and you did a great job.
I look forward to checking out your youtube link too, sounds cool.
And awesome that you covered Pray a Little Faster too! It does my heart good to know that people are being introduced to those songs through FBFans like yourself. |
| Troubles A Foot |
Posted - 10/11/2018 : 18:36:07
Ha thank you! Both of you! And if you don't like it that's ok too!
If I may be so bold, my favorite thing I've done and that I think closely resembles that mix is a live show my band did years ago that was recorded pretty decently by the venue, the youtube playlist is here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLc-S2s3gJNiRGy8KODCyPsas6kdWM2ZT0
To me this is kind of like what I wanted my life to be...playing my songs with a great backing band to make my songs sound good and like I know what I'm doing....I usually play with a clean guitar setting but this amp on stage didn't have one, so its more rocking and Catholics-y than I would have intended, but I think it gave us a bit of an energy boost...
My first ever album is almost done, been working on it for 8 years on and off...when it's out maybe I'll edit this post with an update. It's been an exhausting project to finally finish but I'm really happy with it. And it's only 25 minutes long because all of my songs are short.
I also covered Pray A Little Faster at my shows, forgot to mention that one. Damn 4 Frank covers? That's a bit overkill.
|
| McDutchie |
Posted - 10/11/2018 : 15:35:10
What Bedbug said.
Also, I'm now checking out your music on soundcloud. A mix between TMBG and Frank Black, that's got to be good... |
| Bedbug |
Posted - 10/09/2018 : 11:29:51
I really enjoyed reading that.
It was beautiful.
Thanks for sharing that with us. |
| Troubles A Foot |
Posted - 10/08/2018 : 19:06:09
Hey guys! I don't post here much but I saw this topic was getting some action...
My story? I was never a big Pixies fan when I was first getting into rock music. I just didn't know much about them. My favorite band of all time was They Might Be Giants (still is.) And any TMBG fan knows there's a lot of Frank overlap. They've covered each other, toured with each other, talked about each other, etc. I had seen the Los Angeles video on Beavis and Butt-Head but also on the widely circulated TMBG Video Bootleg that the fans made (Flansburgh directed that video.) I watched it many many times and always liked it. Still didn't HIT me though.
One song I had loved since I was around 13 was Man of Steel, because I had the X-Files soundtrack. So solo Frank was kind of embedded in my mind at an early age as being a solid songwriter.
A friend of mine made me a mix CD when I was around 17 or 18 and it included Dig For Fire and, believe it or not, Pray For The Girls, Frank's song from the Powerpuff Girls soundtrack. Now that I'm remembering, another friend had put Caribou on a mix tape years earlier, but I'm not sure I ever listened much.
I got really REALLY into these two songs...It started to make sense that I should look into Frank's work. Within a short time I got...well...all his albums, emphasizing the solo albums especially. Self-titled, Teenager of the Year, etc all really hit me because it basically sounded like TMBG but with a bit more attitude and looseness. After struggling a bit with the Catholics, a switch flipped in my brain and I got obsessed with the first Catholics album and eventually the others, especially Devil's Workshop. I also went backwards into the Pixies and really loved them too, especially Trompe Le Monde. But I've always been really tuned into his solo work...the songwriting just feels more my sensibility.
What else really hit me was watching or listening to Frank bootlegs of his solo shows. So at this time I was performing solo shows myself but struggling with stage presence. I would get so nervous before going on stage that I raced through every song at lightning speed out of fear that if I slowed down I would mess up.
Hearing Frank's solo bootlegs was a huge revelation...he improvised on his songs, he had a looseness, he yelled out funny things in between lines or during instrumental parts (man I REALLY miss this Frank...)...observant people going to my next several shows would notice me taking this attitude to heart...playing live became more fun, I made myself relax, I made myself keep it loose, I wanted to have the same kind of stage presence Frank did. I even started covering Coastline, King and Queen of Siam (soundcloud link if interested: https://soundcloud.com/troubles-afoot/king-and-queen-of-siam-frank-black-and-the-catholics-cover) and Czar.
Important songs to me? I cry my eyes out to Valley Of Our Hope. Pistolero and songs like So. Bay got me through a lot of tough times. I remember quitting a job I had and having no idea what the hell to do and walking to the subway with So. Bay blasting in my ears..."and if I'm broke...then I will cope..." and tears came to my eyes. Dog in the Sand (the album) is a big one, and Dog in the Sand (the song) just destroys me as well. Songs like that make me shocked there are Pixies fans who never check out his solo work. Honeycomb and Fast Man both were the soundtrack to this really bad relationship I was in for a year, and both albums really soothed my anxiety during the long drives out of state to visit her. I still can't listen to Fast Man without thinking of her and those bad times ("gun to my head...got to get moving"...I drove to her place in a horrible rain storm in the middle of the night listening to that...)
I started a band finally and always described myself as a mix between TMBG and Frank Black and a few others. He was just a huge inspiration for me and still is. I probably copy his vocal inflections without realizing it. What really was important for me was TMBG and other bands I liked were great but really dorky and uptight....Frank was just...cool. He felt cooler than me as opposed to nerdier than me (TMBG). Frank was weird, cool, funny, he put tons of emotion into his songs but he didn't act like the songs were emotional, he kept it cool...but effortlessly so, not like pathetically trying hard to seem cool.
Anyway, the band is gone but I still make music mostly by myself, and try to keep that spirit. I don't play live much either but when I ever do, I think "how would Frank do this song?" and it helps put me in a kind of state of relaxation but also ultra awareness of what I'm doing.
I'm glad Frank has the Pixies back and has some wider success, but I miss the solo Frank career where anything could happen...And I miss those casual kinds of performances.
|
| Jeepster |
Posted - 10/06/2018 : 17:56:25
Glad you liked it :)
Q: Where do Pixies keep their instruments when they're not playing?
A: Debasement. |
| Bedbug |
Posted - 10/02/2018 : 04:38:53
That is a terrific story Jeepster!
Thanks for sharing :-) |
| Jeepster |
Posted - 10/01/2018 : 13:37:37
I may as well tell the story of my first exposure to Frank Black's music, because I think it's a pretty good one.
I was in my mid-teens (I'm only 17 now, so it wasn't so long ago). I was a timid, lonely, nerdy kid and I barely listened to alternative rock aside from Bowie, who I loved then and still do. Somehow I got stuck upstate for a few weeks over the summer at what was ostensibly an educational program (reminds me of a certain fateful trip to Puerto Rico!). Looking back I think the program was actually a scam, although I did get one other good story out of the experience- I managed to go missing at a nuclear reactor!
Otherwise I was bored out of my mind while I was there. It rained nonstop every day and I had no friends at all. I went to a bookstore to distract myself and stumbled across a copy of Surfer Rosa, which shocked and fascinated me with its oh-so-tasteful cover. I vaguely remembered that Bowie had covered a Pixies song and figured that that meant Pixies must be good, so I went back to my crappy little dorm to go listen to Surfer Rosa and read (I was in the middle of A Confederacy of Dunces).
As soon as I got a few songs in, I put the book down to just listen to the music and stare out the window at the summer rain. I felt like I was standing around in a garage in Boston with some punks who were, somehow, channeling the sublime. I'd never heard anything so raw, terrifying, funny, and beautiful, all at the same time. Surfer Rosa played on repeat over and over during the rest of that trip.
I had never before considered that I might have even a shred of musical talent, but as soon as I got home I started looking for guitar lessons. I wanted to call up the otherwordly through music the way that Pixies did. Every friend I have now, I've either met through music, or thanks to the major self-confidence boost that playing guitar gave me. Of course I then got into solo Frank Black, and that eventually lead me here.
Q: Where do Pixies keep their instruments when they're not playing?
A: Debasement. |
| Bedbug |
Posted - 10/01/2018 : 04:36:31
quote:
Originally posted by oldmandavid
I really appreciate all you're saying here! I can identify with so much of it. I miss him so much, and I do agree that he is the greatest of all time. Hands down! No one can compare with him. a genius among geniuses!
quote:
Originally posted by Bedbug
Great post Two Reelers.
I was a Pixies fan all through high school, got to see them live, and was burning out the cassettes listening to them non-stop. I remember we could only find the B-Sides literally on side B of the CDs, so I had these mix tapes of those. I was super bummed to hear that they had broken up. They just missed the opportunity to become "Alternative Darlings" like Nirvana, Chili Peppers, et. al. had become. If they released another album in 93 or 94 it would have gotten a huge push.
I remember hearing (maybe through Rolling Stone magazine of all places) that Black Francis was releasing an album of Beach Boy covers and calling it Frank Black. I was both skeptical and psyched on the idea. I was a freshman in college when the album came out. As Two Reelers said above, the album cover blew me away. It still does. It is the single best album cover of anything Charles has been associated with, bar none. I keep meaning to make a T-shirt of it and send the merchandising fee to Charles. Maybe soon.
When I put the tape (I still didn't have a CD player) in my car and heard the opening of Los Angeles I was disoriented. It was both awesome and offputting. I knew the Pixies were dead, and I missed that sound, but this sound was amazing too, just so different. It was very dreamlike. It was beautiful and garish, a mix of earth and space. I knew that although I was really into it I didn't get it. My favorite song would change which each listen, and sometimes I wouldn't like parts that I ended up loving a little later. The whole album is a trip.
You could also really feel that Frank was having fun here. As much as I love Bossanova and Trompe, it seems that Frank was maybe having a lot more fun with the Pixies being behind him. I think that would still be the case in 2018, but I digress.
When he came to NYC that summer I went and saw him. I remember some people in the crowd yelling "Monkey" and "Debaser," but he was Frank Black now, and that was awesome. It was a sick show.
His production from 1988 to 1994 is just insane. It's better than anyone else. Can you believe in those few years he turned out everything from Surfer Rosa to Teenager of the Year? It's unbelievable.
Frank Black, the one who is post Pixies but pre-Catholics, is my favorite incarnation of the man. I miss him. I wish he would have given it a longer run. All those concerts from 93-95 are priceless.
All these years later, this album is probably the one that has the fewest songs I skip on it. I would probably say that Trompe and TOTY are tied for first on my list of his favorite albums, and this album would be next, but I skip fewer songs on it than I do on those.
The excitement I felt when I heard this in 93 for the first time is still with me, and I have listened to it countless times. I can't say that about his 2.0 efforts, but I totally support him being able to make some money now finally. Sometimes I get sad seeing him perform Wave for the billionth time, wondering if he wishes he could strum a few chords of Czar.
If I were in a band that was opening for the Pixies, I would get his permission to play Tossed. I think that would both get the crowd amped and would be a great gift to the fans who love everything he's ever done.
Bad Frank Black music is better than the Beatles entire catalog plus Prince multiplied by Bob Dylan's legacy (had a lot of coffee today). And his best stuff, like Frank Black "Frank Black," is beyond description.
I'll be listening to this album today.
Thank you oldmandavid.
It really was a magical time for FB fans.
I guess the old adage "don't be sad that it's over, be glad that it happened" is appropriate.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on the album.
|
| oldmandavid |
Posted - 09/30/2018 : 13:09:36
I really appreciate all you're saying here! I can identify with so much of it. I miss him so much, and I do agree that he is the greatest of all time. Hands down! No one can compare with him. a genius among geniuses!
quote:
Originally posted by Bedbug
Great post Two Reelers.
I was a Pixies fan all through high school, got to see them live, and was burning out the cassettes listening to them non-stop. I remember we could only find the B-Sides literally on side B of the CDs, so I had these mix tapes of those. I was super bummed to hear that they had broken up. They just missed the opportunity to become "Alternative Darlings" like Nirvana, Chili Peppers, et. al. had become. If they released another album in 93 or 94 it would have gotten a huge push.
I remember hearing (maybe through Rolling Stone magazine of all places) that Black Francis was releasing an album of Beach Boy covers and calling it Frank Black. I was both skeptical and psyched on the idea. I was a freshman in college when the album came out. As Two Reelers said above, the album cover blew me away. It still does. It is the single best album cover of anything Charles has been associated with, bar none. I keep meaning to make a T-shirt of it and send the merchandising fee to Charles. Maybe soon.
When I put the tape (I still didn't have a CD player) in my car and heard the opening of Los Angeles I was disoriented. It was both awesome and offputting. I knew the Pixies were dead, and I missed that sound, but this sound was amazing too, just so different. It was very dreamlike. It was beautiful and garish, a mix of earth and space. I knew that although I was really into it I didn't get it. My favorite song would change which each listen, and sometimes I wouldn't like parts that I ended up loving a little later. The whole album is a trip.
You could also really feel that Frank was having fun here. As much as I love Bossanova and Trompe, it seems that Frank was maybe having a lot more fun with the Pixies being behind him. I think that would still be the case in 2018, but I digress.
When he came to NYC that summer I went and saw him. I remember some people in the crowd yelling "Monkey" and "Debaser," but he was Frank Black now, and that was awesome. It was a sick show.
His production from 1988 to 1994 is just insane. It's better than anyone else. Can you believe in those few years he turned out everything from Surfer Rosa to Teenager of the Year? It's unbelievable.
Frank Black, the one who is post Pixies but pre-Catholics, is my favorite incarnation of the man. I miss him. I wish he would have given it a longer run. All those concerts from 93-95 are priceless.
All these years later, this album is probably the one that has the fewest songs I skip on it. I would probably say that Trompe and TOTY are tied for first on my list of his favorite albums, and this album would be next, but I skip fewer songs on it than I do on those.
The excitement I felt when I heard this in 93 for the first time is still with me, and I have listened to it countless times. I can't say that about his 2.0 efforts, but I totally support him being able to make some money now finally. Sometimes I get sad seeing him perform Wave for the billionth time, wondering if he wishes he could strum a few chords of Czar.
If I were in a band that was opening for the Pixies, I would get his permission to play Tossed. I think that would both get the crowd amped and would be a great gift to the fans who love everything he's ever done.
Bad Frank Black music is better than the Beatles entire catalog plus Prince multiplied by Bob Dylan's legacy (had a lot of coffee today). And his best stuff, like Frank Black "Frank Black," is beyond description.
I'll be listening to this album today.
|
| Cult_Of_Frank |
Posted - 09/27/2018 : 07:07:18
Hey Mike, you're still here! I guess I should edit my post to remove 'former forum member'. :) Chronological makes sense, I just loved FB so much more it felt like you were holding out the best stuff... just introduced my cousin to Teenager of the Year at the same age that I got introduced to it. It almost makes it new again for me.
 "If we hit this bullseye, the rest of the dominoes will fall like a house of cards. Checkmate." |
| speedy_m |
Posted - 09/17/2018 : 08:48:47
quote:
Originally posted by Cult_Of_Frank
And 25 years ago, I had heard of neither Pixies nor Frank Black. It would, in fact, be 6 years later that I first heard either, with my friend and former forum member speedy_m making me a mix CD of Pixies music. It took 3 spins before Caribou all of a sudden grabbed me. And then Ed is Dead, and then Motorway to Roswell, and a few more spins for all the rest. But those three spins were quite spaced out (as I really didn't think I liked it the first time through) and between spin 3 and 4, when I finally had started to latch on to 2-3 songs and was shocked to have seen my opinion completely reverse that a second mix with Frank Black's imperial period music was given. And that was love at first spin. Freedom Rock. The second half of Speedy Marie (it was a couple times later that I decided to look up the song title/track and realize that the first/second half were the same song). I remember asking why he didn't give me the Frank Black to start with. I loved them both, but Emperor Frank Black is ruler of this moon, boy.
"If we hit this bullseye, the rest of the dominoes will fall like a house of cards. Checkmate."
just being chronological, probably |
| Jason Bravo |
Posted - 09/15/2018 : 18:40:52
Maybe this isn't the right place to post this but, this version of Ling on Soul caught my attention! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaJlY5ohg-E
Frank Black and the Catholics at the beginning stages absolutely ruled!! The drums are crazy good...I'm sure some have heard before, but it is ridiculously awesome/ |
| Bedbug |
Posted - 09/14/2018 : 10:26:45
I've been listening to this album a lot lately. It's so good I can't even say, yet there are still parts I'll skip once in a while.
Los Angeles - this song is still one of my favorites, period. The intro and outro are my favorite parts, but the guitar in the middle part sounds like a chain saw cutting my skull in half. I still remember how disorienting it sounded the first time I put the tape in the tapedeck. Frank is unreal. Would have been crazy to hear Kim and Joey and Dave on this too.
I Heard Ramona Sing - I still can't understand the sounds from the musical intro to this song. The guitars sound like hollow tubes of ice. It's such a spacy sound, but the song itself is so down to earth, just about a dude discovering his love for his favorite band. Frank is a master and this is a classic on par with anything.
Hang On To Your Ego - One of the few FB songs I skip a lot. I dig it. I dig the Beach Boys. And I thought the original idea of doing a whole covers album was great, but... I can live without more of this. Then again, FB covering ANYTHING would be better than anyone else playing anything else.
Fu manchu - A lot of fun still, but maybe not as mindblowing as ome of the others. His voice on this is very good. "Occidentally tic tac" is a favorite lyric of mine, and I should also mention it under the Daily Frankisms thread.
Places Named After Numbers - One of my favs from this album. The intro is perfectly odd. And this is one of FBs most beautiful songs I think. It makes me think of lost love. A great, great song.
Czar - One of the rockingest songs on the album, and from the Imperial Era. I like some of the live versions better, but this song kicks butt every which way. But help me somebody with all the John Denver references?
Old Black Dawning - Another classic from this album. Just a fun fun song, great intstruments, fun story, and more energy than anything in the 2.0 era.
Ten Percenter - My favorite thing about this song is what I perceive to be the sardonic parody within it. Reminds me of Freedom Rock and others from CoR as well.
Brackish Boy - So this is supposedly a long lost 1.0 song too? Why can't 2.0 play it in 2019? This song rules, and has so much potential for live performances. "Pineappled!"
Two Spaces - I feel like this one was a prematurely born song that belonged on TOTY. Probably not my favorite, but sometimes it gets stuck in my head for days.
Tossed - One of my favorites from the album. I dont' need to hear the lyrics. This rules. Such a sick, solid, psycho jam. Such fun energy coming out of this. Great song to drive to too.
Parry the Wind, High, Low - For years this was my favorite from this album. The tempo change, the story, the unknowableness, the chorus, the FB screams. Doesn't he introduce it in one show with, "Hey, who wants to hear a song about UFOs?" Frank is the Law.
Adda Lee - This song is such a mystery to me, because for 25 years it has made me really sad every time I hear it, and I don't know why. It's defintely one that seems too short, but then again maybe that's why it's so good. Great lyrics
Every Time I Go Around Here - I used to skip this one for years. Now I'm way more into it. But it does seem like a precursor (good forum word) to the FMRM days. Great song. Love the pauses.
Don't You Rile 'Em - Pure Rock and Roll FB style. Man I love this song. What an ender. Is it his best ender? I'll have to ask in another thread won't I?
This album is amazing. Thanks Frank for making it.
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| fumanbru |
Posted - 05/21/2018 : 00:17:39
These stories are great! Thanks Stevio. Frank has so many different periods in his musical period it is so cool to hear how people go from one period to the next. With such a long period of Pixies reunion shows I have a feeling that FB&C’s and his solo work has gained a lot more fans. I agree with you Stevio that FB&C’s do an amazing job with the Pixies covers. I hope one day they do some more live shows....and I’m still hoping one day for a TOTY reunion tour!
 "I joined the Cult of Frank/ cause I'm a real go-getter!"...long live snitz!! |
| Stevio10 |
Posted - 05/20/2018 : 09:15:17
Must have been late 97 or early 98 when I was in high school, one night I had a dream I was in my local record shop and saw Death to the Pixies CD. I presume I had seen this CD before in real life but had never to my knowledge heard the Pixies before.
I put the cd back and looked at some others. After some browsing I decided I would then buy the Death to the Pixies album but in Another Toe fashion, it was gone!
I awoke the next morning with the dream fresh in my mind and had a keen sense of determination to set that wrong right. I went to my local record store and bought Death to the Pixies.
I remember the first time I listened to it, I was confused, it went by so quickly and this strange music didn't make a lot of sense. But by the 3rd and 4th listens I was hooked.
As the months went by I picked up all the albums and it was on hearing Bossanova I had a strange feeling of hearing Is She Weird before, turns out my brother used to listen to that album a lot when I was a kid.
Anyway, I first gained knowledge that this Black Francis dude had a solo career at the time of the release of the first Catholics album. I was reading some music mag and there was a shitty review giving it 2 stars I believe but with the knowledge there was new music to explore I put it on my list to get at some point.
After a break up with a then girlfriend I thought I would treat myself to Frank Black and the Catholics as a way to cheer myself up, from the same record shop. Do You Feel Bad About It was my go to song for getting through that period.
I went from Pixies straight to Catholics without knowing of the first 3 solo albums. It was quite the musical shift! I liked it and stuck with it.
During the time between Catholics self titled and Pistolero I caught up on FB, TOTY, CoR and Breeders material.
I bought Pistolero the day it came out from that same record shop and it was awesome hearing Bad Harmony, I Switched You, I Want Rock and Roll, I Think I'm Starting to Lose it etc. Man what a great rocking album that was!
By the time DITS came out I was at college in Glasgow (moving from a remote part of Scotland where bands rarely tour) and I got to see Frank for the first time in 2002.
DITS for me is the FB masterpiece. Maybe he has done better records but this was current for me, I wasn't looking back at something I hadn't witnessed. I was witnessing this band evolve and mature into a very different beast and seeing them live in a venue of 3 or 400 when Fight Club had recently come out and the buzz about the Pixies was reaching fever pitch was the gig of a lifetime.
They played the songs live better than it sounded on the album. You could hear a pin drop during Stupid Me it was that intense. Then the thrill of hearing a then unknown new song, The Black Rider followed by Mr Grieves. It was fantastic and I still believe the Catholics can play any Pixies track just as good.
But back to DITS, going from Catholics self titled to Pistolero is quite an assured stretch of a band getting comfortable but going from these 2 to DITS is off the scale in grandeur. The closing moments of Dog in the Sand finishes in a tone of relief and gratitude knowing that they pulled it off gets me every time. I've Seen your Picture is the best vocal delivery I've ever heard FB do, it's just so good.
I got to see them again in 2003 then the Pixies in 2004 and again in 2005. Although it's great seeing the Pixies, I miss that feeling of wondering what the next Catholics album will bring. DITS to the excellent BLD/DW then the great SMYT were the peak period for me. Though there wasn't such a sea change from Pistolero to DITS from DITS onwards, the quality of the songs stayed the same.
I never got to see FB solo again after those 2 Catholics shows but thats ok, I got to see that band at their peak.
When FB has Joey and EDF he can't go wrong.
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| fumanbru |
Posted - 05/19/2018 : 18:24:47
quote:
Originally posted by coastline
Peak Frank, for me, came around the time I joined this forum in the mid-2000s, roughly from "Honeycomb" to "Bluefinger."
One of my favorite memories from that period was when the forum's billgoodman and I decoded "Bluefinger" as being entirely about the Dutch artist Herman Brood.
__________________________________________________
If all you see is violins, then I make a plea in their defense.
I remember that Coasty! That was awesome! I was just looking for that thread but no luck. Maybe it was deleted?
"I joined the Cult of Frank/ cause I'm a real go-getter!"...long live snitz!! |
| fumanbru |
Posted - 05/19/2018 : 18:16:40
Probably! ....But Crispy Water from this forum introduced me to a group on Facebook- Pixies and Frank Black Francis that I have started checking out more recently. It is pretty active and has some pretty good stories and a fair amount of love for Frank’s solo material.
"I joined the Cult of Frank/ cause I'm a real go-getter!"...long live snitz!! |
| Bedbug |
Posted - 05/19/2018 : 17:56:21
I love reading everyone's posts.
More please.
Can this forum really be the only place on the internet that is discussing 25 years of "Frank Black" ? |
| fumanbru |
Posted - 05/19/2018 : 17:50:58
Threads like this bring back so many great memories of this forum and Frank’s music. In 1992, while backpacking through Europe at age 20 my friend introduced me to Wave of Mutalation UK surf. I liked it right away....my buddy told me I should go get Surfer Rosa. So when I got back home I went to the record store and bought Surfer Rosa and also noticed Frank Black’s first sol album in the new releases. I rotated between both CD’s. I loved Los Angeles right away! And loved the video. And then I saw a TV interview with Frank and thought this guy is so cool and funny. I really took me a while to get into Surfer Rosa. I remember it sounded so strange and different at the time. I had mainly been listening to grunge, classic rock, and Metallica And then I bought Doolittle a month later and fell in love with it. ....then Boosanova....then TOTY! TOTY brought my appreciation of Frank’s music to a completely new level. I have been listening to Frank’s music for 26 years and it still brings me so much joy. Yippie-iye-aye!
"I joined the Cult of Frank/ cause I'm a real go-getter!"...long live snitz!! |
| Superabounder |
Posted - 05/18/2018 : 17:20:44
Great posts all of you...what great memories. My first FB exposure: Doolittle in my final years of college. Pixies highlight was seeing them during Trompe Le Monde tour - that album was my favorite due to the powerful guitars and the interplay between Charles' and Joey's guitars. I couldn't believe it when the Pixies broke up. Sometime after I remember reading an article about Frank recording an album on a computer. That was a new thing. I was in wonder about how he could do that and imagined unlimited tracks for recording. When I finally got the album it blew me away. Like others mentioned the artwork was so beautiful and warm. The songs were so richly produced. I loved it. I saw that first tour and enjoyed the concert. When Teenager came out somehow I was turned off at first - maybe because of the cover art and how fat Frank had gotten! For some reason I skipped the freaking concert and I think it took me a while before I really listened to the album but after I finally got it I was in love and listened to it more than any album ever. The tour for Cult of Ray - that was one of my all-time favorite concerts. There was a stretch of about 10 songs in a row that absolutely completely mother-effing rocked and he didn't stop at all between songs. One ended and the next began immediately and everyone in the hall was going wild. Gives me shivers just thinking back on how excited I was and how fantastic they sounded. Ahh, and then shortly after I found this lovely forum and lurked around for years.
I'd rather be anywhere or doing anything |
| rivum |
Posted - 05/17/2018 : 05:26:29
I first heard of pixies from a sampler from local radio station CFNY in Toronto which has planet of sound on it.
obviously once you hear that you need to hear more... |
| Bedbug |
Posted - 05/15/2018 : 00:30:06
quote:
Originally posted by benji
It was exactly (approximately) 25 years ago that I first heard Frank, but actually as Black, when one of my older (and wiser) sisters bought Surfer Rosa and Doolittle home on cd. I was an impressionable 13-year old at that stage, and suffice to say, they blew my mind. She also had Pod, and that slotted in that group nicely. I'd get up early in the mornings so I could go into the lounge specifically to listen to these records over and over again.
My introduction to FB was seeing the Headache video on TV. Didn't grab me initially, but the pills in the video stuck with me, and I also hadn't made the connection with the Pixies at that point either.
It was a few more years until I embraced the solo stuff, with The Cult Of Ray being the first ever CD I purchased.
It's interesting to relive the days before the internet made accessing information about these bands so easy.
To complete the collection, I bought University by Throwing Muses on cassette solely based on a review in a local music magazine, totally unheard. Didn't know of the connection at all, and interestingly, my sister had a copy of Hips & Makers as well but I'd leave the room every time she played it as I hated it with a passion - it was acoustic rubbish music to my untrained ears.
It was a few months later than I made the connection between Kristin Hersh and Throwing Muses, and then onto The Breeders and the Pixies and Frank.
Ah, my god that was an amazing time in my musical life.
all i can say, thank god for polio! brian
I remember some of my non-FB fan friends saying that that Headache video was corny.
They're not my friends anymore. |
| benji |
Posted - 05/12/2018 : 11:43:33
It was exactly (approximately) 25 years ago that I first heard Frank, but actually as Black, when one of my older (and wiser) sisters bought Surfer Rosa and Doolittle home on cd. I was an impressionable 13-year old at that stage, and suffice to say, they blew my mind. She also had Pod, and that slotted in that group nicely. I'd get up early in the mornings so I could go into the lounge specifically to listen to these records over and over again.
My introduction to FB was seeing the Headache video on TV. Didn't grab me initially, but the pills in the video stuck with me, and I also hadn't made the connection with the Pixies at that point either.
It was a few more years until I embraced the solo stuff, with The Cult Of Ray being the first ever CD I purchased.
It's interesting to relive the days before the internet made accessing information about these bands so easy.
To complete the collection, I bought University by Throwing Muses on cassette solely based on a review in a local music magazine, totally unheard. Didn't know of the connection at all, and interestingly, my sister had a copy of Hips & Makers as well but I'd leave the room every time she played it as I hated it with a passion - it was acoustic rubbish music to my untrained ears.
It was a few months later than I made the connection between Kristin Hersh and Throwing Muses, and then onto The Breeders and the Pixies and Frank.
Ah, my god that was an amazing time in my musical life.
all i can say, thank god for polio! brian |
| coastline |
Posted - 05/12/2018 : 06:51:10
quote:
Originally posted by Bedbug
That's really interesting that FB grabbed you right away but 1.0 didn't.
I wonder how many people actually heard a non-Pixies Charles song before they heard a Pixies one?
"Los Angeles" was my introduction -- by way of MTV. I liked the song and the video. Then a friend turned me on to "Head On" and I got into the Pixies and bought all their CDs. Solo FB love came awhile later.
Peak Frank, for me, came around the time I joined this forum in the mid-2000s, roughly from "Honeycomb" to "Bluefinger."
One of my favorite memories from that period was when the forum's billgoodman and I decoded "Bluefinger" as being entirely about the Dutch artist Herman Brood.
__________________________________________________
If all you see is violins, then I make a plea in their defense. |
| Bedbug |
Posted - 03/14/2018 : 05:16:00
That's really interesting that FB grabbed you right away but 1.0 didn't.
I wonder how many people actually heard a non-Pixies Charles song before they heard a Pixies one? |
| Cult_Of_Frank |
Posted - 03/02/2018 : 04:16:07
And 25 years ago, I had heard of neither Pixies nor Frank Black. It would, in fact, be 6 years later that I first heard either, with my friend and former forum member speedy_m making me a mix CD of Pixies music. It took 3 spins before Caribou all of a sudden grabbed me. And then Ed is Dead, and then Motorway to Roswell, and a few more spins for all the rest. But those three spins were quite spaced out (as I really didn't think I liked it the first time through) and between spin 3 and 4, when I finally had started to latch on to 2-3 songs and was shocked to have seen my opinion completely reverse that a second mix with Frank Black's imperial period music was given. And that was love at first spin. Freedom Rock. The second half of Speedy Marie (it was a couple times later that I decided to look up the song title/track and realize that the first/second half were the same song). I remember asking why he didn't give me the Frank Black to start with. I loved them both, but Emperor Frank Black is ruler of this moon, boy.
"If we hit this bullseye, the rest of the dominoes will fall like a house of cards. Checkmate." |
| Cult_Of_Frank |
Posted - 03/02/2018 : 04:09:06
quote:
Originally posted by Bedbug
quote:
Originally posted by OLDMANOTY
quote:
Frank Black, the one who is post Pixies but pre-Catholics, is my favorite incarnation of the man.
Same here - his imperial period for me. That said, I've enjoyed revisiting Black Letter Days recently, and a few tracks off FMRM too. That Frank Black is still there, just filtered through a different channel.
Good phrase, "his imperial period." I think the 93-95 FB is who he really is. He could only show us a glimpse because we couldn't handle it. He had to come back to earth with the Catholics.
Yeah, I liked that too. I will adopt that terminology from now on. On the other hand, there is no yellow album.
"If we hit this bullseye, the rest of the dominoes will fall like a house of cards. Checkmate." |
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