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thalassocrat
- FB Fan -
United Kingdom
46 Posts |
 Posted - 06/29/2003 : 20:04:49
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I really don't know if this topic has been has been tackled already (its been touched on a bit on a topic below started by MikeFromMelbAus) but here goes.
I thought it would be interesting to hear how people first got into Frank Black (Pixies). My story is a pretty pathetic one. The first thing I heard from the man was "Headache" being played on MTV back in 1994. I was 13 then and needless to say I was stupid and ignorant and had a completely unrefined musical taste (I don't even want to recall the complete shit I was listening to in those days). Seven years later I was at university, on my computer at about 2am and I somehow remember that tune. I look it up on Napster and start downloading some more Frank Black songs from his solo era. First album I bought was "Surfer Rosa" and after acquiring all Pixies albums I bought "Teenager of the Year" as my first Frank Black album. The only remarkable thing about this, I guess, was how after hearing that song only once, and then being completely in the dark about FB for such a long time, "Headache" finally crawled out of my tangled mesh of brain cells overloaded with crap to rule the roost. People often say how it takes time for an FB song to get to you. Well..., I'm open to discussion but I think I have a record-breaker here.
they speak vaudevillian... |
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floop
= Wannabe Volunteer =
Mexico
15297 Posts |
Posted - 06/30/2003 : 04:59:00
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| i feel old |
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mereubu
= FB QuizMistress =
USA
2677 Posts |
Posted - 06/30/2003 : 07:32:27
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floop, you're at 666--the post of the beast!!
I feel older. |
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Chip Away Boy
= Cult of Ray =
914 Posts |
Posted - 06/30/2003 : 09:51:50
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| floop is satan! |
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Mike Rutherford
- FB Fan -
USA
171 Posts |
Posted - 06/30/2003 : 09:57:48
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"Come On Pilgrim"........I used to catch a ride to school with a guy that was 2 yrs. older than me and he would blast that record and sing along every morning on the ride to school. Was a great way to start the school day. Followed Frank Black from that point on. Really enjoyed all of the Pixies albums minus about half of Trompe...I always was on the fence about a lot of that record. Some of it is outstanding however.
I remember getting his first solo record right when it came out. Started out with Los Angeles of course and for about the next two weeks I was under the assumption that he was saying "I met a man, he was a good man, selling INSURANCE....LOL.........
Teenager came out and some of it was pretty immediate, but wow, it was so much material to digest. I finally put the album away for a while and began making tapes (I only had a cassette player in my car at the time).....I would record half of the album in random order on one cassette and record the same half of the album in a different random order on the other side of the cassette. I made another cassette the exact same way with the songs comprising the other half of the albums songs. Eventually, it all sunk in and I became obsessed with the album. Wore out god knows how many cassette copies (you know how when you play a cassette too much, the reels start sqeaking a little bit and the sound tends to fade in and out).....
From there on, I've pretty much enjoyed every Frank Black record. I remember being totally obsessed with Pistolero when that came out. Damn, I wore many cassette copies of that one out as well. I still can't figure for the life of me why in the hell that record seems to be a lot of folks least fave. That album rocks and rocks hard. The lyrics to it fucking rule too. That album contains some of my favorite lyrical lines of them all: "when I saw your fine physique, I was into you like a train" ; "I think that everything is a fad, I know that is a negative view, I think all love is gonna turn bad, and now I do not know what to do, because the moment you start it, that is when you are through" (wow, can I relate to those lines); "I was alone in my big bed, those lonely nights I tried to reach you, you putting me on messed with my head, but have you heard I'm going to teach you"----"I hear that sound, that clickety-clack, that train returning who bewitched me, Now you're around, you wanna come right back, forget about the way you ditched me" (fuck yeah!); there's plenty more lyrical genius-isms all throughout that record. Why so many people shun it, I will never know.
Loved DITS. Great album.
When BLD and DW came out, those albums were just EXACTLY the therapy I needed at the exact right time. I had just gotten over a nasty breakup probably a month or so prior to when they leaked. I didn't wait on the release date and I'm glad that I didn't cause having those records at the exact time that I got em made em mean even that much more to me. I've ended up buying god knows how many copies and giving god knows how many away trying my damndest to get people into that good ole FB groove. In some cases it's worked (one of my friends is now a total FB fanatic after I gave him copies of both albums) while another is still a no-go.
Show Me Your Tears is slowly but surely starting to sink. I like it quite a bit more now than I did the first week that I had it. I'm pretty sure that I'll end up loving it. I have everything else FB has ever released (other than, like I said maybe half of the Trompe record by the Pixies.....some of the tracks on that album just simply elude me for some reason).
I have SO many nostalgic memories with FB songs/albums etc. that I could sit here and make this post into a fucking book  I hope to make many many more in the future.......... |
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Pioneer
- FB Fan -
213 Posts |
Posted - 06/30/2003 : 13:04:11
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| While at university, I worked for the government for a while. I and a couple other lads were forced to work in a small room. There we listened to an alternative radio station that used to play "Here Comes Your Man" and "Monkey" and occasionally "Velouria," but it wasn't until they started playing "Motorway to Roswell" that I bought a Pixies CD. Took some getting used to, did Trompe--too raw at first, but then I got into it and quickly bought the back catalog. I quarelled often with a classic rocker with whom I housed. "No, what you're hearing is Hendrix after he got good," I'd say. On one of our last nights as roommates, I remember standing in the doorway, grabbing the classic rocker's lapels and trying to explain the importance of the Pixies, as if the world would end if he failed to comprehend, but he shut the door in my face, and later that night I got kicked out of a bar for the high crime of merely smuggling bottles of beer into the bar in my pants pockets. So sue me. By the way, the bottles were in my pants, not the bar, and yes, I was just happy to see you. |
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miguel
- FB Fan -
USA
213 Posts |
Posted - 07/01/2003 : 00:00:22
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| I learned to play guitar through his music. |
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Leah
= Cult of Ray =
United Kingdom
314 Posts |
Posted - 07/01/2003 : 06:32:01
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I blame that bloke I met. He taped Debaser for me on the first relationship tape - 10 years ago and I was the first one to own Frank's solo albumn.+
Every choice human being strives instinctively for a citadel and a secrecy where he is saved from the crowd -
Nietzsche |
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billgoodman
>> Denizen of the Citizens Band <<
Netherlands
6214 Posts |
Posted - 07/01/2003 : 07:05:45
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I bought Pistolero because I had one or two pixies albums
Pixies and Frank Black almost came together to me
''it's not a box, it's a submarine'' |
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TRANSMARINE
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
2002 Posts |
Posted - 07/06/2003 : 09:40:53
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Mike, I agree with you on PISTOLERO. Not many talk too much about this album, and I find it absolutely amazing. I Switched You is my fav! Bad Harmony, Billy Radcliffe, So Hard To Make Things Out, Western Star, 85 Weeks, I Want Rock & Roll...my Lord! Everytime I listen to this cd I wanna cum!!! (he he he!) And I love the way-too-LOUD production value. Listen to how psyco the vocal/lead guitar trade-off (from lef channel to right channel) is in second verse of I Switched You (I hear that sound {psycho-wail right}...that clickety-clack {psycho-wail right}...that train returning who bewitched me {psycho-wail right}...etc). Whew! I need a cigarette!!!
Catchin' blue in his eyes that were brown
-bRIAN |
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weird_white
- FB Fan -
19 Posts |
Posted - 07/08/2003 : 14:30:40
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well, I first heard the pixies just a few months ago, when my boyfriend (Ziggy- hes posted on here a few times) started playing a pixies cd to me as we were walking along the river- i heard snippets of various songs- in fact im not even sure what album it was -il hav 2 ask him. Since then I have gradually been downloading more and more music, successfully managing to cram 26 tracks onto one cd so that when i go away on expedition to peru for a month, i will not be alone- i can take the pixies with me!
I am new to the brilliance of the pixies, but learning every day.
~weird_white~ (yes, im promised to the night) |
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Crispy Water
= Cult of Ray =
Canada
819 Posts |
Posted - 07/08/2003 : 22:49:06
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This is a really good idea for a topic of discussion, and I may never have even taken the time to remember or relate the story if I had not seen so many others do the same. So anyway, about five years ago I was flipping through channels trying to find a weather forecast. I couldn't remember the stupid number of the weather channel, but I happened across an interview on the NewMusic program (Canadians should know of what I speak) with some guy sitting on grass near a sidewalk. I had no idea who it was, but I caught him in the middle of a sentence that seized my attention. So I watched the end of the interview, found out that it was "Frank Black, the guy who's opening for Pearl Jam this summer," and let it stick in the back of my mind for awhile. I had an opportunity to go to the Vancouver show on that tour too, but to my fifteen-year-old wallet it seemed like too much money to spend travelling to see Pearl Jam. However, about six months later a friend of mine (I'll call him...Al, seeing as that's his name) was signing up for one of those CD clubs and he couldn't decide what to choose with his bonus freebies. I looked at his screen and saw a listing that said "Frank Black - The Cult of Ray," which toggled a few switches in my memory. So Al ordered it up and gave it to me. I must admit, I thought it was a good disc, but I was too preoccupied with my oh-so-important life to really give it much of a chance. So one day I grabbed a random CD from a stack in my room which turned out to be the obvious. That day it clicked. For two weeks that was just the best set of songs I had ever heard in my life. I still think people go too hard on that record, and although it is by no means my favourite it is still well worth the time. From there my purchasing sequence went Teenager of the Year - Pistolero - Doolittle and who knows what else might have happened if I had not discovered the magic of the independent music store. From there it became a frenzy as my Pixies/Frank Black collection was made current as of Pistolero in the span of six weeks. Since then my story could read much the same as most others. It's just been years of rediscovering and playing the role of rock 'n' roll ambassador to everyone I meet. I've force-fed many, many people countless songs written by that man, and it seems to be working. I managed to bring 23 people to the Edmonton show this past April 5, and every one of them managed to convince me they had as much fun as I did. He's my mom's undisputed favourite music man too, and both she and my 13 year old brother had the good fortune of sitting down and shooting the shit with him for a few minutes after the show. Stupid me, I was too "busy" going to an aftershow party that those 23 people (minus mom and bro) used as the nightcap. I know I promised to end this about fifty words ago, so before I'm totally seduced by the idea of relating my entire storied collection of wildly entertaining stories I'll just shut up now.
This is my first post to the list after months of watching under a name for which the password evaded me, so please pardon my unbridled vigor.
Until next time,
Daniel
Nothing is ever something. |
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Brackish Girl
~ Soul Eater ~
Ireland
1750 Posts |
Posted - 07/09/2003 : 13:47:52
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i've just got into him really. thank god, cos i'm seeing him in two days!
bored of the little comments. i guess i'll just have an actual signature. much shorter.
-Jessie |
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thecomeons
- FB Fan -
United Kingdom
60 Posts |
Posted - 07/10/2003 : 01:26:58
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pistolero, man that's one of the finest albums. i had fbatc on cassette (it was half the price of the cd when the album was released. dunno why) and wore that sucker out (still haven't replaced it. LOL). so when i got my paws on pistolero i just couldn't stop playing it. still can't. my most-played fb cd.
my manta is a ray |
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wombat
- FB Fan -
Australia
20 Posts |
Posted - 07/15/2003 : 07:33:54
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Mmmmmmm...... casts mind back.....
Remember when first got access to the WEB probably back in 94. Always had a curiousity to hear some Pixies stuff but being in Australia it was fairly scarce. Ordered Bossanova from Music Boulevarde. Remember when it arrived and through it into the player. From the first bar of track 1 I knew I was hooked. Quickly accumulated the rest of the catalogue. Yeah Trompe Le Monde was the least immediate but it happens to be in my car stacker at the moment.
Once I had all the Pixies albums I toyed with the idea of buying a FB CD but never got around to it. One day I saw Teenager Of The Year for $5 and bought it but I can't remember whether I actually listened to it or not before I gave it to a friend of mine who was and still is a fan.
Several years then passed before I decided on a whim to buy Dog In Sand. It has been my favourite CD for the past few years. I also have Pistolero which is also excellent. Before too long I think I will have his entire catalogue.
I am also seeing him live (solo) in Sydney on 19/8 - man-o-man am I excited!!
.......I will be blue... |
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mrgrieves1971
= Cult of Ray =
USA
544 Posts |
Posted - 07/16/2003 : 07:58:53
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My first experience is kind of weird. My friend Pete simply said, “Hey I think you’d like this band called The Pixies. Just go get their CD. It’s only available as an import.” So I did. I went down to Newbury Comics in Harvard Square in Cambridge, MA and grabbed the 4AD double CD of Come On Pilgrim and Surfer Rosa. I waited in line and when I got to the cash register, the cashier guy looked flustered for a second. He looked at the door and then looked back at me. “Do you know who was standing in front of you?” he asked. No. “It’s the singer from this band. He goes by the name Black Francis.” I stood there looking bewildered. “Have you seen these guys live yet?” No. “Well, anyway, I think you’ll like this album. It’s really good.” I was just like “whatever.”
Little did I know what a huge impact on me the music of Charles Thompson would have me these last (God!!) fourteen to fifteen years. I just think it’s really odd that I was standing behind him in line when I was buying my first Pixies album.
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Bartholomew
= Cult of Ray =
USA
344 Posts |
Posted - 07/16/2003 : 07:59:42
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| When I was a freshman in high school I became a huge Nirvana fan. Having never been exposed to much more than classic rock at the time, I was hungry for more. So when Kurt Cobain listed the Pixies among the bands he said the masses should be hearing in a Rolling Stone interview, I took a chance and bought Trompe Le Monde. It blew my little mind. Too much weird shit at once. I wasn’t ready for it. So I tucked it away and forgot about it, until... A few years passed and my musical horizons expanded. I heard “Headache” on the radio and liked it alright. But, it was still a little weird. Read a glowing review of Teenager in Spin magazine. Passed on it. Several months later, when I was in the mood to gamble and try something new, I dug up that old copy of Spin and re-read the review. That may havebeen when I connected the Pixies and Frank Black together. Bought it. Took several weeks for it to grow on me. Almost one song at a time. First, Abstract Plain and Headache...until I loved the entire first half. The second half took a little longer... But when it hit I ended up playing the album every day for a period of several months. Longer than anything I’d listened to before or since. I got it at just the right time in my young life and it changed me forever (really opened up my mind). Bought the back catalog after that and turned out I loved the Pixies too. |
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fiddleriddle
- FB Fan -
USA
1 Posts |
Posted - 07/19/2003 : 01:02:15
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1989: I was 16, a sophomore in high school, and saw the "Monkey Gone To Heaven" video on MTV's "120 Minutes" in a sort of late-night haze. Impressed, I dubbed a copy of "Doolittle" from a friend. Another friend who had all of the 4AD stuff turned me on to "Pilgrim" and "Surfer Rosa". I was hooked. I bought all the albums and played cassette copies in my Chevy Celebrity constantly. These three albums along with Sonic Youth's "Daydream Nation" and others became the focal points in the soundtrack of my life at this point.
1990: "Bossanova" was released. I bought it immediately. "Rock Music" blew my mind completely. People were baffled by the "Velouria" video. I loved it. I understood the statement. The album became an instant underground classic in our local scene with songs like "The Happening" and "Down To The Well".
1991: "Trompe Le Monde". When I went to the record store to buy this, they were playing the video for "Alec Eiffel" in the store. I knew I was in for something a little heavier from Black Francis and crew... I wish I could somehow recreate the way this sounded when I listened to it in my car for the first time- incredibly loud, late at night, driving in the country by myself. Truly one of my most memorable listening experiences. The stellar production, arrangements, lyrics, performances... everything. A masterpiece, and to this day probably my favorite Pixies record. I think I've purchased this album about three or four times at various points in my life. I finally got the chance to see the Pixies perform at the Riviera in Chicago in 1991. The guy in the dorm across from me at the university I was attending at the time had a music column in the school newspaper and one day he knocked on my door and said, "Hey man, you like the Pixies, right?" Turned out he had to review the Pixies gig that night and apparently had no date, so he offered me his extra ticket. The sound and sight of Black Francis screaming his guts out to the relentless, tribal beat of "Rock Music" bathed in red light will not be something I will be forgetting soon.
1993: "Frank Black" was released. I remember telling my friends that it was very much how the next Pixies would've sounded like and them vehemently disagreeing with me. I don't know, but I still hear a lot of Pixies in there. Heard "Ego" in a dance club and became a bit skeptical, but I still obsessed over the record and learned every guitar riff. Saw Frank at the Metro in Chicago and couldn't figure out how they could possibly pull off "Parry The Wind High, Low" live, but they did!
1994: "Teenager Of The Year". It was a studio masterpiece with an undeniable hit. I remember being at a friend's house with a group of people when the "Headache" video came on and people were freaking out about how damn cool it was. The album was almost universally panned in Rolling Stone and every other rag. My old band hit the road for SXSW in Austin and various other dates around the midwest this year. "Teenager" was played in the van approximately 827.3 times.
1996: "Cult Of Ray". Somewhat excited by the raw sound of the single, "Men In Black", I bought this with the same anticipation I had for "Teenager". However, upon first listen it just didn't knock me out the way his previous works did. I listened to this a lot while playing with my then brand spankin' new Pentium 75Mhz PC. Today I think it does stand as a good catalog album with some strong tunes and I come back to it occasionally.
1998-present: the Catholic Era. An amazing band with a catalog of 5 (6 if you include Oddballs) solid releases, with another on the way that I haven't heard, but I'm sure will be fantastic. These guys are icons. I moved to LA in 1997 for my career, so some of Frank's more regionally specific songs make a lot more sense to me now. Regrettably, I've only seen the Catholics once, but it was absolutely incredible. I'll definitely see them again when I have the chance (I work a lot of late nights and I just seem to keep missing them). The worst was when I was in London in 2001, the Catholics were playing and I couldn't go because I couldn't afford it- argh. I'm a big champion of the Catholics and I try to turn people on to them as much as possible. I guess I'm still hoping that someday Frank will do another beautiful studio album like "Teenager" again someday, though... well, I can hope can't I?
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TRANSMARINE
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
2002 Posts |
Posted - 07/19/2003 : 10:34:47
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Hey Fiddle! I dunno, man. I have a weakness for the Trompe le Monde as well. The entire PIXIES cannon is perfect, but theres something extra about their swan song. And as far as you seeing Parry the Wind High, Low live...well, just yesterday I was wondering if that song had ever been performed live! I have never seen it, and I've seen Frank 11 times. That must have been sumpin'! Jeeesh! SLEEP MACHINE IN YOUR SILO TRANSMARINE THINGS YOUVE NEVER SEEN>>> arrrgh that makes me jealous! One of the coolest odd songs to see live was The Marsist...and twice I've seen I Switched You...which really gets me crazy. I hope you get a chance soon to see The Catholics again because I cant think of a better live band to match since their silent explosion onto the scene back in 1997...anyway...just wanted to comment!
Catchin' blue in his eyes that were brown
-bRIAN |
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