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Carl
- A 'Fifth' Catholic -
Ireland
11546 Posts |
 Posted - 08/22/2006 : 19:10:59
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http://www.newtimesbpb.com/Issues/2006-08-17/music/outtakes.html
Pixie Progress
How to view the regrouping of the Pixies, one of the most mercurial bands of the late '80s, a
group many claim opened the door for Nirvana and the grunge generation of the early '90s?
Those early efforts still sound shocking — menacing, malevolent melodies pierced by torrents of
jagged guitar and stuttering rhythms, all underscored by leader Black Francis' nihilistic
pontificating. Internal dissension caused the band to split a scant five years after its first
recording — the superb Surfer Rosa — and a mere three years after its major-label
breakthrough, the dazzling Doolittle.
Following the breakup, Black Francis opted to reverse his moniker and venture out on a prolific
if uneven solo career as Frank Black. His two most recent opuses, Fast Man Raider Man and
Honeycomb, showed him newly entrenched in Americana territory and soaking up a sizable
infusion of Blood on the Tracks. Bassist Kim Deal went on to moderate success with the
Breeders and struggled with sobriety. Drummer David Lovering and guitarist Joey Santiago
formed the Martinis before Lovering left to tour with Cracker, study engineering, and reinvent
himself as a performance artist, or, as he terms it, a "scientific phenomenalist." Santiago's lately
settled into a more urbane occupation as a soundtrack composer.
What a surprise, then, that a tentative Pixies reconciliation resulted in a 2004 tour that found
the band as potent as ever. Two new DVD releases — LoudQUIETloud: A Film About the Pixies
and Acoustic: Live in Newport — show opposing views of this perpetually conflicted outfit and
its retooled presence in the new millennium. The former is perhaps the most revealing, an
intimate portrait of the personalities involved who, between various concert clips from their
recent reunion gigs, lay bare their inner souls, a tack that makes them decidedly less
intimidating to their fans and, one supposes, to one another. The acoustic offering shows them
in the most unlikely of circumstances — at the venerable Newport Folk Festival, the venue
where Dylan went electric and was bombarded by catcalls in return. "We're a rock band," Deal
announces before they launch themselves unplugged on an opposite route, managing to make
angst-ridden anthems like "Monkey Gone to Heaven," "Bone Machine," and even "Wave of
Mutilation" less a series of sanitized sing-alongs than actual hints of the essential if irascible
melodies that lie at their core.
So how do the Pixies fare? Remarkably well considering their infamous in-fighting and the
passage of time. By allowing themselves to reveal their own humanity and accessibility, each
offering demonstrates in its own way that while one might mellow, it doesn't have to be at the
expense of passion or purpose. At the very least, it's a case worth considering. — Lee
Zimmerman
http://www.texasgigs.com/news/2006/aug/22/new-cd-and-music-dvd-releases/
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
New CD and Music DVD Releases
Fresh spins for the week of August 22
BY CD WORLD STAFF
DVD Releases
Pixies: Acoustic: Live In
Newport
The Pixies are one of the
most influential American acts
of all time. Initially spanning
the late '80s and early '90s,
they created the blueprint for
alternative rock that would be
followed and embellished upon
by everyone from grunge to
Britpop. After 10 years apart,
the Pixies reformed in 2004.
Around 6pm on a warm
Saturday in August, the
Pixies took the stage of the
world-famous Newport Folk
Festival to perform one of their
most unique sets ever.
Playing a completely acoustic
performance, the reunited
lineup of Frank Black, Kim
Deal, Joey Santiago and David
Lovering give a unique spin to
22 fan favorites.
http://www.thephoenix.com/article_ektid22197.aspx
Could all this be the PIXIES’ fault? They may not have new studio material due
anytime soon, but expect Eagle Rock to follow up Pixies: Live in Newport (from last
summer’s Newport Folk Festival) with another live reunion DVD shot at the
Paradise: Pixies Club Date: Live at the Paradise in Boston comes out October 3.
http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/entertainment/15523880.htm
"Acoustic: Live In Newport,"
The Pixies
(Eagle Vision,
***
3/4
)
As stated when I reviewed the triumphant DVD document of their record-setting reunion
tour, I'm not really a Pixies fan. Their songs are interesting, but not very catchy. This
mostly unplugged set, recorded at the prestigious Newport Folk Festival, was an
opportunity to hear the songs without big amps and the loud/soft/loud dynamics
pioneered by the Pixies, popularized by Nirvana and run into the ground ever since.
My favorite part of this August release is the segment on the acoustic rehearsals,
where the band configures the songs for unplugged playing. Musicians know that
doing electric songs acoustically is often more complex than it would seem. The
underlying catchiness of some Pixies songs comes out in these unplugged
performances.
Admittedly, some of the songs still aren't that wonderful to me, but watching The Pixies
tackle them on the sunny Newport stage with sailboats bobbing on the water is cool. My
current favorite tunes are the skewed opener, "Bone Machine," the unusual harmonies
of "Monkey Gone to Heaven" and "Here Comes Your Man," along with the quick-starting
"Crackity Jones." Get this one at www.eaglerockent.com if it's not available locally.
Another review (along with Paradise Show) here:
www.caughtinthecrossfire.com/music/dvd/2520" target="_blank">www.caughtinthecrossfire.com/music/dvd/2520" target="_blank">http://www.caughtinthecrossfire.com/music/dvd/2520
Review posted here:
http://forum.frankblack.net/topic.asp?whichpage=2&TOPIC_ID=16671& |
Edited by - Carl on 11/23/2006 09:47:47 |
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Erebus
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
1834 Posts |
Posted - 08/22/2006 : 22:13:14
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quote:
Originally posted by Carl
http://www.newtimesbpb.com/Issues/2006-08-17/music/outtakes.html
Pixie Progress
How to view the regrouping of the Pixies, one of the most mercurial bands of the late '80s, a group many claim opened the door for Nirvana and the grunge generation of the early '90s? Those early efforts still sound shocking — menacing, malevolent melodies pierced by torrents of jagged guitar and stuttering rhythms, all underscored by leader Black Francis' nihilistic pontificating. [snip]
nihilistic? nihilistic! irreverent perhaps, but nonetheless still fully invested. if you want nihilistic, you'll have to step beneath music. it's suspect enuf for a nihilist to even speak, let alone create. at his worst a nihilist will dance, lips pursed, but never "pontificating". fuck.
that aside, thank you Carl. please continue.
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Grunty Yodus
- FB Fan -
USA
51 Posts |
Posted - 08/26/2006 : 10:14:16
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| Also, the Pixies did an Half-Acoustic/Half electric show in Atlantic City on August 3rd. They did 9 Acoustic songs, including, "Broken Face" which they did not play at Newport. Is this the only Half 'n' HAlf they did? It was a great frickin' show!!! |
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Philomath
- FB Fan -
23 Posts |
Posted - 09/15/2006 : 09:27:29
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Atlantic City = worst place ever
House of Booze = worst venue ever
Pixies concert there = best show ever
(or at least from the new tours)
btw, i have a recording and am happy to share
from childhood's hour I have not been as others were; I have not seen what others saw; and all I loved, I loved alone. Edgar Allen Poe |
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Carl
- A 'Fifth' Catholic -
Ireland
11546 Posts |
Posted - 09/18/2006 : 12:24:22
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I watched this the other night. Really nice atmosphere with the boats and all, a rare opportunity to see Pixies outdoors, and in the daytime, too! The lack of a full-on electric sound shows in a number of the songs, but I did feel some, like Caribou, retained there power. The rehersal footage is nice to have too, including some Albany warm-up show clips. Like the Paradise DVD, it's a nicely presented package-but unlike it, it's not presented 16:9 anamorphic, as advertised on the cover! So that's my one grumble about it!!
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benji
> Teenager of the Year <
New Zealand
3426 Posts |
Posted - 09/18/2006 : 17:02:35
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quote:
Originally posted by Philomath
Atlantic City = worst place ever
House of Booze = worst venue ever
Pixies concert there = best show ever
(or at least from the new tours)
btw, i have a recording and am happy to share
there is already a very good recording circulating for this show.
i don't know whether this is the sanme one that you're talking about or not....
but a new source would be very interesting too....
all i can say, thank god for polio! brian |
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Philomath
- FB Fan -
23 Posts |
Posted - 09/20/2006 : 01:21:15
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It's the same, got it from a fan in Jersey named Terry Quinto. Glad to hear it's getting around!
from childhood's hour I have not been as others were; I have not seen what others saw; and all I loved, I loved alone. Edgar Allen Poe |
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liffey
- FB Fan -
36 Posts |
Posted - 10/13/2006 : 00:35:57
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| i saw myself in the audience!!! i'm the one with brown hair! |
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Carl
- A 'Fifth' Catholic -
Ireland
11546 Posts |
Posted - 11/29/2006 : 09:27:18
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http://www.glidemagazine.com/index.php?task=Articles&id=51576§ion=94
Movie/DVD Review
Pixies
Acoustic: Live in Newport
By Chad Berndtson
November 29, 2006
There's been a windfall of Pixies DVDs in the past year or two, but Acoustic: Live In
Newport takes the cake for odd and wonderful resonance. What's even more
fascinating than this concert document of the Pixies at the 2005 Newport Folk Festival
is the behind-the-scenes material, where we quickly see that the the reconstituted
band not so much eases into the idea of an acoustic set as it gets ready to shoehorn
itself in.
It all seems like a day at the office for Frank Black, whose recent proclivities have
been almost all salt, twang, and dust (two albums and three discs worth of alt-country
with Nashville's finest backing him). But Joey Santiago, David Lovering and especially
Kim Deal seem a little tweaked by the whole experience, and throughout, it doesn't
look like Deal has loosened up much at all (her cigarette-lipped scowl is just a perfect
visual). Overall, the unease is a surreal image for a band that knows how to own a
crowd, taken almost completely out of its element and handed to the Newport Folk
audience.
Instead of radical set-list reinvention for the occasion, the Pixies made an excellent choice in essentially
keeping the same song order it used for the reunion tour. Stripped down to their essences, you get great
performances of "Wave of Mutilation," "Gauge Away," "Cactus," "Here Comes Your Man," "Crackity Jones," and
others. The finale of "Where Is My Mind?" is as cathartic as you've heard, and the band's one concession to the
festival--a version of the ancient folk blues "Been All Around This World"--is ably rendered.
That the music stays potent throughout keeps the video afloat. Like the audience (sort of), you eventually settle
into the idea of the Pixies at Newport (with yachts and tents and a clear day in the background instead of a
grungy club) and it is what it is.
A four-minute photo gallery set to "Wave of Mutilation" and "I Bleed" is a good run-through, if nothing remarkable.
The 20-minute rehearsal sessions extra certainly is, outstanding though, as you see The Pixies tackle
"Debaser" acoustically (it does not appear in the DVD's concert set), and uncomfortably work out the parts to
"Been All Around this World." Acoustic: Live in Newport shows a bold new side to one of the most influential rock
acts of our time.
http://www.thephoenix.com/article_ektid29424.aspx
DOCUMENTARY EVIDENCE
Three DVDs capture the Pixies’ reunion
By TED DROZDOWSKI
December 12, 2006 1:25:43 PM
SLOW LEARNERS: The Pixies needed four or five years to become exceptional.
The Pixies have always been an electric band. Nothing balances well-rounded frontman
Black Francis/Frank Black/Charlie Thompson’s yowling about the numerology of God and
the Devil and waves of mutilation like grinding guitars and the heavy snap of an amplified
drum kit.
Hell, when the group started in 1986, they barely played well enough to hammer out their
songs on stage. That was shortly after Thompson, an anthropology major, dropped out of
college to form a rock band, apparently after digging up the demon Pazuzu and becoming
possessed. Early on, Thompson, Kim Deal, Joey Santiago, and David Lovering were
passionate little devils when they took the stage at Boston area clubs like the Rat and T.T.
the Bear’s. But they lacked the blend of technique and panache that makes a rock band —
even a primitive punk-rock band — good, not to mention the precision that acoustic
arrangements demand. The truth about the Pixies is that though it took them just two
albums and an EP to become influential, they needed four or five years of playing to
audiences to become true performers. And then, after their 1992 tour, they broke up.
So it’s odd that a pair of DVDs capturing the reunited band in semi-acoustic and acoustic
performances would be released within the past month. Pixies Acoustic Live at Newport
(Eagle Rock Entertainment) is fascinating, even when the framework for their songs turns
weak. Pixies — Live at the Paradise in Boston (also on Eagle Rock) is hideous and
uncomfortable until Thompson puts down his acoustic guitar and hefts a Fender Telecaster
to join his mates in plugged-in-ville. Then it’s exceptional — an electric Pixies concert that
captures the group’s balance of musical passion and mad lyric prophecy. And for those
curious as to why the Pixies are playing together again at all, there’s loudQUIETloud; A Film
About the Pixies (MVD Visual), a behind-the-scenes documentary about their reunion that’s
the finest of these releases.
What’s best about the Newport show is that its 22 tunes set Thompson’s lyrics in sharp
relief. Biblical imagery bumps bellies with dark absurdism and contemplations on fate with
absolute sonic clarity during their performance on stage at the famed Rhode Island folk
festival on a sunny August 2005 day. The summery setting adds some innocence to a set
list that’s a fan’s dream. Alterna-hits like Deal’s vocal feature “Gigantic,” “Monkey Gone to
Heaven,” “Where Is My Mind?”, and “Wave of Mutilation” are balanced by thornier numbers
like “Gouge Away,” “Subbacultcha,” and “River Euphrates.” The well-directed multi-camera
shoot puts you right in the midst of the Pixies, and that makes it easy to see Santiago and
Thompson exchange half-bemused/half-resigned glances whenever the usually bellowing
guitar lines don’t make the transition to tinnier acoustic tones. When an audience member
shouts for the group to jam, Thompson replies, “We’ve never jammed.” But a few songs
later, on “River Euphrates,” he shoots Santiago a sly look and they do just that. Deal
appears as nonplussed as ever behind her blimp-sized mariachi bass. Lovering has it
easiest; his instrument’s always acoustic, and as usual he provides the Pixies’ pounding
heartbeat with methodical grace.
Pazuzu’s curse is in effect during the early portion of Live at the Paradise. The band are off-
balance: Thompson’s acoustic-guitar playing is lackluster, and Santiago seems reticent to
blast over the frontman’s strumming. So the rocket fuel the audience is craving the moment
the band take the stage is missing. The Pixies’ reunion was still very much a novelty at this
point, and expectations for this semi-secret home-town show were high. Slow tempos and
muffed song starts deflate the occasion, even if they seem a bit calculated on Thompson’s
part. Maybe it was the cameras, since the group also have that deer-in-the-headlights look
until Thompson straps on his Telecaster.
As any nervous club musician can tell you, there are two brands of courage: liquid and
sonic. When Thompson begins to rumble through his amplifier on “Gouge Away,” he and
Santiago provide a potent flaming double shot of the latter. And the Pixies find their wings,
delivering the kind of rock-and-roll orgy they grew into before calling it quits.
Good as the Paradise concert becomes, fans may get a bigger turn-on from the disc’s
bonus show: a 1986 set from T.T. the Bear’s. It’s bootleg quality, so the sound and the look
aren’t as impressive as Thompson’s hair, and his thinness, and the pleasure of witnessing
the Pixies when they were truly tiny.
LoudQUIETloud is an impressive little beast. Besides giving fans a chance to see
Thompson in his skivvies, Steve Cantor and Matthew Galkin capture the band on stage at
their best, thriving in the just-reignited spotlight during their first returning tours of Europe,
Canada, and the States. Although the filmmakers’ contention that the Pixies are among the
most influential bands of all time is dubious, they get into their subjects’ craniums with
unforced effectiveness. Deal comes off as the most soulful and complex. (“She needs
something to do besides making poetry, snowflakes, and sleeping all day,” her mom says
of the reunion.) And who knew that after the band broke up, Lovering became a struggling,
couch-surfing magician?
Incidental music by Daniel Lanois fills in the quiet spaces. Since the Pixies aren’t Chatty
Cathys, there are lots of these. Then again, on the early comeback tours, the band had
much to brood about. Deal was one year sober; Lovering’s dad was dying of cancer;
Santiago and his wife had another baby on the way; Thompson was struggling with an
impasse in his solo career. LoudQUIETloud is also a wake-up call to all the dipshits who
slag bands like the Who for reuniting to harvest a cash crop on tours. Terrific as they are, it’s
obvious early on that the Pixies are back in it only for the money. Frank Zappa would be
proud!
On Sky Arts, Sat 26th of May at 9:00 PM:
http://www.skyarts.co.uk/genre/features.asp?ID=4367&genreID=8
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Edited by - Carl on 05/22/2007 13:13:19 |
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Leah
= Cult of Ray =
United Kingdom
314 Posts |
Posted - 05/30/2007 : 06:03:56
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Cool. I caught the back end of this on TV on Saturday on a channel which kills me cos its name is such a perfect oxymoron; SKY ARTS TV.
I was wondering if it was on general release anywhere...
Every choice human being strives instinctively for a citadel and a secrecy where he is saved from the crowd -
Nietzsche |
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Newport acoustic show to be released on DVD
