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Cult_Of_Frank
= Black Noise Maker =
Canada
11687 Posts |
 Posted - 09/27/2018 : 07:07:18
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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." |
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oldmandavid
- FB Fan -
USA
27 Posts |
Posted - 09/30/2018 : 13:09:36
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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.
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Bedbug
> Teenager of the Year <
3148 Posts |
Posted - 10/01/2018 : 04:36:31
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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.
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Jeepster
- FB Fan -
USA
123 Posts |
Posted - 10/01/2018 : 13:37:37
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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. |
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Bedbug
> Teenager of the Year <
3148 Posts |
Posted - 10/02/2018 : 04:38:53
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That is a terrific story Jeepster!
Thanks for sharing :-) |
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Jeepster
- FB Fan -
USA
123 Posts |
Posted - 10/06/2018 : 17:56:25
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Glad you liked it :)
Q: Where do Pixies keep their instruments when they're not playing?
A: Debasement. |
Edited by - Jeepster on 10/07/2018 05:39:03 |
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Troubles A Foot
= Cult of Ray =
USA
955 Posts |
Posted - 10/08/2018 : 19:06:09
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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.
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Bedbug
> Teenager of the Year <
3148 Posts |
Posted - 10/09/2018 : 11:29:51
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I really enjoyed reading that.
It was beautiful.
Thanks for sharing that with us. |
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McDutchie
= Cult of Ray =
United Kingdom
268 Posts |
Posted - 10/11/2018 : 15:35:10
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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... |
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Troubles A Foot
= Cult of Ray =
USA
955 Posts |
Posted - 10/11/2018 : 18:36:07
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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.
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Bedbug
> Teenager of the Year <
3148 Posts |
Posted - 10/11/2018 : 21:35:36
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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. |
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Troubles A Foot
= Cult of Ray =
USA
955 Posts |
Posted - 10/12/2018 : 06:10:16
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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 |
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oldmandavid
- FB Fan -
USA
27 Posts |
Posted - 11/10/2018 : 11:22:19
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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! |
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oldmandavid
- FB Fan -
USA
27 Posts |
Posted - 11/10/2018 : 11:38:32
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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.
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Bedbug
> Teenager of the Year <
3148 Posts |
Posted - 11/11/2018 : 23:56:37
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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 |
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Bedbug
> Teenager of the Year <
3148 Posts |
Posted - 01/07/2019 : 10:36:07
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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. |
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Sprite
* Dog in the Sand *
1334 Posts |
Posted - 01/08/2019 : 06:37:55
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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. |
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Bedbug
> Teenager of the Year <
3148 Posts |
Posted - 06/04/2020 : 07:49:02
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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 |
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25 years of Frank Black
