Yeah dude sooo ahead of it’s time, it’s so hard to believe that surfa rosa and Doolittle were 80s albums. It’s clear that they influenced so many 90s bands with the style of soft verses and loud choruses. BRILLIANT. You can even here the influence in fairly newer bands like cage the elephant.
88 in general is an interesting year there are allot of albums that came out that year that would go on define 90s music allot of grunge albums came out in 88 - 89 West coast punk I.e bad religion the offspring where coming out with the sound that would later go on to define pop punk, some massive hip hop albums from slick rick and big daddy kane to N.W.A and Public enemy. Thrash metal bands that would later define allot of 90s metal in Metallica, slayer, pantera, sepultura, ect all putting out great albums around this time, the blueprint for the poplar sounds of the 90s all spawns from the late 80s.
If you think that's ahead of time you haven't heard Dinosaur Jr or My Bloody Valentine's first albums then. Dinosaur, You're Living All Over Me and Bug all three came out in the 80s. So did Isn't Anything
Believe it or not, I knew the group 'cause the song "Debaser" was in the videogame "Skate 3". One day, my uncle saw me playing the game, and when the song start to sound, he told me about the Pixies, and showed me his albums. 10 years laters, it's my favourite group.
It's awesome so many kids get into cool bands because they are on a video game. I've heard this story multiple times now. I somehow missed the Pixies growing up as a Gen-Xer in Australia. But a met a girl who was really into them just before I went backpacking around the US in 97 where I got to see Frank Black in Albuquerque. Within a year or so I was listening to Teenager of the Year daily and then a year or 2 after that, the Pixies back catalogue. So the long way round. Big fan of them and many of the bands they influenced.
Yo!! not tryna be that guy but we are a post punk 3 piece from brighton we just dropped the music video for our debut single mind eraser! We take huge inspo from these geezers so thought you might enjoy it. Let us know! ua-cam.com/video/MkatA5t1a9s/v-deo.html
Surfer Rosa is one of the best albums of all time. I remember I was a DJ for the college radio station when it showed up in the New Adds section. I just chose it randomly and dropped the needle on a song. It was Where Is My Mind and I was immediately hooked. Ran out and bought it the very next day. A few months later that exact same thing happened with some young unknown named Sarah McLachlan when the album Touch showed up in the New Adds. The song I randomly picked was Steaming and, once again, I bought it the next day. The Sugar Cubes, Dinosaur Jr., Tracy Chapman, My Bloody Valantine, and so, so many more. 1988 was a damn good year for new music.
This was a great video, I learned a lot of things about the Pixies I didn't know. As you said, they're one of the most influential bands in alternative rock history. In my opinion, they essentially invented the 90s alternative sound in the late 80s in much the same way Van Halen invented the 80s rock sound with their 1978 debut album. And yes, of course they should be in the Hall of Fame. As for other bands to look at; being from Pennsylvania I think it would be neat if you looked at a band from here, such as Live, Fuel or even Ween (who formed less than 10 miles away from where I am currently typing these words). Anyway, thanks for the video and I'm off to rock a few Pixies tunes before work!
That's not true at all. Saw them life a month ago and this show left ice on my arms. They are all so fucking talented. Kim was amazing but they are steal titans of rock.
@@bobhughes9628 well if this is true Thompson solo albums would be better than Pixies albums but its not. Thompson is genius but lets not underestimate Kim and Joey's contribution.
Most bands don't record as many great songs as the pixies in 20 albums. The first 4 pixies albums and particularly Surfa Rosa were mind blowing and life changing at the time.
It's pretty miraculous that Kim didn't quit prior to the Trompe Le Monde tour. They all moved to the West Coast without telling her rented studio space for rehearsal and recording time, wrote the songs already for the album and didn't tell her. She basically flew all the way to the West Coast to find out they are ready to record an album that she had no input into. Just seems like a really passive aggressive move by Charles. I don't know why they didn't just fire her and said it doing that. It's crazy that she still went through with the tour.
Favorite Pixies album is the combined Come on Pilgrim and Surfer Rosa. Have a few favorite songs, but most favorite is Vamos. Instrumentally beautifully violent. I wish Joey could duplicate the Laser gun effect he gets out of his guitar in a live performance, and that Black Francis could still scream out his obscurities. Definitely deserve to be in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. They have my vote
Toss up between Gouge Away, Hey and The Happening. I could spin those three jams on repeat all day long. I started listening to them way back in the 80's. Doolittle was the first of their tapes I bought when I was a senior in high school. Thanks for the mini doc
Pixies are the monty python of rock..so much experimentation in their work that a lot of it misses the mark for a lot of people..but then there's always that one piece that changes your world...and they've been doing that consistently for almost fourty years.
As David Bowie said, the Pixies are kinda like the Velvet Underground: they never sold millions of records, but everybody who bought one of their records formed a band.
Pixies are nowhere near the Velvets influence! Another thing is that Hüsker Dü were practically the first (Proto-) Grunge Band and not the Pixies. They established that sound 3 years previously, and those are facts.
Thanks for this. Favorite song is "Winterlong". Favorite album is "Doolittle". Pixies Rock and should've been in the Rock Hall of Fame Years ago. Very Good video. Thanks, again.
Oof. One of the best bands ever. I freely admit my bias, having been in college just a couple of years later than they were, and also having benefitted from having good college radio stations to listen to. They provided the soundtrack to my early 20s. Now in my early 50s, hearing them triggers that dopamine and remembrance of things past (À la recherche du temps perdu, as it were). Where is my mind? When I hear the Pixies, in a state of sweet nostalgic reverie.
Had the pleasure of interviewing Joey Santago and his wife Linda Mallari when The Martinis came to our town. Very nice folks and he is such a unique and inventive guitar player.
IMr. Beat please keep this channel going! You’re a well adept historian with great appreciation of music as well. I’m not sure if you’re still teaching, but if I were a student of yours I’ve no doubt I’d remember you as memorable, and someone who’s made a difference.
Thank you For this video. Pixies is one of my favorite bands ever. Very underrated. Probably one of the best of their generation. Loved the video. You got a new subscriber. Cheers!
I left North America in the mid 1980s and so missed a lot of the western music scene for almost two and a half decades. Luckily, the brave new world of the internet, I stumbled on the Pixies' old songs on UA-cam around the early 2010s and immediately liked them. To this day, I couldnt' care less what song they sang, old or new, I just look forward to everyone of them and love everyone of their songs!
Really cool documentary! Saw the Pixies at least 10 times between 2003-2011 and have not regretted one of the trips! Favourite album from them is Bossanova and my favourite song is Velouria. I really find that song is the one that showcases amazing guitars, bass lines by Kim, amazing drumming and the synergy between Black and Deal’s voices.
I met Joey Santiago after a gig in Portland at EJ's with the Martinis. He was a super cool guy. Just cool to sit at a bar and have a beer with a stranger and chat.
Saw them in 2005ish at the Lincoln Theatre. I got the ticket in exchange for giving a ride to my friend who waited online to get them. I liked the Pixies, but didn't have high expectations based on other reunions of the same era. Totally one of the best shows I've ever seen.
Looks like the Pixies had more spinoffs than All in the Family. I really didnt know any of that, but your video did remind me to go back and listen to "Hey" again, which always seems to cause an indescribable, visceral reaction. I can' t think of another song that makes me feel quite the same way.
Thanks for this video. The Pixies are, as you very well explained, one of the most influential, and innovative bands in music, since the band was born. The creative and unconventional Frank Black, as I prefer to call him, is only surpassed by Joey Santiago's guitar sounds. I've met Joey on many occasions being a friend of a friend, back in the 1990s in L.A., and seeing the Pixies live on numerous occasions as well as Frank Black doing his solo stuff. They were always on the edge of what Indie music was. That they gained so much praise and respect from other bands and musicians says it all. Would they have been the same if they reached superstar status with mainstream radio / MTV? Or would that have ruined what they were? We don't know and actually, I don't want to know. Yes, by all means, they should be inducted into the R&R Hall of Fame, without any hesitation.
Just found this video and I love it. I’ve never really listened to the pixies until recently but they immediately became my favorite band. I can’t get enough of them. I got come on pilgrim on vinyl recently and it’s great. I can’t stop playing monkey gone to heaven, classic masher, dig for fire and the Vegas suite. Although it’s not exactly like their older stuff I’m obsessed with the night the zombies came I think it’s great
Definitively underrated band. Pixies reportedly weren't into making videos. They had to be convinced to do some to get play on channels such as MTV and Much Music and other individual video shows. That's supposedly the reason why there's a couple of basic videos for "Velouria"; just do SOMETHING and stretch it to the length of the song. They were a big hit on college radio and more alternative stations, like CFNY in Toronto.
Thank you so much for this; they were a huge part of my 90's - 2000s college experience. You really nailed it when describing their influence and their continuing obscurity. I had a hard time tracking (or even hearing about) their progress after Trompe Le Monde, so I missed out on most of what happened after, and now I have to track down all those subsequent releases you've covered! But I did get to see Frank Black in Calgary and NYC and their reunion tour through Regina, which I would have never thought possible. Where Is My Mind is of course a classic, but I also love Dig for Fire and Alec Eiffel.
saw them here in Portugal, Lisbon, just after the release of TLM, what a show. One of my fave and influential bands and of course Joey Santiagos guitar aproach ❤️
Very well done, I learned a lot. I'm just getting into the Pixies, it's a band that I have been aware of since I was very young, but never truly appreciated or even liked, I knew "where is my mind?" was like the most popular one but that was that. Right now I'm just loving Doolittle. It may sound dumb, but I got into their music because of the fear street trilogy on Netflix lol, but I'm loving it. (Maybe I'm exaggerating, but black seems kind of a douche... idk) Once again nice video :)
1990, i played a lot of golf, used to get to the club 90 minutes early, sit in the car and listen to Doolittle rather loud, go to the practise fairway and smack some balls then hit the first tee for the comp, really fired me up and made me focus.
I love The Pixies (and Throwing Muses). The first time I heard about them was when I worked with a very drugged-out guy at a summer job who said Frank Black (or Black Francis) was gay. That was decades ago, and I only recently learned he is married (to a woman) and has a family. Not that I cared what his sexuality is.
If there is one band that matured me out of bands like Duran Duran and ABC its the Pixies. The Pixies could fill my mind with their brilliance like no other besides maybe Bowie and leave me curious for more. My favorite song of theirs to date is UMASS. Something about " its educational" being shouted... Great video. You kept it very interesting and your voice is worth gold.
I luuuuuved Indie Cindy. They grew up, the anger wasn’t there anymore, but the melodies were and whatever the brainiacs at Pitchfork said, that album was solid.
I have a lot of love for The Pixies. They're one of my Dad's favourite bands, and introduced me to them as a kid. Surfa Rosa is my absolute favourite, closely followed by dolitte. Favourite song has to be either Cactus or Valouria.
Excellent video! I've been binge watched all your "Brief Histories" videos and was wondering if you could do one on Fleetwood Mac? I've always been slightly confused by the band's history and thought you would be the best person to ask. Thank you :)
Great video, great band; they are more successful that I had always thought they were. They belong to be on the RROH, they basically created a very successful music genre
The Pixies were diabolic in the psychiatric sense of the term. The diabolic is from Greek words "dia" and "balein", and literally mean "ripping apart." There are three characteristics of the diabolic: nudity, violence, and disjointed personality. It is telling that the first album of the Pixies involved a nude Frank Black. Violence is the undercurrent of many songs they wrote. And it is interesting that Frank Black changed his name at least 3 times.
Excellent job! Really enjoy your work and I'm not just saying that because of your soundtrack choices lol. Maybe "A Brief history of The Strokes"? Have they been around long enough for that honor?
I think their new work is arguably just as good as they older work, which is rare for bands in their senior years. I’ve listened to Beneath The Eyrie a hundred times probably.
I definitely like it, but it doesnt carry the same sound as before. I would say that Beneath the Eeyrie might have been the closest to the old sound, but I may be wrong about that.
Gouge Away……Best Pixies song EVER ‼️ and yes they should be in the Rock & Roll HOF. Any band that influences so many other great bands absolutely deserves a spot
Hey and gauge away were my favorite songs but I gotta say, don't know if it was my attitude that particular day or how the day was going or a combination of both but indy Cindy is my new favorite. Love the chorus.
KCRW's brilliant musicologist, Deidre O'Donoghue, who died in 2001, turned me on to this music as I returned home from late classes at Claremont. Better radio I've never found. Terrific to learn more about this on again, off again group.
Easily in my top ten bands along with Built to Spill, Pavement, Silver Jews and the Jicks. Maybe I'm remembering wrong but it seemed like not many people knew about them until Velouria came out after their first run was almost over and then of course whenever it was that people learned of them from Where is My Mind being in Fight Club.
The Pixies (or just "Pixies") are this band that keeps coming back to many fans (me too) again and again. Yes they were part of the late-80s early-90s "grunge" scene (f*ck I hate that word) but they had their own unique sound and feel, often copied but never replicated. All I have to do is start playing Surfer Rosa/Come On Pilgrim, Doolittle, or Bossanova and I'm right back in the chair with this very special band. I saw them play in Seattle in 1990 with Primus as a supporting band and Jane's Addiction as the headliner, but Pixies really stole the show. Their songs and their sound really tap into a particular era in my and many people's lives who were of a certain age at the time, and it still sticks. I'll take them to my grave. Death to the Pixies! ;-)
fav. song "motorway to Roswell" who else but Black Francis can right a song about an alien being crashing in the New Mexico desert and the US ARMY attempt's to cover it up from the public, while filing it all away at AREA 51. some people see this as fact and want to believe. i fall in that category. fav album Trompe de la mode .....STILL cant enough of that album.
The first time i heard the pixies my brother was attempting to create a weird video on the early internet and used the brick is red as the soundtrack. He ranted about how amazing they were and got me to listen to a ton of their songs. i loved them. A year or two later they appeared on a soundtrack for a weird movie called fight club. Immediately all my rock friends loved them and i got to be the guy who loved them first and knew all their bangers. nowadays ive seen them three times and they are my favorite band ive ever seen live. they are truly the biggest band no one has ever heard of
Yes. It's my #1. Wish the two minute outro went on forever. It's sorta like being on a psychedelic merry-go-round... the layered guitar parts speak their own mesmerizing language
I'm one of the rare people who got more into Frank Black's solo material in the 90s than the Pixies...but I fully appreciate and love what the Pixies did. To be honest, I've heard the newer stuff a handful of times but it never connected with me. That could just be the difference between hearing them at age 20 vs new stuff in my 40s. Our brains digest music differently than our teenage/early 20s years.
Great little bio of who are imo one of the est bands ever, hands down. Loved them as a teen and nothing's changed, thanks for giving them their dues :)
My favorite song is Caribou, favorite album is Surfa Rosa. I have not heard much of their new music, I will check them out. Yes to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Have you ever checked out the Human Sexual Response? They were also from Boston in the 80's, Blow Up is on UA-cam
Which band should I make a brief history of next?
bring me the horizon
Queen? Led Zeppelin? The Doors? Literally anyone I’ll watch it 😂
Box of Frogs
Sonic Youth
I HAVE A GOOD ONE
MAKE A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE SMITHS, PLASE?
Extremely ahead of their time, still can't believe where is my mind came out in 1988
yea litarily almost the same year as girls girls girls its wierd how those two songs can exist around those times
Yeah dude sooo ahead of it’s time, it’s so hard to believe that surfa rosa and Doolittle were 80s albums. It’s clear that they influenced so many 90s bands with the style of soft verses and loud choruses. BRILLIANT. You can even here the influence in fairly newer bands like cage the elephant.
So incredibly before their time, and some songs are timeless. I hear their influence in so many 90's songs, some almost to the point of plagiarism.
88 in general is an interesting year there are allot of albums that came out that year that would go on define 90s music allot of grunge albums came out in 88 - 89 West coast punk I.e bad religion the offspring where coming out with the sound that would later go on to define pop punk, some massive hip hop albums from slick rick and big daddy kane to N.W.A and Public enemy. Thrash metal bands that would later define allot of 90s metal in Metallica, slayer, pantera, sepultura, ect all putting out great albums around this time, the blueprint for the poplar sounds of the 90s all spawns from the late 80s.
If you think that's ahead of time you haven't heard Dinosaur Jr or My Bloody Valentine's first albums then. Dinosaur, You're Living All Over Me and Bug all three came out in the 80s. So did Isn't Anything
Believe it or not, I knew the group 'cause the song "Debaser" was in the videogame "Skate 3".
One day, my uncle saw me playing the game, and when the song start to sound, he told me about the Pixies, and showed me his albums.
10 years laters, it's my favourite group.
when I grow up I wanna be a debaser
Without cool Uncles and Aunts nobody would know anything about cool music.
ncaa 06 on the ps2 jamming to debaser
It's awesome so many kids get into cool bands because they are on a video game. I've heard this story multiple times now. I somehow missed the Pixies growing up as a Gen-Xer in Australia. But a met a girl who was really into them just before I went backpacking around the US in 97 where I got to see Frank Black in Albuquerque. Within a year or so I was listening to Teenager of the Year daily and then a year or 2 after that, the Pixies back catalogue. So the long way round. Big fan of them and many of the bands they influenced.
Skate 3 is one of the best game ever, great story
Absolutely adore the pixies! Kim deal in particular kicks ass! So many great bass lines
Heck yeah
Yo!! not tryna be that guy but we are a post punk 3 piece from brighton we just dropped the music video for our debut single mind eraser! We take huge inspo from these geezers so thought you might enjoy it. Let us know!
ua-cam.com/video/MkatA5t1a9s/v-deo.html
"We need a bassist. do you play bass"
"No I have an apartment tho"
Surfer Rosa is one of the best albums of all time. I remember I was a DJ for the college radio station when it showed up in the New Adds section. I just chose it randomly and dropped the needle on a song. It was Where Is My Mind and I was immediately hooked. Ran out and bought it the very next day. A few months later that exact same thing happened with some young unknown named Sarah McLachlan when the album Touch showed up in the New Adds. The song I randomly picked was Steaming and, once again, I bought it the next day. The Sugar Cubes, Dinosaur Jr., Tracy Chapman, My Bloody Valantine, and so, so many more. 1988 was a damn good year for new music.
Great band. Interesting mini documentary. Nice one.
Thanks!
This was a great video, I learned a lot of things about the Pixies I didn't know. As you said, they're one of the most influential bands in alternative rock history. In my opinion, they essentially invented the 90s alternative sound in the late 80s in much the same way Van Halen invented the 80s rock sound with their 1978 debut album. And yes, of course they should be in the Hall of Fame.
As for other bands to look at; being from Pennsylvania I think it would be neat if you looked at a band from here, such as Live, Fuel or even Ween (who formed less than 10 miles away from where I am currently typing these words). Anyway, thanks for the video and I'm off to rock a few Pixies tunes before work!
I agree that the whole 90s alternative rock sound was largely shaped by Pixies. And great suggestions. I have actually got a few people suggest Ween!
Breaking Benjamin is from Wilkes-Barre!
Used to live in York, PA. Live was from Dover, a small town just outside of York. Awesome band.
@@carterdodson4459 Yeah, but they suck!
@@mattbeatgoeson You in Bucks County? I am.
I love Pixies but without Kim's incredible bass lines and tasty back vocals they are not in their full potention
think you should watch the last show at Rockpalast
@@andremoraes8663 What i ment is about the making the songs and recording , surely Paz very good at live
That's not true at all. Saw them life a month ago and this show left ice on my arms. They are all so fucking talented. Kim was amazing but they are steal titans of rock.
The best songs came from when Thompson had more of the creative control.
@@bobhughes9628 well if this is true Thompson solo albums would be better than Pixies albums but its not. Thompson is genius but lets not underestimate Kim and Joey's contribution.
Most bands don't record as many great songs as the pixies in 20 albums. The first 4 pixies albums and particularly Surfa Rosa were mind blowing and life changing at the time.
Come On Pilgrim too has Caribou and Levitate Me which are amongst the bands best songs.
I love everything of Pixies, but "Hey" is my favorite song.
Hey and Gouge Away for me. The Happening is doing good for me as of late as well
Monkey Gone To Heaven
My favorites are Debaser (Thanks Skate 3), Bone Machine and Monkey Gone to Heaven
Samesies
The guitar is mesmerising my friend
It's pretty miraculous that Kim didn't quit prior to the Trompe Le Monde tour. They all moved to the West Coast without telling her rented studio space for rehearsal and recording time, wrote the songs already for the album and didn't tell her. She basically flew all the way to the West Coast to find out they are ready to record an album that she had no input into. Just seems like a really passive aggressive move by Charles. I don't know why they didn't just fire her and said it doing that. It's crazy that she still went through with the tour.
Money man
Favorite Pixies album is the combined Come on Pilgrim and Surfer Rosa. Have a few favorite songs, but most favorite is Vamos. Instrumentally beautifully violent. I wish Joey could duplicate the Laser gun effect he gets out of his guitar in a live performance, and that Black Francis could still scream out his obscurities. Definitely deserve to be in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. They have my vote
Toss up between Gouge Away, Hey and The Happening. I could spin those three jams on repeat all day long. I started listening to them way back in the 80's. Doolittle was the first of their tapes I bought when I was a senior in high school. Thanks for the mini doc
Pixies are the monty python of rock..so much experimentation in their work that a lot of it misses the mark for a lot of people..but then there's always that one piece that changes your world...and they've been doing that consistently for almost fourty years.
Horrific comparison
So, are you comparing "Where is My Mind" to the "Lumberjack Song". Are you O.K? Hanging around in bars, maybe?
this is way too good quality for this to only have 2000 views wtf
Queen Kim Deal I got my first bass because of her. My favorite band ❤️
As David Bowie said, the Pixies are kinda like the Velvet Underground: they never sold millions of records, but everybody who bought one of their records formed a band.
Pixies are nowhere near the Velvets influence!
Another thing is that Hüsker Dü were practically the first (Proto-) Grunge Band and not the Pixies. They established that sound 3 years previously, and those are facts.
@@ForARideFair enough, but the Pixies inspired Nirvana and Radiohead and everything that came with it.
Thanks for this. Favorite song is "Winterlong". Favorite album is "Doolittle". Pixies Rock and should've been in the Rock Hall of Fame Years ago. Very Good video. Thanks, again.
Oof. One of the best bands ever. I freely admit my bias, having been in college just a couple of years later than they were, and also having benefitted from having good college radio stations to listen to. They provided the soundtrack to my early 20s. Now in my early 50s, hearing them triggers that dopamine and remembrance of things past (À la recherche du temps perdu, as it were). Where is my mind? When I hear the Pixies, in a state of sweet nostalgic reverie.
Amen, brother. Similar feelings from London.
Had the pleasure of interviewing Joey Santago and his wife Linda Mallari when The Martinis came to our town. Very nice folks and he is such a unique and inventive guitar player.
you can still play any of their older songs that still sound incredibly fresh and relevant.
Glad I got to see them live. That's one band I wont regret not seeing before it's too late.
This channel is so underrated
Thanks Myles. :) I think this channel will gain some more traction once I post more regularly. At least I hope so!
idk about that, man - he's pretty much just summarising the wikipedia articles for these bands.
@@entertain7us148 You jealous bro?
@@entertain7us148 I can't find Wikipedia articles with his information
IMr. Beat please keep this channel going! You’re a well adept historian with great appreciation of music as well. I’m not sure if you’re still teaching, but if I were a student of yours I’ve no doubt I’d remember you as memorable, and someone who’s made a difference.
Thanks so much for the kind words. It means a lot!
Thank you For this video. Pixies is one of my favorite bands ever. Very underrated. Probably one of the best of their generation. Loved the video. You got a new subscriber. Cheers!
Great, and very informative. I do wish, though, that we could have more on why and how Pixies music is so remarkable. Talk about the art!
I say just listen to it yourself. You don't need a commentator to over analyze why the art is so compelling. That's a personal experience.
I left North America in the mid 1980s and so missed a lot of the western music scene for almost two and a half decades. Luckily, the brave new world of the internet, I stumbled on the Pixies' old songs on UA-cam around the early 2010s and immediately liked them. To this day, I couldnt' care less what song they sang, old or new, I just look forward to everyone of them and love everyone of their songs!
Really cool documentary! Saw the Pixies at least 10 times between 2003-2011 and have not regretted one of the trips! Favourite album from them is Bossanova and my favourite song is Velouria. I really find that song is the one that showcases amazing guitars, bass lines by Kim, amazing drumming and the synergy between Black and Deal’s voices.
Hey Matt, you really need to mention this channel on Mr Beat... I literally just found out about this one! Great video, I love The Pixies.
Mr. Beat I recently found your other channel after watching your history one for awhile, the Pixies are my favorite band of all time :)))
One of my favorites as well. Glad you found this channel!
I met Joey Santiago after a gig in Portland at EJ's with the Martinis. He was a super cool guy. Just cool to sit at a bar and have a beer with a stranger and chat.
I bought Pixies live at the BBC when I was a kid from a used section at a record store just because I like the front cover and I loved it
Saw them in 2005ish at the Lincoln Theatre. I got the ticket in exchange for giving a ride to my friend who waited online to get them. I liked the Pixies, but didn't have high expectations based on other reunions of the same era. Totally one of the best shows I've ever seen.
This added a lot of insight into their musical influence and importance that I hadn't fully realized
Pixies isn’t the same without kim, she’s my favourite musician ever
this video is great btw!! Thanx xx
Her bass was sizzling but her voice is irreplaceable
@@dk50b agreed
@@andressavial Like you said their material without her sounds like a different band
don't make me sad
Looks like the Pixies had more spinoffs than All in the Family. I really didnt know any of that, but your video did remind me to go back and listen to "Hey" again, which always seems to cause an indescribable, visceral reaction. I can' t think of another song that makes me feel quite the same way.
Such a good song. It definitely has given me chills before.
Same. Modest Mouse's Dramamine has the same effect for me.
I couldn't agree more
Thanks for this video. The Pixies are, as you very well explained, one of the most influential, and innovative bands in music, since the band was born.
The creative and unconventional Frank Black, as I prefer to call him, is only surpassed by Joey Santiago's guitar sounds.
I've met Joey on many occasions being a friend of a friend, back in the 1990s in L.A., and seeing the Pixies live on numerous occasions as well as Frank Black doing his solo stuff. They were always on the edge of what Indie music was. That they gained so much praise and respect from other bands and musicians says it all. Would they have been the same if they reached superstar status with mainstream radio / MTV? Or would that have ruined what they were? We don't know and actually, I don't want to know.
Yes, by all means, they should be inducted into the R&R Hall of Fame, without any hesitation.
Just found this video and I love it. I’ve never really listened to the pixies until recently but they immediately became my favorite band. I can’t get enough of them. I got come on pilgrim on vinyl recently and it’s great. I can’t stop playing monkey gone to heaven, classic masher, dig for fire and the Vegas suite. Although it’s not exactly like their older stuff I’m obsessed with the night the zombies came I think it’s great
Definitively underrated band. Pixies reportedly weren't into making videos. They had to be convinced to do some to get play on channels such as MTV and Much Music and other individual video shows. That's supposedly the reason why there's a couple of basic videos for "Velouria"; just do SOMETHING and stretch it to the length of the song. They were a big hit on college radio and more alternative stations, like CFNY in Toronto.
I'm sad to say I never heard of this band but I'm definitely going to check them out. thank you for this video!!
Thank you so much for this; they were a huge part of my 90's - 2000s college experience. You really nailed it when describing their influence and their continuing obscurity. I had a hard time tracking (or even hearing about) their progress after Trompe Le Monde, so I missed out on most of what happened after, and now I have to track down all those subsequent releases you've covered! But I did get to see Frank Black in Calgary and NYC and their reunion tour through Regina, which I would have never thought possible. Where Is My Mind is of course a classic, but I also love Dig for Fire and Alec Eiffel.
Loved your french at @8:11 xD (jk, great video as usual!)
saw them here in Portugal, Lisbon, just after the release of TLM, what a show. One of my fave and influential bands and of course Joey Santiagos guitar aproach ❤️
The Pixies were more than a band they were a phenomenon. Everybody can find what they are looking for in the Pixies songs. An amazing band.
The most informative channel imo
well thanks who ever made this , great great thank you , bic I know you all, love all, bic
That was perfect, I found them late on, this year in fact, have 3 albums already, Come On, Bossa and Trompe, you could say my journey has begun
Very well done, I learned a lot. I'm just getting into the Pixies, it's a band that I have been aware of since I was very young, but never truly appreciated or even liked, I knew "where is my mind?" was like the most popular one but that was that. Right now I'm just loving Doolittle.
It may sound dumb, but I got into their music because of the fear street trilogy on Netflix lol, but I'm loving it.
(Maybe I'm exaggerating, but black seems kind of a douche... idk)
Once again nice video :)
I think Black is douchey too.
"I bleed" is my favorite song and doolittle is my favorite album ,obviously.
Really enjoyed your history of the Pixies...the came to Australia in the 2000's...i was blown away by them
1990, i played a lot of golf, used to get to the club 90 minutes early, sit in the car and listen to Doolittle rather loud, go to the practise fairway and smack some balls then hit the first tee for the comp, really fired me up and made me focus.
I love The Pixies (and Throwing Muses). The first time I heard about them was when I worked with a very drugged-out guy at a summer job who said Frank Black (or Black Francis) was gay. That was decades ago, and I only recently learned he is married (to a woman) and has a family. Not that I cared what his sexuality is.
If there is one band that matured me out of bands like Duran Duran and ABC its the Pixies. The Pixies could fill my mind with their brilliance like no other besides maybe Bowie and leave me curious for more. My favorite song of theirs to date is UMASS. Something about " its educational" being shouted... Great video. You kept it very interesting and your voice is worth gold.
I luuuuuved Indie Cindy. They grew up, the anger wasn’t there anymore, but the melodies were and whatever the brainiacs at Pitchfork said, that album was solid.
Agree… the last two albums aren’t anything on Indie Cindy. Magdalena could appear anywhere on their discography
I have a lot of love for The Pixies.
They're one of my Dad's favourite bands, and introduced me to them as a kid. Surfa Rosa is my absolute favourite, closely followed by dolitte.
Favourite song has to be either Cactus or Valouria.
Excellent video! I've been binge watched all your "Brief Histories" videos and was wondering if you could do one on Fleetwood Mac? I've always been slightly confused by the band's history and thought you would be the best person to ask. Thank you :)
Well thank you, and I definitely planned on covering Fleetwood Mac at some point. :)
@@mattbeatgoeson.. with loads of Stevie Nicks cocaine jokes of course.
Great video, great band; they are more successful that I had always thought they were. They belong to be on the RROH, they basically created a very successful music genre
The Pixies were diabolic in the psychiatric sense of the term. The diabolic is from Greek words "dia" and "balein", and literally mean "ripping apart." There are three characteristics of the diabolic: nudity, violence, and disjointed personality. It is telling that the first album of the Pixies involved a nude Frank Black. Violence is the undercurrent of many songs they wrote. And it is interesting that Frank Black changed his name at least 3 times.
The Pixies, Sonic Youth, Yo La Tengo and Thin White Rope were the core of my college years. I can’t imagine a world without them.
never knew they were from boston, crazy how much history this city has, always learning something new
i love boston for this reason
Excellent job! Really enjoy your work and I'm not just saying that because of your soundtrack choices lol.
Maybe "A Brief history of The Strokes"? Have they been around long enough for that honor?
Strokes are legends now as well.
Have I just been listening to a computer talking about the Pixies?
No, it’s a real person voicing it.
He sounds like a computer imitation of Hank Green
I am convinced that if black Francis looked like Kurt Cobain they would have been the biggest band of the last thirty years.
I think their new work is arguably just as good as they older work, which is rare for bands in their senior years. I’ve listened to Beneath The Eyrie a hundred times probably.
I definitely like it, but it doesnt carry the same sound as before. I would say that Beneath the Eeyrie might have been the closest to the old sound, but I may be wrong about that.
Gouge Away……Best Pixies song EVER ‼️ and yes they should be in the Rock & Roll HOF. Any band that influences so many other great bands absolutely deserves a spot
He's back!
Hey and gauge away were my favorite songs but I gotta say, don't know if it was my attitude that particular day or how the day was going or a combination of both but indy Cindy is my new favorite. Love the chorus.
Love the Pixies, well done video
KCRW's brilliant musicologist, Deidre O'Donoghue, who died in 2001, turned me on to this music as I returned home from late classes at Claremont. Better radio I've never found. Terrific to learn more about this on again, off again group.
Easily in my top ten bands along with Built to Spill, Pavement, Silver Jews and the Jicks. Maybe I'm remembering wrong but it seemed like not many people knew about them until Velouria came out after their first run was almost over and then of course whenever it was that people learned of them from Where is My Mind being in Fight Club.
fan club much??
Light years ahead of their time. Musical geniuses. Changed the world. Thank you Pixies.
Favourite song... hard to say. My personal Top 5:
1. The happening
2. U Mass
3. Down to the well
4. Is she weird
5. I bleed
The happening is one of the greatest songs I have ever heard. Good top 5 list.
The Pixies (or just "Pixies") are this band that keeps coming back to many fans (me too) again and again. Yes they were part of the late-80s early-90s "grunge" scene (f*ck I hate that word) but they had their own unique sound and feel, often copied but never replicated. All I have to do is start playing Surfer Rosa/Come On Pilgrim, Doolittle, or Bossanova and I'm right back in the chair with this very special band. I saw them play in Seattle in 1990 with Primus as a supporting band and Jane's Addiction as the headliner, but Pixies really stole the show. Their songs and their sound really tap into a particular era in my and many people's lives who were of a certain age at the time, and it still sticks. I'll take them to my grave. Death to the Pixies! ;-)
fav. song "motorway to Roswell" who else but Black Francis can right a song about an alien being crashing in the New Mexico desert and the US ARMY attempt's to cover it up from the public, while filing it all away at AREA 51. some people see this as fact and want to believe. i fall in that category. fav album Trompe de la mode .....STILL cant enough of that album.
Saw them live in 2004 in Iceland, my favorite song is Wave of Mutilation.
One of the best bands of all time.
1 hit lol
THE greatest band of all time
The Breeders are my all-time favorite band ever. I can listen to Last Splash over and over again. Kim Deal is God!!
Doolittle changed my life and to this day is my favorite album. I played it everyday, all day on my yellow Walkman.
My dad played pixies on road trips when i was like 10 and i still love it
Saw them live in 2003 in CWB. Their first live show in South America. It was amazing!
The first time i heard the pixies my brother was attempting to create a weird video on the early internet and used the brick is red as the soundtrack. He ranted about how amazing they were and got me to listen to a ton of their songs. i loved them. A year or two later they appeared on a soundtrack for a weird movie called fight club. Immediately all my rock friends loved them and i got to be the guy who loved them first and knew all their bangers. nowadays ive seen them three times and they are my favorite band ive ever seen live. they are truly the biggest band no one has ever heard of
Top Pixies songs-
1. Debaser
2. Where is my Mind
3. Gigantic
4. Dig for Fire
5. I Bleed
6. Caribou
CARIBOU IS FIRE
Trompe was basically Frank’s first solo album. It sounds like it could be a double album with his eponymous first solo album.
No 13 Baby is their best tune, Doolittle their best album and they should defo be in the hall of fame. Thanks for an interesting vid.
No13 baby doesn’t get enough love
Yes. It's my #1. Wish the two minute outro went on forever. It's sorta like being on a psychedelic merry-go-round... the layered guitar parts speak their own mesmerizing language
I'm one of the rare people who got more into Frank Black's solo material in the 90s than the Pixies...but I fully appreciate and love what the Pixies did. To be honest, I've heard the newer stuff a handful of times but it never connected with me. That could just be the difference between hearing them at age 20 vs new stuff in my 40s. Our brains digest music differently than our teenage/early 20s years.
I click on a video about one of my favorite bands of all time and I hear Mr.Beat talking? Shocked. Had no idea he was into music too.
Great little bio of who are imo one of the est bands ever, hands down. Loved them as a teen and nothing's changed, thanks for giving them their dues :)
Cant wait to see them live in sept!
Love the pixies, I would love to see Joy Division next!
Joy Division is an Amazing band!
The thing is, their career was so short it would be difficult to fit a video
I'd love to see a look at say half a dozen bands who split for some reason with a "where are they now" section.
My favorite song is Caribou, favorite album is Surfa Rosa. I have not heard much of their new music, I will check them out. Yes to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Have you ever checked out the Human Sexual Response? They were also from Boston in the 80's, Blow Up is on UA-cam
They're the modern Beatles but the Pixies aren't the Pixies without Kim Deal.
Yes!
Greatest band in my world. Thanks for the memories Pixies!!!!
I will admit that I was introduced to the Pixies when I saw Fight Club but now happy to say they are in heavy rotation in my music collection....
U can do one about rhcp? pls!!!!
That's a great suggestion. :D
i really love "is she weird"
I was listening to these guys back in the 80s, the 1880s. I was ahead of my time and so were they.
You should do a bio on Jason Molina (Songs:Ohia, Magnolia Electric Company, ...)! One the most interesting and tragic legends of alt music
That dude DID have a tragic life :( But lovely music
Pixies was the band that opens the door of rock for me and music generally speaking when i was 13 yold.