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Thirty-four years ago, the band Pixies released their second studio album. Working with the fantastic Gil Norton, the band (Black Francis, Kim Deal, Joey Santiago and David Lovering) created an album that helped shape the landscape of alternative music for the 1990s and years to come. That album is Doolittle and it’s today’s feature on I Own That CD!
What helped in the sound that would develop for so many bands (including Nirvana) in the years to come was the schizophrenic quiet/loud sounds on each song. Going from a simple bass line to a frenzied blaze of noise. Even Kurt Cobain admitted that “Smells Like Teen Spirit” was his attempt to rip-off Pixies. What you were about to listen to was intelligent, loud music.
That style was evident from the start with the opening track, the fantastic, “Debaser”. It isn’t long before that subtle bass line is joined by a screeching guitar and the very recognizable vocals of Black Francis. Track two brings a little sway and funk to the party before exploding into rage. “Tame” is a raw, sexy song that is an underrated favorite.
Another favorite is “Wave of Mutilation” which is much more up-tempo than the version you might have heard from the Pump Up the Volume movie soundtrack. It’s another dark track from Francis and the band. Some have equated it to suicide, some to the environment. The one fascinating thing I read was about the opening few words - “cease to exist” - Charles Manson wrote a song called “Cease to Exist” for The Beach Boys (he recorded it himself).
Shortly after was the “hit song” that garnered airplay and a spot weekly on MTV’s 120 Minutes, “Here Comes Your Man”. Written by Francis as a teen, the up-tempo song combines a surf guitar sound with deceivingly dark lyrics.
Other favorites include “Monkey Gone to Heaven”, “Hey” and “La La Love You”.
There were other solid releases both before and after Doolittle, but the legacy that this release created in the alternative music world was astronomical. And you can borrow my copy if you’d like.
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