Death to the Pixies

Pixies | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 7, 1997)
• Original Release Date: October 7, 1997
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Elektra / Wea
• ASIN: B000002HR4
• Also Available in: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #79,373 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Cecilia Ann

2. Planet of Sound

3. Tame

4. Here Comes Your Man

5. Debaser

6. Wave of Mutilation

7. Dig for Fire

8. Caribou

9. Holiday Song

10. Nimrod's Son

See all 17 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Debaser [Live]

2. Rock Music [Live]

3. Broken Face [Live]

4. Isla de Encanta [Live]

5. Hang Wire [Live]

6. Dead [Live]

7. Into the White [Live]

8. Monkey Gone to Heaven [Live]

9. Gouge Away [Live]

10. Here Comes Your Man [Live]

See all 21 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great "best of" cd and great live cd from a great band., June 12, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Death to the Pixies (Audio CD)

If you're reading this review, you're probably thinking about buying this compilation. If you don't already know that the Pixies are the greatest band of the late eighties and early nineties and one of the greatest bands of all time, this will prove it to you. If you know that already, but for some reason don't yet have this album, get it immediately.

The first CD, the "greatest hits" compilation, is a good mix of Pixies songs. Because the Pixies were so consistent in their greatness from one song to the next, it's hard to say what their greatest songs are. Still, this does a good job of picking ones that no one would argue against, the obviously great songs (as opposed to some of their more subtly awesome songs). The second CD, the live performance, is an incredible taste of what the Pixies must have been like in their hey-day. None of the songs on it sounds like the original, album version, and some of them sound very different. Highlights include the more mellow, slowed-down version of Wave of Mutilation, and Into the White, a B-Side from one of their singles that's simply gorgeous. Well, it's hard to write so little about such an incredibly original and outstanding band. If you don't have any Pixies material yet, hurry and buy this. If you're already a fan and have questioned if this is just a sell-out box set, it's not; it's a nice "greatest hits" CD coupled with an incredible live performance.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Excellent live show makes up for unnecessary Disc 1, July 16, 2002

By 

"dresneer" (Basking Ridge, NJ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Death to the Pixies (Audio CD)

There are 2 reasons to want this album: a. You're looking into this band called the Pixies and figure a greatest hits comp is a good place to start (Disc 1), or b. you're a huge fan and want the live recording (Disc 2).

If you fall under reason (a), don't bother with this record- yet. You're better off with Come On Pigrim or, if you only heard of them through Fight Club, Surfer Rosa. The Pixies generally have three sounds: The beautiful and melodic, the screamy and noisy, and the creature you get when the two are glued together. The "greatest hits" selections are a bit suspect, leaving some of the best melodic songs (Motorway to Roswell) in favor of good, but not great tracks (Gouge Away). (Of course, if the tracks were indeed chosen by engineer Steve Albini, it would explain the preference towards the louder, noisier tunes.)

However, if you can file yourself under reason (b), despite the hefty price tag, the live album is absolutely fantastic. The sound quality is as good as I have ever heard on a live album and you can tell the band's having a hell of a good time on stage. The two highlights of this disc easily go to Into the White, one of the Pixies lesser known but most rocking songs, and Where is My Mind? where the crowd's ghostlike singing is even more haunting than Kim Deal's moaning on Surfer Rosa.

The flaw of the album is the price tag, because most prospect purchasers are only interested in one of the two discs, so my recommendation would be to buy it if you consider yourself the completist superfan, otherwise, just wait to find it in a used bin (if there ever is one there).

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The perfect history lesson in alternative music., January 12, 2001

By 

Nick (England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Death to the Pixies (Audio CD)

As one of the most influential bands of all time, it is about time The Pixies receive the respect they deserve. The back catalogue of albums have been recently been re-released on mid-price in the UK to give those curious a chance to experience the group years after they split up. This compilation draws on the four albums and one mini-album The Pixies released in their short but prolific career. The majority of 'Death To The Pixies' is culled from the early part of their career, while last album 'Trompe Le Monde' sadly only has two songs on offer, 'U-Mass' and 'Planet Of Sound'. The special limited edition CD came with a live recording performed just as 'Bossanova' was in the shops, displaying the band at the peak of their career. The songs themselves as timeless classics that have not aged, with all the well-known and celebrated complied together on one album - 'Monkey Gone To Heaven', 'Debaser', 'Gigantic', 'Here Come's Your Man' and 'Velouria'. Many fans will wish to see other favourites on the album such as 'Hey' and 'Break My Body' but you cannot please everyone. The perfect history lesson in alternative music.