Customer Reviews

Frank Black Francis

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Yet another superfluous posthumous Pixies release. Even a fan as ardent and dedicated as myself, having purchased every FB, Pixies and Kim Deal CD, will find this cache of rarities hardly worth the trouble or money. Why not release all these pre-Pixies rarities in one fell swoop, rather than parsing them out incrementally to release as many CDs as possible? This, coming from someone whose favorite band---period---is the Pixies.

Though a dedicated FB and the Catholics fan, I'm all for the reunion thing. In fact, I consider it a blessing in disguise, given FB's last few releases, and the easy-listening acoustic CD on the near horizon. It's always a bad sign when an artist apologizes about the quality of the work in a CD's liner notes. FB writes something to this effect: "Well, I kind of felt like this didn't warrant a release, or that its sound quality was poor, so I thought I'd add this extra disc of Pixies reworkings. Take it or leave it, basically."

I'll leave it, and not because my ear responds unkindly to "experimental" or "electronic" music; I listen to Aphex, Radiohead, Boards of Canada, Autechre, others on the Warp roster, so I'm not unused to this genre. Only, this isn't electronica. Rather, most of it just sounds awkward, tired, half-baked and disingenuously off-kilter. Experimental is not a synonym for bad.

If it sounds like I'm being harsh, perhaps it's because I'm disappointed. Frank Black is, in my opinion, the most talented song-writer of his generation. I love his bravado, his versatility, his voice, his songcraft intuition. His talent dwarfs that of other artists and bands, and it should be dedicated to something a little more worth his---and our---while.

The Pixies are quickly becoming one of those bands like The Police where they have more posthumous releases than original ones. Unlike The Police however, the Pixies have reformed and will hopefully release new material. Until then we have oddities like this two-disc collection, credited to Frank Black Francis (is this an album title or just Charles Thompson finally as confused as the rest of us about his many identities?).

The first disc is for fanatics only and even they probably won't get too jazzed about hearing Pixies songs (recorded on acoustic guitar into a walkman) sans three of the bandmembers, although Frank's jittery in-between and sometimes during-song banter is amusing and somewhat enlightening in regards to what these songs became in their better-known incarnations.

The second disc is a revelation not only because it raises the question, did Frank Black actually pen the live Kim Deal staple "Into The White"? Apparently Frank heard Nada Surf's version of "Where Is My Mind?" and was impressed enough that he recorded an album's worth of Pixies recreations (with the help of two multi-instrumentalists that add horns, violin, and various electronic effects) that, in many cases, stand up nicely to the originals. These songs, which range from lush electronica to oddball jazz/folk and many musical destinations in between remind me of what Bob Mould has been doing live to Husker Du, Sugar, and solo material to keep things interesting for himself. One sour note: since we're speaking of keeping things interesting, did anyone really think a 15-minute version of "Planet Of Sound" would qualify (I was done with it around the three-minute mark, and could've lasted another three, but 15?!?)?

Another nice aspect of the second disc is Frank's voice (more Sinatra than Black in some places). While many Pixies songs required (caused?) him to twist his voice into something ugly and brutal, these variations on the originals allow him to utilize a much more soothing, melodic croon that enables the listener to better hear what a uniquely gifted lyricist Frank is.

While this release definitely seems oddly timed (or perhaps perfectly) considering the Pixies recent reunion and resurgence, it is certainly worth the attention of diehard fans.

Kurt Cobain said Nirvana stole all their best ideas from them, key Radiohead members Jonny Greenwood and Thom Yorke have similarly emphasised their debt to them, U2 were so enraptured with them that they took them on the Zoo TV tour as special guests and even David Bowie claims they breathed new life into music in the 1980s. If you're new to this act The Pixies that everyone is raving about since their reformation, don't start your collection by snapping up this solo CD set from head Pixie Charles Thompson IV (hunt down Death To The Pixies as a greatest hits taste-test to begin with, then grab a copy of Doolittle and Surfer Rosa). However, if you're a fully fledged fan of The Pixies, Frank Black Francis acts as an even greater revelation than the less expansive but similar period's Pixies (also known as The Purple Tape), with the first of the two CDs (Demo) showcasing Black Francis's 1987 acoustic outlines of all the tracks (bar Levitate Me) that would make it to debut album Come On Pilgrim, as well as Surfer Rosa's Broken Face, Break My Body and Oh My Golly. I've Been Tired reveals a measure of Jack White in Frank's erratic yelps, while the sketchy demos also interestingly include Frank's comments to producer Gary Smith such as "There's supposed to be screaming here" mid-song. Such a rough compilation was never meant to be released, yet Black's fully-formulated idea of how he wished Come On Pilgrim to sound makes the first disc compelling for completists. Of lesser note is the woozy bass-heavy revisionism of The Pixies' legacy on disc two (Treated), although Frank concedes in the liner notes this re-recorded and re-interpreted collection was only put together to bolster the musical content of the Frank Black Francis package. While Where Is My Mind? and Nimrod's Son are interesting due to their `Frank On Tranqs' malaise, similarly classic tracks such as Cactus and Levitate Me don't work quite so well in this sluggish sonic territory. Nonetheless, replacing savage guitars and shrieking howls for tubas and keyboards on awesome tunes such as Monkey Gone To Heaven and The Holiday Song shows Frank is commendably unafraid to experiment with his classic tracks. While such reinvention has divided many fans, the creativity on display on both discs creates an exceptional stop-gap between his 2003 solo album Show Me Your Tears and (fingers crossed) the next Pixies album.

The first disc, which is basically "archival," just has Black Francis the day before real recording began on what would eventually become "Come On Pilgrim." It's fine, I suppose. I'll probably drag it out about as often as I do the other Pixies archival cds - once or twice a year. The real treat is the "treated disc." Frank Black (whose solo career has been more varied than the Pixies' stuff - but equally rewarding in my opinion - I'd say Teenager of the Year is better even than any of the Pixies' releases, including their best, Doolittle) re-recording a number of Pixies songs, with a new take on some old favorites. My first reaction, upon hearing that he'd done this was, oh no, what a disaster. And then I heard it - what a fascinating listen it is. Despite swearing off anything but live-to-2-track recording some years ago, Black is back to studio-trickery (which is a good thing in many ways) and comes at these songs with a completely new perspective. Yes, you need an open mind to like this cd. If you've got one, you'll be pleasantly amazed.

I just thought i drop my two cents. I love the first disc. you can feel the urgency in the songs, and how powerful and simple they were even without a band. The first track, Holiday Song, soars and pulls at your ears, super sing a long. Other tracks that stand out include Ed is Dead, Caribou, and Oh My Golly. All of them show the conviction frank had in his songs, and prove his strength as a songwriter and performer. They sound just as hard without the band, as much as i love them. The second disc, however, came across as lackluster. It is what the Pixies would sound like if they were a free jazz band. This sounds enticing, even to me as i write it, but it didnt really work for me. It takes all the force out of the classic tracks, making them limp and deflated. Ive listened to it once, and the first disc probably a dozen times. Additionally, it seems like a bit of an ego massage for frank, like he is saying that although they may be Pixies classics, he owns them and can manipulate them as he pleases. This may be true, but for me, it doesn't work. No substance. dip skip a roo.

Well, after reading the reviews on this site, I just wanted to set the record straight on this album. The first CD really really rocks. After the first couple of listens you're a little disappointed because they AREN'T new songs. They are the same songs on Surfer Rosa and Come on Pilgrim and they sound a bit lacking. But that's on the first listen. After a few more listens things start to sound different.

I mean, you must realize, it's just Frank Black and an acoustic guitar performing some songs without any special studio effects or accompaniment. When you think about it though, this is really exciting. Listening to the CD is like having Frank Black right there performing privately for you. It's like he's RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU just doing his bad [...] thing. Come come now. HOW cool would it be to have Frank Black just doing his thing for you? It's like discovering him in a coffee shop. You hear him talk briefly about the songs before and as he's playing them. It's pretty friggin awesome.

As for the second CD. I like it too, but this is not the Pixies performing Pixies songs. They are essentially interpretations of some of the Pixies songs arranged with horns and other funky sounds.
I'd recommend these albums for serious fans of the band.

The first disc is great, its what you'd expect. It's the second disc thats really worth hearing. Frank revisited these songs with a different perspective. Thank god they were recorded on more than two tracks, Its nice to hear the textures created in the studio. I loved his first two solo albums... I've had a big smile on my face listening to this. They'll never be better than the original recorings but its fun hearing these versions.

Frank Black Francis is not a best of album. The first disk takes us back to the beggining of the pixies and lets us see were the songs began. This is the freshest you will hear these songs. I recomend the first disk for hard core pixie or Frank Black fans, it is excelent stuff, but only if you are interested in it.

The second disk is a compleat reworking of origional pixies songs, into newish lounge music. I can see a lot of hard core fans dislikeing this disk, or loving it to death. This is a disk that will polarize people, its a love it or hate it album. I love it!!

As anyone who caught the Pixies on the recent tour can attest, this man is brilliant and an absolute joy to listen to. His songwriting and flair for catchy and lasting tunes are well-known. This collection of songs is interesting and probably most important to the die-hard collectors and "Pixie purists" who simply must have it all. The upside is that there are lots of great songs here for not too much money. The potential downside is that many of the songs are so raw and unpolished, that they have trouble standing up to so much of the other great music that's been released this year (Nick Cave and Indigo Girls to name a couple). Then again, this man on a bad day is better than most on a good one.

If you don't have much stuff by this guy, I recommend Black Letter Days and one of the other comprehensive Pixie collections. If you must have everything, then this one's a rare gem worth collecting.

This set comes on two discs. One is early demo tracks of Pixies songs performed by just Frank Black and his guitar. Two is what I can only describe as reminaginings of classic Pixies songs.
The demos are amazing. Raw, a little dirty in the sound quality, and rough around the edges. It's like listening to old friends who were recorded before I met them.
The re-imagined versions are a whole other thing. It's not that I feel like hey have no business messing with classic songs this way. I love to hear different versions of the same song. It's just that I'm not sure I like the style in which it was done. Some, like "Cactus" and "Where is My Mind" are cleverly done enough. But as a whole the tracks come off as unfocused and even, in a couple of cases, boring.
Still, they are Mr. Black's songs to let people mess with as he wishes.
I'm not going to call it horrible, but I'm not sure very Pixies fan will be into this. In fact I'm sure some will outright hate it.