Customer Reviews

The Pixies - Sell Out

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It was the tour that no one thought would ever happen. In 1992, the Pixies were on top of the world. While they hadn't quite broken through into the mainstream in the United States, they were a huge hit in England, almost reaching stadium status. They played some of the largest European rock `n' roll festivals and even opened for U2. And then their lead singer Black Francis announced that the band had broken up.

Black Francis and Kim Deal seemed as if they would never bury the hatchet and fans would never see their beloved band together again. And then it was announced last year that the Pixies were indeed going to be re-forming for a tour in select cities in Europe and the U.S. Anticipation was high and, if you were lucky enough to see them live, reportedly they did not disappoint. Now, you can get an idea of what it was like with this new DVD that gives you a sample of the band live in concert.

Black Francis' voice sounds as ferocious as it ever did. He gives it a good workout on "Something Against You" and "U-Mass," the latter a giddy, psychotic ode to the University of Massachusetts. Later on, he tears it up on "Tame," alternating between almost-whispered verses and deranged howling choruses. Joey is still the unsung, low-key guitar god he always was, delivering the insanely catchy riffs that the Pixies were revered for.

They pull out such memorable hits like "Monkey Gone to Heaven" and "Here Comes Your Man" along with underrated gems like the surreal "Subbacultcha." The only minor, personal caveat I have with the DVD is the short shrift given to the criminally underrated and much maligned Bossanova album. Only a dreamy, surf-soaked rendition of "Velouria" is played in their set. Also, their misunderstood swan song, Trompe Le Monde is also largely ignored in favour of older material.

There is a selection of 14 songs performed on the 2004 tour all over the world with optional interview segments from two of their long-time tour crew members. One of my personal favourites, "Planet of Sound" gets a fine workout in New Orleans while the Bossanova album is shown more love with a nice rendition of "Is She Weird" in Lowell, MA.

Finally, there is "MX Monkey's Choice" which allows you to switch from six different angles with your DVD remote while watching a live version of "Monkey Gone to Heaven."

I don't know why everyone is complaining, this DVD is amazing. The Pixies are amazing. The sound quality isn't bad I don't know what that one guy was talking about. If you like the Pixies, if just a little bit, this DVD will make you happy. There doesn't need to be any extras, there's over 2 hours of quality live music for a low price. GO BUY THIS NOW!

They'd already received plaudits from rock stars old (David Bowie and U2) and new (Placebo and Radiohead), but the renaissance of Boston's defunct The Pixies reached critical mass when film-maker David Fincher closed his skew-whiff classic, Fight Club, with the haunting Where Is My Mind?. Although The Pixies' reunion appears to have reached its conclusion, this DVD collects together a stack of storming live tracks from festival dates in the US, Japan and Europe featuring The Pixies in all their balder and fatter reformed glory. Powered through with whiplash speed, old favourites such as Gigantic, Crackity Jones, Here Comes Your Man and Where Is My Mind? are all musical powerhouses, with Joey Santiago's cool guitar sounds on the included versions of Vamos mixing power drill static with drawn out feedback. The DVD also features interviews with band management and a wealth of additional concert footage, include a multiple-angle recording of Monkey Gone To Heaven.

Having followed Frank Black for many years, it is an absolute joy to see all these musicians back together and sounding so much better than they did back in the day. They've all improved as musicians; and there are many of us who feel that Black is now being justly rewarded for all those solo tours of his, in which he was probably not making very much money, but playing his talented big heart out nevertheless.

Watching this video sort of makes me feel like Rip Van Winkle. The band was at its (original) peak of fame while I was busy doing research for my first book on pop music history, so when the Pixies became the darlings of indie-rock, I was immersed in the Dixie Cups, the Corsairs, Eddie Cochran and God only knows what else. For a few years, I was decidedly out of touch with contemporary culture, and this video pretty much proves that it was my loss. I have been playing catch-up ever since, so in a sense, the reunion tour (and this corresponding video product) makes me feel as though the band did it specifically for my own sake. Thanks, guys.
In a sense, this is truer than it sounds. When the Pixies were together and releasing new albums on a fairly regular basis, the size of their audience was respectable, but not particularly huge. For reasons that may have surprised the band as well as everyone else, the `sell-out' reunion tour provided the band with an audience that seems to have increased tenfold in their absence. This DVD helps to explain how and why this happened.
If you liked the Pixies then, then you are fairly certain to be happy about the "Sellout 2004 Reunion Tour" DVD. It features rock solid performances with an impressive degree of continuity, and most importantly, it never lapses into nostalgia or self-congratulatory reminiscing. The main part of the disk is dedicated to a single performance filmed in Belfort, France. The band rolls through twenty-eight tracks, and it would be difficult to not be impressed by the overall body of work that is presented here, especially the songwriting. I admit that I didn't find their performance style particularly compelling, and the musicianship and vocals aren't stellar, either. There's more here than meets the eye, though, and the sum is apparently greater than the individual parts, especially if I am to judge from the audience enthusiasm that accompanies the entire performance.
For me, the 'bonus' bits are more interesting than the complete show, because they are more varied (Different venues! Different cities!), and more informative (Interviews with band staff), with lots of cool, relevant historical information about the band. Even better, it fills in some of the key `missing' tracks from the Belfort show. I didn't know very much by this band, but "Debaser" is immediately recognizable to me. For whatever reason, it was not included in the Belfort set list, so it's great to see the band perform a great version of the song from a show Scotland. "Caribou", taken from their Coachella performance, is fabulous, and the version of "Here Comes Your Man", taken from a performance at the More Festival in England, is superior to the French version. The excerpts from their Japanese performances are totally great, too (and the Japanese music fans are incredibly enthusiastic). The bonus disk works so well because it does the best job of conveying the triumphal nature of this reunion tour, while providing context that helps me to better understand a band that I previously knew very little of. I'm a decade late and a few bucks short, but it's cool to get this chance to redeem myself. B+ Tom Ryan

I saw the Pixies perform earlier this year (Spring 2005). The concert was in a small, intimate venue, packed with loyal fans, and their performace was tight, intense, and full of musical energy. I was really blown away.

However, I was a little disappointed with this DVD. If you saw the Pixies on tour this year and had an experience similar to mine, then you may be a bit disappointed too.

All of the concert footage takes place in massive stadiums, during the Pixies' tour of the festival circuit. I would really like to have seen some more small venue footage, even if it only appeared in the special features.

In the main concert footage that makes up the bulk of this DVD, most of the songs seem to be played under tempo and therefor lack the intense energy that I've come to expect from the Pixies. In my opinion, the extra concert footage in the special features on this disc is more energetic and generally of higher performance quality.

I actually prefer the other Pixies DVD (which I think is just called "Pixies"). Even though their performace on that DVD is pre-Doolittle, leaving out many of their later songs that we all know and love, and their performance is perhaps less musically accurate, I much prefer the young, raw energy on that DVD over this new one. Plus, even though their later songs are left out of the concert footage, you can still hear them in the "videos" section of the special features. That DVD also contains more "behind the scenes" footage that this new one. As another reviewer explained, there are no interviews or behind the scenes on this new DVD.

But even having said that, if you love the Pixies, you will still enjoy this DVD. Even though it's not the best possible concert footage, the Pixies are still a fantastic band, and it is always a treat to watch them perform.

One of the big surprises for me in watching "Sell Out" was that the album tracks can be fairly faithfully recreated on stage with a simple 4 piece band. They sound so busy on their recordings - and Joey Santiago plays live his catalogue of punk infused, spaced out guitar licks which I could've sworn on record were the result of numerous overdubs.

This is a scaled down tour by DVD standards. It's really 4 bandmembers cranking it out, night after night, around the world - a no frills affair. But I can't imagine how it could've been better.

They're not the sort of band who establish raport with the audience through sets, costumes, lighting or even consumate musicianship. It's about raw feeling, and this is here, almost surprisingly in abundance.

You get 28 songs from a concert in Belfort, France, plus another 14 songs from various gigs all over the world (8 of the 14 tracks are not songs from the original 28). As you would expect, some songs are on the money, others are not. Although, I'd say more than half are spectacular renditions "Ed is Dead" is better than the original and I love the UK Surf version of "Wave of Mutilation". Kim Deal is fantastic on "In Heaven".

There are a number of interviews in the bonus track section but not with the band, only tour mangagers etc, but worth watching at least once, and you have the option of watching the bonus tracks without them if you wish.

There's also a terrific version of Monkey Gone to Heaven in which you can select which of 6 cameras you want to watch and can change during the song. It's quite fun, like directing your own clip.

The best news is that all of the bands chops are still intact. Deal, Lovering and Santiago all sound terrific and Frank Black can still scream with the best in the business.

Reunion tours aren't often as spirited as this one. If you love the Pixies, you'll treasure it.

I absolutely loved this dvd. And I also have to say that the pixies are currently one of the best bands out there. Most of the performances on this disc are much better than the original studio albums (especially the surfer rosa/come on pilgrim tracks).Franks voice has never sounded better on these songs. I also recently bought the pixies dvd with the performance from 1988 and could'nt sit through that concert. Frank sounds (and looks) like a teenage kid. As far as the reviewer who said Frank sounds "country" or (huh?)"hobo" well that's really quite ridiculous. I also like the fact that they just stand there and play the songs. Let the music do the talking! The pixies are back and better than ever!

The sheer quantity of spanktastic Pixies songs on this live concert DVD is worth the price alone. They play all the "hits" and by hits I mean the songs that mean the most to a vast majority of the rabid Pixie fanbase. Similarly to actually seeing them live, the quality of sound on the disc sounds nearly as crisp and accurate as anything on thier records. That is one of the top five most amazing things about the Pixies, thier sound is fairly complex, yet they can produce it live without a lot of trickery. And they do that on this DVD splendidly.

Unfortunately, the only reason this is not a 5+ star item is the lack of behind the scenes extras. Where are the interviews, outtakes, etc.? There are a couple commentaries by some dudes who roll around with the band, but nothing substantial. The Pixies have been an official band for approximately 18 years, there has got to be something, I am guessing a whole lot of something, we obsessed fans would find interesting/exciting. I guess I am slightly confused and dissapointed that there is little to none of this.

Overall, terriffic look at the Pixies reunion tour of 2004. They look happy and interested throughout. This is definately worth picking up for any Pixies fan.

There is something in the air while Pixies plays.

Mature boys do it hot!