Customer Reviews

Pixies

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Pixies have now released almost as many records post break up as they have when they were together, with each subsequent release catering more and more to the die-hard Pixies fan. The Purple Tape, as this record will surely be referred to as, is definately a fun bonus to any Pixies fan.

To start, the sound quality is much better than I had expected, as I had anticipated a fuzzy demo sound, but these tracks are mastered quite nicely. Secondly, each track, with exception to Rock a My Soul, had been released later (for those who don't know, the Purple Tape are the tracks recorded for but not included on Come On Pilgrim) and it is great fun on how much a track evolved over the years, particularly with Here Comes Your Man and Subbacultcha. In my opinion, the song that sounds best on this album as opposed to its official release is Build High, which is much cleaner than its B-side version.

To those unfamiliar with the Pixies, however, should not get this record. Start with Come On Pilgrim or Doolittle instead, as those albums best illustrate what the Pixies are capable of. (Don't get Death to the Pixies either,, because whoever picked the "greatest hits" for disc one left off way too many of their best material.)

If you consider yourself a big Pixies fan, on the other hand, I would highly recommend purchasing this record.

This is the fourth release designed to supplement the Pixies' original five albums. "Death to the Pixies" (2 cds), while otherwise an album-derived sampler, includes the single version of "Gigantic" and a 21 song live disc. "Pixies at the BBC" provides 15 studio unique recordings of album, single, b-side, and otherwise unrecorded songs. "The Complete B-Sides" is just that -- 21 recordings (2 of them live) that appeared on singles but not on albums.

To be honest, a hefty slice of the three supplementary studio albums consists of versions of album songs that are nearly identical in approach/arrangement to those familiar versions and therefore are rarely a big revelation. However, every one of these supplements has a great deal to offer the devoted Pixies fan. The most important one is no doubt the b-sides collection, as it offers lots of songs you won't hear elsewhere in any form.

The next one to buy is this one. If, like me, you think the band was at its best in the 87-89 period (the first three albums), you will particularly enjoy this set of outtakes from "Come On Pilgrim," which is tight, smart, fractured original recipe Pixies. I assert, without qualification, that if half a dozen of these recordings had been used to expand "COP" to full-length album size, it would have been an even finer release. (I'm baffled by the choice to release a mini-album given the quality of the outtakes.)

Three songs ("Broken Face," "Break My Body," "I'm Amazed") fall into the better-left-for-later category, and they were. The countrified "Build High" is more interesting/superior to the later b-side version. "Down to the Well" easily trumps the much later album version, and I also find this early "Subbacultcha" superior. The band simply had a more diverse and imaginative approach to arranging and pacing songs in 87 than in 90-91, by which time these songs had been flattened out by years of live performance. This "In Heaven" is a much cleaner, subtler, and effective version than the BBC version, which loses the stark dynamics in more thrash and scream. The otherwise unknown song, "Rock a My Soul" is, as another reviewer said, "vintage Pixies." And lastly, this very different, pretty arrangement of "Here Comes Your Man" makes it impossible to choose between it and the album version.

Others have suggested that the sound is demo-y. I don't hear it. These songs were recorded with the rest of COP, they are clearly finished, and if anything they are richer sounding that COP due to 15 years of advances in mastering for cd. If you're a fan, you won't be disappointed.

How a song developed into its current form is often an interesting study. By showing earlier versions of several Pixies songs, this album lets us do just that. Here, you can hear a version of "Subbacultcha" that includes a line later adapted for use in "Distance Equals Rate Times Time," a primitive "Here Comes Your Man," and no-frills takes on "Broken Face" and "I'm Amazed." There's also "Rock A My Soul," a great unreleased song that bears some resemblance to "Levitate Me." I'd say the problem here is the short length. It's only about 20 minutes long, yet for some reason it is being billed as an album, rather than an EP, which means it could be seen as a little pricy for the small amount you get. Overall, I would say this is worth it for Pixies fans who have some interest in how songs sounded prior to the polished album versions. It is not, however, a good introduction to the band. Listen to the albums first, then, if you like them, you can get this.

I'd heard of the Pixies legendary "Purple Tape" years ago, but outside of the songs that ended up on "Come On Pilgrim", I had no idea what remained unreleased off of it. So this new CD is a welcome addition to my Pixies collection. Almost all of the songs on this CD have been rerecorded and released at various stages in the Pixies' recording career; still, it great to hear the originals, most of which compare favorably to the final studio releases. "Rock A My Soul", the only 'new' song in the collection, is like a cool drink of water to a thirsty man! It's simple, sharp, full of the distinctive Black Francis howling vocals, and so obviously a "Pixies song" that I'm stunned the band never released it.

I was lucky enough to see the Pixies live in 1992, just prior to their breakup. Still, I miss this band, and the superb music they made (well, "Trompe Le Monde" dragged a bit, but I digress . . .). They and other bands like them, ones that were ready and willing to go out on the edge and push the envelope a bit, made the late 80s and early 90s sort of a golden age for alternative music. This CD is a reminder of how good that time was, and how great the Pixies were, are, and continue to be.

This album, although it is the renowned "Purple Tape" that launched the Pixies' career, it is not an essential. Each track, other than Rock A My Soul, has been released previously, and the versions of each song found on this cd a fairly similar to the previously released versions.
I'm not bashing the cd, because it is a good cd, there's just nothing really new on the album. I gave it 3 stars because it's not as good as the other pixies albums. If you have every other pixies cd, get this one only to complete your collection, but not so you can hear some exciting new material.

For the most part all of the songs on this "Purple Tape" extract have seen the light of day over the course of the Pixies offical albums. These demos are, as usually is the case with demos, inferior to their finely polished later versions. And quite frankly, the "new" song was probably better off left in the vault.
So, why 3 stars do you ask? Why not one star? Simply because any true Pixies fan will absolutely need this album in their collection. There are some interesting differences between a few of the demos and album versions, and, for me, the Pixies original version of David Lynchs "In Heaven (Lady in the Radiator Song)" is worth the price of admission alone.

The Pixies are one of my favorite bands of all-time. And many who share the same love for the Pixies as I do probably wanted those tracks from the Pixies purple tape demo that didn't make the Come On Pilgrim EP. Well, spinART has decided to put out those "lost" tracks on one CD. For a demo, these songs sound very well-produced, tight, and engaging.
The problem? The Pixies were able to top most of the versions heard here. "Broken Face" and "Break My Body" sound much better in their Surfer Rosa incarnations. "I'm Amazed" seems to have a little more of a melodic edge on here, but Albini stripped it down into raw brilliance on Rosa.
On the plus side, "Subbacultcha" tops the version that appeared years later on the Pixies' swan-song Trompe Le Monde as the incorporation of what became "Distance Equals Rate Times Time" was sadly missing from the 1991 version. The original "Here Comes Your Man" is especially enjoyable in its raw, acoustic glory.
And, oh yeah, there is that little tune called "Rock A My Soul." You know, one of those previously unreleased tunes. Seriously, it's fantastic, fun, and the reason you got this EP, right?
This might not be of interest to casual fans or those new to the Pixies, but for those who are huge fans or have become addicted to the band, by all means give this a listen.

Although interesting Pixies is far from essential. Short even by EP standards these recordings don't really shed light on what the Pixies created. It seems a cynical marketing department chance to cash in on old fans and those curious about the band that inspired so many modern rockers and punk bands.

Pass on this and get any of the original studio releases, they will be much better choices.

For completists only...

Here we have a study on the Pixies in gestation: nearly all of the songs have already appeared on other cds. The versions you already know and love are better than these. For a true fan (me), it's exhilerating to see these geniuses in their earlier moments. But even the true fan won't be playing this recording as much as the Pixies staples. For casual fans, you best be heading to "Doolittle" instead.

I just bought this album today and I think it is a great addition to my collection. The only drawback is the short length (only about 20 minutes). In truth, most of these songs showed up on later Pixies efforts, but many of the songs sound quite different on this album, with much more of a lo-fi bent than the versions produced on later albums.

I especially like the version of "Subbacultcha," which includes as a chorus the chorus from "Distance=Rate X Time" (except w/ different words), and the version of "Here Comes Your Man," which is stripped down and has a nifty little guitar solo at the beginning.

If you've never bought any Pixies stuff before, you should start out with Doolittle, but if you're a fan, this is a great addition.