Come on Pilgrim

Pixies

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 20, 2003)
• Original Release Date: 1987
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: 4ad / Ada
• ASIN: B00008YJH1
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #6,942 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording

When they first hit the underground scene with this debut album, the Pixies were like an exotic drink that hid its sweetness behind a ferocious bite. The album's production is like a crude explosion: every strum and clang comes down with the subtlety of a sledgehammer. English and Spanish lyrics collide as singer Black Francis (later Frank Black) shouts in a hoarse monotone and Mrs. John Murphy (later Kim Deal of the Breeders) backs him up with throaty wails. Yet somehow the clash of these bruising titans makes for tracks that print indelibly upon your consciousness--once let in. Kurt Cobain is their most famous student. He grafted the Pixies' time-honored craft of the big bang theory onto Nirvana's biggest hits. (You start with a quiet verse and then explode for catharsis in the chorus--evidenced best here with "I've Been Fired.") The Pixies themselves have served quietly, attaining post-punk godfather status not by tooting their own horns, but through the praise of a steady stream of genuflecting admirers whose word of mouth continues to increase the band's deserved critical standing. --Rob O'Connor

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The EP That Started It All, July 14, 2001

By	Paul H. "rmj84" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Come on Pilgrim (Audio CD)

A strange band from Mass. records a demo, eight songs from the demo are released as the Come On Pilgrim EP, and rock is changed forever. Uncomprimising, harsh, and brilliant, Come On Pilgrim is early Pixies at its best. The EP never feels to short, and not one song is filler. Featured here is the original version of "Vamos," which is better than the version on Surfer Rosa in my opinion, the haunting "Caribou," and the Pixies' classic "The Holiday Song." The Pixies' mix of pop sensibilities with harsh, loud guitars and very odd lyrics still sounds fresh and innovative to this day. Every Pixies fan needs this.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The "Pet Sounds" of it's day..., July 14, 2001

By	Michael R. Lachance (Maine, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Come on Pilgrim (Audio CD)

Nirvana was a great band, but damn, after hearing this baby you'll realize that The Pixies beat them to the punch by a few years. And they did it with a better sound, more creative music, more intriguing lyrics, and better discipline. Yes, even Frank Black's screaching screaming seems disciplined, if not in a terrifying way!

So, this EP does predate the whole "grunge/alternative" movement by a few years. I cant say much beyond "if you dont own it, go out and get it"...

This was the 4th Pixies disc i bought, it should have been the first. Very impressive stuff, i'd say it outshines most of their later work. For being their first release, not even full length and surely produced on a limited budget (you'd never know it by listening), it is quite and achievement.

'The Holiday Song' is ultracatchy yet still has the raw edge that makes you realize just how completely unoriginal most popular bands are today.

'Isle de encanta' is my other favorite. Intense and obtuse. But there isnt a single unworthy track on here... 20 minutes never sounded so good.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars they will be all well hung, April 7, 2005

By	Dr Todd "I'm Pure Evil" (UK) - See all my reviews

This album truly is The Shiznit, whatever the hell that means. I have the first 4 pixies CDs and this one is definitely my favourite. It's a work of genius, the vocals and guitar especially. Having 2 songs about incest on an album takes a certain sort of talent, but putting them back to back? My god, man! But that aside, the other songs have it good as well: catchy choruses (levitate me), twisted surf (ed is dead), spanish punk fuelled insanity (isla del encanta) and genuine beauty (caribou). Not forgetting the towering Vamos, full of crazed guitar squeaking and oddly creepy vocals. And of course that masterful "I've Been Tired" which has the best Pixies line I have yet encountered - asked of his biggest fear, Black Francis tells a flirt "losing my penis to a whore with disease... just kidding. Losing my life to a whore with disease." Try that in your local.