classic albums, atsonicpark edition # 21: pixies - surfer rosa
 

PIXIES "SURFER ROSA"
4AD, 1988

Part of me wants to put Trompe Le Monde on here as the "classic album" since it clearly has all their best songs on it (pretty much all of 'em are perfect and DIFFERENT; I feel sorry for people who have missed the boat on that fantastic release -- how can anyone deny "Alec Eiffel" or "Motoroway to Roswell"?!!?!?!? Strangely, it's also Dave Grohl's favorite album of all time. Weird, eh? Uh.. back to this album..). Ultimately, though, this one wins by a hair because it's a bit darker, more energetic, a bit weirder, has more Kim, and has my favorite Pixies song ("Brick is Red").

Anyway, this album is one of the few that I truely think never, ever gets old. I've been loving it for a good 6 years now, and it still sounds fresh to me. It's filled with so many amazing moments ... wow ... and my favorite moments probably aren't even the ones most people worship (never been a huge fan of "Where Is My Mind?" -- great riff but it just doesn't stand out to me). The Albini production is very nice of course, but what really makes this album great is all the fucking ENERGY -- for a bunch of sweaty old people (and at least 2 of them were fat), they sure did have a ton of energy!

In a lot of ways, this album reminds me of 'Pink Flag'. It's a genius record that is deceptively simple. Listen to the minimal guitar lines or the simple structures of some of the songs ("Oh My Golly" and "Cactus" being perfect examples); there's still something that holds it all together in a mysterious way. I think one of the biggest strengths of this album is Kim Deal; the way her voice weaves with Frank's is really intriguing...

Anyway, you've all heard this album before, so I'm not going to bother writing an encyclopedia, instead I'll list my favorite moments:

- That riff in "Vamos".. you know the one.. him playing the bottom string from fret 11 to fret 15 really fast.. brilliant!
- The final time Frank says "your momma's a pretty thing" in "Vamos".
- That ugly, corny, galloping acoustic guitar that starts "Vamos".
- The lyrics to "Cactus".
- All of "Brick is Red".
- "THIS IS A SONG FOR CAROL!!!!!!!!!!"
- The final minute of "Gigantic".
- All of "Something Against You"! Am I the only one who thinks that that riff is used in every ska song ever?
- "River Euphrates".. this song is great, and for some reason I feel like I've never totally listened to it enough.. there's something about the structure or the production of it or something.. it seems kind of empty, like there are elements missing, and I keep listening to hear the elements I'm missing.. I can't really explain what I mean. Strangely minimal but complex at the same time -- eh?!
- Kim's off-key vocals in "I'm Amazed".
...

No points for "Tony's Theme" though.

Great stuff, indeed.
Trompe Le Monde is a classic as well, I just wish teh songs were longer.

Though I can't understand how people don't like Bassanova.

Bossanova starts off really good but track 10-13 don't do a damn thing for me ("Stormy Weather" honestly sucks; it's probably the worst Pixies song ever besides "Rock-A-My Soul"). "all over the world" is just amazing though.

i never had you pegged as a pixies fan, yet you never cease to surprise me, yes great alblum, my favorite as well.

It is great Pixies album. My personal fave is doolittle cuz DEBASER will fucking blow away anything.

Trompe Le Monde was on constant play when I was in high school. I fucking love alec eiffel.

this album surfer rosa is indeed great. There are some great shit on it

the only Pixies song I do not like is Veloria off of bossanova. I hate that stupid line, my veloria, even I adore ya. fucking stupid stupid

doolittle is the best straight through album though.

Haha, yeah, well, I.. I never have to listen to them again, maybe that's why I never talk about them.. I literally wore those records out when I was in high school..

I own actual copies of everything they've ever done, singles and all... when one of my friends went to England, he came back with a Pixies post, some singles, and a button for me.. good guy (he also came back with a sonic youth goo poster that says "featuring these hot bands: NIRVANA AND STP").

Pixies were geniuses, honestly.

I like Doolittle best but this is good too. There's no Pixies album I don't like, actually. Surfer has the most Spanish on it, so that's a positive.

I like Doolittle but I think there are some... maybe not "throwaway" but.. lesser songs. Which is odd, because I love the B-Sides for that album. I would've put "Weird At My School" on the album instead of "La La Love You", for example. Also, never been a big fan of "tame", "There goes my gun", or "wave of Mutilation" or even "Gouge Away". The rest is pretty fucking gold though.

Doolittle has 3 of my favorite Pixies songs on it.. "Debasser", "Hey", and the amazing "Dead".

Just wanted to say a few more things: I absolutely love "Pod" by Breeders (pretty much hate or only sorta like all their other stuff, though); I consider it Surfer Rosa's sister.. Also, something always bothered me.. that B-Sides collection that the Pixies released.. it has every b-side on it (even the live recordings, like Vamos) except for that newly-recorded version of "gigantic". Why the fuck did they do that? And also it would've been nice if they woulda put boom chicka boom, born in chicago, watch what you're doing, or their great Leonard Cohen cover on there! Ridiculous.

great album! i dont have it though. i used to.

i haven't listened to the pixies in a while.

i like the pixies but i don't listen to them much, i don't feel like it.

that's why i've had only death to the pixies for like 10 years now and it's all i listen to by them.

absolute classic. the screaming, the riffing, the albini-ing, the everything about this album rules!

its my favourite pixies album not down to the quality of the songs, doolittle has better songs, not down to the texture of the sounds, bossanova has a much warmer feel. its down to the pure vile nastiness and primevil surge of power that this record unleashes.

i first heard this when i was about 13 or 14 and the moment bone maqchine kicked in i was... what the fuck is this shit??????????????

i had my upbringing in shite pop like most people. i got a load of hair metal from my friends, iron maiden, whitesnake, accy/daccy, joe satriani, fucking randy fucking rhoades and then i heard daydream nation and surfer rosa within a few days of each other.... needlesstosay, the damage was done to me............

broken face still remains one of the most perfect "pop" songs ever. as for river euphrates..... and the rest... a classic...

in fact im going to put it on right now!

should that be genieii?

I actually have had this on vinyl forever - prob my favorite pixies album. A local bar I frequent is about to make me hate the pixies, though, they play that shit into the ground on their jukebox.

Woah someone agrees with me on Trompe Le Monde having all their best songs.

I saw them live on their reunion tour, and they were awesome.

Surfer Rosa is the meanest and scariest sounding Pixies album. That's what I love about it. Those drums, kim's backing vocals, joey's guitar riffs.

i never liked the breeders. ive become quite a deerhunter fan as of late, at first i thought theyd be a pitchfork nut hugged band, i mean which they are, but then i heard flourescent grey ep and its AMAZING, and then i heard cryptograms and its great as well, i thought they were a weird band to be on kranky, but their just as ambient and weird as all the other stuff on that roster. anyways, moral of the story, brandon cox, every interview ive read with him he name drops the breeders pod, he loves that record. ive heard some of his atlas sound stuff, its pretentious, but in a good way.

Bossa Nova is their best. Surfer Rosa is almost as good. Doolittle is literally hit or miss. I guess I haven't listened to Trompe Le Mond enough times to really like it. Come On Pilgrim is pretty good, but some of the songs kind of run together.

great choice - the album is so visious and just beautiful.
for the pixies, their BBC sessions are what i come back to the most. they had so much energy on that day.
the recordings of there goes my gun and dead are especially wonderful.

Surfer Rosa was my first Pixies album. It still remains my favorite.

This is one of those albums that has 50% blinding songs, 50% forgettable songs.

I love Surfer Rosa. Fucking amazing album.

It's the one I like less ( still I like it )
Doolittle is my favorite.

Actually I agree with everything you said there Adam, except I'm not a big fan of Vamous
And you are not the only one who thinks that the riff in "Something Against You" is used in every ska song.

Oh and Doolittle is my favourite by a smidgen.

Surfer Rosa is their best album. If I had to choose.

True that.......GOUGE AWAY

Tonys theme makes me want to kill Kim....POD makes me want to fuck Kim....pictures of Kim these days make me want to cry in frank blacks stomach fat forever

Kim's one of the best vocalists of all time. Pod is better than anything the pixies did, probably.

Indeed, "Oh," is the best breeders song hands down, best vocals. Id slip it in her and make her say Oh, just wanna hear that squeeeeel in her voice...too bad she looks like rosanne now

Oh Im so shallow

Albini said that same thing on the DVD, she does have a lovely voice.

this is the best LP they did, but i always associate it w/ Come On Pilgrim too, since i got the Rough Trade cd w/ both of 'em on it.

Break My Body is the most underrated Pixies song there is.

I agree, Bossanova is one of my favourite albums by the pixies.

Doolittle and Bossanova are my favourites. but i like all of them...

Surfer Rosa is only 13 days older than me.

My favorite Pixies album easily. By far the most consistent and strong sounding record they did. Not a speck of exhaustion will be found anywhere on there.

Bossanova is alot softer sounding than Surfer Rosa but has some serious winners like Dig For Fire, Rock Music, Velouria. Velouria is probably my favorite Pixies video actually.

I love like the first third of Trompe Le Monde. That first part is flawless, but I get seriously bored with the rest of the record, I don't know what it is.

Doolittle is the second best one, it's got some average tracks, like No. 13 Baby, which is still cool but come on. Surfer Rosa has Break My Body, automatically wins right there.

But yeah, like some say Kim has one of the best voices on record. Pod gives me dirty thoughts.

However, what almost no one says is that I believe the Breeders surprassed the Pixies in every way.

i'm glad i gave trompe le monde a chance after binging on surfer rosa/doolittle

"motorway to roswell" ruuuuuuleeees.

Pixies are in regular rotation in the car at least once a week I put in a mixed bag CD of them I have. I love the start of Gigantic. Again a band with so many good songs I can't pick a favorite.

I still prefer Doolittle, but not by a lot. I was listening to Surfer Rosa the other week (It had been a while) and it still blew me away. I still get sucked in EVERY TIME right when the bass comes in during Bone Machine.

Awesome band, awesome record. I'm seeing them in September a week after my birthday. I'm pretty excited even if it is still a few months off.

~Jeremy~

whhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhy do cupids flyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy into the skyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy and the letters are words of the words and whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy chop suey cryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy and the record plays the record before

(my lyrics to trompe le monde)

i saw this band live at the very start of the reformation and it was horrible. rather the crowd was horrible. everyone was waiting for rhcp to come on. all standing around motionless holding their beers giving me funny looks for trying to dance. assholes. it was the most bland atmosphere ever. and i was right at the VERY front of 100,000 people. i only went cos i got a free ticket.

they were all fat and older and they played pretty strict renditions of their old songs, and smiled, and kim tried to make a joke, and the sound was allright, and it was ok. for a gig that size i guess it was fine, if not just everyone going thru the motions. they played into the white at least. i get it, you want some money. still if you had have played smaller venues and got some good support it would have been worthwhile for us the audience. they used to be one of my favourite bands, and i have listened to them thousands and thousands of times. since that gig i have listened to them maybe twice, when someone starts raving about how they have just discovered them and puts them on at a party. and its like, so what. seeing them like that just spoiled it for me, nothing exciting about it, a faithful rendition of all the songs i had already heard at a sunny daytime self conciouss outdoor gig with no freaks and no conversation and nothing remotely cool going on. and i had to sit thru rhcp with the friend who gave me the free ticket. only then did people start to move, and it was just kind of an awkward swaying "YEAH ROCK N ROLL! I AM SUPPOSED TO ENJOY THIS! WOOO I KNOW THIS SONG!! YEAH WOOO 12EURO FOR A BEER AND AN ADEQUATE AND LIFELESS PERFORMANCE OF RHCP SONGS!!! YEAH ROCK THE FUCK OUT! IF I JUST ACT HAPPY IM SURE I WILL ENJOY THIS! WOOO YEAH!"

I hate Doolittle, it has some good songs but a large portion of the songs I just can't get into.

Surfer Rosa on the other hand is completely perfect.