Surfer Rosa

While 'Doolittle' is still the Pixies' magnum opus from my perspective, I can't not give this album a 5 star rating. The music is often times bizarre, manic, and yet it maintains an infectious consistency that ranges from enjoyable (Brick is Red, Cactus) to eff'in brilliant (Bone Machine, Vamos, Broken Face, Something Against You). Songs like 'Broken Face' and 'Something Against You' strike me as avante garde punk rock, and the results are amazing. Additionally, while I've heard it countless times and it has somewhat lost its luster, 'Where Is My Mind?' is probably one of the best songs I've ever heard.

Surfer Rosa by Pixies (1988) Before today I was completely unfamiliar with this album, but I was very familiar with Nevermind by Nirvana (1991). It’s amazing how many riffs, grooves, and stylistic choices were borrowed by Nirvana from Surfer Rosa by Pixies (This was acknowledged by Kurt Cobain in 1992). I spotted over a dozen on just one listen. But there’s a huge qualitative difference between Nevermind and Surfer Rosa. To wit, (1) Nirvana is disciplined and precise, whereas Pixies are on the ‘garage’ end of grunge. (2) Cobain’s voice has soul, whereas the Black Francis/Kim Deal duets on Surfer Rosa are like duets between a fingernail and a blackboard. And (3) Nirvana’s depictions of torment and psychic terror evoke sympathy, whereas Pixies’ fixations on sexual idiosyncrasies evoke a response midway between eye rolling disdain and head shaking embarrassment. This is not to say that Surfer Rosa is entirely devoid of artistic merit. But it is difficult to listen to. The track “Where Is My Mind?” is interesting enough, however the question in the title remains unanswered. But David Lovering’s excellent driving drums, Joey Santiago’s inventive lead guitar riffs, Kim Deal’s moving bass lines, and that weird locker room ambience of Black Francis’ vocal channels are all creative and entrancing. I could learn to like this, but only temporarily. 2/5

So this is just straight up noise. Don't believe me ... try "Something Against You". Not bad enough for you, move on to "Broken Face". Squeaky voice and no-talent guitar wailing. But wait you say, they had a hit song with "Where is my Mind?". Have you actually listened to that song? Disjointed, screamy, repetitive, gee what's not to like. "Tonys Theme" - really. Hard to believe the produced allowed that to be included. Then the title song "Vamos" just finishes this album off with bad drumming, unintelligible lyrics and some guitar masterbation that is just downright painful to hear. F-

Way cooler than I’ll ever be

Man, I really wanted to like this because I know how influential the Pixies were…but it’s too disjointed for me. I’m sure that’s the whole point and I can respect it, but it’s mostly just flat out unpleasant to listen to. I’m disappointed.

An angry fat man (and his band) who is chewing on hornets spits his words about UFO's, superheroes, broken bones, psychotic meltdowns, love that can smother you, the Gaza Strip, the Dead Sea...and thank god he does because it's fucking brilliant. Best Tracks: Gigantic; Where Is My Mind?; Tony's Theme

I've always resisted listening to the Pixies. I've remarked on my review of OK Computer that I postponed listening to it for over 20 years, and I guess I developed a similar cringe towards a band so similarly heralded by critics. Also, I've never liked Where is my Mind?; its ubiquity as an alt-rock anthem didn't ease my stomach one bit. So, my actual knowledge of the Pixies was essentially goose egg. And I was an idiot. A proper kegs-on-head silly Billy. It annoyingly turns out that Surfer Rosa is a genuinely great album, and the praise it has received over the last three decades is fully warranted. One thing nobody told me was that Surfer Rosa is rather fun, and indeed rather funny. Considering the eulogising this album generates, I was expecting something portentious, not a lean, good-humoured plate of post-punk irreverence. Also, as much as I have grimaced at the constant employment of Where is my Mind? by directors seeking a bit of Gen X cred, the song really makes sense and blossoms when played as part of the album. I am very pleased to have been wrong. Also, there are boobies on the cover. Just think you should know.

Pixies being their twisted, awkward selves on this fine, fine record. Frank Black screeches his way through track after track of weird subject matter accompanied by a thumping rhythm section and a brilliant solo guitarist in Joey Santiago. Experimental recording techniques keep things lively and the quiet-noisy template inspired numerous bands after this. This alt rock classic features two stand out classics: Where is my Mind? is a beautiful, if unsettling, pop tune and Gigantic, featuring a sublime Kim Deal on vocals and bass, rocks out into a transcendent outro. A brilliant, classic album.

This album sit in my all time top 10, maybe top 5. The Pixies are such a huge part of my music fan development and really steered me in a specific direction. And this album is such a classic. I love every minute of it.

I grew up listening to this and the other Pixies albums. Pixies still sound brand new and timeless. Itch scratching-ly human.

4.5 | Cuando hablaba del Doolittle mencionaba que en general me gustaba más ese disco que Surfer Rosa, hoy que volví a escuchar este de nuevo creo que los tengo que poner por igual. Es cierto que el sonido aquí es un poco más dividido, pareciera que la mitad de las canciones todavía arrastran un monton de punk y la otra mitad son mucho más melódicas y casi pop. No será en mi opinión hasta el siguiente disco que el sonido se oye más unido y propio; a pesar de esto no hay duda que el disco ya suena exacto a lo que son los Pixies esa extraña pero exacta combinación de lo aspero y feo con lo bello. La manera en que mezclan sus elementos es perfecta. Esa forma en que puedes mezclar melodía, armonía y los gritos desesperados de Black Francis junto con guitarras chillantes es una receta cuyo resultado toda mi vida ha resonado en mi cabeza de la manera correcta. Graciosamente creo que quizá mi canción favorita en ese aspecto es Vamos; esa mezcla de gritos, tambores exagerados, ruido, español, es una canción que a ratos sientes como si se fuera a desmenuzar y caer por completo pero termina siendo simplemente espectacular. Casi no hay bandas que pueden hacer que ese tipo de combinación de elementos funcionen. Bone machine siempre agradable, con una grabación lo-fi del original que parece que está en mono y con esa letra sin sentido que solo puede hacer Francis. Gigantic una de las mejores vueltas al bajo de los pixies con letra pegajosa, un coro excelente y a la mitad se vuelve rara pero aun mejor cuando se plantan en un riff continuo que se va al infinito. Where is My Mind... sí, inevitablemente vive incrustada en mi cabeza ahora ligada a la escena de Fight Club, para bien y para mal (en su momento a los 17 años muy impresionante para bien, hoy en día quizá no para mal pero se siente estancada en ese momento), con una letra, de nuevo de Black Francis al surrealismo extremo (de verdad escuchen lo que dice y traten de darle sentido). Él disco excelente, creo hoy en día me gusta por igual que Doolitle a pesar de lo dispar de las canciones. Le doy un crédito extra porque aparte tiene esos diálogos e historias grabadas en el estudio que dan algunos de los breaks con conversaciones más extrañas, graciosas y de temas difíciles que se pueden encontrar. YOU FUCKING DIE!

A classic rock album in my opinion even if it doesn't sound classic. This is their rawest most punk album and the vocals are more deranged than the later albums

Surfer Rosa certainly starts out with a bang. Bone Machine has irresistible forward momentum, hooks galore, and the idiosyncratic (no, bonkers) vocal style of Frank Black, which could be the result of a mild case of Tourette's Syndrome but it more likely influenced by Pere Ubu. There is a fair amount of variety in the songwriting, but one thing that sticks out is the way that Black pieces his tunes together from jagged phrases that could be any length. Oddly enough, it never feels haphazard, and all of the Black penned songs have a family resemblance. I'd bet if wrote these out in musical notation and compared them, they would visually resemble one another. The energy, aggression, and attitude feel punk, but what's going on here is far more complex than that. The now cliche soft loud dichotomy is threaded through the album, but it sounds as fresh today as it must have then. In fact, the music is full of dichotomies straining against one another, creating tension and release. There's the yin/yang of the Kim Deal and Frank Black vocals, the driving rock numbers and the gentler tunes like Where Is My Mind?, melodic phrases versus shrieking, and more. Another thing that must be noted is the consistency of the songwriting and performances. There are standouts, but there are no real weak links. I also appreciate the loopy, Lynchian lyrics on subjects that subjects that rarely if ever appear in popular music. Try as I might, I can't think of one thing to criticize about Surfer Rosa. Steve Albini's production sometimes strikes me as unpleasantly dry, but here, for this material, it's perfect. The performances are a tad rough around the edges, but that's part of the aesthetic. I can understand someone not liking Surfer Rosa or the Pixies in general. They're unruly and strange. But if you're open to what they're trying to do, it's hard to see how Surfer Rosa could be improved.

UNO DE MIS DISCOS FAVORITOS. SI TENGO QUE ESCRIBIR DE ÉL LO HAGO EN MAYÚSCULAS. ARTE.

Pretty good if this is a high school garage band. Only 33 minutes long, so that's good.

Before I even start, this is going to get five stars. It's a near perfect album. I visited the pub where they shot the front cover on a pilgrimage with one of my best friends... Who I befriended at 14 because he was the only other person I knew who the Pixies were. I'm up to Gigantic (a beautiful song) and I realise these songs are too much a part of my life for any objective criticism. I can't hear Broken Face or Tony's Theme without smiling. Where Is My Mind has a cultural weight all of its own. David Bowie covered Cactus and it blew my mind that two of the most important acts in my life had come together in a moment. The fact I got into them in the 90s when the CD bundled Come On Pilgrim onto the end of the disc means it's shorter than I expected (I'll also give that EP five stars too. I'll give their entire career - pre reforming - five stars). Maybe four stars for the final album. A perfect album, a near perfect band. * Afterthoughts - given all the column inches dedicated to the rise of Latinx pop in recent years, Pixies were doing it 34 years ago. I have also used "YOU F*CKIN DIE" and, "It was just so hush hush" in casual conversation to this day to weed out fellow fans!

Amazing how Kim and Black Francis vocals intertwine - both voices have the right amount of grit. This band met in the online personal of the Boston Phoenix paper. . . The ‘sleeper’ in this album is Joey Santiago’s riffs - magic tones that are spaced out perfectly. Love how their music is tight in parts ans has pop sensibilities in other parts but is also loose and raw.

Music like this - where the instruments drown out the barely audible vocals - really doesn’t do it for me. Like why even bother having worthwhile lyrics if nobody can hear them? The band sounds fine enough and maybe it was more a problem with my stereo but the mix is trash.

Wow this was a rough one. I've known the song "where is my mind" for a long time and I am a fan of it. I had high hopes the whole album would be similar but I was very wrong. This album is noisy without any clear direction. Even the better songs on this album are pretty terrible. Very disappointed and definitely not an album I can recommend to anyone.

'Where is My Mind?' is the only good song on this album

It's the pixies! My cool friend showed me fight club in high school (i mean, he did drugs, and hold older siblings... but now he's a marketing director who DJ's on the side, so... already your judgement of cool is suspect). Anyway, FIGHT CLUB. Where is my mind starts playing as civilization collapses, and that part of you, that feels conviction about things whispers in your ear, "this band fucking rules. you should fucking listen to them... but you're on the fence about Helena Bonham Carter. You're a TEEN so you don't, like, feel total conviction. You're not a psychopath. You're just a hoopy frood that wants to say things at parties like: 'That lyric is based on an experimental french film called Un Chien Andalou,' so that people know you like, know stuff and are cool and relatable." So, you take a trip with frank black to alt/noise/rock land (Amherst, Massachusetts). But you're skeptical of surfer rosa. Well, not her specifically. She looks great. You're very happy with her wardrobe. But the album she's on the cover of is A LITTLE weird. Where is my mind is so... accessible. But what's this bone machine about? Why does he pronounce broken face like broken fist in an insane falsetto voice. It's just. ROugh. It's pretty lo-fi. He's so squeaky sounding sometimes! Why is he doing that? The girl is a nice foil. We like her. what's her deal? But you go on to another pixies album because, honestly, that was not the band you felt like you were going to be listening to when you finished fight club. Luckily, Doolitle is out and that's more approachable. SO you listen to that and you're like, cool. really cool. I like the pixies. I am a pixies fan. And then one day you come back to surfer rosa and you realize it's a masterpiece. Is it the emperor's new clothes? Do I have different ears now? Am I older? Is this a band's band? Probably. But you like it. You're a real pixies fan now.

hell yeah - always a pleasure.

Nr. 103/1001 Bone Machine 3/5 Break My Body 3/5 Something Against You 2/5 Broken Face 2/5 Gigantic 4/5 River Euphrates 3/5 Where Is My Mind? 5/5 Cactus 3/5 Tony's Theme 3/5 Oh My Golly! 3/5 Vamos 1/5 I'm Amazed 2/5 Brick Is Red 3/5 Average: 2,85 So this was an interesting listen. First album where I rated songs with 5 & 1. Where Is My Mind ranks among the best songs I heard through the project. Vamos among the worst.

The Pixies officially introduce themselves in spectacular fashion. Rough and unpolished and compelling all the way through.

Already knew and love this album, it’s 5 stars easy, if anything the only downside is Doolittle the following album surpasses this one

a classic

I have trouble believing that I am 49 years old hearing this album for the very first time. I am utterly blown away. I... I'm just going to play it again.

The nineties are often pointed at as the peak of alternative rock. I think The Pixies got the party started two years early with this absolute masterpiece. The best song is whatever one you have on. It works from top to bottom. Absolutely excellent.

Favorite Songs: Where Is My Mind, Broken Face, Gigantic, Vamos (Surfer Rosa), Bone Machine, River Euphrates, Cactus Least Favorite Songs: Brick Is Red Things I knew about Pixies before listening to this include their Fight Club feature, and Kurt Cobain's praise of them; but I hadn't really put the time into actually delving deep in their material. I'm so glad I did. Seriously, this album is simultaneously one of the best sounding and completely insane alternative records I've ever heard. The imagery it invokes and the way its produced show a cobbled together lust-filled pile of ideas, being expertly combed through and arranged into a grand punk statement. The sweet simplicity of twanging guitars and primal yelps bring interrupted by a beautiful humming melody, a casual conversation, or a shocking level of depraved lyrics is what makes this album so uncompromising and special. unforgettable.

It’s not just the crazy lyrics, the anarchic themes, the roots of grunge, or the wonder that is Kim Deal that we have to thank the Pixies (and Black Francis) for, but it’s also that. What a lovely debut.

Everyone's heard 'Where is my Mind?', but it was nice to discover other songs on this album that I liked such as 'Bone Machine' and 'Tony's Theme'. There's some cool punky songs, more alternative stuff. Good album.

The first Pixies album I ever owned and probably still my favorite. Has a raw energy to it, almost an unhinged quality at times, that I find really thrilling. They really seem to embrace their inner weirdo while laying down their abrasive but addictive hooks.

Only knew where is my mind, one of the all time greatest tracks. Incredible album all round, very impressed.

This is one of my favorite albums of all time. 5 stars, every day, across the board. I have been listening to the Pixies for more than 30 years and will never be bored of them.

pretty good punk, honestly it sounded a little generic the first time listening through but after the second listen I picked up on some of the experimentation they did and I think it’s actually pretty damn cool overall really liked this, 9/10

10 stars. This album is foundational to me as a human being. I developed a crush on a girl because she looked almost exactly like the lady on this cover. I can't separate this album from myself. When I look in the mirror, all I see is Surfer Rosa. I'm a little snobbishly put out that 'Where Is My Mind' got so mainstream there for a while. It was a song only I knew about, dammit. This is an unbroken string of great songs, even though toward the end it sounds like they just threw a bunch of outtakes on the thing to fill it out. Don't say a cross word about it or I'll cut you.

This album blew me away when I first heard it, because I hadn't really listened to anything like it before. It wasn't punk, it wasn't pop, it wasn't mopey art rock. I proceeded to listen to it over and over and over. I still don't get tired of it. Do I get it all? No. Do I care? Not a lick.

Magnificent! Every note is a triumph for awkward weirdo oddballs everywhere. This band changed the game in a major way with this album and subsequent albums. They’ve influenced everyone I love musically and I’m so grateful for their sonic contributions to the world. And this isn’t even my favourite Pixies album!! Black Francis is a pioneering genius and Kim Deal is an otherworldly badass being. All hail Pixies!

That's an automatic 5 from me. Have loved this album for a long time. The guitar line from "Bone Machine" is one of my most frequently occurring self generating ear worms, and I _still_ love it. Fave track - it could literally be any of them, I love them all. On this play through, let's say "Gigantic"...

Wow this was amazing. Every track was awesome. A delight to the ears. Some of the "hits" I had heard before, but I never really realized that they were Pixies tracks. A new favorite.

A lot more interesting than Doolittle, with less dated production, but still doesn’t hold a candle to the best album of 1988, Daydream Nation. See what I did there?

When I first listened to this years ago I only knew Where is My Mind? and the rest of this was very strange to me. I’ve listened to a lot of music in the ensuing years but I never returned to Surfer Rosa. In my memory it was a noisy mess with no real songs. I am so glad it came up on this list. What a fantastic album! It is noisy, but in a way that I really enjoy now. And the songs are definitely there, sometimes they’re buried under the noise but I think the noise more adds to the songs than detracts. And then there’s Gigantic, what a beautiful little pop song right in the middle of all of it. Also where is my mind is still great. I will definitely be returning to this in the future, it feels like there’s way more to unpack than I could get out of one listen.

A great album. Where is my Mind is one of my favorites. It's amazing that it was reissued for Fight Club. But it also goes really well with this great movie. Unfortunately, I'm not in the mood to appreciate the album properly today. It's due to the current stress and insane noise from a building site outside my apartment. Therefore only 4/5

I enjoyed most of these tracks, some of them are a little much though (even for me!) I think the Pixies hit their stride the next year with Doolittle (which I am hoping has made the list!) Surfer Rosa is a 3 for me, but an extra star for 'Where is my mind?' because not only is it an incredible track, its also a personally significant song for me.

this bangs really hard okay I haven't listened to the Pixies in a long time, and when I did I don't know if I ever sat through this album in full. it was a great listen and a really nice feeling after work. I dont have anything cerebral to say about this. i will say that it slaps and feels good some indie shit with a surf vibe will always be a win to me

A great alternative rock album that had so many influences on the developing of the grunge scene. Most songs on them are raw and deranged but are melodic that are enjoyable to listen to.

I liked this album more as it went on. Easy to listen to. The interludes and banter was enjoyable.

Been meaning to explore the Pixies for years, and never gotten around to it. Before this, "Where Is My Mind?" (thanks, "Fight Club!") and "Here Comes Your Man" were essentially the only songs of theirs that I knew, and they're not exactly super-similar stylistically, so I wasn't sure what this album was going to sound like. It's much rawer than I expected; it's easy to picture them banging these songs out in a garage. "Something About You" had a little ska flavor, which was a surprise, as was the fact that Kim Deal had the lead vocals on "Gigantic"--I thought she basically stuck to chorus/background vocals (until her Breeders days, obviously). "Where Is My Mind?" feels like the standout track here (and not just because it's the only one I was familiar with), but "Gigantic" also got my attention, as did "Bone Machine," and I thought "Cactus" and "Tony's Theme" were an appropriately playful pair to follow the heavier "Where Is My Mind?" I could have done with a little less instrumental ramblings in the middle of "Vamos (Surfer Rosa)," but that didn't stop me from enjoying it. Overall, I really enjoyed the album. Not sure how many of these songs will end up getting thrown into my regular rotation, but "Gigantic" will definitely be one of them.

The first time I listened to the Pixies I was about 13 years old. The sound guy at a concert I had gone to kept playing Gigantic over and over on the speakers while we were waiting for the band to come out. A couple of days later I got a comp for like 4dls and it was so good that I had to get their albums one by one. Surfer Rosa was the one that caught my attention the most -wouldn't know why- and so it was the first I got. It holds a very special place in my heart since then

I had mainly listened to Dolittle beforehand, skipping Surfer Rosa in fear of some commercial indie stuff as I knew it was the "Where is my mind album". Boy was I wrong. I've never felt so wrong in my life. What a great album.

Classic album, even today no one sounds like the pixies. Love how they’re able to blend more commercial sounds with some of their more out there ideas. A lesser band wouldn’t be able to pull that off

Strong undertones of punk influence in this one. I enjoyed the strong drum presence throughout the album. Enjoyed bone machine and break my body to open the album. Gigantic and where is my mind are the standouts. The latter definitely the most polished song on the album without doubt. Head and shoulders over the rest. Overall a decent first album. I'll come back for another listen at some point.

Never heard the album before. Not something I'd listen to everyday but there is a lot of interesting stuff here. It's both edgy and hooky at the same time. "Yo soy playero pero no hay playa"

Fun hearing the proto grunge before grunge

New experience for me, a first Pixies album. Having nothing to base it on, I thought it was okay? I’d probably listen again and would happily listen to other stuff so, win?

I can seer why people loved the Pixies, for the time they were popular. They are a decent bar/small venue club band. But I could never imagine them ever being a huge band with a huge following. There is just something here that is lacking. Each song sounds almost rushed. Or the idea wasn't fully there and they couldn't capture it. Aside from Where Is My Mind? - that song is great. Everyone seems to think so too. I am very on the fence with the Pixies. I thought this record would make me lean towards a side. But nope. I can't give this a 2.5 but that's what I give it.

I feel like I'm the type of person that should like the Pixies and was expecting to love the album, but it was only alright. Enjoyed it enough that I didn't feel like skipping any songs.

No time for a proper review. Didn't like it to begin with. But it grew on me. 3

‘Bone Machine’ ‘Gigantic’ ‘Where Is My Mind’ The rest is whatever.

One great song, a few ok tracks, and a lot of noise.

At times grating, at times transcendent. Bottom songs: none

Another album where the super popular song doesn’t sound much like the rest of the album. Idk I couldn’t really get into this.

They probably felt really cool and edgy while recording this, but it's mostly loud and boring.

Meh.

It was fine. Couple of banging tunes, but as an album did not stand out.

Titties! 😲 They're ok just not really my thing I appreciate the influence they had on Nirvana but apart from that I'm not the biggest fan

I'm a big grunge fan and hoped the pregenetor of the genre would be more standout, unfortunately the lo-fi garage aesthetic with meh sound construction and weak vocals across the board really didn't do it for me. Where is my mind is ok. 2/5

Where’s My Mind is the only good track on this hellish, shouty, screechy guitar laden pile of shit album. Even then I don’t know if I like it, or it just reminds me of fight club.

I really love “Where is My Mind?” The rest of the songs are a big meh for me.

It was fine. Not my type of music and couldn’t really get into it.

Not a fan tbh

I never really gotten into Pixies, and listening the whole album kinda made it a bit worse? THey're a bit too weird for me. Musically interesting, it takes some cool shifts and turns in the songs. But whenever the vocals kick in, either by Black Francis or Kim Deal, it bugs me. Maybe another album works better, but it seems this is their magnum opus, so I kinda doubt it. 4,5 out of 10

Noisy noise

Salvo "Where is my mind", bastante olvidable...

1 star for songwriting, 1 star for musical skill, 5 stars for somehow finding an audience?

Thought I was going to like this. Potentially good. Debut album = potential wasn't meet. Some tracks are really bad.

Quiero más melodías en mi ruido.

Not my thing.

I wanted to like it because it is cited as an influence by many. But I don't like it. I can't even bring myself to give it another chance because it was so unpleasant to listen to.

Ce générateur a complètement vrillé en une succession d'albums rock tout plus insignifiants les uns que les autres ce qui fait que je ne suis en rien surpris de tomber sur celui-ci. Une seule éclaircie au milieu de ce chahut, le morceau "Where Is My Mind" m'a provoqué un "Ah c'est eux ça ?!" très agréable. Suffisant pour m'empêcher de leur vomir dessus ? Oh que non : deux sur cinq.

More an ep with some b sides than an album. Hard to know if songs are fully formed, or did they just record it and if lightning struck they caught it, and if not they still commanded it to tape.

One iconic song that I like, the rest not so much of a fan of.

One really good song and a full album of terrible and unlistenable tracks. I'm not a fan, I didn't enjoy it, and probably won't listen to it again. Steve Albini is for sure an original producer, but not everything he touched turned to gold.

Why do people like the pixies?

I really didn't care for this album :(

So sick of these guys. The singer sucks and the weird dissonant guitar hammering they do just gets on my nerves

Nope.

crap

Easy 5

Fantabulous

Cualquier disco de Pixies, de su primera época obviamente, es esencial. Poseedores de una discografía imperecedera (hasta Trompe Le Monde, otra joya injustamente soslayada porque se publicó cuando Nevermind y el grupo estaba roto), con Surfer Rosa desde su impactante portada se convirtieron en el grupo referencia de cientos de bandas que intentaban, sin éxito, lograr su sonido. Surfer Rosa no es su mejor disco (Doolittle) ni al que más aprecio le tengo (Trompe le monde), pero es sin duda el más influyente. Temas como la inicial Bone Machine, con ese quiet-loud-quiet marca de la casa, el eterno Gigantic con Kim Deal tocando el bajo como si fuera una guitarra, la ultraradiada Where is my mind?, la guitarra de Joey en Brick is red, los coros de Kim por todo el disco, los aullidos de Black Francis, la proudcción de Albini... la máquina estaba prefectmente engrasada y sonaba tan diferente como genial. Bowie (que fundó Tin Machine), Bono (que pasó de Rattle and Hum y se lanzó a publicar Achtung baby), Kurt Cobain (que solo aspiraba a sonar parecido a ellos)... cualquiera quería sonar como ellos, pero era algo imposible: Black Francis-Kim Deal- Joey Santiago y David Lovering juntos eran algo único e irrepetible. Un grupo esencial en la música del siglo 20. La edición americana venía con el Ep Come on Pilgrim en el Cd, más crudeza y temazos (con una versión más salvaje de Vamos o una delicia como Isla de Encanta). Un disco eterno e imprescindible. En el 88 había cosas muy interesantes: Public Enemy con It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back , Daydream Nation de Sonic Youth, Lovesexy de Prince, Green de R.E.M. ,Talking Heads con Naked, el debut de Tracy Chapman, Eric B. & Rakim con Follow the Leader, Tender Prey de Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, Morrissey debut con Viva Hate , I'm Your Man de Leonard Cohen, el debut de The Sugarcubes con Life's Too Good, Bug de Dinosaur Jr, Pet Shop Boys con Introspective, Vivid de Living Colour; Prefab Sprout con From Langley Park to Memphis, 69 de A.R. Kane, Run-D.M.C. con Tougher Than Leather, The House of Love de The House of Love, The Serpent's Egg de Dead Can Dance, Barbed Wire Kisses de The Jesus and Mary Chain, 101 de Depeche Mode, Bummed de Happy Mondays, Songhai de Ketama, Sex & Drugs & Jesus Christ de Christian Death, Birth, School, Work, Death de The Godfathers, el debut de L7, Stronger than pride de Sade, G N'R Lies de Guns and Roses, Only life de The Felies, Today de Galaxie 500, Fisherman's blues de Waterboys, 16 Lovers Lane de The Go-Betweens, Spirit of eden de Talk Talk, Watermark de Enya, Cocteau Twins de Blue Bell Knoll, Peepshow de Siouxsie & the Banshees, Idlewild de Everything but the Girl , Conscious Party de Ziggy Marley & The Melody Makers, The First of a Million Kisses de Fairground Attraction, People de Hothouse Flowers, Straight Outta Compton de N.W.A, It Takes Two de Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock, Nothing's Shocking de Jane's Addiction, Ancient Heart de Tanita Tikaram, Mary Margaret O'Hara con Miss America, La pistola y el corazón de Los Lobos, Talk Is Cheap de Keith Richards, Everything de The Bangles, el Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1, Look Sharp! de Roxette, El Ritmo Mundial de Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, Shaday de Ofra Haza, Straight out the Jungle de The Jungle Brothers, California de American Music Club, The Trinity Session de Cowboy Junkies, Isn't Anything de My Bloody Valentine, Pata Negra y su Blues de la frontera, The Pogues- If I Should Fall From Grace With God... No digo ya cosas como Robert Palmer, Eight Wonder, Boby McFerrin, Tiffany, New Kids on the Block, Jean Michel Jarre, U2, Martika, Milli Vanilli o Womack and Womack, que tuvieron su gracia.

It’s the pixies! 5/5

Dynamics, tension, power, excitement! It’s all here, and more! Like their Boston compatriots The Cars started the ‘80s within the ‘70s, here the ‘90s began in the ‘80s with a blistering scream.

I always feel like I’ve just completed a successful workout after listening to this album. And that’s a good thing. There’s a lot to unpack here and I love how schizophrenic the record is. One music journalist called it “beautifully brutal”, which is a perfect description. This album was on regular rotation in college for me, ultimately culminating in my band even covering “Gigantic” which has always been one of my favorites by the band. Legacy, influence and unique style all play a part here. And how could you not like Where Is My Mind?

Simply one of the best.

Wish I could give more than 5 stars

Favourite tracks: where is my mind?; gigantic; cactus; bone machine

I will never not love this album, even though my first experience with it started with my hate for Where is My Mind. Since then, I have come to love it. Although the lyrics don't really make sense, it adds to the vibe. This was such an important album in music history and it should be remembered that way.

Never listened to this band before and my lord, I've been missing out. What a great album that honestly blew me away. Was absolutely stunned this came out when it did.

oh look, a brand new scare