Reviews (page 9 of 14)
I don't dislike The Pixies, and their influence was massive on the early 90s wave of Grunge and alternative music. Outside of "Where is My mind", there are some good songs but nothing that really sticks out. The sonic qualities of the record are also a clear reference point, with Steve Albini's production taking on a "5th" member quality that defined the record. Overall though, it's an essential listen, but not something I love.
You can really feel the similarities to Nirvana here (Pixies obviously one of their biggest inspirations.) "Where Is My Mind?" is ICONIC (Thank you "Fight Club") Overall tho this isn't my favorite album of this style, but it isn't bad! Liked Songs: "Bone Machine" , "Broken Face" , "River Euphrates" , "Where Is My Mind?" , "Cactus" , "Tony's Theme" , "Oh My Golly!"
Where Is My Mind is a 5. The rest is a 3. 3.5
Solid but not surprising
i only remember that one popular song
I definitely didn’t care for this album at first, but the song gigantic changed my mind! my top three songs were: - gigantic - where is my mind - i’m amazed
Raucus
Better than I expected.
Call it concrete the way it laid the foundation for the 90s
To loud / Rock
I can appreciate great musicians but it’s just not my vibe. maybe id re-listen to one or two songs again.
3,5/5 nou ja leuk, niet zo mijn stijl van muziek maar het was wel heel coherent, liedjes zijn wel allemaal vrij kort, maar dat was soms ook wel leuk where is my mind kende ik natuurlijk wel al
yea not starting off strong… i give this album a 4/10. only song i liked was where is my mind💔💔
Not what I was expecting… I’ve previously heard songs on this album but all the others I haven’t heard were a lot more energetic and had a rock feel to them.
Don’t understand what is special about the Pixies. Just weird and discordant sometimes.
já conhecia... mas fez-me lembrar o quanto gosto dos pixies
es bueno, pero no me provocó nada.
Felt like it was a lot of instrumentals
🥴
6.5/10
Kinda clunky but fun. Its a bit like the whole Album is practice for: "Where is my Mind"
Still has the edgy Pixies sound with the hit ""Where is my Mind?"". Another good album addition.
I thought this was a pretty good album and liked it slightly more than the other Pixies album I've gotten (Doolittle). There was some garage/punk indie feel to it, which made it stand out from some of the more straightforward rock albums on here. It gave me Nirvana vibes at times, White Stripes at others. There were a couple songs that I didn't care for but otherwise I thought it was really strong. The conversational parts felt a little out of place, though. I'm close to the borderline between 3 and 4 on this one. It's not really something I'd say is great, but I'd listen to it again. Overall: 3.4/5
I dont think this style of punk (i think?) Is quite my thing, just too close to noise for me. Favorite track was Gigantic
It was alright. Quite a few songs I liked, some filler in my view and a bit too much noise rock in a few songs. However overall a very strong 3.
Some great songs on here (and boobies)
nao sou tao fa de pixies mas gostei!
some were ok some were top some were meh
rlly liked the album as a whole which surprised me. avant garde very much so and i like that. defo certain songs that i’d listen to more than others but might actually re listen front to back again
Love the instrumental!!! Tracks that really stand out for me is break my body and gigantic. Overall it is a short listening album and it doesnt really move with soo :( . My rating is probably 6/10
Very original grunge, I liked the instrumental sounds but the vocals weren’t as captivating for me
I liked it, but honestly it’s not easily digestible. It’s something I need to really sit on and hear me. It was a lot at first listen.
I enjoy that they seem to have a lot of fun making their music.
웨얼이스마 만드~~
3.0 RYM
its like it’s getting better with every track until it reaches ‘Where is my mind’ and then it doesn’t get better. Like they wrote that song and thought “Oh gosh we need an album to release with that thing”
Can't not enjoy the Pixies - Where is my mind? is great, Bone Machine and Gigantic not far behind. The music of my late teens so a holds a special place in my heart
7/10
There were like 2 songs that I liked, one was added to my playlist. Again just not really my style.
Really only loved the song I knew
I dig
The album wasn't bad by all means- just not my cup of tea! This coming year I'm trying to expand my music taste beyond rap and I can tell it's going to be challenging. I recognized one of the songs off the album, probably a TikTok song ahaha
They were never on my radar. Not bad for me. Too funny that one of their songs showed up for the credits in a new Netflix show I’m watching….(show is The Beast in Me)
Mostly uninteresting or boring, some annoying. Saved Where is My Mind and Cactus - Where is My Mind just sounds good and Cactus is a fun raunchy love song, possibly a future favorite. Comments said Bowie covered it, will have to listen. Might listen to some other songs by this group at some point.
Enjoyed! Saved to my albums. I really liked Tony's Theme
More visceral than Doolittle. I like Pixies a lot, but I find it a little harder to imagine a time where I'm in the mood for every song on this album. Got banger tho.
Ok album with some great songs on it and some that weren’t really listenable, even driving up the ski hill with my 18 yr old hard music liking son…
Wocbsurhxxbj
Fun punk album, starts off a bit weak but gets the better later in. Vocals feel a bit whiny, especially in the slower songs. Strangely in the faster Pased songs those same vocals fit quite well. 6/10
I was expecting to like this more than I did. It was just OK. I found it very disjointed.
3.5
FEETON THE GRIUND HEAD ITN THE AIR
Alternative/rock. It is interesting, but the songwriting isn’t standing out to me. If anything it’s subpar. I can hear influence from this album on some 90s alt rock and punk projects. However, I feel like these guys walked so others could run. This may grow on me, but for now 3/5.
Solid record. Pixies always have that grungy, gritty sound and this record is no different. This record also has that one song that's been made famous, "Where is my mind?" I liked this one, and I understand why Pixies have such a following.
It's a good album. I like it, but it's also a little abrasive.
Some classic songs, but mostly a decent punk'ish album
I've never really given Pixies much of a look in as I've always (rightly or wrongly) associated them with a school of grunge that generally just doesn't do a lot for me. I've got Doolittle on vinyl as I found it in a sale box during one of my record shop crawls in London, bought purely on the reputation of the band and incessantly being told I needed to check them out. Think I've played it once and never gone back to it. Anyway, Surfer Rosa is a bit of a curious case on first listen. Instrumentally it's far more chaotic, angular and neurotic than the type of bands I'd have lumped them in with previously, which I think will afford it a revisit down the line. Vocally, I'm not as enamored with that American shrieking/wailing approach, even if it does serve the music effectively, and the rather thin, buzzy production doesn't leave many pockets of space to clutch onto.
I wasn't really into the Pixies when this first came out (I found it a bit too "noisy" and angry and angular) but now it's growing on me. Maybe I'm getting more angry with age? Or more appreciative of a wider of range of music? I hope it's the latter.
3. Where is my mind is perfect, but I don't LOVE the entire album
Gigantic is pure Kim Deal and I love it. has always been the standout track on this album. Where is my mind was absolutely killed to death back in the 90s when i used to DJ, but I cannot deny it is a great song. On the whole, this is not my favourite pixies album. There are some really good songs interspersed with some pretty average songs. While some songs like Something against you and broken face are staple live songs, they are not my favourite by any stretch of the imagination. Outside of Vamos, there is nothing outstanding after where is my mind. 3.5 Stars
Red Hot Chili Peppers I am your maker
I prefer Doolittle, and ¨Where Is My Mind¨ has been overplayed to death but it's a good album. A bit unfocused but it sounds like they were having a good time.
Feels shoegazey with some ska influence. It also has hints of MCR. I had heard Where Is My Mind already
Genre: Indie Rock A very 1988 indie/alt rock album if I've ever heard one. Some good quality moments on this thing, the singles are all great, but it's a little too up-and-down in terms of quality. An enjoyable listen, but for me, not one I'llneed to try again anytime soon. 3/5
Solid.
This album was a mix of good songs with meh songs. It shows the beginnings of what the Pixies would end up becoming on later albums.
“Where is my mind” has such an iconic sound, it’s easy to see why it was used in so many movies growing up. Always curious as to why artists put stuff like a conversation about field hockey players at the beginning of a song.
Always enjoyable. 3.5 stars.
The are some good songs in the album, and WIMM is definitely a TOP100 tune. But the rest is too chaotic and frantic for me. I would listen again just 4 songs of the whole album. 3,4/5.
It's a favorite of many because of the Albini production, but the songs just aren't as good as they'd get on Doolittle. Plus I've never actually liked the way Albini-produced albums sound all that much, so in terms of rawness I'd rather have Come On Pilgrim.
What on earth is going on with that mix. I could barely hear the vocals half of the time. Idk it was very disjointed but the guitar, bass, and drums were pretty good. Vocals were hit or miss.
Another well known band I wasn’t that into
every time i listen to this record i realize i like the idea of it more than I like listening to it. listened to vinyl cope
Pretty weird, but cool, but weird tho
The genesis of alternative music. So many bands drew inspiration from here. It lacks polish and melody though, and so it gets monotonous and boring at times.
I enjoyed listening to it once, though will probably not revisit it. I know where is my mind from fight club and I feel that's all I need to know from them. Not a bad album, in any case not boring, and given the time it came out I understand it's significance.
Where the hale is my mind
Hard rock, insanity, weirdness - love where is my mind, the rest I appreciate but don't love
As I go through this list, I am constantly surprised by 1) how many songs I know 2) how much I don't care about a lot of these albums. Each one has something different to offer, and it is obvious how they have contributed to their respective genres, but I don't think I have fallen in love with anything new yet. 3/5 7.08/10
как по мне дебютник послабее дулитла. но заявление о себе неплохое. ну и конечно та самая песня епте
Random thoughts: * I’ve listened to this before since it’s a well known “classic” influence album. * the Top songs are: Bone Machine, Gigantic, and Where is My Mind * I like this album alright but I don’t find it to be the classic that people attribute to it. Dare I say that The Pixies went from underrated to overrated for their influence on 90s grunge (specifically Nirvana) * Anyway, I appreciate the influence this band had but they will never be one of my favorites. * The use of Where Is My Mind at the end of Fight Club is great though!
Album No. 0043 on my list. I've had a pixies album on my list before ("Bossanova") which I didn't like that much. I indeed liked "Surfer Rosa" a little more. Obviously, you have "Where is my Mind", which is worthy of a few stars on its own. My other favorite songs of this album are "Gigantic" and "Tony's Theme". Overall, I still have a hard time finding this really good, even though I somehow get why I'm supposed to - a similar feeling to what I felt with "Bossanova", but less extreme. "Surfer Rosa" is indeed the better album. To summarize: I think I would like it better, but still an okay-ish album with some great songs. I thought about giving it four stars, but narrowly decide for 3. 3/stars.
I remember giving this one a listen when I got curious about the origin album of Where Is My Mind, but I didn't remember until I got to the track. At the time I wasn't very impressed with everything else, today I really dig the direction the ideas are being flung at, though I still struggle to find it memorable. After several listens and conceptual placement in time, I can see how relevant this has been to the development of rock. I wouldn't mind having this in the collection, but for a very occasional listen. I'm surprised I don't remember the album art. Aesthetically kind of plain, dark box inside a white box. It's the details that give it any more depth and meaning and I'd say the music works about the same. 3.4/5
Bone Machine is my new theme song. Where Is My Mind remains the best song on this album.
Didn't do much for me personally, but I appreciate how influential they were on other grunge-rock groups, and "Where Is My Mind?" is a classic.
Decent listen. I forgot I was familiar with “Where is My Mind?” This was a quick listen, but good length for this band/album
1 star for the fight club song, 2 for boobies
glazba dosta dobra, ženski glas dobar, al muški je očajan... pretkraj kreću neki neduhoviti skitovi? ne znam... šteta
Meh, a bit of a letdown from the Pixies to be honest.
First listen. I did listen to Doolittle a couple of times before this one, and Surfer Rosa definitely sounds a bit rougher and less fleshed out. It's still good, though. I'm now also realizing, only three albums in, that my rating scale is a bit messed up, because I definitely enjoyed this one more than the Electric Prunes record, and I do like Either/Or a bit better than Surfer Rosa, at least on a first listen. I'm gonna set it up like this for now, just so I have some general guidelines for myself: 5: Outstanding, about as close to as good as it gets 4: Really enjoyed it, excited to revisit it 3: I liked it, but I'm not in a rush to replay it; might need more listens, or might just not be my thing 2: A bit underwhelming 1: Just bad In retrospect, that might lead me to want to change the first record to a 2, but there's gonna be a bit of range with a 5-star system, so I'll just say it's like a low 3 or something. Surfer Rosa would be a high 3. I enjoyed it overall, but with a couple more listens, it could turn into a 4. Who knows. Fav. Track: Where Is My Mind? (duh) Reaction: 🙂
*1998. *33 minute album. *Mix of hardcore punk and pop punk. *I much prefer the songs with Kim Deal as the lead singer - Gigantic. *Where is My Mind buried in the middle of the album at Track #6 is wild. *This might take a few listens to appreciate. It grew on me as the album progressed. RATING - 7/10
Familiar with the band but was only familiar with one song off this album. Half the album was great the other half bordered on unlistenable. I can totally see why it was so influential at the time, though.
Some cool guitar tones, but hate the singing. 3 stars
I've been hearing about the brilliance of the Pixies forever. Love the speed drums and guitars and the tempo change ups, the massive energy. Not wild at all about the first half of this album, like it's serious side A, and fun side B. I'm a big fan of side B. Looking forward to checking out their other albums.
Highlights: Something Against You, River Euphrates, Where Is My Mind, Brick Is Red. In a nutshell: building up. Surfer Rosa is the album which laid the foundation for the band and added some bricks to the 80s alternative rock shrine. Guitar and drums are fantastic. As for the lyrics, well, Surfer Rosa is more about the music than the lyrics. And oh boy there are some doozies here. There are questionable lyrics "his teeth are as white as snow" (Gigantic), kinky (maybe Lynch-ian?) lyrics such as "Bloody your hands on a cactus tree, wipe it on your dress and send it to me" (Cactus) and downright odd lyrics "you're so pretty when you're unfaithful to me!" (Bone Machine). My go to Pixies album is Doolittle, but it's nice to return to Surfer Rosa, their (full length) debut studio album. Overall: 5/10
I recognized one song, "Where Is My Mind?" Other than that, this album didn't leave much if an impression on me. I struggle to really enjoy music like this, which seems to be much more about the "energy" and delivery of lyrics than making musical decisions to get the point across. Also wondering how they got Mickey Mouse as the guest vocalist for Broken Face. My picks are Gigantic, Where Is My Mind? and Vamos.
This is a cool album. It's pretty grungy and unpolished with really interesting drumming. The themes seem to be a bit dark and twisted. I prefer the slower, more ballad-like songs on the album like Where Is My Mind? That song must be having a moment because I've heard it before and it has like 400x as many plays as the other songs on the album. I also like Brick Is Red. The faster songs are a bit too relentless and noisy for me to want to listen again. 7/10 for this one.
Other than where's my mind, I'm not the biggest fan of the yell/sing vibe of this album
I enjoyed this one to my surprise. This one is definitely mood dependent, was not feeling it while working from home, but played it later while I was driving and doing other shit and it sounded better... Didn't realize they had written 'Where is My Mind?' already knew this one. Solid album even though I'm only giving it a 3, I feel like I've been tossing out 4s left and right... and I don't think this album as a whole hits that level for me.
7,7/10
Ihan ok. Ilman Where's my mindia ois aika paljon pienempi arvio. 3/5.
i really feel like i should've liked this more. it's not my first time listening to it - i had surfer rosa and doolittle on frequent rotation in my teen years. but this album in particular is just *so* noisy and discordant -- which i know is the point -- that it's a chore to listen to. where is my mind, gigantic, tony's theme are all great, but i spent the rest of this album gritting my teeth and trying to hang on. i'm sorry! thankfully it has plenty of glowing reviews already so i won't feel bad being honest.
Didn't love it but didn't hate it. There's a few standout songs here and there
I've listened to this album twice before and thought it was bad both times. They kinda sold me this time. But not all the way. There are still moments when they sound like the shitty basement band at a college house party. But I've also been randomly saying "Your bone's got a little machiiiiiiine" all day. Good album.
Paar goeie nummers maar ook paar kut
Enjoyed this for what it was, just not the biggest Pixies guy
Punky
Raw and unfiltered, they would improve with their follow-up.
I was hyped to check this out because I knew about The Pixies, but never really listened to them. I was a bit underwhelmed to be honest. I didn’t come away hating or loving it
Solid punk rock album, nothing absolutely blew me away.
7/10
3.5 stars. Pretty weird and the heavy guitar distortion and choppy rhythms and some experimental twists on the singing give it a much more raw and muddled feeling than most alt rock. Some absolute standout songs ("Where Is My Mind?" and "Gigantic") that are a nice melodic break from the rest of the heavier tracks. Wish Kim Deal sang lead vocals more. Liked when they dip into a more surfer rock sound ("Tony's Theme"). They didn't master the quiet-loud dynamic as well as they do in their next album Doolittle. Grating vocal filter in "Something Against You" makes it a skip.
good
I’ve heard so much about Surfer Rosa and always felt like I was missing out. I was glad to finally listen to it. The musicianship on the album is excellent. The lyrics are a bit too repetitive at some times and weird at other times for my taste, which is a shame considering the instrumentation is so good. However, I think Deal’s and Francis’s vocals (especially the latter) really outshine the lyrics and make every track truly unique; their voices sync so quirkily well. Overall, it was enjoyable, but I would probably listen to my favorite few tracks going forward and not the entire album.
Fight Club
I expected to like this more than I did. Similar to the last one, maybe I’m just not a fan of the Pixies.
To me, Doolittle is the better album. You can hear the pop hooks underneath the punk rock noise & Kim Deal nearly steals the whole album with “Gigantic”. And the loud-quiet-loud dynamic is starting to take shape. Which would of course be put to good use by a lot of other bands in the years to come.
Cool ! Entre les Clashs et Nirvana, de la colère et de grands classiques. Le son parait parfois étrange, avec une voix étouffée.
This album has some definite nonsense, but it also gave us two truly iconic alternative rock songs, so I can’t be that hard on it. Best Track: Where is My Mind?
Why did they choose that as the cover? 3/5
solid
Surprisingly OK.
Like the title: It is a mixture of Surfer-Rock and Grunge. A very interesting mix which is not typical for the Pixies as you know in the newer Songs.
I usually enjoy, or at least don't mind, noisy alt rock. But, surprisingly I didn't really care for this too much, it feels noisy without purpose. The hits are expectedly still good.
Very interesting and original album. Not quite my thing (and I think I prefer Doolittle), but would definitely recommend.
Lively, with a few great songs. 3/5
Where is my mind? Where is my mind? Whereeeeeeeeeeee is my mind? Timeless.
I don't get it man. I was expecting this album to be peak. You go on the Wikipedia page under "Critical Reception" and "Legacy" it's almost as if it's the greatest album ever made. But in my opinion, it's kinda a mess. Maybe for it's time it was something, it is one of Kurt Cobain's favorite albums and a huge inspiration to Nirvana for him, so it is highly influential in music and to many, and I can respect that. But aside from Where Is My Mind, Gigantic, and maybe one other song, I'm disappointed.
A little undecided on this one - some parts I really loved, some I really hated 🫠
I like this album, a few bangers on there I'm already familiar with - Gigantic and Where is my mind - from my indie teens.
Did enjoy listening to it but not a great album for me with some tracks that just passed by without any real note to take from it. Nice to have the memories from our younger days of George bouncing energetically and somewhat violently into me whilst shouting "Hey Paul, Hey Paul, Hey Paul. Let's have a ball" flood back to me when listening to Gigantic.
fun!
This would have definitely been a nice change of pace compared to much of what was popular in 1988, and I can definitely see how this influenced the likes of Nirvana ("Cactus", for example sounds like it could easily be on Nirvana's Unplugged (nevermind that it's electric)). But I can't put it with some of the other 4 star albums. Solid 3.5 though. Rounding down.
Great single track but other ones were so so
fourteen year old me who took a picture of joan jett to the hair dresser before my mother vetoed me loved this. i appreciated more of the garagey vibes in my earlier listens, but this time i find myself enjoying the moments of clarity in the noise- the guitar doing it's thing in 'break my body's stands out as a little thing i'll be humming to myself for a while, and the intro to 'broken face'. give me kim deal solo album tho tbh. liked: gigantic, vamos, oh golly,
Just didn’t like it like the other pixies and frank black fare we’ve had so far. It’s punky and fun but I just wasn’t feeling it ya know. What am I supposed to say?
Great album. Definitely a very raw sound.
I liked the raw punk songs more than the polished songs. I thought there was an interested collection of songs on this record, something a bit for everyone. But I didn’t find it too “all over the place”. It was kinda nice.
Okay.
Solid punk
Probably if I were a lot younger I might enjoy the angsty lyrics and full on loud bits. I can see how the album was influential.
This really didn’t hold up very well. I know the pixies are supposed to be very influential, so for that I can remain neutral.
Never actually listened to this album in full, know several songs though. I'd still probably only listen to the select songs I already knew. But good to hear it all. I can now actually hear more Pixies influence in some of the more recent post punk music I listen to. Very raw, lost me a little near the middle but interest piqued again before the end.
Riffs were relatively catchy and the overall sound was inoffensive, but it's a little too formless for me. Alt rock already isn't really my thing, but I had a really hard time appreciating this one. Maybe it's just its age. My favorite song was "Where Is My Mind?".
So much chaos, but kind of cool
Mid
Second most overrated band of all time
Some definate highlights, but uneaven
I feel like the guys in guys m this band would be awesome friends to hang out with, each song just felt like an experimental jam session. Where is my mind is a great song
Raw, ragged and reaching, this is an impressive debut – a statement, to be sure. "Gigantic" ranks among their best songs, and "Where Is My Mind" is also strong. But this would be well transcended by the subsequent records, a little more polish (or rather slightly less roughness) would up the impact (at least to one's ears). The 2007 remaster seems much cleaner than what one recalls hearing in real time.
Not always an enjoyable listening experience, but there is something special in the water. The Pixies were "alternative music" before it took over the industry for a decade. You can hear the influence they had on the mega bands to come.
Interesting medley of punkish and grungey. Some good songs on here....and some not-so-good songs as well. It was okay overall.
There a few catchy songs in here. Trying too hard to be punk with the weird screaming and talking interludes
It was good, enjoyable enough. Found a few songs I like, love the dynamics of this era of music. 3 is good for me
Hauskan raaka ja hullunkurinen setti. Kivat ilmavat rummut ja pistävää kitarasettiä
How did I not realize how horny the songs were when I was listening to this regularly in the early nineties? All the boys I know bought it for the boobs on the cover and then found one of the best indie bands. I think this album turned me on to Albini and then I got to hear big black and shellac. I used to think gigantic and break my body were romantic songs haha. Album still holds up.
Where is my mind is a really good song.
Acceptable
good rock, obviously where is my mind is genius, but the whole thing still is good
Rocking and quirky
Suboptimal. I barely remember it, but I did not dislike it.
Was already familiar. Where is my mind alone is worth the album, and hard to ever forget. The rest of the album is a fun listen, but doesn't stand out nearly as much
one great song, some decent songs, some noise. Very 90s
Solid album. Variety of styles but still has a core feel throughout. Feels like everything was made as a bid for TV or movies though.
Before I even pressed play, I wanted to like this album and confirm my alt/punk bonafides. For the most part, I did like it, but I guess I didn’t love it. I guess I’m not as cool as I had hoped. “Where Is My Mind?” - there’s a reason this has 1Billion Spotify listens. It’s an anthem, but it’s an outlier on this album; I kinda hate when the one non-representative song gets pulled to be the single. Also slightly frustrating because “if you can do THIS, why are you spending so much time doing THAT?”. The inclusion of this song makes the rest of the album (especially the tracks after it) sound worse. “Vamos (Surfer Rosa)” - you can’t make me listen to this whole track. I tried twice and it can’t be done; the guitar solo is insufferable.
I kind of enjoyed this. Good walking music.
Punky
I can hear the influence of this album, but apart from "Where Is My Mind" the vocals make for a challenging listen. Fun guitar, though.
I know this is an important record, but I have a hard time giving a shit. I might be in a bad mood today.
el album de where is my mind!!! cançó perfecta, la de broken face tmb top, ademés de q em pensava q eren un grup d tot tios i literalment no m'agrada molt el rollo (espere q les resenyes estes siguen anònimes pq no tinc ni idea de música igual em tiren pedres els intensets). bno no m'ha apanyat massa però està xulo crec q si l'escolte més vegades m'agradarà molt més
I dunno, nice sound tho.
That's nice
You can hear where Nirvana got their influence
80s punk - not quite to the 90s alt sound yet. Not quite my thing
decent aber manchmal bisschen much
I see the influence of this on Nevermind, but personally do not like it. It feels… a little lost and aimless. Nice drum mix though.
Fun music. The lyrics can be a bit harsh.
I had a few pixies albums on this list, I believe and none of them quite resonated with me. This one is the best out of them. Or am I confusing them with Sonic Youth again?
Love this album but there’s some lesser songs on side b. First two songs are great though
38/1001. 2nd Pixies in this list so far, and I guess a few more to come. This one is more raw, and showcase a younger band perhaps still looking for it's place / songwriting style. That said it does sound very Pixies. But something in this doesn't speak to me that much, the songs aren't that good you know?
Surfer Rosa is one of those albums I really wanted to love more than I did. It’s raw, it’s noisy, it’s definitely influential and I get why it matters. But as a listening experience, it often felt more like a blast of cool ideas than something I’d return to for pure enjoyment. There's a real scrappy charm to it, but also a lack of flow that left me drifting in and out of attention. The production is brilliantly abrasive, all echoing drums and jagged edges, and the songs bounce between creepy, funny, and flat-out chaotic. "Where Is My Mind?" is obviously a highlight eerie, catchy, and weirdly hauntin but too many of the other tracks blur together in a whirlwind of yelps and fuzz. I appreciate the energy, but I didn’t connect with much of it emotionally. I think if I’d heard this at a certain age or time, maybe when I was feeling more rebellious or wanted to annoy the neighbours, it might’ve hit harder. As it stands, I respect it more than I enjoy it.
p595. 1988. 3 stars. Proto Nirvana. Needs works on the lyrics. Some decent tunes. Good, but not exceptional.
Not really my style, but not horrible
Not my kind of music, Sorry. I know they inspired Nirvana.
high energy drums with screaming guitars, fast paced songs, and the quintessential "Where's My Head" - this album lives up to the hype, despite the fact that "Where's My Head" is one of the slower numbers.
Decent some good songs, some not so good songs. Did feel way longer than the album was. Low 3/5
I was very excited about this album as I love Doolittle and Bossanova, but for some reason I don't find the songs anywhere near as engaging, interesting, or rewarding, with the exception of Where Is My Mind. I have kept trying, but don't think this will every do for me what the other two do.
No es mi estilo pero tiene canciones entretenidas y con flow.
"Throw all your clothes on second side of Surfer Rosa and you leave me with my jaw on the floor" An ex-girlfriend of mine loved this album. She didn't love me, in the end, but she loved this album. I even bought her a copy of it on vinyl, even though she didn't have a record player. It was college, I was dumb. Don't worry about it. I expected so much more from this album. To be fair, it got better the further into I got, but it still wasn't amazing. I don't know, I've heard this album held up as one of the best of it's era, and it didn't necessarily strike me that way. The highs here aren't that high, and that to me is kind of all I needed to know once I was done listening. Sure, there's nothing outright bad here (though I do hate the way the line "Your bone's got a little machine" is sung), but some of it is definitely grating ("Break My Body," "River Euphrates," "I'm Amazed"), and some of it is genuinely amazing ("Gigantic," "Where is My Mind?", "Oh My Golly!"), but to me that just evens out to a pretty ok almost good album. The attitude is there, the innovation is there, the purpose is there. I just didn't like it as much as I thought I would. A solid three stars. Standout Tracks: Something Against You, Gigantic, Where Is My Mind?, Cactus, Tony's Theme, Oh My Golly!
Pretty good.
Unpolished but somehow melodic, a classic
First listen of the record foe me was top-down on the drive home from work and I did not like it much. A much noisier and more incoherent Pixies. After reading the synops, I had to return for re-listen in a more controlled environment and I'm glad I did. Still a bit of a noise fest but I picked up on the instrumental aspect more. Good guitar and drum work. I got a better sense of the influence this record had on other bands. Could do without Black Francis screeching and much preferred Kim Deal on vocals. "Where is my Mind?" and "Gigantic" best tracks with some other good ones like "River Euphrates" and "Vamos." Def glad I gave Surfer Rosa another chance and with a nice pair on cover bonus...3.1 stars.
To echo my prior Pixies reviews, Surfer Rosa is an OK album that does little to move the needle for me. Where Is My Mind is their most well known song and does a lot of the heavy lifting. The rest of the album is relatively mediocre. I will continue to scratch my head as to how/why Pixies are held at the top of the pantheon of musical influence. To me they sound like any other indie rock act from the era. They must be doing something different that I'm unaware of. Overall, I'm underwhelmed by most of what I was exposed to from Pixies. They are fine but that's about it from me. 2.44 stars
tried to listen but i couldnt even get to the first song because every time i opened the album i saw the cover and jerked until completion... dem was some nice tits!
It was ok, kind of cool
never was a big fan of alternative rock, but this album was really good so despite the fact that it was a alt rock album i still enjoyed it lowk tho was a lot of boring points in the album, struggled to keep me interested till the end. However the highs were really good. where is my mind is also not as good as i remember it being unfortunately I cant do 1/2's, but if I could I would give it a 3.5/5. might give it a relisten in the future Favourite song: Gigantic
me likey. my favourite song was gigantic it is crazy!!! the drums sound good and punchy, the guitar tones are pretty cool, however some of the songs I enjoyed but probably won't listen to it again. all in all, the album is a fruit basket, but with rock melon a plenty.
It's fine. Doolittle is better.
not as great as I remember? I remember going to the EMP music museum in seattle and seeing this record in the shop there, thinking it was a sign of ultimate coolness. I listened to it a bit after that and thought I really loved it.
It's more punk than I expected! I can definitely hear the echoes of their influence in music I listened to in the 90s and early 2000s. That said, I don't think I'll return to this.
It's difficult to review albums I already know really well. Overall, this isn't something I'd ever feel the need to seek out as an adult. It's very lyrically and musically simplistic. So many catchy songs on here, though, and there's always the nostalgia factor. I do find the Pixies' overall sound unique and mostly quite pleasant, even if it's punkier than I would like at times. Three stars?
Great album of college rock and the transition from the 80s to 90s indie rock
Fun music. Shallow pool
Weird, but fun? Liked a few, hated a couple. Very interesting over all.
“I got a broken faaaace” lol I always dug the unrefined punk sound of the pixies. Sometimes the melodies of the vocals is too weird to work for me. Other times it works just right. Gigantic is a solid song I’ve never heard before. Drummer has a great feel and lays down some solid grooves you can bob your head to. Never does too much. Obviously where is my mind is a song I’ve always dug. Digged? 🤷 I could see smashing punkins getting influenced by these guys. Not sure if that’s accurate. Over all they sound very original to me and it’s a fun listen. First pixies album I’ve listened all the way through
I'm pretty familiar with the Pixies, mostly the Doolittle album. This one seemed even weirder, but I can absolutely hear a lot of elements that eventually became Kurt Cobain's take on the Pixies via Nevermind. Where is my mind is the main hit, and it might be the only song off this album I'll continue to have on my playlist. It's easy to forget that this was 1988, and people weren't putting out music like this yet. Pioneers of the alternative genre and one of a handful of bands in that weird little era that bridged the gap from Guns n Roses hair metal to Nirvana grunge. So they've always got my respect. I'll stick to the main hits though, still.
Love the intro drums. Another one where it is cool to see the influence on more recent bands
Here is another album I may have appreciated more in my youth, had I been exposed to more alt-rock. In 1988 I was about rap and what was on the radio and MTV. The Pixies didn’t enter my world. I can easily see the influence on Kurt Cobain and Nirvana. Tonal shifts and lush guitars giving way to chaos. Garage rock and DIY sensibility. I like some songs, including “Where Is My Mind” which made it to the playlist. I’m iffy on the iffy vocals, the between-song patter largely doesn’t work for me, and the whole lands in “fine” territory.
3.5
Where is My Mind is the best on the album by a long shot. The rest was just okay.
Enjoyed the overall sound/vibe, and understand it was a hugely influential album, however, I didn't really find any of the songs to be great on their own (other than Where Is My Mind)
I'll be honest I was expecting something more but I guess it's one of those influential albums that resulted in better albums
Definitely understand that this was incredibly influential and inspiring for a lot of punk bands afterwards, and it definitely has quite a lot of qualities. A lot of the riffs are Solid, the drums good and the general energy very effective. That being said its also just really not the type of Music I currently love. Might enjoy it more later, but 3/5 for now
Aight
I'm not particularly in the know around Pixies, and only know the tracks that everyone does. This album felt like a debut album, and like a predecessor to their next great step. Too haphazard for my liking. I'm hoping there is another album on the list from them that can show them hitting their peak?
Loose but impassioned. Seemingly purposefully amateurish recording as an aesthetic.
A little too noise rock for me…
Not bad
Gjorde punk agression mere poppet. Inspirerede Radiohead og Nirvana. Stor inspiration for nevermind.
3/5
Another nice album by the Pixies
Not bad, grungy, music in the differ ent ears of the mixing. Vocals delicately pitchy
(soft LOUD soft LOUD bridge LOUD LOUD)×albini
Two consecutive songs about bones? Another involving a broken face which I assume is also bones? Pixies are a pretty strange band. There's some stinkers, and there's some alright tunes. "Where is my mind?", is a classic however, and will be going on the 1001 playlist. Bumped up to 3 Stars just for that song alone.
Ok
Quite enjoyable
I was quite disappointed in this one. When I saw this was the album with 'Where is My Mind?', I was hoping for more of the same and I got my wish. However, I didn't realise that WIMM? is special in that, yes it's still just yelling into a mic that somehow feels both too far away and too close to the singer's mouth, and the lyrics are kinda nonsense, and it feels very thrown together, but it's thrown together in exactly the correct measurements to create something good and that's unfortunately not the case for almost every other song on the album which feels like a miss. I think 'Tony's Theme' and 'I'm Amazed' are the only other songs I kinda liked. I'm tired of giving so many albums a 3 but that's all I can give it, and that's only because of just how good WIMM? is.
Pivotal album but I prefer Doolittle.
Where is my mind is a great song, kind of carries the rest of the album in my opinion
All over the place but in a good way.
Hit or miss, pretty good
It was ok. Some was better than others.
cover ... wow!
I like Pixies but only some of this was good. They have a tendency to be noisy and annoying just as much as noisy and catchy.
A fun band.
I like Pixies. I do. But for some reason this album didn’t fully connect with me. Outside of “Where is My Mind?” I found most of songs fine but not great. Still might return to this again, though. 3/5
Great album. One of the bands I don’t listen to very often. But when I do, it’s always awesome. I mean, david Bowie covered a song on this album. That’s how you know it’s a good album. Which makes me feel bad for giving it 3 stars.
Could see people absolutely losing their shit over this in the 90s. where is my mind still an all time classic.
Couple good songs, lot more chaotic than I envisioned. Can see why they’re as influential as they are not not fully my bag
A solid album with some great songs on it. Too chaotic to listen to at work, so I ended up listening in the car. It is less listenable I thought than the previous Pixies album, but still solidly good. Almost a four. Worth another listen.
bof
I know it was influential to a lot of early 90s alt-rock groups that I really like, but this one never resonated that much with me.
Love where’s my mind
I get some Mother Mother vibes here, overall decent music that can be a bit grating in parts.
Had a recognizable tune, some good riffs, some of the background talking was weird.
I can understand the significance but it didn't really do it for me
Some nostalgic songs. Good beat, hit or miss on some songs. Shrill voice, but overall good sounds from a dated era
Good
I was a Breeders and Kim Deal fan before I ever heard the Pixies. I really like this album and want to rate it higher but the second half does not match the beginning. It's still worth listening to again after not having heard it for 3 to 4 years.
also reminds me of my ex love the pixies though
Sounds a few years ahead of their time on this one, solid indie punk rock. Probably influenced a ton of 90s bands
this is all over the place. did they not try to put the pieces together before releasing the album?
Some good tunes and some bits of random noise.
Meh. Not my jam. Not terrible. Not great.
liked the first track 'Bone Machine' best. already familiar with 'where is my mind?' overall quite a lot more punky than I had imagined. Gonna give it a few more listens.
Unexpectedly mid
Some good guitar playing on this album. Not very memorable for me, but the music is ok and reasonably creative. Apparently the Pixies influenced a lot of later artists.
Some cool alt rock leanings. I think I prefer Doolittle
It was alright. Cranked out some homework while listening. Music was all a little raunchy which was kinda fun. 4/5 rating
Pretty solid album through and through
Overrated. 3
Meh
49/1001 - A little better than Doolittle (less screaming/makes more sense when screaming happens). Song structure seems samey.
Great band, not their best album but still a fun time
Ages well over the course of the album
Another big influence on Nirvana, Pixies had a distinctive sound all to themselves (although Frank Black [/Black Francis] credits Sisters of Mercy as where they got the "quiet-loud thing"). And that sound could be maddening: flurries of hooting, talking, shouting and sorta-singing over abrasive electric guitars at mostly mid-tempos (except for the speedy "I'm amazed"), with occasional massive hooks like "Gigantic". Sometimes both things would kind of happen at the same time, like in "Euphrates" or the sad-sack classic "Where Is My Mind?" and it works. Much of the songs just don't work for me, they just give me a headache. If you imprinted on this genre and record at that pivotal time in your life, good for you. I can take from 3-5 songs from this and the next 3 LPs through "Trompe Le Monde" and make a great longish album. But I don't see "Surfer Rosa" in its entirety as an all-time great, classic, must-have, album. It's for a very narrow swath of hipsters who like things that sound intentionally abrasive. More power to 'em.
It was ok
The 3 song slice from Gigantic to Where is my Mind is perfect. As overplayed as WIMM is, it's no fault of Pixies. I'm indifferent to the rest of the album, apart from a 45 second section where someone tries to explain their joke which is horrifically relatable.
Mmm yeah well, whatever.
28/02/25 Pixies at their best. Couple of tunes on here that are really great, not so much of a fan of the real screeching in the guitars in at times, still very solid tho! 3/5
OK, will keep the download.
i actually do like the sound they’re going for i just hate the main singers voice for some reason so much. exactly how i feel about the smashing pumpkins. anyway at least where is my mind was on here
Classic "Where is my mind?" is on here. Many other songs can be quite annoying.
Highs are brilliant, lows were strange
Ok. Close to genres I like but I don’t think I’ll ever single out Pixies stuff or search it out.
They have some good tunes but many Pixies albums like this one just sound they're trying to hard. Music for people who want to be cool and are more about telling us that they listen to good music than actually doing it.
Fun indie rock. There's not much more to say. It's pretty good, but lacks some extra punch, so I can't say it's great. To be honest, I don't really get the hype around Pixies' first two albums. They’re not impressive at all. 7/10
Hmmmm. Massively influential band, but really not a great album. It is very rough around the edges, and there are some flashes of quality, notably in Gigantic and Broken Face, but overall not great.
I hadn't listened to this one before. Good record #NotAHater
This is an interesting one. I can hear the sound carried over to Nirvana in the thunderous, aggressive drum sound and the driving guitar riffs. I don't really see the connection to PJ Harvey as mentioned in the album's Wikipedia article, but even so, clearly this album was widely influential. And what for? Sure, the sound is kind of fun, liberating, emotional – presumably what the Pixies were aiming for – but I don't see anything that really elevates this to the legendary status so many musicians, critics, and regular listeners tout it for. There are countless 5-star reviews that cite reasons like "timeless", "scratches an itch", "classic", "human" – but very few address exactly what it is that makes Surfer Rosa a masterpiece. I wish I knew. The main problem here is the vocals, which are bad. They're weakly delivered, mixed badly, and are often out-of-tune. The instruments are actually really good, significantly elevating the music's quality where the singing betrays it. The riffs are great, and again I can hear direct parallels to Nirvana's later music. Where Is My Mind?, Cactus, Bone Machine, and Gigantic are all standouts for being really catchy in spite of the singing. It's a general improvement on the punk genre (which is known for disregarding good sound in both instruments and vocal). And for that reason, I can acknowledge it as a crucial step in the punk-to-alt rock movement. 3/5 Key tracks: Gigantic, Where Is My Mind?, Cactus
I recognized the popular song
The album artwork is probably the best part of this album, because the music is mostly just meh. There are some things happening and you could manage listening to the whole thing if you just leave it playing in the background but overall nothing really exciting, at times even irritatingly repetitive. The one okay song, as I went "oh, that sounds alright, OH, and it sounds familiar as well", is "Where is my mind?" and it has a billion listens, so this is the one that is alright, the rest are definitely meh at best. In the Gigantic song, they sing "A big, big love" towards the end, repetitively, and I just kept hearing "A pp love", which.. slightly disappointed after I looked up what it actually is.
This must be our second or third Pixies album on the list, and I think I've concluded that it is not for me. For starters, punk is not really my favourite genre. 'Where Is My Mind?' and 'Gigantic' are really cool songs, but that's about it. Overall I think I prefer the songs when the girl is singing. Not much more to say, a bit disappointed that it didn't deliver more for me. It just gets a bit too much with quite samey guitar riffs in many songs, and with songs like 'Tony's Theme' where the singing sounds like it was recorded with a toaster. The album is weighed up by two good songs.
Thought Doolittle was the stronger Pixie album. Never really got in to them which I'm not sure why since it should be up my alley. "Where is my mind" is a very good track and I enjoyed the energy throughout. I think I maybe just need to listen to it a bit more "get it". Mid 3 for now.
Pretty good album and I love the pixies but not their best
Didn't love, didn't hate.
I have a weird relationship with Pixies where I can enjoy some of their songs but overall their albums never really hit for me for some reason. Even thought they play well within all the genres I enjoy, I think mainly because the way they go about how the songwriting leans in a poppier, surfier, more light(? direction than I ever expected from their music (or at least based on this and Doolittle), which ofc affects my view of them and certainly made me appreciate this album last time I heard it around last year. Now maybe it's the fact that I know someone who loves this band and has explained why she finds them so amazing or maybe it's the fact that I've found more appreciation in the way they introduce these poppier, sloppier and amateurish elements of the music and also how that plays off the more punk elements in the opener or River Euphrates or Tony's Theme, maybe too that I'm more in the mood for some of the sillier ideas like Oh My Golly! So, who knows maybe this one will keep growing on me, I sure hope it does because I love this era of noisier and punkier indie rock before it truly hit it big so who knows, maybe in the future I will get why Where's My Mind is so great to people.
Some good songs, very original, lots of screaming chaos :)
This album strikes me as the product of a really good garage band. A cool sound for 1988 that definitely influenced a lot that came after it. “Where is my mind?” Is such a standout track.
This is interesting to listen to as a document from the time between the height of 80s punk/hardcore and the emergence of 90s grunge/alternative. I don't particularly care for the actual music. Where Is My Mind? is a great song, though.
One of the originals of new music that would be arriving into the 90s. Different at the time.
Haven’t listened to much of Pixies before. Iconic tone, but not my preference
I want to like the Pixies more than I do.
It's a good 3. I think Doolittle is a 4 and this is not quite that level. Unlike Doolittle I'm not sure it should really be in this 1001 album list. It was before Doolittle so maybe it's seminal or influential? It's alright.
Thought music was good. Couldn’t get into the vocals
Great album, very raw with unusual song structures ! You can hear the influence of Husker Du and Fugazi, and the premonition of Smashing pumpkins and Nirvana! I prefer the more polish style in Doolittle, but this is a great start! 3,5 stars
Didn't drive me as much as I expected...
A couple of familiar songs. The only songs that really resonated with me were the ones I already know. Album did sound effects noise that I don't particularly care for.
Punk Rock, gradlinig, pur, ganz okay, aber haut mich nicht um.
I was unfamiliar with this album and I wished I still was. Its trash, white noise at times. What is it? Will never put myself through this again. Reluctantly it gets one star because 1 wasn't an option