Doolittle

My grampa listened to this record a ton right after my dad was born in 1989. My dad listened to this a lot right after I was born in 2002. I'm about to have my first kid in about 6 months; you better believe I'm going to be rocking out to this shit the first few days after he's born. Thanks gramps, this is a killer record. And in our family, it's the daddiest of dadrock albums.

One of the most influential albums of the 80s. There would be no Nirvana, Radiohead, Strokes, etc. without this band or this record. Loud quiet loud, baby. This is a top to bottom masterpiece of noise, melody and killer production. Black Francis’ voice on this is shredded and Kim Deal is just the coolest bass player ever. Favorite track(s): Debaser, Tame, This Monkey’s Gone to Heaven Least favorite track: No 13 Baby

this album make me go wohoo like a cowboy

Believe it or not, I've never listened to Doolittle all the way through before today, and now my brain is fried. It's as disorienting as if I'd been on a half dozen rides at a carnival after getting drunk. Maybe it's the sheer number of influences Frank Black draws from on Doolittle, from country to reggae; or how the album whipsaws from pop to punk on a dime, from sweet to shrill, or it could be the highly original freakshow lyrics, but no--ultimately, it's that all of this winds up sounding not like a stylistic mishmash, but rather an astonishingly congruent and cathartic artistic statement. Some of the songs on this album burn themselves into your brain on first hearing--Debaser, This Monkey's Gone To Heaven, and Wave of Mutilation come to mind--but every last track contributes to the cosmic mindfuckery that is Doolittle. Let me see if I can explain a little how the Pixies pull this off. It's not that these are virtuoso musicians or anything. It's more about how they bring together disparate elements in violently imaginative ways. One thing that Frank Black does is he tends to cut out sections of songs that would normally be left in as part of conventional pop structure. For example, on Debaser, there are these little two or four bar sections that connect ideas--they're exactly as long as they need to be and no longer. It's as if Frank Black found a way to make ADHD an integral part of his songwriting. And then, there's the contrasts: on the same song, check out how the poppy countermelody of Joey Santiago's guitar co-exists with Frank Black's shouted vocals. Or the segue from a gentle reggae lilt to a demented hillbilly stomp on Mr. Grieves? This is twisted stuff, even before you factor in lyrics about sliced eyeballs, driving into the ocean, and interracial relationship fantasies. Doolittle is a blast from beginning to end.

I adore this album. It’s as if they wanted to play music like the early Beatles but every time they tried this twisted sound came out instead. Frank Black screeching vocals, Kim Deal’s insistent bass, Joey Santiago’s intricate guitar solos and David Lovering’s sharp drumming - what a combination.

It's always interesting when you realize where an artist's influence comes from. A few songs in I was like... wait, Mitski??

Already a firm favourite. I get lost in the guitar before getting kicked by the angsty vocals. Love the backing vocals on this album. People forget the voice is another instrument. Quality

At times visceral (Tame, Gouge Away) and at times pure pop (Here Comes Your Man, Debaser), Doolittle is an indie guitar masterpiece with hooks galore. Their loud quiet loud aesthetic has often been copied and maybe dulls the impact of listening to this album today but no band has done it better and on this album the Pixies nailed it.

Awk COME ON. It's feckin' Doolittle like. It's "alternative rock" at it's finest, whatever that actually means.

Doolittle is a very loud, noise-filled album and I don't mean that in a bad way at all. I'd never heard any of this bands music before, so it's safe to say that when I pressed play and the opening track 'Debaser' started to play, I wasn't expecting what I was hit with. Tame is filled with screams and really weird noises and made me feel rather uncomfortable, to be honest. The rest of the album is filled with more of the same loud, noisy vocals and instruments. I have never really listened to anything like this before and I enjoyed it.

Big part of my high school and college years and beyond. They laid the groundwork for so much that was to come (and which is still going). My favorite part is the unique phrasing. Everything is so infectiously memorable. The lyrics are a great combination of cryptic poetry and a down to earth, almost conversational quality. Their music too is a seductive balance of simplicity and sophistication. Very human/vulnerable. Love both Frank Black and Kim Deal. Saw Frank Black solo playing a good amount of pixies material in college for like 3+ hours. Such stamina and energy. Total force of nature. Sweat running down from his bald head into his eyes the whole time.

I need to listen to more Pixies

How could you not give Doolittle 5 stars. There isn't a single moment on this album which isn't at the very least wildly entertaining. Its absolutely packed full of songs which not only set the template for decades of alternative rock. The fact that Here Comes Your Man, Wave of Mutilation, Hey, Monkey Gone To Heaven and the absolute monster of a song Debaser all appear on the same album is absolutely remarkable. Additionally a lot of modern music from Nirvana all the way through Pavement to the Strokes would probably sound very different. Dolittle deserves 5 stars and more.

Doolittle by Pixies (1989) One can explore these highly referential lyrics to discover their connections in literature, religion, and ecopolitics, but to what end? Lyricist Black Francis himself shook off notions of deep meaning in these references. His inspiration for the opening track “Debased” was “my stupid, pseudo-scholar, naive, enthusiast, avant-garde-ish, amateurish way” of viewing an early 20th century motion picture. And as to the chorus of the most popular song on the album. “I’m Your Man”, he says, “I don’t even know what that means”. So pardon us if we don’t care. This doesn’t rise to the level of surrealism. It is simply ham-fisted word smithery—jabberwockian without the euphony, syntax, and meter. Now the music, well, with a mix heavily dominated by inelegant bass-plucking and annoyingly intense backbeat snare, the limpid vocals and almost-tuned guitars are gratifyingly shoveled into a muddy background. The best way to listen to this record is with the volume turned down—to zero. 1/5

Let's be serious for a moment: there's a serious argument to be made that this is the best rock record of the 80s. Yes there were bigger sellers, and this isn't exactly adhering to any prominent "sound" of the decade, but for the level of influence this thing has had ON TOP of some of the best damn songs ever, you cant help but think, maybe. Probably, even!

Love the variety and “Hey” is on just about every mixed tape I ever made.

Awesome Alt-rock album. A long overdue intro to the Pixies

This was so fun to listen to, especially in the car on my way to work. I saw my life in the 90's run right by my eyes. I can definitely hear how this album influenced so much 90's music. Not only is my favorite song 'Hey,' but if I wrote a song, I might call it 'Hey.' I needed to find out more about the songs, finding this piece that you all might be interested in: https://consequence.net/2019/04/pixies-doolittle-10-stories-behind-the-album/2/ And, this: https://www.nme.com/features/30-information-pixies-album-doolittle-30th-birthday-party-2476993 Now, my biggest question is if I should change my dating profile to say, "I'm looking for someone who whistles at me like in La La Love You."

Another good album, am I gonna rush out to buy it? No. Will it eventually make its way into my collection? Possibly. But nothing wrong with it, just not my absolute cup of tea.

Doolittle is an album who tries to find itself with a lot of songs (15) in a little time (39mins). It does not help since I felt as no ideas were experienced completely. The first half of the album reminds The Cure's songs while the other half, the more original and exciting one, creates an Radiohead-like atmosphere. Since the style varies so much during the listening, I felt lost and couldn't fully appreciate any songs due to its premature ending. What seems like a ground-breaking album, for it being in the list, will last in my mind as a compilation of attempts to find a new style.

My favorite record by one of my favorite bands. No skips. Rips at any volume and in any setting. Kim Deal is the absolute best and her singing and playing are the soul of the record to me. But all the parts are great. On this, which must be way past my 100th listen, I’m really listening to the drums the most. So tasty, but with so much variety to them. Listen to the tom tom madness and weird fills on Dead and then the straight ahead snare/tambourine On Monkey Gone to Heaven. Totally different and you can’t imagine either song having the same impact without them.

And if the devil is six Then God is seven Then God is seven Then God is seven

What's not to love. Black Francis spirits and screaming out these strange stories, backed by that solid rhythm. But the thing that takes it next level is Joey Santiago's sonic wails, they just accentuate everything. Here Comes Your Man is great pop, written by Francis when he was 15.

A magnificent album that somehow managed to push through to the mainstream. Who knew that tales of messy sex, chopping up body parts and dead monkeys would be so popular? Everything is perfect about Doolittle; the songs, the musicianship, the production. Kim Deal's bass is an absolute beast and holds it all together. Note how the quiet, loud, quiet thing predates Nirvana by a couple of years. One of the few albums that I could play on rotation and not get bored.

Wantlist

Hard to revisit this one objectively. I remember purchasing this when it was first released and thinking this is the likely the best release of the year and one of the tops of the decade. Not much has dissuaded me that my initial impression was incorrect. I am a sucker for the combination of melodic pop and overlays of loud guitars. Add to it odd, cryptic lyrics and off kilter harmonies and I am sold.

Really cool well crafted almost pop rock in parts, in other parts however its really erratic and jarring. It doesn’t linger on one musical style for long. There’s a huge contrast between light and dark, it shouldn’t work but it does. Intricate and interesting guitar work, gritty but jangly at the same time. And the combination of male/female vocal styles is also really well done. I cant quite put my finger on it but I like it. And I also don’t like it. But I also love it, It’s weird. 5/5 - A really interesting listen, way better than I thought it would be. Listened repeatedly for a few days

This is really good, but should be listened to actively

Everything about this album is so on the money. So loose and tight at the same time. Cmon it's the best

This album finds its way onto my rotation every few years. It's loud, dissonant, with some great melodies sprinkled in. It's like the band Television stopped practicing and playing long solos and the outcome was a rougher and cooler album. It sounds like a live album. Like you are watching them play on stage. No polish just raw music. It scratches a nostalgic itch really well and is fun, but I can't honestly say it holds up in today's world in any serious way. If it came out today I would not be sold. That being said it did come out in 1989 and was a real shake up, so for that reason it's an essential listen.

Pleasantly surprised - a lot heavier (in sound and lyrical content), more substantial, and more interesting than my perception of the Pixies, which was formed by hearing "Where Is My Mind" over and over again in various contexts over many years.

I realize Pixies were a huge influence on the 1990s so-called "alternative" scene - the quiet/LOUD/quiet music that among others Nirvana capitalized on. So there are a lot of people that like it obviously :) - confession: I really hated this genre of music and especially when I lived in Boston around the time the Pixies were active; almost the opposite of the kind of music I was into and grew up on. I always find it good to revisit music I rejected years ago to see how I might hear it differently... I'm definitely way more open-minded about music than i was in my early 20s. I can appreciate a few of the songs as having a decent melody and I definitely tip my cap to them for being pioneers of this sound. Hearing "Here Comes Your Man" and "Monkey Gone to Heaven" throws me right back to being 22 again and walking around Harvard Square, heading into Newbury Comics... that was a nice memory :) All said, beyond those songs I don't enjoy it and won't listen again - would have reflexively given it a 1 star 20 years ago :D just out of spite haha and honestly still feel that way for most of it (would be 2 or 3/10) but I'll give it a 2 on influence -> still not for me (and Black Francis' voice is just a straight up 'no').

A straight up fucking masterpiece. No album has ever been more my shit. Fuck it, I'm listening to it for the rest of the work day.

The video game Rock Band allowed online players the options of purchasing various albums that were available to play in the game - this album was one of them. I have lovely memories of screaming at my living room TV during Monkey Goes to Heaven as I did my best Frank Black impersonation and mashed buttons on a toy guitar. Also, Here Comes Your Man is a perfect pop ditty (that must really rankle Black Francis) and the best song ever recorded about train-hopping hobos.

I've listened to this album a billion times and will listen to it a billion more. Don't waste your time reading this review. Listen to the music.

It's all the best bits of rock n' roll from 1960s surf rock to 1980s hardcore thrown together in a way that is completely and utterly unique to the Pixies. Well it was unique at the time, every man and his dog ripped off the simultaneously abrassive and catchy formula in the early 1990s (hello Kurt). Although no one, Nirvana included, got anywhere near the surrealist genius of Charles' lyrics. It's in my top 5 favourite albums of all time without a doubt.

Pretty much amazing. Raw, vibrating and energetic. Tunes of a lifetime mate.

Just amazing…. Weird and wonderful!!! Easy 5.

Ladies and gentlemen. Here's the definition of indie.

Once again, the Pixies do not disappoint. Doolittle is such an influential album that there's not much more I can say about it. It is a wonderful blend of punk, surf rock, and new wave that would go on to influence bands like Radiohead and Nirvana. This album is more accessible than their debut, Surfer Rosa, but without compromising what made them great.

Easily one of my favorite albums of all time. Such a cohesive album, it's innovative and creative and inspires me to be my creative best. Nearly perfect album. Favorite Tracks: "Debaser" "I Bleed" "Monkey Gone to Heaven" "Hey" "Gouge Away" "Wave of Mutilation"

i love the pixies, they were basically the gateway to my punk phase this album is full of bangers

Every single song on this album is killer. A true masterpiece beginning to end.

Well, my actual review got deleted when the page refreshed. So anywayyys...5 stars for this album of all killers 'n no fillers. Great job by a talented bunch of Mass-holes! They're probably Patriots fans too ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

SLICING UP EYEBALLS AH HA HA HA Favourite band of all time. Dark, Furious, Surreal, Funny, Melodic, Noisy And probably their most well known album (though I prefer Surfer Rosa as an album) Debaser is possibly my favourite pixies song, single at least. Wave of Mutilation also amazing. and Gouge Away. Ugh all of it! But some other less known absolute favourites are also here - La La Love You, Hey, Tame

We saw the Pixies perform this full album on it's 25th anniversary tour at DAR Constitution Hall. A seemingly unconventional venue for the Pixies. They must be true Daughters of the American Revolution. Kate asked if we heard this for the first time today, would we feel the same way about it that we do after discovering it at a much younger age and listening to it for more than two decades. This review nailed the dynamic of the Pixies, and what makes them so great - "The tension from straddling pop’s melodies with punk’s energy, Black Francis’ anguished lead vocals with bassist Kim Deal’s harmonies, and Deal’s own juxtaposition of flatly deadpan with perky and sweet make all of these tracks jump."

It’s amazing to me that a band could be this weird, loud, and catchy all at the same time.

One of my all time favorites. Hey always makes me want to pick up my bass.

Liked it and it was entertaining all the way through

Absolutely stunning album from start to finish. Very catchy yet abrasive at times. A timeless album.

Damn that's good

Amazing album, i like every song

A great mix of surf rock, danceable songs, and a twinge of instability.

I've listened to a few of these songs before but never the entirety of the album. Loved it.

Unlikely to forget the feeling of randomly turning on the TV one Sunday night in 1989 to this: https://youtu.be/FMH3akt07zs?si=CFBUCluFWgElxckh I was too jealous to like them then, but in retrospect the 1990s would not have sounded anything like it did if not for them. I lived in Boston when these guys ruled the town and I was too far up my own jazzhole to notice. Oops. When my wife and I get in a hipster pissing contest, eventually she will play the "I saw the Pixies at the Living Room in Providence" card. Bitch. Before there was Nirvana, there was Pixies, in that Pixies pioneered the quiet-loud thing that Cobain & Co made their name with. This is their best album, in my opinion. Best songwriting and performances and nice big sound. Enjoy!

There's a fine distinction between landfill [insert genre] bands, and bands that sort through everyone else's trash to make something new and, hopefully, exciting. The Pixies are that distinction.

Gave this a good couple of listens as I've been looking forward to landing on a pixies album in this little adventure. Have always wanted to do a deep dive on them but never got around to it. This is a solid album with a few 5 star songs. Overall 4 but keen to hear more from them.

Every song on this album felt extremely repetitive. Which is very surprising considering each song is only about two minutes long.

I just couldn’t get into it.

I don't like the Pixies anymore. 1/5

This is an album built on decisions. Each track isolates a single idea - dynamic contrast, withheld resolution, pure pop clarity, internal tension - and executes it without distraction. Nothing sprawls. Nothing drifts. Even the strangest moments feel contained within a clear frame. The core mechanism is simple but used with precision: loud and quiet, tension and release, or in many cases the deliberate refusal of release. What distinguishes the album is not the presence of these devices, but the discipline with which they are applied. Songs arrive, demonstrate their function, and exit before the idea weakens. There is a constant sense of iteration. One track offers a clean pop structure, the next denies resolution, the next compresses panic into a minute, the next withholds entirely. The album does not settle on a single answer, but explores multiple working models of what a song can be, all within a tightly controlled space. Production plays a decisive role. Where earlier recordings captured the band as an event, this presents them as a system. The rhythm section carries weight, the vocals are placed to serve the song, and arrangements are reduced to what is necessary. The result is clarity without loss of character. Despite the experimentation, the album remains highly legible. Hooks are present, but often disguised. Melodic intelligence runs throughout, even when delivered through abrasion or restraint. This balance between accessibility and subversion is central to its durability. Sequencing reinforces the design. Moments of openness are followed by denial, intensity is broken by brevity or humour, and apparent resolution is undercut by subsequent tracks. The album maintains forward motion while continually resetting expectation. The closing stretch does not resolve the preceding tensions so much as stabilise them. By the end, the band’s method feels complete - not explained, but demonstrated. The record concludes without flourish, leaving the system intact rather than summarised. The achievement lies in how much is done within strict limits. Short songs, minimal arrangements, and a narrow set of tools are used to produce a wide range of effects. The album feels both economical and expansive, a set of constraints pushed to their limit. This is not a document of a band searching for its identity. It is the sound of a band defining its operating principles in real time, and discovering that those principles hold.

#109/1001 🇺🇸 This a perfect album. Black Francis screaming from the pit of his depraved soul, over catchy pop tunes, distorted guitars, and Kim Deals sugary backing vocals. This will always be amongst my favourite records, i got to hear it first just as they split but made sure to see them live on the very first date if their reformation. Best Tracks: Gouge Away, Wave of Mutilation, Tame, Mr Grieves, Debaser,

Now this is my kind of weird. I simultaneously totally see how this was so influential and find it baffling that something SO alternative got so big and hit mainstream appeal. I think that's partially because its pulling from so many different sources and style and doing it all good enough that Debaser hooked me immediately and the rest of the album just kept me throughout. For a 40 minute album it is trying and nailing so much, its an album that never sits still. The delivery on I Bleed is incredible and you can hear the proto-grunge sound coming through so much. Then you get to the next track with "Here Comes Your Man" and you hear the early influences of REM's Out of Time. I rank albums on enjoyment more then historical importance but here the two are so intertwined. It simultaneously holds its own as an album experience whilst feeling like your listening to the roots of the entirity of 90s music. This 40 minutes flew by so fast I listened to the album 2 and a half times, I really should've listened to this before. I cannot be more glowing with my praise.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1001 ALBUMS- # 88 Doolittle does ALOT as simply one of my all-time favorite records. 🐒💿 From the opening bass line of Debaser, Frank Black, Kim Deal, Joey Santiago & David Lovering create an album that is a start to finish cold cut classic! Doolittle isn’t just an album — it’s a controlled explosion. It blends the abrasion of punk, the melody of pop, and the chaos of surrealism into something thrilling, unpredictable, and instantly influential. It’s the sound of tension: soft vs loud, beauty vs grotesque, sacred vs profane. Building on the rawness of their 1988 debut Surfer Rosa, Pixies evolved into something tighter and more refined — but no less weird. Doolittle is catchier and more polished, thanks to producer Gil Norton, but it still sounds like it might collapse into madness at any moment. 🎧 Classic Track: Monkey Gone To Heaven 🎧 Deep Cut Gem: La La Love You 🎧 Personal Favorite: Dead 🎧 Memorable Standout: No 13 Baby 🎧 For Good Measure: Silver Lyrical themes consist of Death & Decay; The album is obsessed with death, violence, and bodily corruption — but often in a playful, ironic tone.; strange Biblical numerology mixed with corpse imagery. Surrealism & Absurdity- Inspired by Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí, frontman Black peppers the album with nonlinear, dreamlike, and violent images. Sexuality, Religion, & Power- Many songs combine sexual energy with religious or violent imagery, critiquing or perverting societal norms. 🖼️ Album Artwork: If the Devil is 6 then GOD IS 7! Pixies pioneered the now-famous “loud-quiet-loud” dynamic, later popularized by Nirvana and countless alt-rock bands. Frank Black: Unpredictable vocals — shrieks, whispers, yelps, and surreal storytelling. Kim Deal: Cool, melodic basslines and occasional vocals (Silver, I Bleed, Gigantic on earlier records). Joey Santiago: Angular, surf-inspired guitar riffs that sound like they’re barely under control. David Lovering: Tight, unshowy drumming that keeps the chaos grounded. Producer Gil Norton brought clarity and punch to their sound, pushing them closer to mainstream without dulling their edge. Doolittle is a masterpiece of contradiction — melodic and brutal, catchy and bizarre, intelligent and childish, sacred and blasphemous. It’s a record that changed the direction of alternative music forever by never playing it safe. It didn’t try to make sense — and that’s exactly why it made so much impact. ESSENTIAL.

Every nanosecond of Doolittle is sacred and it should only be spoken of in awed whispers or shouted in throat-thrashing screams.

My (joint) top favourite album of all time

Perfect album

One things for sure, this album doesnt belong in the 80s 😆 Doolittle sounds so much better and more complete than Surfa Rosa did 1 year before it. I can hear why Cobain claimed this as one of his favorites. The quiet/loud screamo stuff gets me fucking fired up and mad as hell at… well, I dont really know. The dark punky moody tunes somehow pair well with their distantly related, happy alt cousins. I dont get it, but Im here for the party that switches from beer pong to cigarettes in a hurry There is so much packed into this 40 minute package. Its going to be in my ears all weekend.

I loved this album. I listened to it 3 times yesterday.

An all-time favorite!

Brilliant album

Man, I love this album so much. This was my intro to the Pixies in 1989, and I don't think it's an exaggeration to say this changed how I thought (and felt) about music.

banger album

One of the greatest to ever do it, and this is their best work. Never gets old.

Excellent

I just love this album. So enjoyable to listen to. Some incredible lyrics. Monkeys Gone To Heaven: If the man is five, then the devil is six. If the devil is six, then god is seven.

My favorite Pixies album.

One of my favorite albums of all time

'Doolittle' is, for me, The Pixies' masterpiece. I appreciate the temptation to say that 'Surfer Rosa' is the better album, solely based on the involvement of the great Steve Albini. Albini did some incredible work over his career and certainly helped to give The Pixies the start the deserved. 'Surfer Rosa' has some amazing songs, including their (possibly) best known hit, 'Where Is My Mind?' But I actually think that The Pixies and Albini were not the best match. They're not a punk band and they didn't quite fit into grunge. Toning down the abrasiveness and adding more pop stylings sounds sacreligious, but it really worked. 'Doolittle' is perfect album. It flows, it hooks you, and there's not a bad track on there. It has more memorable tracks including 'Debaser', 'Waves of Mutilation', 'Monkey Gone to Heaven' and the surprisingly upbeat 'Here Comes Your Man'. Least anyone accuse the band of selling out, the album's lyrics are nothing for Top 40 radio. The album works. The short tracks balance out the 15 song tracklisting. The Pixies really hit their stride with this one.

This is a top to bottom masterpiece of noise

one of my all time favorites<3333

Just love Pixies.

The finest album by the best band of the late eighties. If only Black Francis had been a hottie, they'd have absolutely cleaned up instead of being the most influential band of their era instead.

Albums are often referred to as "seminal", but in the case of Doolittle this word rings true. The singles "Here Comes Your Man" and "Debaser" were delicious, but it is on tracks "Hey" and "Gouge Away" that the band set up the blueprint for much of the music that was to come in the first half of the 90s. When Kim Deal and Frank Blacks voice come together the satisfaction is similar to when you manage to zip your coat up with just a hand in one go.

Every note of this record is stitched into my soul. Easily one of the best and most influential albums on this list. 10Million/5

Too biased on this one, but here’s an album I didn’t fall in love with until it had been out for almost 20 years! Late to the party, but it’s a timeless classic for me.

I love the Pixies, but hadn't listened to their albums before this project. This album has a lot of the songs I had heard to make me fall in love with them. They are just so unique, but do it perfectly. For me the music has a 50's sock hop vibe, with punk rock vocals, and 70s/80s style lyrics. They created such a uniquely perfect sound that really welcomed a new generation of alt rock. They were so unique, and to this day you can hear bands that were 100 influenced by them.

Looks like we get the entire recipe for "Nevermind" this week! Fabulous album, loved it from the first time I heard Debaser's screeching riff. Never saw them live, stupidly

One of my acquaintances in high school would give me the nickname 'Pixies' because of my love of this band at the time. So you can easily imagine how close to my heart this legendary record is. Probably in my top five list of all-time favorites... But reading the reviews from this group, it seems I'm far from being the only one to find this album so frigging good. Black Francis' muscled-yet-sugary pop chops, his geeky pot-pourri of surrealism conniving with references going from the bible to sci-fi, both of them mating with teenage angst--not to forget his stellar choruses and his mock-hardcore punk growls--along with Kim Deal's velvety background vocals or plucky basslines, Joey Santiago's forays into surf rock or jangle indie, and David Lovering's gated drums with a very retro (?) sound, (thanks to producer Gil Norton)--all of this makes it one for the ages, a record that's both adventurous and terrifically cohesive overall, both totally indiosyncratic and immediately catchy and hummable. A masterpiece. But what struck me the most reading all those reviews here, is the sheer number of *first-timers* telling how hard this record slapped them in the face, so to speak. Some of those first-timers already knew a few indie hits like "Wave Of Mutilation" or "Monkey Gone To Heaven" , but they couldn't anticipate how good everything else would be, from "Debaser"'s soaring introductory bassline to "Gouge Away'"s alternate use of minor and major chords to conclude the album on an ominous and surprisingly somber note. Commentators and reviewers have also rightly pointed out how important this album was for rock in general, with its quiet-loud-quiet dynamics foretelling the "alternative" explosion of the nineties of years later. But as Kurt Cobain knew himself--and this, probably at the very same time he confessed having 'ripped off' Pixies for "Smells Like Teen Spirit"--all of this wouldn't be worth a rat'a ass if the *songs* had not been so good. And personal. And hummable and weird and strange and funny and dark and twisted and light-hearted and wonderful. It takes a genius songwriter to recognize the genius of one of his peers. And this is what Doolittle is: pure genius. Number of albums left to review or just listen to:  less than 900, I've temporarily lost count here Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens:  approximately a half so far (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: a quarter Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more important): the last quarter

I am thoroughly obsessed with this album I first got into this album when I was about 17 and it felt incredibly cathartic during an absolute shitshow time in my life, so it will always be special to me for that. And it's never grown old!!! Despite the darkness and weirdness of some of the lyrics, screaming along to them will always give me a big serotonin boost Its just so bloody good and an easy 5/5 for me Fave bits: literally all of it? Okay maybe the bit in Gouge Away when he screams "I break the WAAAAAAALLS"

Just wasn't into them at the time but this was justifiably popular then and now. Great sound- almost retro and great energy paving the way for many bands afterwards. They blend all kinds of sounds into a cohesive whole and all the time it's never dull or repetitive. It either works or doesn't at all. For me it's 5*****

I fucking love this album. It rocks very hard for me.

4.7 - fantastic album full of rock and roll excitement. Great nostalgia and bass licks that always bring smile to my face.

different

At their height, this is such a great end to end listen, almost a concept album but with several stand-out tracks. Hearing it again, it’s still fantastic, such crisp production, moving between silences and wall of sound

An absolutely perfect album

Ahead of it's time and has aged so well. Love it.

👑👑

Amazing album. Quiet / loud / quiet perfected. Have listened to this many times before and will continue to listen in the future.

I've never actually listened to Doolittle before today and I feel like I've done myself an injustice. There is not one bad song on this album. Some great musicianship and sheer inventiveness in each song, everything sounds different and still balanced. Definitely going into the rotation!