From: dhake@mac.cc.macalstr.edu
Newsgroups: alt.music.alternative
Subject: Re: Pixies opinion
Summary: Yuk
Date: 14 Apr 92 20:36:39 GMT
Reply-To: self
Followup-To: poster
Organization: Macalester College

In article <20165@castle.ed.ac.uk>, aigdi@castle.ed.ac.uk (Gavin Inglis) writes:
> Well, as I have ten minutes to myself, and I'm feeling like committing
> network suicide, here's an opinion you are invited to disagree (or even
> agree) with.

Ok.

> 
> It has been said several times on this board in the not-so-distant-past
> that the "real" Pixies stuff is the noisier, harder stuff, and it's
> generally accepted that pre-Doolittle material is the best of this.
> Tracks such as "Here Comes Your Man" and "Monkey Gone to Heaven" have
> been dismissed as bowing to commercialism and described as "sell-out"s
> or something similar. Well:
> 

Let's dismiss terms like "commercialism" and replace them with genericism.  The
fact remains that its not really all that impressive when a band develops an
innovative sound to go back on that slightly and crossbreed that with something
traditional.  Not only does it have the safety feature of being acceptable (or
more acceptable) it also sells better.  The thing that burns me about so-called
alternative music is that its supposed to be "alternative".  "Alternative to
what?" I often wonder.  I've long accepted that "alternative" music has
anything but alternative business practices...its even worse when they start
reneging on the sound too.

> I don't think that's right.
> 
> Am I still here? Gosh, I am. They must be lying in wait somewhere.
> 

Maybe.

> I got into the Pixies through the Surfer Rosa/Come On Pilgrim
> combination. Since then, I've picked up all the albums, including Trompe
> Le Monde the day it came out. I like pretty much all of what they've
> done, and I would agree that Bossanova is perhaps their weakest album.
> However I don't believe it's particularly soft, especially when you
> consider Doolittle.
> 

Whatever.

> Also: "Monkey Gone..." is one of my favourites, likewise "Here Comes
> Your Man". I don't just prefer soft stuff, for I would also include "The
> Holiday Song", "Tony's Theme" and half of Trompe Le Monde.
> 

The issue shouldn't be what's "hard".  I could really care less.  The whole
point should be what's different.

> The point is this: why should the Pixies have to conform to some
> stereotype or character that they acquired after Surfer Rosa? One mark
> of a good band is versatility, and this is something displayed on
> Doolittle. There are people out there who would like them to play "Bone
> Machine" and similar, over and over again, every tour, but most of us
> surely agree that would get stale. Isn't accepting each new album on
> its own merits, rather than comparing it to their first one, a more
> satisfying attitude? 
> 

Well yes, but at the same time, as I touched on earlier, wouldn't it be better
if the Pixies had go on to do something REALLY revolutionary, not only to
mainstream music, but to their own style?  THAT would've been cool.  THAT
would've also helped redefine the boundaries of what we're calling
"alternative".  If this is an obscure example, I apologize, but its like in
traditional hardcore when Ian Mackaye of Minor Threat presented us with his new
project, Fugazi.  Fugazi wasn't like anything before (with the exception of
Rites of Spring, but I digress) and challenged the previous stereotype.  I
think expecting that from a group isn't too much to ask.  

David Michael Hake 

"Fuk'n fuk fuk" - Econochrist