Pixies - Doolittle
List Price:
Our Price: $7.79
You Save: $4.19 (35%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $5.27 (click here)
Category: Music CD
See more CD details
Buy this Music CD at online store in your country
Canadian Music Store
Canadian Music Store
CD Details
Artist: PixiesEdition: Music CD
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Published)
CD Release Date: 2003-05-20
Music Label: 4ad / Ada
Soundtracks:
- Debaser
- Tame
- Wave Of Mutilation
- I Bleed
- Here Comes Your Man
- Dead
- Monkey Gone To Heaven
- Mr. Grieves
- Crackity Jones
- La La Love You
- No.13 Baby
- There Goes My Gun
- Hey
- Silver
- Gouge Away
Music reviews of Doolittle
Music Review: 5,6,7...chocolate flavoured heroin
Rating: 4 Stars
First, to explain my heading about "chocolate flavoured heroin"-I'm referring to the song "Monkey gone to Heaven" on this album. When I think about reviewing an album I'll jot notes for some/all of the songs and put a tick against songs I like [more if I particularly like the song]. I put a tick against "Monkey gone to Heaven", but it was sort of half-hearted...I'd seen this song listed in NME's 50 greatest indie anthems list and was maybe slightly influenced to give the song the benefit of the doubt. I did think that in the mist, there did seem to be some nice hooks in that song. Well, not sure if it was after two listens, or maybe three, those hooks, which I thought were harmless, started getting jagged deep in my body. In the two days I'd had this cd, I must have played "Monkey" dozens of times. Hence the "heroin/chocolate" comment. This song is addictive. If you do not know this song, your radio station has deprived you of something extraordinary and you should, like, sue them and stuff.
This song is pop perfection. It's The Pixies' version of The Beatles' classic "A day in the life"-by that I mean it stands as one of, if not THE best song the band has ever made. Haven't listened to a song so incessantly since I wore out the laser playing "What have I done to deserve this?" on Dusty Springfield's "Best of" compilation. This song is beautiful. It takes a little while to notice the beauty in it...the orchestral instruments-cello, piano, violin, and maybe there is even a harp in that song. And the strumming pattern of the guitar in this song is sublime too. This song is beautiful...like Australian Alex Lloyd's pure pop masterpiece "Green". Songs like these make you get all religiousy.
Perhaps this album best illustrates the proposition that The Pixies were an influential band. Not being a 'hip' person, I was delighted to 'discover' on one of Triple J's "Hottest 100" double cd compilations The Bloodhound Gang's hilarious and foul mouthed song "Fire, water, burn". Having bought this album a few days ago, I now know how OBVIOUS the references to "Monkey gone to Heaven" are in that later song. Sure, the Gang change one or two letters from one word in a phrase the Pixies use, but it's still the same phrase, but twisted for comedic effect. Both songs are classics. The Romantic's "Talking in your sleep" also has a very pretty guitar strumming pattern, not unlike the one in "Monkey". The one in "Monkey" is more beautifuler though.
Ok, now to the rest of the album. I'm giving it 4 stars but maybe 3.5/5 is more accurate-I'll concede that maybe I just haven't listened to this album enough and maybe songs will grow on me if I were to listen to it more, and justify the 4 stars.
I haven't really been exposed to much in the way of indie/alt pop/rock, so I'll just say that to me, this album seems more conventional than, say, "Surfer Rosa". I WOULD have said that this album is not so hardcore as that first Pixies album. But listening to this album for a second time, you have to recognise that it does have hardcore elements...it's just that they are masked by the more conventional 'poppyness' of the sound. E.g. "Wave of mutilation" isn't exactly gagging to get played on commercial radio, right? And "Debaser" has a truly horrific lyric-I actually misheard the actual lyric but my mondegreen was no less horrifying than the actual lyric-both ugly alternatives in any case. The other day I revisited an article about this band and there is an explanation for this lyric-it concerns a very old movie with a certain special effect. The lead singer, Frank Black, is apparently referring to this movie. I've seen the scene on tv occasionally, and it is no less disturbing for being filmed before the age of realistic special effects. If this song's lyrics had been in a heavy metal song, I'd have dismissed the song out of hand. Being bound up in this demented pop ALMOST makes it like art-challenging, if not uncomfortable. [On the subject of metal-in the same way I feel deprived for not having heard "Monkey" sooner, I'm staggered that the beautiful song "Fade to black" by Metallica has never really seen the light of day on commercial radio in Australia. Our loss.]
Browsing this band's compilation "Wave of mutilation", I see that one song that should be an automatic selection for such an album, "I bleed", is not there. Lead singer Frank sounds like Lou Reed on this song [echoing back to "Surfer Rosa" and the song "I've been tired"]. Black and female bassist Kim Deal combine wonderfully on this laid back song-Deal has a very haunting, ethereal quality to her voice and she's nicely creepy on this song. One thing you can't say about Pixies is that they hide the bass player under a bushel. As always, the bass is where the action is with this band. Not sure if this perception is correct, but maybe Deal has been dealt out of a major vocal contribution to the songs...she doesn't take the lead vocal duties like she did on "Surfer" with "Gigantic". Perhaps she is being underutilised on this album as a mere backing singer? She does that duty well, in any case. Just btb, this song has a guitar part which avowed Pixies fans "Radiohead" seem to have used, after nicely refining it, for "Creep". Radiohead are on the Pixies' documentary "Gouge", among other musicians of note, like U2's Bono and David Bowie. Watching that docu made me go out and buy "Surfer Rosa"-as well as review that album here a few minutes ago.
Of the rest of album, the songs that are next best for me are:
"Silver"-it has a sort of demented Country song feel to it...slide guitar, vocals with a Spiritual vibe to them, and Frank complementing Kim's vocals with his own falsetto. Sort of "Man of constant sorrow" territory for this song.
If people criticise this album for being more pop than alt pop, they may have songs like "Here comes your man". Since I LOVE pop, I have to say that this song is one of the better ones on this album. It has a cheesy bass melody and, like much of this album, is more indie pop than the band's earlier alternative pop.
Some other interesting songs from the aspect of influences are:
"Tame"-where Frank sort of sounds like a muppet and has a terrific breathy quality to his voice...in fact, he seems to channel the still alive Rolf Harris with his "eefing and eiffing" vocal trick. This song is also another example where Black sounds completely insane at times-some parts of Pixies songs are pure Bedlam, vocals wise.
"Dead"-I haven't heard too much of The White Stripes, but what I have heard suggests to me that maybe they listened to this song before they started making music. It's got that kind of drumming sound and simplicity to it. One time Aussie indie rock messiahs, The Vines, had a song called "Ride with me"-that had a catchy drum sound to it. Pixies were always experimenting with sound and tempos etc.
"Crackity Jones"-punkish/thrash pop with screeching.
"La la love you"-cheesy song, singing wise, which perhaps has an echo, melody wise, with The Cures' song "Let's go to bed".
Lastly-did I tell you about "Monkey gone to Heaven"? No? Well, it's great. Frank has such evangelical zeal in one part of that song-the part that my heading for this review references: "5,6,7". Sure, you could say that the lyrics are silly, but the music is so great you don't nitpick. In fact, the lyrical weirdness of this band is a strength. I have no idea what Black is talking about with those numbers, but he sounds sure of himself. His logic is inescapable...I'm sure he has discovered some eternal truth in the significance of these numbers...if only we had someone to tell us how to live now.
Anyway, this album is more conventional in sound, but, make no mistake, the band is still hardcore and not desperate to be liked by the mainstream radio stations. They made their bed-it should hardly be surprising that a great pop song like "Monkey gone to Heaven" is perhaps largely unknown amongst the ordinary punter. That is a crime.
As always, Pixies wrap challenging and confronting lyrics into, this time, some sublime pop.
Description of Doolittle
All products are BRAND NEW and factory sealed. Fast shipping and 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed.Alternative Rock CDs
Music Genres
Bestsellers in Alternative Rock CDs
Bouncing Souls - Maniacal LaughterRelease date: 1996-01-26; Music CD
Best price: $30.00
Blondie - Parallel LinesRelease date: 1994-07-29; Music CD
Best price: $149.98
Doors - L.A. WomanRelease date: 1993-04-09; Music CD
Best price: $99.99
Amon Duul - Phallus DeiRelease date: 1997-04-08; Music CD
Price in other shops:
Tangerine Dream - MelroseRelease date: 1990-10-02; Music CD
Best price: $74.98
Tangerine Dream - Private Music of Tangerine DreamRelease date: 1992-11-10; Music CD
Best price: $5.00
Price in other shops:
![Ska Explosion [VHS] Image](/images/Ska-Explosion-VHS-6303381014-X.jpg){kind=small}
Ska Explosion [VHS]Cleopatra; Release date: 1995-02-28; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $14.99
Price in other shops:
![Little Earthquakes [VHS] Image](/images/Little-Earthquakes-VHS-6302488664-X.jpg){kind=small}
Little Earthquakes [VHS]Atlantic / Wea; Release date: 1992-11-10; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $12.50
Price in other shops:
Exileby Geoffrey Oryema
Music CD
Best price: $4.95
![Louder Than Live [VHS] Image](/images/Louder-Than-Live-VHS-6301627865-X.jpg){kind=small}
Soundgarden - Louder Than Live [VHS]A&M Video; Release date: 1991-07-01; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $183.90
Similar CDs
Breeders - Last SplashBREEDERS; Release date: 1993-08-31; Music CD
Best price: $3.91
Price in other shops:
The Smiths - The Queen is DeadSmiths; Release date: 1990-10-25; Music CD
Best price: $6.67
Price in other shops:
Pixies - Complete B-SidesRelease date: 2001-03-12; Music CD
Best price: $7.69
Price in other shops:
My Bloody Valentine - LovelessMY BLOODY VALENTINE; Release date: 1991-11-05; Music CD
Best price: $4.61
Price in other shops:
Sonic Youth - Daydream NationRelease date: 1993-11-23; Music CD
Best price: $2.58
Price in other shops:
Pixies - Come on PilgrimRelease date: 2003-05-20; Music CD
Best price: $6.67
Price in other shops:
Pixies - Trompe Le MondeRelease date: 2003-05-20; Music CD
Best price: $8.96
Price in other shops:
Pixies - BossanovaRelease date: 2003-05-20; Music CD
Best price: $7.73
Price in other shops:
Pixies - Wave of Mutilation: Best of PixiesBaker & Taylor; Release date: 2004-04-27; Music CD
Best price: $8.36
Price in other shops:
Pixies - Surfer RosaRelease date: 2003-05-20; Music CD
Best price: $7.53
Price in other shops: