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Pixies at the BBC (1998)

Where the lyrics of Pixies at the BBC take you, and where it was really made.

Recorded for BBC radio sessions between 1988 and 1991, this album came out in 1998, five years after the band's first split.

Key places

Maida Vale Studios sessions (1998)

Recording site Maida Vale Studios — Maida Vale Studios is one of the recording places for the BBC sessions behind this album. The sessions were recorded over several sessions between 1988 and 1991. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

The Hippodrome sessions (1998)

Recording site The Hippodrome — The Hippodrome is listed as a recording place for the BBC sessions on this album. The sessions were recorded over several sessions between 1988 and 1991. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Protocol sessions (1998)

Recording site Protocol — Protocol is listed as a recording place for the BBC sessions on this album. The sessions were recorded over several sessions between 1988 and 1991. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded at the BBC (1998)

Recording site Broadcasting House — The album's sessions were recorded at the BBC in London between 1988 and 1991. The exact studio is not given in the source. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Pixies at the BBC: a compilation of BBC radio sessions by the American alternative rock band Pixies
• Released by 4AD on 6 July 1998 in the UK, and by Elektra Records on 14 July 1998 in the US
• 15 tracks; all songs written by Black Francis except tracks 1 and 15
• The sound is described as raw and under-produced
• Collects sessions recorded for BBC radio programmes

Background

• Pixies is an American alternative rock band formed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1986
• The album was released five years after the band's initial split
• Recorded over several sessions between 1988 and 1991 at the BBC
• Sessions were recorded for the John Peel show and the Mark Goodier show

Recording

• Earliest session in the track list: 3 May 1988 for the John Peel show, first broadcast 16 May 1988
• Latest session in the track list: 23 June 1991 for the John Peel show, first broadcast 4 August 1991
• Mark Goodier show session recorded 18 August 1990, first broadcast 20 August 1990
• Tracks recorded for the same show on the same date share a session date, as listed by session

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com · pt.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Formed in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1986.
• Original lineup: Black Francis (vocals, rhythm guitar), Joey Santiago (lead guitar), Kim Deal (bass, vocals), David Lovering (drums).
• Named after a word Santiago picked randomly from a dictionary.

Members

• Francis is the primary songwriter; his surreal lyrics cover extraterrestrials, incest and biblical violence.
• Deal left in 2012; Kim Shattuck and then Paz Lenchantin followed; Lenchantin became a full member in 2016.
• In 2024 Lenchantin was replaced by Emma Richardson, formerly of Band of Skulls.

Career

• Debut mini-LP Come On Pilgrim (1987), followed by Surfer Rosa (1988), Doolittle (1989), Bossanova (1990) and Trompe le Monde (1991).
• Disbanded in 1993 after modest US success, but gained more popularity in the UK and Europe.
• Reunited in 2004 with sold-out world tours; released The Night the Zombies Came in 2024.
• Known for extreme loud-quiet-loud dynamics blending surf rock and punk rock; influenced Nirvana, Radiohead, Weezer and others.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Released by 4AD on 6 July 1998 in the UK, five years after the band's initial split
• Elektra Records released it in the US on 14 July 1998
• Wikipedia describes the album as having a raw, under-produced sound
• The Portuguese-language Wikipedia article says Pixies had little commercial success in their home country
• Per the same article, that was not reflected in Europe, especially the UK, where success was moderate
• Their earlier LP Surfer Rosa was considered album of the year by much of the music press in 1988

Reappraisal

• Pixies are often catalogued as pioneers of alternative rock from the early 1990s
• They are said to have strongly influenced Nirvana, Radiohead, the Smashing Pumpkins and Weezer
• Kurt Cobain stated once that he wanted a band that could sound like Pixies
• Cobain's acknowledgement, together with tributes from other bands, kept the band's legacy growing after the split

Records

• Listed in the band's discography as a live album, Pixies at the BBC (1998)

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · pt.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Track 1, "Wild Honey Pie", is a cover of a Beatles song; the French-language Wikipedia article notes this.
• The final track, "(In Heaven) Lady in the Radiator Song", was written by Peter Ivers and David Lynch for the film Eraserhead.
• Tracks 7 and 13 were recorded for the Mark Goodier show on 18 August 1990.
• Bossanova, released in 1990, reached third place on the British charts, a sign of the band's stronger popularity in Europe.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com · fr.wikipedia.org · pt.wikipedia.org

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