Friday Flashback: Pixies

Everyone knows how great the Pixies are. No need to expound on this fact. They are quite possibly the progenitors of the genre Alternative, and their influence will likely never wane. Even their B-sides are masterpieces. Ever since the Christian Slater masterpiece, Pump Up the Volume (which likely had a far more profound impression upon my youth than I'd like to admit), and the film's surprisingly brilliant accompanying soundtrack, the Pixies' "Wave of Mutilation (UK Surf Mix)" has never ventured far from my top 25 most played list.

From the liner notes to Complete 'B' Sides, Frank Black says of the track:

"Recorded during a tour in Scotland, the slow version got even a bigger reaction from the audiences than the more rockin' version from Doolittle. I guess mellow can sometimes be much more rockin'."

Video from Pixies: Acoustic - Live in Newport (2006):


Lyrics:

Cease to resist, giving my goodbye
Drive my car into the ocean
You'll think I'm dead, but I sail away
On a wave of mutilation
A wave
Wave

I've kissed mermaids, rode the El Nino
Walked the sand with the crustaceans
Could find my way to mariana
On a wave of mutilation,
Wave of mutilation
Wave of mutilation
Wave

Wave of mutilation
Wave

Pixies on Myspace | Official Website


-J2

Lists! Top 10 Musicians/Artists/Bands I'll Regrettably Never Get to See Perform Live (& Will Have to Settle for YouTube)

We at middleCoast are big music nerds, and can't get enough of the live shows. Regrettably, there are a number of musicians and bands that we'll never have the chance to see live. Some of these artists have passed away, and some have just passed their prime to the point that they are no longer worth the ticket price (see: Rolling Stones). Fortunately or unfortunately, we have YouTube to tease us with what once was...

Here are the Top 10:

10. Elliott Smith
Probably safe to assume that you could never be sure what kind of show you were going to get at a live performance, but certainly the word "emotional" would be involved. Not many performers are able to create the kind of atmosphere Smith could:


9. The Clash
One of the most influential bands ever, we're seriously pissed off that we'll never get to see The Clash perform live. Obviously "London Calling" would be the highlight (and, combined with whiskey, makes us want to break things and revolt against all things institutional), but here's a rarity that displays why a whole live set would've been amazing:


8. Queen
Like a Wagnerian opera in Vienna, Queen live at Wembley defines a classic performance. Freddie Mercury had one of the top five greatest rock vocals of all time (a whole other future blog), and this happens to be one of the top five greatest songs from the 80s (a second blog-to-be):


7. Bob Dylan
Maybe a better poet than performer, Zimmy still helped lead a revolution. As he so eloquently put it himself, Bob Dylan WAS the 60s. To see him perform live in those days would've been special:


6. Talking Heads
With no reunion in sight, looks like we missed our chance at seeing these cats freak out on stage:


5. Pixies
I guess technically back together and performing, it's just not the same as when the drug-addled rockers were still drug-addled and rocking in the 80s:


4. Black Sabbath
Ozzy before he turned into...well...whatever-the-hell he's turned into plus face-melters equals RAWK:


3. Led Zeppelin
Possibly the greatest rock vocalist, greatest drummer, and greatest guitarist all in the same ass-kicking rock band. They'd be number one on this list if it weren't for the top two:


2. The Beatles
I mean, come on - it's the fucking Beatles:


1. The Who
Without a doubt the greatest rock vocalist, greatest drummer, and greatest song writer ever to take the stage together. Here's a double-dose:




Thanks, YouTube!

-jT

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