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Pixies

Pixies are an American alternative rock band formed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1986. The group currently consists of Black Francis (vocals, rhythm guitar), Joey Santiago (lead guitar) and David Lovering (drums), alongside recent addition Kim Shattuck (bass, vocals), who replaced founding member Kim Deal in 2013. The Pixies achieved relatively modest commercial success in their home country, but were significantly more successful in the United Kingdom and mainland Europe. The group disbanded in 1993 under acrimonious circumstances, but reunited in 2004. The band's style of music contains a range of elements, including indie rock, psychedelia, noise rock, and surf rock. Black Francis is the Pixies' primary songwriter and singer. He has written about a number of offbeat subjects in the band's songs, such as extraterrestrials, surrealism, incest, and biblical violence.

Links To Peel[]

Peel was a big fan of the band and invited them for five sessions on his show. He also played tracks from some of the band members' other projects, such as Black Francis solo material and Kim Deal's group, the Breeders. Peel also interviewed Black Francis on his show, which was broadcast on 14 September 1991 and played the whole of the Pixies' album, Trompe Le Monde, on the programme. He mentioned additionally in the interview that his sons William Ravenscroft and Tom Ravenscroft were also fans. Peel nominated the Pixies track Wave of Mutilation as his Peelenium 1989.

Festive Fifty Entries  []

Peelenium[]

Sessions[]

Tracks from all the five sessions were released on Pixies - At The BBC (CD, 4AD, 1998). In 2022, "Wave Of Mutilation" from the third session placed #91 in a Guardian list of the 100 Greatest BBC Music Performances, marking the centenary of the BBC.[1]

1. Recorded: 1988-05-03. First Broadcast: 16 May 1988. Repeated: 07 June 1988, 26 July 1988, 27 December 1988, Session Mixtape Mar-Sept 1988

  • Levitate Me / Hey / In Heaven (Lady In The Radiator Song) / Wild Honey Pie / Caribou

2. Recorded: 1988-10-09. First Broadcast: 18 October 1988. Repeated: 29 November 1988

Pixies_-_Peel_Session_1989
  • Dead / Tame / There Goes My Gun / Manta Ray

3. Recorded: 1989-04-16. First Broadcast: 02 May 1989. Repeated: 22 June 1989, 31 July 1989

  • Down To The Well / Into The White / Wave Of Mutilation

4. Recorded solo by Black Francis: 1990-06-11. First Broadcast: 21 June 1990, CD wrongly states 20 August 1990 as the broadcast date. Neither John nor Ken Garner's "The Peel Sessions" classify this as a session.

  • Allison / Velouria / Hang On To Your Ego / Is She Weird

5. Recorded: 1991-06-23. First Broadcast: 04 August 1991. Repeated: 19 October 1991, 21 December 1991

  • Palace Of The Brine / Letter To Memphis / Motorway To Roswell / Subbacultcha

Other Shows Played[]

(The following list was compiled only from the database of this site and Lorcan's Tracklistings Archive and is certainly incomplete. Please add further details if known.)

Pixies_-_Bone_Machine_-1988-10-01_VPRO_live-

Pixies - Bone Machine -1988-10-01 VPRO live-

'Bone Machine', #45 in the 1988 Festive Fifty

1987
1988
1989
Pixies_-_River_Euphrates_(single_version)

Pixies - River Euphrates (single version)

'River Euphrates', #39 in the 1988 Festive Fifty

The_Pixies_-_Where_is_my_mind

The Pixies - Where is my mind

'Where Is My Mind?', #30 in the 1988 Festive Fifty

The_Pixies_-_Gigantic

The Pixies - Gigantic

'Gigantic', #07 in the 1988 Festive Fifty

  • 28 April 1989 (BFBS)): 'Crackity Jones (LP-Doolittle)' (4AD) (JP: 'Last week's programme I started with a track from the new LP by the Pixies. With a rather shocking lack of imagination, I'm doing the same thing this week....My copy of the LP has already been played so much that the sleeve is starting to disintegrate.')
  • 28 April 1989 (BFBS) Peel 103 (BFBS)): 'No. 13 Baby (LP-Doolittle)' (4AD) (JP: 'Just about my favourite track on the LP, you'll be exhilarated to learn.')
  • 03 May 1989 (BFBS): Number 13 Baby (album - Doolittle) 4AD CAD 905
  • 15 May 1989: Debaser (LP - Doolittle) 4AD
  • 07 June 1989: Into The White (12" promo) 4AD PIX 2
  • 06 July 1989: Vamos (album - Come On Pilgrim) 4AD MAD 709
  • 22 July 1989 (BFBS): Into The White (12")
  • 08 August 1989: Winterlong (v/a album - The Bridge - A Tribute To Neil Young) Caroline CAR LP 5
  • Early August 1989 (BBC World Service): Winterlong (LP The Bridge - A Tribute To Neil Young) (track missing but referred to prior to Loop's track)
  • 19 August 1989 (BFBS) (Peel 113 (BFBS): Winterlong (Compilation LP-The Bridge - A Tribute To Neil Young) Caroline
  • Peel Summer 1989: Winterlong (v/a album - The Bridge A Tribute To Neil Young) Caroline CAR LP
Pixies_-_Dead_-_Snub_TV_1989

Pixies - Dead - Snub TV 1989

'Dead', #43 in the 1989 Festive Fifty

1990
Pixies_-_Here_Comes_Your_Man_(Official_Video)

Pixies - Here Comes Your Man (Official Video)

'Here Comes Your Man', #37 in the 1989 Festive Fifty

Pixies_-_Wave_of_Mutilation-0

Pixies - Wave of Mutilation-0

'Wave Of Mutilation', a Peelenium 1989 and #36 in the 1989 Festive Fifty

Pixies_-_Debaser_(Official_Video)

Pixies - Debaser (Official Video)

'Debaser', #03 in the 1989 Festive Fifty and #30 in the All Time 2000 Festive Fifty

1991
  • 23 February 1991: Where Is My Mind (LP - Surfer Rosa) 4AD
  • 08 March 1991 (BFBS): Where Is My Mind (LP - Surfer Rosa) 4AD
  • 19 April 1991 (BFBS): Monkey Gone To Heaven
  • 20 April 1991: Vamos / In Heaven (The Lady In The Radiator Song) (live)
  • 18 May 1991: Planet Of Sound (EP - Planet Of Sound)
Pixies_-_Dig_For_Fire_&_Allison_(Official_Video)

Pixies - Dig For Fire & Allison (Official Video)

'Dig For Fire', #49, and 'Allison', #48 in the 1990 Festive Fifty

Pixies_-_Velouria_(Official_Video)

Pixies - Velouria (Official Video)

'Velouria', #31 in the 1990 Festive Fifty

"The_Happening"_--_The_Pixies

"The Happening" -- The Pixies

'The Happening', #24 in the 1990 Festive Fifty

1992
  • 10 January 1992 (BFBS): Bird Dream Of The Olympus Mons (LP - Trompe Le Monde) 4AD
  • 24 July 1992: Bird Dream Of The Olympus Mons (LP - Trompe Le Monde) Zona Records
1993
  • 16 January 1993: Bird Dream Of The Olympus Mons (LP - Trompe Le Monde) 4AD 1991 Festive Fifty #47
  • 22 January 1993: Motorway To Roswell (CDS) 4AD 1991 Festive Fifty #46
"Bird_Dream_of_the_Olympus_Mons"_-_Pixies

"Bird Dream of the Olympus Mons" - Pixies

'Bird Dream Of The Olympus Mons', #47 in the 1991 Festive Fifty

1994
1996
1999
  • 15 April 1999: Velouria (LP-Bossanova) 4AD
  • 19 September 1999 (BFBS): 'Evil Hearted You (12"-Planet Of Sound)' (4AD) (JP: 'Their memory lives on, at least in this house, because all of the children I think, except my daughter Alexandra, still listen to the Pixies quite a lot.')
  • 23 December 1999: Wave Of Mutilation (LP-Doolittle)' (4AD) Peelenium 1989
2000
Pixies_-_Motorway_to_Roswell

Pixies - Motorway to Roswell

'Motorway To Roswell', #46 in the 1991 Festive Fifty

2001
2002
  • 19 June 2002: Down To The Well (LP - Pixies) (Cooking Vinyl)
  • 20 June 2002: Down To The Well (LP - Pixies) (Cooking Vinyl)
2004
The_Pixies_-_Planet_Of_Sound

The Pixies - Planet Of Sound

'Planet Of Sound', #26 in the 1991 Festive Fifty

  • 21 October 2004: Monkey Gone To Heaven (LP - Doolittle) (4AD) (hosted by Robert Smith of The Cure)
Other

See Also[]

External Links[]

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