I've always gone back and forth between this and Bossanova as my favorite Pixies albums. I honestly hadn't listened to it cover to cover in maybe a year before last Saturday. Dude.

David Lovering alone makes this album special. He is literally punishing his drums like Charlie Steiner on a dianabol bender. Joey shreds like a college-rock Yngwie Malmstein. and, Kim, well Kim ain't around much which may say something.....

Black Francis sings, plays and writes like a man who is about to receive his very own Emancipation Proclamation; this is the Pixies version of The final Cut---basically this is the first Frank Black album. Frank is in heavy cahoots with Eric Drew Feldman (who would go on to be the pivotal sidekick on Frank Black and Teenager of the Year), and everything is okey dokey.

And did I mention the drums?

Stage banter from a Pixies concert on this tour:

Frank Black: This is a Jesus and Mary Chain song.
Kim: Yeah, but we do it better!

this is most definitely my favorite Pixies. Not only does it have the most Pixies stand-out songs for me, but it's also in my eyes the strongest overall. I think Surfer Rosa might have slightly better flow, but on the whole, TLM is tops.

this has always been number 3 on the pixes list for me

after

tie for 1st: doolittle & surfer rosa

and before

4th bossanova

You know I always fell for the BS that after Doolittle things went downhill, but I listened to Trompe last week and it's fuckin' great.

Now I will, however, argue that it's waaaay better than Bossanova which I like a whole lot but still consider their worst album.

Steve

Easy Bubba.

I haven't listened to this cover to cover since college I don't think.

I like Doolittle the best, but "Letter To Memphis" has long been my favorite Pixies song...

damn fine album. not the best pixies album IMO, but a great album nonetheless.

I too am torn as to whether I like Bossanova better than this. At first I would say no, I like Trompe Le Monde better, but more recently, I have been leaning towards Bossanova.

The thing about TLM for me is that it's got more depth, I think. I mean that in the sense that I can revisit after a while and hear new things, and I don't get that from their previous efforts. I still don't know if it's #1, but it's got the ability to become interesting again for sure.

yeah, timmy it almost seems like its which one I'm most into at the time. And its been like this since 1993. Not a bad problem to have though, eh?

Also haven't heard it in awhile. Putting it on my 'Albums to Rediscover' list.

Yup.
But if Come On Pilgram was a full-length, it would be a 3-way tie for first.

Surfer Rosa is the best by miles but Trompe Le Monde would probably be my number two. Bossanova is the poorest but it's still better than most albums you buy.

Good record. I'm more of a fan of the earlier stuff, but the last two are fantastic as well.

Their worst album in my opinion...mediocre at best. I traded it in long ago. I also think its a shame that people seem to associate the song "Head On" with the Pixies rather than the vastly superior JMC original.

I do get a kick out of Frank Black's singing on Subacultura.

np: Centro-matic "The Static Vs. The Strings Vol. 1"

My favorite Pixies album. I have listened to this thing a thousand times.

this is a question that has tormented me for years.....which is truly the better version....

it has always depended on my mood....

i think the jmc version takes the lyrics and makes them more personal, but the pixies version is so frentic that it makes the song great on the other side of the spectrum

[true story] When Jim and William Reid heard the Pixies version of "Head On", one of them said to the other "Fookin' 'ell, that's the way we shoulda done it." [/true story]

(although, personally, I prefer the JAMC version)

does anyone else have Surfer Rosa and Come on Pilgrim on one CD?

for a long time i though that Come on Pilgrim was part of Surfer Rosa.

His work on "Extinction" (is that what it's called?) changed my life, and still does.

"The Sad Punk"

my favorite Pixies song.