Hey Paul, Hey Paul, Hey Paul, let's have a POLL: ILM Artist Poll #69 • Pixies (results!)

http://i.imgur.com/7gRM9Nk.gif

42 ballots determined a ranked order of the six Pixies studio albums (nobody voted for anything live or for any compilations), a list of favorite non-Pixies tracks by members of the band (which will roll out at the end after the tracks results), and a list of the top 51 Pixies tracks according to the opinions of ILM posters as of October 2014. Thanks for voting, enjoy the results!

Spotify playlist

Indie Cindy 35 points, 3 votes

http://i.imgur.com/Pnlxyos.jpg

Whoa! Here we are already. Johnny, do you want me to add a "51" to that post?

That one's really more of an honorable mention (one voter ranked the top 5 albums and then included Indie Cindy in 100th place).

5. Come On Pilgrim 485 points, 21 votes, 1 first place vote

http://i.imgur.com/9GDqYTD.jpg

Too low, btw!

4. Bossanova 565 points, 25 votes, 3 first place votes

http://i.imgur.com/XZgTBfi.jpg

(4. Bossanova 565 points, 25 votes, 3 first place votes)

Boy I love the Pixies' cover, they are all great. Bossanova is my favorite.

3. Trompe Le Monde 630 points, 25 votes, 4 first place votes

http://i.imgur.com/imIBfYb.jpg

So far it's in my exact order.

2. Surfer Rosa 765 points, 26 votes, 7 first place votes

http://i.imgur.com/RH8CiKN.jpg

1. Doolittle 830 points, 26 votes, 11 first place votes

http://i.imgur.com/wyDw4jC.jpg

I should have voted for the Death to the Pixies live disc. Completely forgot to vote for it even though that's actually the only album I listen to regularly enough that there's always a copy of it on my phone.

Well that was a fun time. Perhaps more commentary will come when the tracks start rolling out? lol

A word about the graphics (or lack thereof). There are only so many photos of the band circulating, and I couldn't think of any other non-band photo theme to go with, so I thought it would be cool to just use images of the soundwaves to demonstrate the loud/quiet/loud dynamic they're famous for. What I learned is that it's not really as prevalent as you'd think it is.

Anyway...

http://i.imgur.com/ANaV5Z3.png
51. Wave of Mutilation (UK Surf), 1989 (b-side) [122 points, 5 votes]

i get to be the first to declare: TOO LOW!

I love the idea of using the soundwaves for this pics.

That's a great idea JFK!

Sheesh

It was my bad for declaring I wouldn't be merging tracks. I ended up not separating any others, but the LP version and UK Surf versions of Wave of Mutilation are different enough that maybe it's warranted? Anyway, that's why there are 51 results instead of 50, because it's my fault.

I misinterpreted the instruction. I got it into my head that you would be combining tracks, so I just included the standard Wave of Mutilation on my ballot, thinking it covered them both. Completely a reading comprehension error on my part though.

Definitely too low. No way are there 50 better Pixies songs than that one...

http://i.imgur.com/17FXclM.png
50. Into the White, 1989 (b-side) [140 points, 6 votes]

http://i.imgur.com/8WBRHDX.png
49. Blown Away, 1990 (Bossanova) [150 points, 8 votes]

http://i.imgur.com/IlsiW0E.png
48. Silver, 1989 (Doolittle) [158 points, 7 votes]

the first one from my ballot. Had it at #6.

I had to come around to this song, and it took a long time. Even after really super embracing all of Kim's Breeders/Amps/etc material, "Silver" was still out there taunting me. I can finally say I like it (but not enough to give it a vote).

looking forward to seeing these.

http://i.imgur.com/vOjGWhP.png
47. Ed Is Dead, 1987 (Come on Pilgrim) [171 points, 9 votes]

xp: I don't really know the breeders stuff. I missed it for the longest time just because it was buried as the penultimate track on the album. I mean, sandwiched between Hey and Gouge Away? That's a tough spot to occupy. I think it really fills the need for atmospheric space there, but at the same time it gets stuck in my head a lot. Particularly on oppressive summer days.

Every track from Come on Pilgrim in these results gets an automatic "TOO LOW" from me btw. Just remember in case I forget to say so.

Pleased and surprised to see Blown Away up there - I thought I'd be the only one voting for it

Blown Away was in my top ten, I think. I am enraged it hasn't placed higher!

Also a Blown Away voter. Love the second side of Bossanova - always used to suspect it was a bit slept on because the first side is a bit hither-thither (ie 60s surf/shadows/Eloise pop with jarring Interruptions by Doolittle-model Pixies).

interesting take. Down to the Well through Havalina is straight awesome. I don't like Dig for Fire though.

http://i.imgur.com/1yW0WDV.png
46. All Over the World, 1990 (Bossanova) [178 points, 9 votes]

been reading some of the facts and quotes over at aleceiffel.free.fr/titles.html
Thompson's take on All Over the World: "The longest song we recorded ever. 5min is the usual average time for a song now, but for us it was a real event."

Oh that's a cool resource! Thanks for the tip.

http://i.imgur.com/egx9GK6.png
45. Nimrod's Son, 1987 (Come on Pilgrim) [180 points, 10 votes]

WAY too low, I don't know what's wrong with you people :P

obviously the result of incestuous union.

lol @ "The Nimrod was the Nimrod of the Old Testament. The Biblical thing, I think, has always been part of rock. Y'know, Jerry Lewis, 'Great Balls of Fire'..." (Frank Black in SELECT, October 1997)

I think I accidentally didn't vote for Nimrod's Son due to a list editing slip. CoP is the best 20 minutes ever and I would like to apologise to the Pixies for my mistake.

http://i.imgur.com/DK5FV5D.png
44. Mr. Grieves, 1989 (Doolittle) [191 points, 12 votes]

"It's about the end of the world I guess. Mr Grieves is the Death character of mythology. The 'man in the middle' is Dr Doolittle, because if you could speak to the animals you would be the great link between mankind and the animal world. There's this theory that if not smarter than us, animals are aware of what's going on and if we could communicate with them, they could give us the answer of the future and make everything ok. But I'm assuming that a nuclear winter will mean that Mr Grieves is going to win in the end." (Black Francis in the NME, April 1989)

Never cared much about this song until the TV on the Radio version came out.

I'm surprised it's only 2:06 in length. It has so many distinct parts I always assumed it was longer.

i feel that way about a lot of the songs on trompe le monde. so complex yet compact.

soundwave idea is very cool, kudos JF

i meant to vote in this :(

http://i.imgur.com/mspL807.png
43. Something Against You, 1988 (Surfer Rosa) [197 points, 9 votes, 1 first place vote]

Well, somebody didn't have something against this song. Rolling out the first of the first-place votes.

:)

http://i.imgur.com/9U8Qfp5.png
42. The Sad Punk, 1991 (Trompe le Monde) [206 points, 10 votes]

"About dinosaurs, extinction. I wanted to compose an instrumental like "The Lonely Surfer", by Jack Nitzsche in the early 60's, and thought "Sad Punk" would be a good title for it. Then I changed my mind" (BF)

http://i.imgur.com/HL2yvHy.png
41. The Happening, 1990 (Bossanova) [207 points, 11 votes]

" 'That's based on this guy Billy Goodman, who had a radio talk show out of Las Vegas, The Billy Goodman Happening, dedicated to UFO stuff people calling in to tell of how their husband got murdered by an alien. The song The Happening tells of how the aliens land in Vegas: it's always been my wish that if they do land, it'll be Billy and his audience that get the credit in the greeting !' " (Q article quoting Black Francis)

This was my favorite Pixies song for a real long time, probably the whole second half of the nineties. I played it way too much and burned myself out, though.

I like this, but nearly voted for The Thing. Was fixated on the Velouria B-sides for a while back in the day.

I'm surprised it's only 2:06 in length. It has so many distinct parts I always assumed it was longer.

― Johnny Fever, lundi 27 octobre 2014 18:10 (36 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

"Mr. Grieves" is my first track to place so far. I love all those distinct parts and I like how it ends the same way it starts with the "Hope everything is alright" line. And the little lalalala break.

Hmm, maybe I should have voted for "Into The White."

"Mr. Grieves" -- not on my list but if you had to play someone one song to explain how the Pixies worked, or at least how they worked in the CoP/SR/Doolittle period, this might be it.

Lots of variety among posters because I don't think any of my votes have shown yet! UK Surf WoM I kind of actively dislike, mostly because of how much it suffers in comparison with the album version. Pixies version of doing an ironic acoustic cover of a loud, fast song.

I love The Happening! Had never heard it before this poll but a firm favourite now.

I voted for Into The White (my only bside vote) and Mr Grieves too I think. I voted for most of Doolittle tbh.

http://i.imgur.com/CzmTqbd.png
40. Oh My Golly!, 1988 (Surfer Rosa) [210 points, 10 votes]

r u fukkin kidding me

haven't listened to "silver" in a while, forgot how THIN it sounds

http://i.imgur.com/wBwjB9o.png
39. Head On, 1991 (Trompe le Monde) [211 points, 10 votes, 1 first place vote]

" When Jim and William [Reid] heard the version live at The Pixies' recent dates at Brixton Academy, both gave it their blessing with the inimitable phrase, 'F*** it, this is how it should sound.' " (Melody Maker)

a cover got a 1st place vote?!

Does seem odd, especially since I've never really seemed to love this cover as much as just about everybody else, but I can see it. There's probably someone somewhere who thinks "You Really Got Me" is Van Halen's best song and a strong argument could be made that it is.

I didn't vote this first but I did vote for it. I would NEVER have thought the J&MC track contained with in it the seeds of a cover that crushed the original. But it did!

A cover won the Husker Due poll.

Stupid phone

http://i.imgur.com/I0rrh1r.png
38. Allison, 1990 (Bossanova) [214 points, 12 votes]

i get including it – it's a great song, cover and original. but i just cannot fathom passing over all the great, genre-defining song the Pixies did write for your number one track!

xpost

Something Against You is my #1. It's a good song.

"Allison was originally about a girl called Alison, 'but of course Elvis Costello has a song called Alison, so I had to change it.' Now it's about Mose Allison, the jazz pianist."
xxp

yeah head on was my #1 vote. idgaf. its a better song than any the pixies ever wrote, and it makes me happier to listen to than anything else they ever recorded. also its more fun to listen to than JAMC too. (nb I actually like the pixies)

http://i.imgur.com/M0qDCN1.png
37. Distance Equals Rate Times Time, 1991 (Trompe le Monde) [222 points, 10 votes, 1 first place vote]

I HAD ME A VISION!

I think every Pixies mixtape or cd I've ever made for someone has started with this song. It's a great "Hey there, how ya doin'?!" punch in the face.

The Radiohead poll last month made me rediscover 'In Rainbows' and realise that I actually liked it (not that I hated it when it came out, I was just a bit underwhelmed and then forgot about it). This poll has done the same thing for Trompe Le Monde.

I hope it also does the same for Bossanova. I'll never understand why it has such a mediocre reputation in comparison to the other albums. It's a low-key classic.

yeah head on was my #1 vote. idgaf. its a better song than any the pixies ever wrote, and it makes me happier to listen to than anything else they ever recorded. also its more fun to listen to than JAMC too. (nb I actually like the pixies)

― everybody loves lana del raymond (s.clover), Monday, October 27, 2014 4:01 PM (20 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

more power to your, man. head on rocks and its (quite excellent) video might be my earliest memory of the pixies.

http://i.imgur.com/wkLnIzl.png
36. Bird Dream of the Olympus Mons, 1991 (Trompe le Monde) [224 points, 12 votes]

"This is a song about a bird that falls asleep and dreams he flies to Mars" (BF)

Simple enough.

Love the "Oooowwww yeeeaaah" in 'Bird Dream'.

Cool! Kim holds it down on this song.

Another song that feels way longer than it really is.

That's all for today. Back tomorrow with 35-21.

51. Wave of Mutilation (UK Surf), 1989 (b-side) [122 points, 5 votes]
50. Into the White, 1989 (b-side) [140 points, 6 votes]
49. Blown Away, 1990 (Bossanova) [150 points, 8 votes]
48. Silver, 1989 (Doolittle) [158 points, 7 votes]
47. Ed Is Dead, 1987 (Come on Pilgrim) [171 points, 9 votes]
46. All Over the World, 1990 (Bossanova) [178 points, 9 votes]
45. Nimrod's Son, 1987 (Come on Pilgrim) [180 points, 10 votes]
44. Mr. Grieves, 1989 (Doolittle) [191 points, 12 votes]
43. Something Against You, 1988 (Surfer Rosa) [197 points, 9 votes, 1 first place vote]
42. The Sad Punk, 1991 (Trompe le Monde) [206 points, 10 votes]
41. The Happening, 1990 (Bossanova) [207 points, 11 votes]
40. Oh My Golly!, 1988 (Surfer Rosa) [210 points, 10 votes]
39. Head On, 1991 (Trompe le Monde) [211 points, 10 votes, 1 first place vote]
38. Allison, 1990 (Bossanova) [214 points, 12 votes]
37. Distance Equals Rate Times Time, 1991 (Trompe le Monde) [222 points, 10 votes, 1 first place vote]
36. Bird Dream of the Olympus Mons, 1991 (Trompe le Monde) [224 points, 12 votes]

Can we rewind for a bit to "All Over The World" which has this kinda harmless groove over the first 3 minutes but then it gives birth to this really nice kinda alt-psych "arty/pretty" epic outro for the final 2:30. Great song but love that part especially, considering how much the Pixies shied away from bloat/extraneousness.

After considering and re-considering I put The Sad Punk at my number two. I'm a bit sad its low but y'know. I think it's incredibly beautiful: screaming, tempo changes, and then a bit of Charles' sad crooning. What more could you ask from a Pixies tune?

Sad sad sad. Yeah.

i love it, i had it high

I don't think I saw Sad Punk mentioned on the noms thread so I figured it'd get no love, glad it showed up. I love the little build up to the final "NAMED EXTINCTIONNNNNN"

I think The Sad Punk is pretty much perfect. But I adore a lot of what they did on TLM.

The low scoring for Nimrod's Son is surprising, but then I didn't include it in my list because I thought everybody else would vote for it. It's never been a real favourite for me. Is this tactical voting? I guess so.

The Happening is incredible as well. This band eh.

Great posting here I know. I'm drunk.

Never liked their cover of "Head On". It came out so soon after the original which imo was already perfect. And the fact that they released it as a single made me believe wrongly for a long time that Trompe Le Monde had nothing better to offer.

Catching up, a bunch of my votes have made it through. Voted UK Surf as my number 2.

Pysched about distance = rate too

http://i.imgur.com/CrXI5hJ.png
35. Trompe le Monde, 1991 (Trompe le Monde) [230 points, 12 votes]

First three on TLM such a thrill

I just realized this works much better in the context of TLM than as a standalone. When I know what's coming next, it feels like a warm-up. When there's nothing after it, what a letdown.

Shit, I think I completely forgot to vote for Head On!

Lot of my faves popping up already. "Bird Dream of the Olympus Mons" pops into my head all the time, it's kinda epic, or at least paints a picture of something bigger than the relatively short lyric attempts to pin down. Landscapes, birds in flight, the sun moving through the sky, and into the mountain for reasons that aren't really articulated and yet it must be so. Once I had a good flyyyyy. Also the bassline, which is very "Pixies" but I dunno, it just really feels appropriate here. Dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum, do do do do do do do do do.

xp

huh that makes sense – it's got that pitch-raising accelerating layering thing that throws you nicely into Planet of Sound. As I more or less say above, Bossanova fluffs the opening in comparison – I have trouble going from Cecilia Ann to Rock Music, though I like them both individually.

Ahhh! I love this song! My #5. Spent some time this weekend trying to hack it out on guitar. I love Joey Santiago's pull-offs in this.

I wouldn't call TLM a letdown as such, but I agree that it feels like a curtain-raiser. Maybe it's just the sharing-the-album's-title thing, makes it seem more like a theme tune, a "Sgt. Pepper's" and then "Planet of Sound"/"With A Little Help From My Friends" is the first proper "song."

http://i.imgur.com/M6RdiQK.png
34. Tony's Theme, 1988 (Surfer Rosa) [238 points, 15 votes]

Kim should've introduced every Pixies song.

"This is a song about slicing up eyeballs, it's called Debaser!"

WHO THE FUCK IS LISTENING TO SURFER ROSA AND THINKS TONYS FUCKING THEME IS A BETTER SONG THAN OH MY GOLLY OR SOMETHING AGAINST YOU? this poll is a disgrace.

^^With you on this even though I forgot to vote for "Oh My Golly" (I kicked myself immediately when I realized my mistake, though).

Tony's Theme only beat Oh My Golly by 28 points. The difference could've been a single voter. Relax.

Roberto, I feels you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwyO6sCGEWE

CD longbox!

look i don't know what Ed is Dead and Nimrod's Son are doing in the 40s, there's madness in the poll.

http://i.imgur.com/TCwcCxn.png
33. Brick Is Red, 1988 (SUrfer Rosa) [244 points, 13 votes]

so there are a _lot_ of differences between the pixies head on and the JAMC one, even thought they have the same vibe in terms of production. the huge thing for me is the opening couplet in the JAMC original is a sort of descending melodic line, with emphasis just on "As" and "I", while the pixies one makes a point of really hitting (and i think also using a higher pitch for) "head" and "sparks awwwffff you". so the JAMC version leans back into the groove, and the pixies one leans forward and the drums splay everywhere and frank black howls and then at half the length of the original it just _stops_. So yeah, JAMC wrote a great song, the pixes made it rock.

xp

No, too low.

we are heading towards

1. Where Is My Mind (Thomson Holidays Advert Version], 2011 (ITV1) [589889 points, all the votes]

WIMM so overrated.

Head on is in my top 5 fave songs of all time but I don't know that I could decide which version I like better because I like both for different reasons and wouldn't have voted for a cover in a poll had I voted which I did not because I am bad at ballots.

none of my top five had posted

make with the tracks, feve the anticipation is great

*have*

Brick is Red was a last-minute cut for me.

Brick is Red my #3 – love that wandering opening, love the guitar, love the brief rhymey/chant lyric, what a strange and marvellous band they were.

Very even distribution across albums so far!

I love Brick Is Red and nearly made it my number one.

Not a fan of Head On at all.

Between home and work right now. Results will resume shortly.

I was just teasing you!

http://i.imgur.com/zQr0fy4.png
32. Crackity Jones, 1989 (Doolittle) [245 points, 10 votes]

"Joses Jones is a roommate I had in Puerto Rico. I lived in this men's dorm that was half homosexual and I had this really crazy drug addict psycho weirdo guy to share with and this is all about him. I would be speaking to him in Spanish so everything would be a little vague to me and he kept talking on and on about Paco Picopiedra and La Muneca. I couldn't work out what he was talking about and it was Fred Flinstone!" (Black Francis in the NME, April 1989)

Back to Head On, I think it was a pretty ballsy move. J&MC had such a solid sonic identity that was wrapped up very tightly with their songs. So redoing one of their better tracks, without a really drastic style change... It's like going toe-to-toe. It's something I don't think of as happening (or at least succesfully) very often. I guess Bowie doing White Light/White Heat is in the same ballpark. There was nothing wrong with the original J&MC version, so the fact that a lot of people prefer the Pixies' take is impressive.

http://i.imgur.com/D3Rmk0D.png
31. Dead, 1989 (Doolittle) [259 points, 13 votes]

Just refreshed my memory on the tale of David and Bathsheba. Dick move, King David. Dick move.

http://i.imgur.com/MlNhWRr.png
30. Is She Weird, 1990 (Bossanova) [272 points, 15 votes]

That's a surprise.

As in "What is THIS doing here?" or "What is this doing HERE?"

http://i.imgur.com/VJ72cEw.png
29. Motorway to Roswell, 1991 (Trompe le Monde) [279 points, 12 votes, 1 first place vote]

those were both middle of the pack for me.

As in "What is THIS doing here?" or "What is this doing HERE?"

More like "What is THIS doing HERE?". I don't dislike it, but I'm amazed it's finished higher than Dead.

I think of Motorway to Roswell and The Happening as sister songs, Roswell is the better.

Kim should've introduced every Pixies song. "This is a song about slicing up eyeballs, it's called Debaser!"

I like this idea, though she would have ended up saying "This is yet another song about aliens" quite a bit.

I like that idea too.

Love both Roswell and Is She Weird, but haven't voted for them.

http://i.imgur.com/aWmUC0m.png
28. Cactus, 1988 (Surfer Rosa) [303 points, 14 votes]

last night he could not make iittt

Still believe that a cover of this popping up on Bowie's Heathen is among the more unexpected things that have happened in my life.

That middle ' tan belly! starting to grow!' bit in Dead is one of my favourite moments in all of the Pixies' moments.

Just got done listening to Motorway to Roswell again. Should have included it on my ballot somehow.

Cactus was my #4. Ummmm, I'm going to have to check out that cover.

http://i.imgur.com/uKhWpab.png
27. Letter to Memphis, 1991 (Trompe le Monde) [306 points, 12 votes, 3 first place votes]

on Is She Weird, it's the John Peel version that got my vote – stripped back a bit & standing by itself it sounds tremendous imo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ctxcWYazMg

I think of Motorway to Roswell and The Happening as sister songs, Roswell is the better.

for me it's Motorway and Letter to Memphis. Can't quite keep them straight in my head even now.

Peel version is trememdous.

Whoa! My second-place. Figured this would be on lock for top 10 around here. Extremely worried about Palace of the Brine now.

Letter to Memphis is called the only Pixies love song. I mainly like it for musical and performance reasons, but this one line BF writes "I feel strong, I feel lucky" sums up for me exactly what it feels like going to see someone you newly have a crush on or are falling in love with. Simple as fuck, but true.

(Also, LTM was my own #1)

so… it isn't about aliens?

huh. I just read the lyrics and it seems like it's not. I'd always just assumed.

Letter to Memphis is called the only Pixies love song.

We just heard Cactus not that long ago, along with Lovely Day (as I mentioned in the voting thread). Gigantic? Hey?

shake your butt
(not too hard)
shake your butt
(not too hard)
[whistle]
yeah
i love you
i do
i love you
all i'm saying pretty baby
la la love you don't mean maybe
all i'm saying pretty baby
first base
second base
third base
home run
[whistle] yeah
i love you
i do
i love you
all i'm saying pretty baby
la la love you, don't mean maybe
all i'm saying pretty baby

don't tell me... http://weknowmemes.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/ancient-aliens-evolution-240x180.png

lol

http://i.imgur.com/RQcBrbS.png
26. I've Been Tired, 1987 (Come on Pilgrim) [307 points, 13 votes, 1 first place vote]

Ffm introduced me to this animated video for I've Been Tired the other day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAwgsKlroFc

http://i.imgur.com/o6LPcPR.png
25. Rock Music, 1990 (Bossanova) [313 points, 15 votes]

Face melter.

If only. One of the worst production decisions I've heard. Great tune though.

http://i.imgur.com/lkzJFP8.png
24. Planet of Sound, 1991 (Trompe le Monde) [316 points, 16 votes]

This and Rock Music have always been a perfect pair imo, so it's neat that they showed up next to each other in the results.

btw "La La Love You" didn't make my top 22 but in my view it belongs in the top 50, sad about the fact that it surely won't make it on this list. Very high on my list of "Pixies tracks I find myself singing sometimes without meaning to."

http://youtu.be/y4bs5t9qJmc?t=7m

Haha, his kid's review is hilarious.

http://i.imgur.com/6J7L4VU.png
23. U-Mass, 1991 (Trompe le Monde) [324 points, 17 votes]

Too low. Same goes for every other Trompe Le Monde song that's placed so far.

I kinda agree though those early albums had a massive impact. This polling process made me realise Trompe Le Monde really is the one I adore completely front to back.

http://i.imgur.com/Yfpgs4o.png
22. I Bleed, 1989 (Doolittle) [329 points, 16 votes, 1 first place vote]

TOOOOO LOOOOOOWWWWWWW

(my #2)

maybe just sentimental for me but when i was a teenager and heard him say "behind my smile it shakes my teeth" i said to myself, this guy gets it, this guy gets what life is, at last someone gets it

or was it my #1? now i'm not sure

http://i.imgur.com/mWjpHXS.png
21. Vamos, 1987/88 (Come on Pilgrim/Surfer Rosa) [350 points, 17 votes]

I've been tired might have been my number one. I fucking love that song. The other contender for the top spot on my imaginary ballot has not yet placed.

Top 20 rolls out tomorrow. Maybe it will be included. :)

I just got why the title of yr poll is the title. lol @ me. I am having a dumb day.

can we start guessing wildly what the top 20 is?

51. Wave of Mutilation (UK Surf), 1989 (b-side) [122 points, 5 votes]
50. Into the White, 1989 (b-side) [140 points, 6 votes]
49. Blown Away, 1990 (Bossanova) [150 points, 8 votes]
48. Silver, 1989 (Doolittle) [158 points, 7 votes]
47. Ed Is Dead, 1987 (Come on Pilgrim) [171 points, 9 votes]
46. All Over the World, 1990 (Bossanova) [178 points, 9 votes]
45. Nimrod's Son, 1987 (Come on Pilgrim) [180 points, 10 votes]
44. Mr. Grieves, 1989 (Doolittle) [191 points, 12 votes]
43. Something Against You, 1988 (Surfer Rosa) [197 points, 9 votes, 1 first place vote]
42. The Sad Punk, 1991 (Trompe le Monde) [206 points, 10 votes]
41. The Happening, 1990 (Bossanova) [207 points, 11 votes]
40. Oh My Golly!, 1988 (Surfer Rosa) [210 points, 10 votes]
39. Head On, 1991 (Trompe le Monde) [211 points, 10 votes, 1 first place vote]
38. Allison, 1990 (Bossanova) [214 points, 12 votes]
37. Distance Equals Rate Times Time, 1991 (Trompe le Monde) [222 points, 10 votes, 1 first place vote]
36. Bird Dream of the Olympus Mons, 1991 (Trompe le Monde) [224 points, 12 votes]
35. Trompe le Monde, 1991 (Trompe le Monde) [230 points, 12 votes]
34. Tony's Theme, 1988 (Surfer Rosa) [238 points, 15 votes]
33. Brick Is Red, 1988 (Surfer Rosa) [244 points, 13 votes]
32. Crackity Jones, 1989 (Doolittle) [245 points, 10 votes]
31. Dead, 1989 (Doolittle) [259 points, 13 votes]
30. Is She Weird, 1990 (Bossanova) [272 points, 15 votes]
29. Motorway to Roswell, 1991 (Trompe le Monde) [279 points, 12 votes, 1 first place vote]
28. Cactus, 1988 (Surfer Rosa) [303 points, 14 votes]
27. Letter to Memphis, 1991 (Trompe le Monde) [306 points, 12 votes, 3 first place votes]
26. I've Been Tired, 1987 (Come on Pilgrim) [307 points, 13 votes, 1 first place vote]
25. Rock Music, 1990 (Bossanova) [313 points, 15 votes]
24. Planet of Sound, 1991 (Trompe le Monde) [316 points, 16 votes]
23. U-Mass, 1991 (Trompe le Monde) [324 points, 17 votes]
22. I Bleed, 1989 (Doolittle) [329 points, 16 votes, 1 first place vote]
21. Vamos, 1987/88 (Come on Pilgrim/Surfer Rosa) [350 points, 17 votes]

Spotify playlist

can we start guessing wildly what the top 20 is?

Bailey's Walk is obviously #1, so that gives you 19 others over which to speculate.

(j/k nobody voted for Bailey's Walk, not even me...though I would've if I'd had a 23 track ballot)

Here's what's left:

Where is My Mind?
Gigantic
Debaser
Here Comes Your Man
Hey
Velouria
Wave of Mutilation
La La Love You
Monkey Gone to Heaven
Tame
Gouge Away
Caribou
Dig for Fire
Bone Machine
Break my body
Broken Face
River Euphrates

I'm missing 3 songs but no idea what they could be.

Alec Eiffel, Lovely Day and another one yeah.

That's mostly right.

Perhaps Levitate Me?

Two tracks listed as speculative so far aren't in. Not saying which two, of course.

Guessing 'La La Love You' is one of the ones that won't make it. 'Holiday Song' has to be in there surely?

Forgot to vote for Holiday Song.

I did not! One of my favorite COP tracks.

Crackity Jones? There Goes my Gun? Silver? Something off of Indie Cindy?

Holiday Song could be one, yeah.

I predict the following top 3:

1. Hey
2. Debaser
3. Gigantic.

forgot to vote for Alec Eiffel AAAAGH

Two tracks listed as speculative so far aren't in. Not saying which two, of course.

― Johnny Fever

Is this only from my list or also Van Horn's predictions?

I have said too much already.

prediction for top 3:

1. the living years
2. what if god was one of us
3. where is my mind

Silver and Crackity Jones are already accounted for, though.

Maybe No. 13 Baby? It's a weird one for a top 20 but it has several fans.

it gdamn better be

So I'll remove La La Love You and here's the missing 3 I guess:

Holiday Song
No. 13 Baby
Alec Eiffel

Oh wait... we're missing 4 not 3.... b-side? Winterlong or Into the White? nah.... I guess it's either 'there goes my gun' or 'levitate me'

I'm gonna go for Levitate me as the missing one. Here's the top 20 then...

Hey
Debaser
Gigantic
Where is My Mind?
Here Comes Your Man
Velouria
Wave of Mutilation
Monkey Gone to Heaven
Tame
Gouge Away
Caribou
Dig for Fire
Bone Machine
Break my body
Broken Face
River Euphrates
Holiday Song
No. 13 Baby
Alec Eiffel
Levitate Me

I just realized that the only track I voted for from CoP is Caribou.

Into the White was #50 btw

Oh crap that's right! Either way I didn't consider it seriously for a top 20. I think I finally got it correct above :P

we haven't had in heaven right? i had that pegged for an appearance. it seems a very ilm selection.

Maybe No. 13 Baby? It's a weird one for a top 20 but it has several fans

I would be staggered if it isn't in the top 20

Interesting that Letter to Memphis got three number ones, way more than anything else so far. It just missed my cut, but it is great.

I'd love 'No. 13 Baby' to place in the top 20, I could listen to that instrumental coda for hours.

This whole "let's guess the top 20" subthread here is like everyone trying to be Nate Silver or something?

Ok that was rude... but I'm owning it.

Anyway inspired by this thread I watched that Pixies documentary and godDAMN it was bleak and depressing. Yikes. Kinda soured me on the band instead of getting more stoked. Is there a dedicated thread on ILM about the doc, would love to read some microthinkpieces on how miserable it made everyone.

Yeah, I felt especially bad for David and Joey, because they need this. Still, it doesn't excuse how bad Indie Cindy is.

Kim at the music store was the best part.

E, it also took me far too long to catch onto the poll title pun. What perfect symmetry for a poll run by JF!
I also suck at ballots and would've given I've Been Tired another number 1 had I got my shit together and sent one in. What a great song! I am of the Pixies fanbase that isn't as familiar with Trompe Le Monde as the rest of you guys seem to be.

At this point I've got every word and beat memorized and live for the day I find it in a karaoke playlist

I was surprised I was the only one that had I've Been Tired at #1!

I put Levitate Me pretty high... I was meh on it until hearing a live version and I realized how much this song wow absolutely kill with just a little better production.

Anyway inspired by this thread I watched that Pixies documentary and godDAMN it was bleak and depressing.

Which one, LOUDquietLOUD? I didn't find that depressing at all!

I liked the way it kind of undercut the mythology of rock music, and just presented "being the Pixies" as a job these four people had, which they were not particularly emotionally committed to, but which paid well, so they get up in the morning in this businesslike way and run their errands and get set up and then it's time to go to work and they're the Pixies for two hours. I thought it was awesome.

Yeah, I seem to recall lots of scenes with Frank Black just bumming around suburbia in an SUV.

Top 20 anyone?

http://i.imgur.com/PdACGfm.png
20. The Holiday Song, 1987 (Come on Pilgrim) [381 points, 17 votes]

http://i.imgur.com/lTOtfaE.png
19. Dig for Fire, 1990 (Bossanova) [381 points, 19 votes, 1 first place vote]

Are you lookin' for the motherlode?!

I love The Holiday Song! THIS AINT NO HOLIDAY

Here's another since I'm about to leave for work...

http://i.imgur.com/IZJO3gH.png
18. Broken Face, 1988 (Surfer Rosa) [383 points, 16 votes, 1 first place vote]

I agree with Thompson on Dig for Fire:
"Stupid lyrics. One of the really first we practiced together. It took us 4 years and several computers to make it sound OK."
"Oh, it's all nonsense, a bad Talking Heads imitation"
"Very derivative of the Talking Heads. It's probably about the summer I spent as an archaeology student, working on a burial ground and looking at the sky."

dig for fire is strange i think. it is a good song but something about the way it sounds, either the production or the playing itself, is so tired and plodding, almost like "i guess we have to record this one". i dunno, probably i am just crazy but that impression has always spoiled my enjoyment of the song.

holiday song obv v good, altho i always have it paired in my head with nimrod and imo nimrod is better.

and broken face is great, just missed my ballot iirc

Broken Face would have been number 24 for me.

Broken Face is great, could have been my #1 depending on the mood I was in when making my ballot.

Holiday Song is also great and I don't know why I didn't vote for it.

Surprised to see Dig For Fire in the top 20, always thought of it as one of their weaker songs.

I think I voted for "The Holiday Song" but in retrospect slightly repenting of it? Great song, no question, but, much more than other songs on my ballot, I can kind of imagine it being by someone other than the Pixies. Funny that "Dig for Fire" is the one BF calls a Talking Heads rip (I don't hear it) when "Holiday" is the one that rips "Life During Wartime" for the payoff lyric.

I voted "Dig for Fire" because to me it represents one of the places where the balance of whimsy and menance is just right. As with "I've Been Tired" -- "Tired" >> "Fire" but I think "just kidding I said, losing my life to a whore with disease" and "No my child that is not my desire" are coming from the same place (a good place) as far as I'm concerned.

I was the #1 voter for 'Dig for Fire', it's their best shiny pop song, so many cool bits (always loved the instrumental second chorus). For some reason the interplay between the guitars and bass in the intro/verses always makes me think of a stream flowing over pebbles.

xps roberto

ikwym about Dig For Fire – like it, voted for it, & I've always taken the plod as a kind of relaxed sunniness, but it sounds and feels like an odd outlier – something they went for then stepped back from, maybe they aren't quite convinced by a sort of FM Pixies. But there's something off for me in the production or performance of chunks of Bossanova – eg Rock Music, Is She Weird, Down to the Well feel like they should be extraordinary and aren't quite (or sometimes are in the non-Bossanova versions).

agree completely. is she weird is a great example of what i find so odd about how bossanova sounds, in that it is p much great except the chorus sounds horrible. classic sinister pixies verse, then like the stars and the sun ramp into...*fart noise*

"Broken Face" was an easy number one for me. The first track of theirs that blew me away, and one of the few I've never burnt out on. The way the tempo seems to stretch back and forth with the volume, and the way the vocals gallop ahead and fall behind is still so exciting. And back in 1988, hearing that hillbilly hiccup alongside the thrash was a revelation- mashing together bits of rockabilly and hardcore in a way that didn't sound like a fusion, or psychobilly, just the way it always should be. I remember being shocked that they didn't know about the Birthday Party. They had some naivete that served them really well as they waded into the world of late 80s hipsterdom.

"Dig For Fire" happens to be the exact moment when I thought about getting off the bus. It's the lyric mostly, fire-desire, trite metaphor. Kim sounds on the backing vocals sounds like she's not buying it. The first side of Bossanova might be their most efficient, but side two really looses me.

love the '87 solo demo for Broken Face - stunned me when I first heard it on that Death to the Pixies vinyl box
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yra73HG9w1I

it's been a long time since i listened to the pixies so it's nice to be listening again thanks to this and being able to hear their weirdness again in a way that had been lost to me

ilm crazy underrating trompe le monde tracks, v disappointed in u all

http://i.imgur.com/GCfxVUI.png
17. Levitate Me, 1987 (Come on Pilgrim) [384 points, 19 votes]

yesss

Come on, pilgrim, you know he loves you.

http://i.imgur.com/1NHC9MJ.png
16. Monkey Gone to Heaven, 1989 (Doolittle) [395 points, 18 votes, 1 first place vote]

the first Pixies song I ever heard, thank you based Monkey

lol

http://i.imgur.com/7vqxuN2.png
15. Break My Body, 1988 (Surfer Rosa) [427 points, 18 votes, 2 first place votes]

Monkey is TOO LOW

you guys are mad mad mad

(my #1 place vote)

Except for the counting part, I've never had any strong feelings for Monkey Gone to Heaven. I don't dislike it by any means, but I often pass it when listening to Doolittle.

http://i.imgur.com/inR2zVH.png
14. Velouria, 1990 (Bossanova) [452 points, 21 votes, 1 first place vote]

Break My Body was my number one.

Really surprised to see Dig For Fire in the top 20, it's a bit forgettable.

Perfect placement for the next one...

http://i.imgur.com/ZTqONtT.png
13. No. 13 Baby, 1989 (Doolittle) [464 points, 21 votes, 1 first place vote]

A girl I used to know kept swearing she was going to get "No. 13" tattooed on her breast at some point. I wonder if she ever did.

I'm in a state.

On a holiday near some friendly star so missing most of this. Motorway to Roswell my #1, a great and sad story, maybe the saddest frank wrote, galactic in scope and at the same time intensely personal. Some wonderful lines ("he found this mote, and now we wonder where we are") and a heartbreakingly gorgeous outro, all swirling feedback and call/response vocals and the most lovely piano motif. Velouria and Crackity Jones also in my top five, the latter just because it's probably his most insane vocal performance.

Ooooooh...STOP

http://i.imgur.com/sU8LOTr.png
12. Where Is My Mind?, 1988 (Surfer Rosa) [511 points, 23 votes]

Late w/this, but "Dig For Fire" totally lines up with the 'character' songs Talking Heads were putting out on Little Creatures and beyond.

By character songs, I mean "And She Was".

Here comes your man...knocking on the door of the top 10. Y'all didn't let him in.

http://i.imgur.com/Cmp674A.png
11. Here Comes Your Man, 1989 (Doolittle) [523 points, 22 votes, 1 first place vote]

That's low for WIMM, that's by some distance their most popular song, no? I think it's the only Pixies staple I'm actually tired of.

Haa that's another surprise for me, I really thought Here Comes Your Man would be a top 10.

Based on Spotify, WIMM has three times as many plays (32M) as their next most popular track (HCYM with 11M).

I'm glad they made 32$ out of WIMM on spotify!

Haha

i'm guessing WIMM is well known to The Kids (or at least 20-somethings) from Fight Club?

Likely so.

It's weird to think of that movie being 15 years old at this point, though.

http://i.imgur.com/d6FqiIQ.png
10. Alec Eiffel, 1991 (Trompe le Monde) [535 points, 23 votes, 1 first place vote]

Speaking of Pixies and tattoos, I do have a friend that actually did go through with one and now has this on his upper arm:

http://aleceiffel.free.fr/misc/eiffel.medium.gif

I like "Dig For Fire" more than "Here Comes Your Man" and "Where Is My Mind" (and "Gigantic" for that matter).

"Dig For Fire's chorus does a lot of interesting rhythmic things. The first time the chorus lyric "I'm Digging For Fire" comes in on the 2 of the 6/4 whereas the second time it comes in on the 1, and then after two more bars of 6/4 it goes into 4/4 and back into the straight verses. It's really dizzying to the listener.

"Here Comes Your Man" is their greatest pop song and should be higher. It's like them saying, "hey, we could have been this totally different band, and we would have been amazing at THAT, too!"

HCYM was the first Pixies song I ever heard in 1989 when I saw the video on 120 Minutes. Imagine my shock when buying Doolittle and getting to the second track Tame. WAHT THIS IS THE SAME BAND?!

TS: opening chord of "Here Comes Your Man" vs opening chord of "Help!"

HCYM is Joey's worst performance. Sounds like cheesy calypso.

http://i.imgur.com/zERYzKb.png
9. Tame, 1989 (Doolittle) [568 points, 25 votes]

the soundwave payoff

classic of course

I was gonna post "I don't think I would have gotten into the Pixies if I had been introduced to them by the Here Comes Your Man video" but I thought about myself in 1989 and realized I totally would have.

xp yeah this one is the most stark example of what they're known for, at least based on the soundwaves I've seen

had it as my #1 before a last minute rethink

http://i.imgur.com/3uIJPSG.png
8. Wave of Mutilation, 1989 (Doolittle) [588, 29 votes]

Re: Pixies tattoos my friend has a jailhouse tattoo ( later professionally cleaned up) of the winged P logo. It's the only tattoo I've ever been jealous of.

at the time, did the "P" stand for "prison"?

http://i.imgur.com/7HXzLHV.png
7. Hey, 1989 (Doolittle) [617 points, 24 votes, 3 first place votes]

Been tryin' to meet you.

I always joked that I was going to get no. 13 on my boob but i'm not really a boob tattoo kinda lady and have so far been convinced not to get any music related tattoos as a general rule

Yeah, you'd better hope you like a band FOREVER when you tattoo them on you. One of my friends has the old Pearl Jam stickman on his calf and he was over PJ a very long time ago.

OTOH, Joey's work on "Hey!" is maybe his finest work. Dynamic and fluid lines.

I really thought Hey! would be #1.

Alec Eiffel second part is so gorgeous.

I know nobody agrees with me on this but I'm just gonna say right now that "Gouge Away" is not actually one of the best songs on Doolittle

I don't agree with you.

Good to see Alec Eiffel. Tame is so good - the loud bit makes me clench my anus in pleasure.

if it was up to me i would switch Gouge Away and Planet of Sound in a heartbeat.

(in the poll results)

wait, has gouge away placed?

or we're talking about it being in the top 6 at least

I did a lot of hemming and hawing with my ballot but #13 was my #1 from the get go.

gouge away is the bomb.

Alec Eiffel second part is so gorgeous.

Yes.

http://i.imgur.com/CNnpCVD.png
6. Caribou, 1987 (Come on Pilgrim) [619 points, 24 votes, 4 first place votes]

4 first place votes?

On the other hand I endorse our choice for top track on Come On Pilgrim (barring a surprise showing for "Isla De Encanta"

Tied with the song at #5 for first place votes (4). No other songs got that many.

REPENT

tbh BF screaming "REPENT" is the only place in the entire catalog where the religious stuff really 100% works for me.

When I took Theatre I in High School, one of our performance projects was to do a record mime (acted out lipsync) to a song. I picked "Caribou" off the still-new Death To comp. I seem to recall my 'acting' was limited to standing dead still but for some hand/forearm movements during the verses, and then I'd stagger around a little on the chorus. For the rest of the year, my classmates would throw in the phrase, "You better repent" into casual dialogues with me.

Alec Eiffel second part is so gorgeous.

― Van Horn Street, Wednesday, October 29, 2014 2:46 PM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

OTM. Also even for the pixies, it feels like a total left-field surprise.

Alec Eiffel is the other song that might have been my #1.

Caribou was my number one, the opening riff is usually the first thing I play in the rare occasions that I pick up a guitar

I dont quite get Caribou. They've got a buttload of better songs. However, they do most certainly not have 7 songs better than Wave Of Mutilation.

I might have given Caribou a 5th first place vote if I hadnt felt it necessary to stan for Letter to Memphis.

so top five will be: Debaser, Gigantic, Gouge Away... Bone Machine? aaand ???

http://i.imgur.com/adLr4Lt.png
5. River Euphrates, 1988 (Surfer Rosa) [668 points, 27 votes, 4 first place votes]

2, 3, 4...

Gigantic is going win this, isn't it? Kinda hope it doesn't.

Did Break My Body ever place?

took me a while to realize that there is no guitars in the loud part of Euphrates.

xp Break My Body was 15th.

Love this song but had no idea it'd have so much backing. "Debaser" or "Gigantic" will win -- have listened to both so many times now that I can't even pretend to have a preference, they're just part of the basic structure of the category of "song" for me, it's like asking whether I like nouns or verbs better.

http://i.imgur.com/oykNvhd.png
4. Gouge Away, 1989 (Doolittle) [676 points, 29 votes, 3 first place votes]

wow - figured River... wasn't going to make it! Had it in my top-10. for some reason i got the impression it wasn't that popular.

River was my #1

Oh, ok. One of those number ones for Gouge Away is mine.

For me "I break the walls and kill us alllll" is their most wonderful moment. Totally killer. All the fucking time.

This was always an incredible song to cover when I was in a band.

http://i.imgur.com/BOJwwMO.png
3. Gigantic, 1988 (Surfer Rosa) [713 points, 29 votes, 3 first place votes]

Another great soundwave.

I think some of the Trompe Le Monde songs sound like what Frank Black would do later, but I don't think "Gigantic" sounds anything like what the Breeders would do later.

did Deal write any of the music for it? or just the lyrics?

I've never understood what makes gigantic so liked. It's a nice enough song, but there are just so many much better songs. Nothing about it really stands out (for me).

people like big dicks.

lol

"A good chord progression, very Lou-Reed influenced. I'd had the word 'gigantic' in my mind just because the chord progression seemed very big to me." (Frank Black in SELECT, October 1997)

A word about #1 and #2. If I hadn't accepted LeRoo's slightly late ballot submission, the placements would've been reversed. One ballot does matter, as it turns out.

http://i.imgur.com/Y6nbTra.png
2. Bone Machine, 1988 (Surfer Rosa) [769 points, 31 votes, 1 first place vote]

http://i.imgur.com/IadjRvS.png
1. Debaser, 1989 (Doolittle) [795 points, 31 votes, 3 first place votes]

Nothing about it really stands out (for me).

For me it's the part at the end, after the lyrics. Just that repeated descending series of three bar chords. It keeps on resolving and the song keeps on not being over and it keeps on resolving and the song keeps on not being over and ...

"Debaser" my #1, sorry for being corny but I can't deny it, this song is a cornerstone of my life.

You shouldn't have accepted LeRoo's slightly late ballot submission.

j/k - It was always going to be.

GREAT stuff Johnny cheers.

I neglected to bring the full results with me to work, so I'll post them when I get home and maybe the non-Pixies tracks by Pixies members rollout (but that's probably tomorrow).

51. Wave of Mutilation (UK Surf), 1989 (b-side) [122 points, 5 votes]
50. Into the White, 1989 (b-side) [140 points, 6 votes]
49. Blown Away, 1990 (Bossanova) [150 points, 8 votes]
48. Silver, 1989 (Doolittle) [158 points, 7 votes]
47. Ed Is Dead, 1987 (Come on Pilgrim) [171 points, 9 votes]
46. All Over the World, 1990 (Bossanova) [178 points, 9 votes]
45. Nimrod's Son, 1987 (Come on Pilgrim) [180 points, 10 votes]
44. Mr. Grieves, 1989 (Doolittle) [191 points, 12 votes]
43. Something Against You, 1988 (Surfer Rosa) [197 points, 9 votes, 1 first place vote]
42. The Sad Punk, 1991 (Trompe le Monde) [206 points, 10 votes]
41. The Happening, 1990 (Bossanova) [207 points, 11 votes]
40. Oh My Golly!, 1988 (Surfer Rosa) [210 points, 10 votes]
39. Head On, 1991 (Trompe le Monde) [211 points, 10 votes, 1 first place vote]
38. Allison, 1990 (Bossanova) [214 points, 12 votes]
37. Distance Equals Rate Times Time, 1991 (Trompe le Monde) [222 points, 10 votes, 1 first place vote]
36. Bird Dream of the Olympus Mons, 1991 (Trompe le Monde) [224 points, 12 votes]
35. Trompe le Monde, 1991 (Trompe le Monde) [230 points, 12 votes]
34. Tony's Theme, 1988 (Surfer Rosa) [238 points, 15 votes]
33. Brick Is Red, 1988 (Surfer Rosa) [244 points, 13 votes]
32. Crackity Jones, 1989 (Doolittle) [245 points, 10 votes]
31. Dead, 1989 (Doolittle) [259 points, 13 votes]
30. Is She Weird, 1990 (Bossanova) [272 points, 15 votes]
29. Motorway to Roswell, 1991 (Trompe le Monde) [279 points, 12 votes, 1 first place vote]
28. Cactus, 1988 (Surfer Rosa) [303 points, 14 votes]
27. Letter to Memphis, 1991 (Trompe le Monde) [306 points, 12 votes, 3 first place votes]
26. I've Been Tired, 1987 (Come on Pilgrim) [307 points, 13 votes, 1 first place vote]
25. Rock Music, 1990 (Bossanova) [313 points, 15 votes]
24. Planet of Sound, 1991 (Trompe le Monde) [316 points, 16 votes]
23. U-Mass, 1991 (Trompe le Monde) [324 points, 17 votes]
22. I Bleed, 1989 (Doolittle) [329 points, 16 votes, 1 first place vote]
21. Vamos, 1987/88 (Come on Pilgrim/Surfer Rosa) [350 points, 17 votes]
20. The Holiday Song, 1987 (Come on Pilgrim) [381 points, 17 votes]
19. Dig for Fire, 1990 (Bossanova) [381 points, 19 votes, 1 first place vote]
18. Broken Face, 1988 (Surfer Rosa) [383 points, 16 votes, 1 first place vote]
17. Levitate Me, 1987 (Come on Pilgrim) [384 points, 19 votes]
16. Monkey Gone to Heaven, 1989 (Doolittle) [395 points, 18 votes, 1 first place vote]
15. Break My Body, 1988 (Surfer Rosa) [427 points, 18 votes, 2 first place votes]
14. Velouria, 1990 (Bossanova) [452 points, 21 votes, 1 first place vote]
13. No. 13 Baby, 1989 (Doolittle) [464 points, 21 votes, 1 first place vote]
12. Where Is My Mind?, 1988 (Surfer Rosa) [511 points, 23 votes]
11. Here Comes Your Man, 1989 (Doolittle) [523 points, 22 votes, 1 first place vote]
10. Alec Eiffel, 1991 (Trompe le Monde) [535 points, 23 votes, 1 first place vote]
9. Tame, 1989 (Doolittle) [568 points, 25 votes]
8. Wave of Mutilation, 1989 (Doolittle) [588 points, 29 votes]
7. Hey, 1989 (Doolittle) [617 points, 24 votes, 3 first place votes]
6. Caribou, 1987 (Come on Pilgrim) [619 points, 24 votes, 4 first place votes]
5. River Euphrates, 1988 (Surfer Rosa) [668 points, 27 votes, 4 first place votes]
4. Gouge Away, 1989 (Doolittle) [676 points, 29 votes, 3 first place votes]
3. Gigantic, 1988 (Surfer Rosa) [713 points, 29 votes, 3 first place votes]
2. Bone Machine, 1988 (Surfer Rosa) [769 points, 31 votes, 1 first place vote]
1. Debaser, 1989 (Doolittle) [795 points, 31 votes, 3 first place votes]

Debaser was also my number 1. Loved the poll!

Debaser was my #1, too. First song I ever heard from them and still the best.

debaser was also my #1 so...

my #1 and #2 finished #1 and #2 so poll redeemed. phew

Hold on, 4 people are saying they voted Debaser #1.

indeed

For a while I was worried La La Love You was going to place, and higher than some of the great TLM songs I voted for. At least there was SOME semblance of sense, no matter how misguided some of your ballots were. :)

bah! I can't look at my xls right now to see whether or not I effed this up.

Yeah, thankfully 'La La Love You' didn't place, although 'Debaser', 'Gigantic' and 'Monkey Gone To Heaven'all too high.

Just looked through all the emailed ballots and I only have 3 with Debaser on top.

It's totally possible I ended up putting "I Bleed" at #1 and "Debaser" at #2, is there one like that?

lotta #2 & 3s i 'spose

or was it my #1? now i'm not sure

― Guayaquil (eephus!), Tuesday, October 28, 2014 7:01 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

lol

Phew! There is.

POLL SAVED EVERYBODY!

saved my list on grooveshark: http://grooveshark.com/#!/playlist/Pixies+22/101689805

Hey Johnny, where did Lovely Day come in?

or was it my #1? now i'm not sure

― Guayaquil (eephus!), Tuesday, October 28, 2014 7:01 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

lol

― Roberto Spiralli, Wednesday, October 29, 2014 3:38 PM (29 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink?

What? I went back and forth. Sue me, I spent a lot of time with Doolittle as a kid.

Was I the only one who voted for "In Heaven"?

Hey Johnny, where did Lovely Day come in?
Was I the only one who voted for "In Heaven"?

I'll be able to answer these burning questions later tonight.

Great results! Very happy to see Debaser at the top. Bone Machine at second is a wtf position, had no idea it was that popular in here, on the Surfer Rosa album poll it ended up in 3rd place behind Gigantic and Where is My Mind? (PIXIES Poll: The best track on Surfer Rosa)

Hey at 7th was dissapointing, though. Thought it was the definite favorite over here.

The most recent of those Pixies albums polls I ran was 5 years ago. I'd imagine some ILX turnover had something to do with slightly different results in 2014.

Bone Machine winning the poll would have been really odd. I love the song but doesn't sound like THE definite Pixies song, whereas Debaser is a better example.

While it's far from my favorite song, I think Tame is the song that better represents their signature dynamics and what made them great. The soundwave is proof enough. I wouldn't have minded if it ended up taking the first place.

Yeah, Tame is a song that no other band would've written.

Tame is awesome, the distortion and weird sucking effect on the vocals in the last chorus.

Also either Black Francis or Joey's guitar is basically making this chimey cling clangy industrial type noise on the last chorus.

And David alternating 8th and 16th notes on the hi-hat during the verses.

So There Goes My Gun didn't place at all. I guess there isn't room for them all but its always been one of my favourites from Doolite, and one of Kim's best vocal moments I've always thought. Hey ho.

Did anyone else vote for Bam Thwok?

pixies' reaction to that post:

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j0s8BCpIb28/UUvQL9sJaBI/AAAAAAAABaQ/gBzwMg9E8ao/s1600/pixies-456-081310.jpg.jpg

It turns out I didn't save the final tabulation after I added LeRoo's ballot in, so this is what it looked like with 41 ballots.

3 votes for Bam Thwok.

Bone Machine	40	729	769
Debaser	120	639	759
Gigantic	120	573	693
Gouge Away	120	556	676
River Euphrates	120	508	628
Caribou	160	441	601
Hey	120	474	594
Wave of Mutilation		577	577
Tame		540	540
Here Comes Your Man	40	483	523
Alec Eiffel	40	470	510
Where is my Mind?		481	481
No. 13 Baby	40	424	464
Velouria	40	388	428
Break My Body	80	347	427
Monkey Gone to Heaven	40	355	395
Levitate Me		384	384
The Holiday Song		381	381
Dig for Fire	40	341	381
Vamos		350	350
Broken Face	40	310	350
U-Mass		314	314
I Bleed	40	268	308
I've Been Tired	40	267	307
Letter To Memphis	120	186	306
Cactus		303	303
Planet of Sound		303	303
Rock Music		294	294
Motorway to Roswell	40	239	279
Is She Weird		257	257
Crackity Jones		245	245
Brick Is Red		244	244
Dead		242	242
Trompe Le Monde		230	230
Bird Dream of the Olympus Mons		224	224
Tony's Theme		224	224
Distance Equals Rate Times Time	40	182	222
Head On	40	171	211
Oh My Golly!		210	210
The Happening		207	207
The Sad Punk		206	206
Something Against You	40	157	197
Allison		188	188
Nimrod's Son		180	180
All Over the world		178	178
Mr. Grieves		175	175
Ed Is Dead		171	171
Silver		158	158
Blown Away		150	150
Into The White		140	140
Wave of Mutilation (UK Surf)		122	122
Cecilia Ann		121	121
Havalina		118	118
Palace of the Brine		117	117
Subbacultcha		114	114
There Goes My Gun		108	108
Isla de Encanta		104	104
Down to the Well	40	53	93
Lovely Day	40	49	89
Ana		83	83
Hang Wire	40	41	81
La La Love You		77	77
I'm Amazed		74	74
Manta Ray		73	73
winterlong		72	72
Stormy Weather		68	68
Bam Thwok		61	61
Space (I Believe In)		60	60
Ain't That Pretty At All		36	36
The Thing		26	26
i can't forget		21	21
In Heaven		21	21
Santo		20	20
I've Been Waiting for You		17	17
Velvety instrumental version		16	16
Build High		14	14

I didn't vote for debaser but I'm happy it won, certainly over bone machine which would have been a bizarre winner. Although talking of bizarre my own number one was "hang wire" so I'm maybe not the best judge. Thanks for the poll JF. the sound waves were inspired.

It's funny, this poll, though because the pixies songs are the songs of all the bands that have meant a lot to me in my life that mean the least tro me now. I still enjoy them immensely but they really mean very little to me as actual artifacts or memories. That's why it was so hard for me to grade the songs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiGtIbspaD4

I basically voted Hang Wire @ number one because

The day is like a warm night
Salt rusts the cold line

as a couplet is incredibly suggestive to me and has stuck in my head for years and won't go away. I think it's beautiful.

"Manta Ray" was robbed btw

Great poll JF and thanks for including my ballot! It was fun listening to all these amazing songs again and I'm happy "River Euphrates", my #1, made it so high.

I didn't have time to vote but I really enjoyed the poll and pretty much agree with the results except:

Too high: River Euphrates, Dig for Fire
Too low: Planet of Sound, Head On
MIA: Winterlong

I didn't vote either, lame excuse really but the voting thread didn't have the deadline in the title and I missed it.

The single version of River Euphrates >> album, RM/RM, maybe try that version if you think it's too high?

I prob would've voted for Manta Ray and Subbacultcha but those are the only 2 I missed from the Top 50 I think. Would have put Broken Face, No. 13 Baby and Something Against You a bit further up in the countdown if I had voted.

How did I not know that? I'll check it out.

the gigantic/euphrates 12" was one of the first records I bought after going INDIE at 14. Love those versions and spent a long time staring at that baby (the literal baby on the cover that is).

i'm curious to see the not-pixies tracks list!

Breakdown of album points based on top 50 songs:

Come on Pilgrim 2392
Surfer Rosa 5013
Doolittle 5808
Bossanova 2167
Trompe Le Monde 5020

I had no idea Trompe Le Monde was that much more popular than Bossanova. In my mental clustering there are only three Pixies records,

Come on Pilgrim / Surfer Rosa
Doolittle
Bossanova/Trompe Le monde

For each song of theirs, I can tell you with certainty which of these record-clusters it's in, but not which record within the cluster.

i'm curious to see the not-pixies tracks list!

It's coming. I just didn't have time to put it together last night.

Here is my ballot:

Caribou
Wave of Mutilation (UK Surf)
Wave of Mutilation
Where is My Mind?
U-Mass
River Euphrates
Tame
Here Comes Your Man
Gigantic
Blown Away
Mr. Grieves
Cecilia Ann
Bone Machine
La La Love You
Dig For Fire
Debaser
Planet of Sound
Velouria
Hey
Is She Weird
Brick is Red
Distance Equals Rate Times Time

1. Lovely Day
2. Letter to Memphis
3. Palace of the Brine
4. Cactus
5. Trompe le Monde
6. Silver
7. No. 13 Baby
8. The Sad Punk
9. Wave of Mutilation
10. Bird Dream of the Olympus Mons
11. Gouge Away
12. Alec Eiffel
13. Space (I Believe In)
14. Planet of Sound
15. Broken Face
16. Debaser
17. Vamos
18. Hey
19. Tame
20. There Goes My Gun
21. Bone Machine
22. Where is My Mind?

Velouria
Wave Of Mutilation
Hey
Crackity Jones
I Bleed
Monkey Gone To Heaven
Gouge Away
The Holiday Song
The Happening
Tame
Caribou
Gigantic
Where Is My Mind?
Debaser
Here Comes Your Man
Bone Machine
Mr Grieves
Into The White
Vamos
I’m Amazed
Allison
Ana

Doolittle
Surfer Rosa
Bossanova
Come on Pilgrim
Trompe Le Monde

1 Down to the Well (purple tape)
2 Bone Machine
3 Brick is Red
4 The Holiday Song
5 I've Been Tired
6 Into the White
7 Caribou
8 Isla de Encanta
9 Ed is Dead
10 Number 13 Baby
11 Dig for Fire
12 Levitate me
13 Gouge Away
14 I Bleed
15 Stormy Weather
16 Dead
17 Blown Away
18 Planet of Sound
19 Trompe le monde
20 Is She Weird (John Peel version)
21 Hang Wire
22 Tony's Theme

there's so little I don't like or love in the full list, all the way down into the 70s. Consistent surprising brilliance to me now - more than it seemed at the time, tbh, when I sometimes felt disappointment and frustration at their changes. Really enjoyed going to back to them for this.

really sad that they all died in 1995, RIP The Pixies, but at least you will never tarnish your legacy.

1

Break My Body

Surfer Rosa

2

Brick Is Red

Surfer Rosa

3

Bone Machine

Surfer Rosa

4

No 13 Baby

Doolittle

5

Hey

Doolittle

6

Caribou

Come On Pilgrim

7

River Euphrates

Surfer Rosa

8

Lovely Day

Trompe Le Monde

9

Tame

Doolittle

10

Rock Music

Bossanova

11

Gouge Away

Doolittle

12

Where Is My Mind?

Surfer Rosa

13

Motorway to Roswell

Trompe Le Monde

14

Gigantic

Surfer Rosa

15

Levitate Me

Come On Pilgrim

16

Nimrod's Son

Come On Pilgrim

17

Vamos

Surfer Rosa

18

The Happening

Bossanova

19

Blown Away

Bossanova

20

Cactus

Surfer Rosa

21

Velouria

Bossanova

22

Dead

Doolittle

Aargh! Sorry about that formatting hell, I'm on my phone. Thanks for the poll, JF.

The only time in my life I had an actual "favourite band", it was the Pixies. I got into them in 1990 after borrowing Doolittle on tape from a school friend and walking around town with it in my walkman. I was 14 and just getting into "indie" music. They've pretty much been what I would answer for my favourite band ever since then.

Did u already do the sidebands poll?

I haven't yet. Gonna put that all together tonight and roll it out quickstyle in the morning.

Right on. I will post my ballot some time tomorrow myself.

I suck. Probably won't be tomorrow at this point.

there's so little I don't like or love in the full list, all the way down into the 70s. Consistent surprising brilliance to me now - more than it seemed at the time, tbh, when I sometimes felt disappointment and frustration at their changes. Really enjoyed going to back to them for this.

really sad that they all died in 1995, RIP The Pixies, but at least you will never tarnish your legacy.

― woof, jueves 30 de octubre de 2014 16:56 (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I hadn't put much thought to it but you're right. Of all the artists poll we've had this might be the first where every song on the list is good.

The only thing that frustrates me about them is that while they don't have 'difficult' songs per se, and yet none of my acquaintances get them. I just don't fucking get it. I wish I knew a Pixies fan in the real world. i

Sorry about the awful english I'm a bit drunk and on mobile and can't doublecheck.

Anyhoo thanks for this poll JF! It's been almost three years since I listened to them and I've been on a binge since this poll started and it has made me appreciate and fall in love all over again with their music.

Super cool to see "Debaser" win. A highly-recommended live band karaoke pick, if you ever get the chance.

"Caribou" was a sleeper hit for me (was my #1), closely followed IIRC by "Debaser". "Caribou" is just so nuts: repent of being human, join the northern herds, lilt in 6/8. Took me a while to get onto it as a youngster (was introduced to them by "Winterlong" on that comp and then bought Doolittle soon after, pretty much changed my life at 15 years old. It wasn't til will into my 20s that I finally owned Surfer Rosa and Come on Pilgrim instead of just hearing them at other people's places and in cars.

In my memory, I didn't like Bossanova very much but Trompe Le Monde was much better. On re-listening, I found a lot more value in Bossanova than I remembered but neither record moved me much at all & none of the songs from the Alien Era made my ballot.

Bossanova gets a bad rap for reasons I can't quite understand. For my money, it has the best side 2 of all the LPs.

It prob works better in the context of its time than as a continuation of Surfer Rosa/Doolittle. Lots of throwback guitar pop albums in 1990, and Bossanova is a really unique instance of that partic trend.

I remember at the time thinking Bossanova's production sounded like no other album I'd ever heard and that it was a really cool thing that it sounded that way. Now I think the production is the kiss of death and, unlike I lot of 80s overproduction that I've rewarmed myself to, I don't think I'll ever rekindle any liking for the sound of Bossanova (still like many of its songs, though).

my ballot

Songs:
1. Monkey Gone To Heaven
2. Gouge Away
3. Hey
4. Alec Eiffel
5. Here Comes My Man
6. Gigantic
7. River Euphrates
8. All Over the World
9. Wave of Mutilation
10. The Holiday Song
11. Crackity Jones
12. Oh My Golly!!
13. Something Against You
14. Levitate Me
15. Debaser
16. Subbacultcha
17. Mr Grieves.
18. Lovely Day
19. No. 13 Baby
20. Bone Machine
21. Dig For Fire
22. The Happening


Albums:
1. Doolittle
2. Surfer Rosa
3. TLM
4. Bossanova
5. Come On Pilgrim.

Yeah I cant deny I love the sound of Bossanova; it's so spacious and vibrant. It sounds like what if East Bay Ray joined Husker Du. It feels like living breathing rock n roll, whereas Doolittle only captures that intermittently, and often sounds stiff and pretentious, like a showing of Black Francis' latest song-sculptures at some modern art gallery.

(xpost to JF)

In retrospect I think there were songs I should have voted for over "UMass."

Side poll reveal today?

#1 will probably be Cannonball. but it *should* be Headache.

SAFARI

i did not vote in the side poll because i felt like i'd have to commit as much time as i did to the regular poll. but i am looking forward to seeing what people went for. safari would be awesome, i love that. the safari version of do you love me now, too, those are possibly my fave breeders songs

Not today. I am a terrible person. I'm going to put all my effort into tabulating the results tonight and rolling it out tomorrow.

The Deal sisters are waiting for the festivities...

https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2407/5818311660_8e1da41d67_z.jpg

the safari version of do you love me now, too, those are possibly my fave breeders songs

― Roberto Spiralli, Tuesday, November 4, 2014 8:40 AM (9 minutes ago)

This was my #1 iirc, Britt's drumming and Kelley's distorto guitar solo battling Kim's tremolo guitar make it for me. Only a tad too much cello to be called perfect.

I think I voted for it too (but didn't specify which version.)

I sort of wish we'd done a poll of "covers of Pixies songs by other people," though are there that many?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Pixies_tribute_albums

then you've got TVOTR, Bowie, Papa Roach

...Joseph Gordon Levitt

you guys! you guys! you guys! I actually got the results of the non-Pixies tracks together last night, but then I got to work a little bit ago and realized I forgot to email them to myself. So come back tonight for an after dark results rollout.

saucy

sorry I didn't find my The Last Hard Men CD to check which of the Sebastian Bach or Kelley Deal filler interview tracks I wanted to vote for

this is probably my favorite pixies cover by the way

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ogZxJoBpZo

(drumroll please...)

10. The Amps - Bragging Party (95 points)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cNxtvruuHI

9. The Breeders - Invisible Man (105 points)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNDF5jkdyaA

8. The Breeders - Do You Love Me Now? (105 points, 2 first place votes)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muecvUXTMmQ

toooooo looooowwwwwww

7. The Breeders - Iris (120 points)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgXcdJFeUuA

iris is gooooood, i think my favourite off of pod

I think watching that video made my mind up for me that Pod is better than any of the Pixies records.

Without question IMO.

Tanya Donnelly quite pleased with herself in that video.

I remember watching that when it was broadcast.

6. The Breeders - Saints (140 points, 2 first place votes)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29DKkmZMTlk

"Saints" is great, like everything else from this era of the Breeders, but to my ear a little bit more straight down the middle grunge than "Iris" and "Do You Love Me Now?" which could ONLY be them. Should have voted "Iris" but picking 5 was hard. Have we ever polled "No Alternative"?

5. The Breeders - Doe (150 points)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5UsciKpACU

Oh yeah we did. Iris didn't fare well!

"No Alternative" compilation poll

Didn't at all anticipate the Deals dominating like this. (I had three Breeders tracks and two Frank Black -- sorry, The Martinis)

4. The Breeders - Safari (155 points, 3 first place votes)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xT6oZGThwis

Also this is making me realize I have no idea what's Breeders canon -- never knew "Doe" was so loved. "Cannonball" surely left -- in my world, "Happiness is a Warm Gun" a clear top choice too, though it didn't make my ballot. "Divine Hammer" I guess? "Headache?" Frank Black and the etc. may split votes by virtue of not really having obvious singles.

OK, now we're talkin'. I think there's an argument that Safari represents the perfected version of the sound, and maybe that it couldn't have been sustained for the length of an LP. In other words, it is the Breeders' Westing by Musket and Sextant.

3. Frank Black - Headache (160 points, 1 first place vote)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2zb_iZC6nI

"Safari" the song (but perhaps also the EP) is absolutely the perfected version of the sound to my ears. It was my #1 with zero hesitation.

Oh wait, it wasn't. LOL I voted for Breaking the Split-Screen Barrier in hopes it would squeak in, but that was purely strategic. Safari is it for me.

If I had voted for any Frank Black song, it probably would've been Ten Percenter (or maybe Abstract Plane).

Main riff of this is catchy as hell, and I often sing it to myself, but that's really ALL there is to this song. Cheap truckdriver key change at the end, thin sound -- I claim there are 10 songs from the 1999-2002 Frank Black and the Catholics peak that are better than this (not to mention 10 1990-93 Breeders tracks, 9 of which I guess we're gonna see..!)

2. The Breeders - Cannonball (185 points)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxvkI9MTQw4

You can barely make out a 19 year old Britt Walford in the background a few times in that Iris studio footage.

Thought this was a sure #1!

Jimmy Mac has always been a deceptively skilled drummer, because Cannonball is hard as fuck to play.

1. The Breeders - Divine Hammer (235 points, 4 first place votes)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9il_iQ8bDM

Divine Hammer has always sounded like too traditional a pop song to me, and that's not what I seek The Breeders out for. ILM will be ILM, though.

wut

Divine Hammer	160	75	235			235
Cannonball		185	185			185
Headache	40	120	160			160
Safari	120	35	155			155
Doe		150	150			150
Saints	80	60	140			140
Iris		120	120			120
Do You Love Me Now?	80	25	105			105
Invisible Man		105	105			105
Bragging Party		95	95			95
Metal Man	40	55	95			95
Oh!	40	55	95			95
When I Was a Painter		90	90			90
Fortunately Gone	40	45	85			85
Breaking the Split-Screen Barrier	40	30	70			70
Off You	40	25	65			65
White Noise Maker	40	20	60			60
Hag		55	55			55
Glorious		50	50			50
Lime House		50	50			50
Bullet	40		40			40
Speedy Marie	40		40			40
Too Alive	40		40			40
Only in 3's		35	35			35
Los Angeles		30	30			30
Thalassocracy		30	30			30
21 Reasons		25	25			25
Don't You Rile 'Em		25	25			25
Drivin' on 9		25	25			25
Flipside		25	25			25
Shocker in Gloomtown		25	25			25
Tipp City		25	25			25
(I Want to Live on An) Abstract Plain		20	20			20
Back to Rome		20	20			20
Every Time I Go Around Here		20	20			20
Happiness Is a Warm Gun		20	20			20
Huffer		20	20			20
Opened		20	20			20
Superabound		20	20			20
Forced to Drive		15	15			15
Full on Idle		15	15			15
No Aloha		15	15			15
Overglazed		15	15			15

one of the greatest, weirdest, fiercest acts of the era and ilm votes for the song that sounds like a cover of "feed the tree"

Though actually I rate "Feed the Tree" above "Divine Hammer" and would probably place it 4th or 5th on Last Splash if the Breeders had chosen to cover it, mind you

Thanks, JF, this was awesome!

Can you remind me how to read this chart though?

It's tough.

I scored ballots like this: 40:30:25:20:15. But the pivot table I made threw together the results without the number of votes, so the only important numbers to look at here are, in the cases where a song received a first place vote, is to notice the multiple of 40 closest to the song title and the final point total farthest away from the song title.

W T F ,

can you guys just listen to this and concede it crushes "headache" like a grape

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMT0BXosu3g

Great to see all the love for both "Safari" and Safari.

I haven't investigated solo Frank that much outside of the debut. The big alt-theatre company down here staged a musical based on Bluefinger a few years back and it ruled.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FYR2hkQD6k

Wait what!? There was a side project poll? Why did I not know this?

side poll makes you think Kim was the true creative force behind pixies.

surely all (most) those Divine Hammer votes must have been tactical, trying to break an assumed Cannonball stranglehold

can you guys just listen to this and concede it crushes "headache" like a grape

nope

I mean, okay, I listened, and nope

the only post-Doolittle Blank Frank record I own is the Headache 7" with the acoustic version on the B-side, but I liked the first album

[checks Teenager track listing]

Whatever Happened to Pong?, (I Want to Live on an) Abstract Plain, Bad Wicked World - heard all those on a '90s radio session ten years ago, also p good iirc

Still repping for Speedy Marie, still don't really get to complain because I didn't vote :(

top three seemed pretty obvious, in some order. never really need to hear any of them again. pleased that safari, do you love me now and iris placed well.

thanks JF for the whole shebang, great stuff

surely all (most) those Divine Hammer votes must have been tactical, trying to break an assumed Cannonball stranglehold

I guess? But to me this is one of those areas where popular judgment basically got it right. "Cannonball" was a giant hit because it was unstoppably great. I voted "Do You Love Me Now" #1 but it was a close thing between those two.

Cheap truckdriver key change at the end, thin sound

Truckdriver key change usually refers to a whole-step modulation -- "Headache" jumps up a 5th, from B to E!

one of the greatest, weirdest, fiercest acts of the era and ilm votes for the song that sounds like a cover of "feed the tree"

eh I feel this stupid need to insist that "Feed the Tree" is p. great and weird, if not fierce, and "Divine Hammer" has reasonable scores for all 3 imo (OK maybe more "lyrically unconventional" than "weird"), but I get your point

I didn't vote in either poll because I didn't feel my knowledge was encyclopedic enough but if I'd paid attention to the fact there was a side-projects poll and thought about how much of the 90s I spent listening to the Breeders (and all related bands) and pre-Catholics FB I should probably have got something together

But to me this is one of those areas where popular judgment basically got it right. "Cannonball" was a giant hit because it was unstoppably great.

yes, I agree, one of the two best pop singles of the '90s - which is why I assume people overthought their voting, because it should have won.

or if beaten, only been by Safari

Whatever Happened to Pong?, (I Want to Live on an) Abstract Plain, Bad Wicked World - heard all those on a '90s radio session ten years ago, also p good iirc

still an overall great album – white Noise Maker also got a vote from me in the side poll and Thalassocracy came close.

can you guys just listen to this and concede it crushes "headache" like a grape

i will also "nope" this. 'tis a fine song, but for me Headache is an all all-time great song.

wheay-hey-hey-hay, isn't so great, since you learned karate, chop chop CHop chop...

I remembered reading an article about the Pixies about 20 years ago where it described the Velouria video as "the band members running in slow motion in the buff" and this thread somehow jogged that out of my memory banks so I just went to YouTube to watch the video and realize that it was actually "the band members running in slow motion down a bluff".

lol

Cannonball: Love Shack:: Divine Hammer: Roam

good call!

wow there is something so deeply, deeply right about that analogy

I'm ranking for fire!.