"NO. 13 BABY" PIXIES (1989)

For October, the Mental Jukebox is dialing it way back to the eighties and going deep. Deep cuts have always been an important element of music listening to me because they’re often the songs that resonate with me most. Deep cuts are usually the ones that the true fans appreciate most. I like my singles and hits, but I love my deep cuts.

The art of creating a stellar two-minute banger is one thing. Creating an album full of them is another. Doolittle doesn’t let up. Ever. On tour, the band still trots out a bunch of these tracks – and honestly I wish they would play the whole album in sequence. It’s an album where the deep cuts were just as strong as the singles. The singles, “Here Comes Your Man” and “Monkey Gone To Heaven” in particular, may have been more melodic. But most fans love the Pixies for the fits of rage where melodies almost don’t matter. Case in point: “No. 13 Baby”.

Black Francis could’ve sung this one without a coherent tune and it would still be just as strong. On “No. 13 Baby”, Dave and Kim lay down a chunky rhythmic bed, but musically this is Joey’s show. His guitar is, at times, possessed on the song. Sometimes it feels like it’s buried underground only to rise from the dead and die again. It’s that soft-loud-soft dynamic perfected where the guitar gets us to rise and fall along with it.

“Viva, don't want no blue eyes. La loma, I want brown eyes.”

"MOTORWAY TO ROSWELL" PIXIES (1991)

For the next 30 days, I’ll be taking the #AprilAcrossAmerica challenge, picking one song a day as I make my way across the country and across genres at the same time.

Day 23: Roswell, NM

By Trompe Le Monde, the Pixies were past their prime. But they were still true to their identity, refusing to cave in to the direction of the sounds that surrounded them. The Pixies are the influencers, not the influenced. The kings of quiet-loud-quiet, loud-quiet-loud, and all their variations. They were forerunners to the grunge movement. And yet their music is unusually resilient, holding up year after year, decade after decade. And there’s no better place to start than one of the deep cuts from Trompe Le Monde, “Motorway To Roswell”.

A bit more melodic and poppier than we were accustomed to hearing from The Pixies, “Motorway To Roswell” was as tame (song reference intended) as the band got. Black Francis gives the screaming and howling a rest, and sings in a way that gives the melody more power. But this is no softie. Santiago’s guitar still lights up like a three-alarm fire. While Trompe Le Monde may not be their piece de resistance, I find myself tipping my proverbial hat to originals like “Motorway To Roswell” more so than the covers.

“Last night he could not make it. He tried hard but could not make it.”

"WHERE IS MY MIND?" PIXIES (1988)

This month, I’m looking back at movies and tv shows to rediscover songs that graced the screen. The scenes and the music are inseparable. They’re engrained in our heads and our hearts. And they’re proof that the best music we have doesn’t exist in isolation. It attaches itself to a moment or an experience. #SceneSongs

Movie: Fight Club

While it may not be in the upper echelon of my personal Pixies favorites, “Where Is My Mind?” has cultural implications that far outweigh the rest of this great band’s catalog. That’s, of course, because of Fight Club, which was not just a terrific film, it was a cultural phenomenon. Controversial and influential, Fight Club ended with this song — and then continued on in public discourse and in private fight clubs across the U.S.

“Where Is My Mind?” is an introduction to the irresistible, jarring world of the Pixies. It’s a coming out party of quiet-loud-quiet dynamics that mimicked the cinematic rhythms of the movie and that would define the Pixies imprint on the music world. They weren’t Nirvana. Or Radiohead. Or Smashing Pumpkins. But they were the ones that influenced all three. We may not have any of those bands without this song. What I’m drawn to on this track: Black Francis going from tentative to full-blown insane. I also think the simple, pervasive guitar riff trumps the mini guitar solo.

“WITH YOUR FEET ON THE AIR AND YOUR HEAD ON THE GROUND, TRY THIS TRICK AND SPIN IT, YEAH.”

"MOTORWAY TO ROSWELL" PIXIES (1991)

I started Mental Jukebox nearly three years ago at the beginning of the pandemic. During this time, I’ve discovered new music, rediscovered old favorites and I’ve met passionate music fans around the world. And when things opened up, I kept on blogging. This month, the jukebox goes deeper. The term “deep cut” has multiple meanings. It can refer to lesser known album tracks from well-known artists. It can also refer to tracks from lesser known artists. This month, I’ll be featuring both types. #DeepCutsFeb

By Trompe Le Monde, the Pixies were past their prime. But they were still true to their identity, refusing to cave in to the direction of the sounds that surrounded them. The Pixies are the influencers, not the influenced. The kings of quiet-loud-quiet, loud-quiet-loud, and all their variations. They were forerunners to the grunge movement. And yet their music is unusually resilient, holding up year after year, decade after decade. And there’s no better place to start than one of the deep cuts from Trompe Le Monde, “Motorway To Roswell”.

A bit more melodic and poppier than we were accustomed to hearing from The Pixies, “Motorway To Roswell” was as tame (song reference intended) as the band got. Black Francis gives the screaming and howling a rest, and sings in a way that gives the melody more power. But this is no softie. Santiago’s guitar still lights up like a three-alarm fire. While Trompe Le Monde may not be their piece de resistance, I find myself tipping my proverbial hat to originals like “Motorway To Roswell” more so than the covers.

"DEBASER" PIXIES (1989)

Great album openers get the listeners to keep on listening. They can do this in any number of ways. Some openers set the tone by easing us in. Others jump right in and blow our minds from the very beginning. A great album opener isn’t an easy thing to create. More than a great song, it’s all about the sequence. Track 1 has to be the perfect starter. This month, I’m highlighting my favorites. #AlbumOpeningSongs

After all these years, Doolittle is still one of my all-time favorite albums. While Surfer Rosa was an important album in its own right and exclamation mark in music history, Doolittle had an incredible sense of confidence and cohesion oozing from every one of those tracks. Here was an album that was perfectly sequenced without a single lackluster track. As soon as I got my Doolittle CD, I couldn’t stop playing it. The opening track was always an abrupt shift from homework, girl problems and whatever garbage I was preoccupied with in high school.

“Debaser” wiped the slate of modern rock music clean and served as the ultimate entry point into an album full of two-minute bangers ruled by screams, howls and quiet-loud-quiet dynamics. “Debaser” is played at full throttle. Black Francis, Joey Santiago, Kim Deal and David Lovering seemingly expend all energy on the opener, only to keep going through 15 tracks of hell-bent bliss. Santiago’s guitar riffs are the stuff of rebellion and liberation. And Francis is on a mission to blow out his vocal cords in under three minutes.

“Got me a movie. Ha ha ha ho. Slicing up eyeballs. Ha ha ha ho.”

"TAME" PIXIES (1989)

I generally gravitate to the music first before the lyrics. But as a writer, I still marvel at well-spun verses and choruses. This month, I’m joining the music Twitter community in #31DaySongLyricChallenge

Day 15

Ordinary bands sing their lyrics. But the Pixies is no ordinary band. The instrumentation on “Tame” is irresistible with those chunky bass lines and the industrial cacophony on guitar. But the vocals are the centerpiece. This is Black Francis, so rather than sing his lyrics, he whispers, screams and growls his way through two short verses and peaces out in just under two minutes. The words are memorable, but more significantly, it’s the way in. which he delivers them that’s truly unforgettable.

“Got hips like Cinderella. Must be having a good shame. Talking sweet about nothing. Cookie I think you're tame.”

"WHERE IS MY MIND?" PIXIES (1988)

This month, the Mental Jukebox revisits the movie soundtracks of the nineties. The music I’m highlighting are some of my personal favorites. In many cases, the movies themselves were huge for me as well. But the focus will still be on the music – as always. Let’s bring on the throwback classics, the grunge, the gangsta rap, and the indie gems. #31DaysOf90sMovieSongs

Movie: Fight Club

While it may not be in the upper echelon of my personal Pixies favorites, “Where Is My Mind?” has cultural implications that far outweigh the rest of this great band’s catalog. That’s, of course, because of Fight Club, which was not just a terrific film, it was a cultural phenomenon. Controversial and influential, Fight Club ended with this song — and then continued on in public discourse and in private fight clubs across the U.S.

“Where Is My Mind?” is an introduction to the irresistible, jarring world of the Pixies. It’s a coming out party of quiet-loud-quiet dynamics that mimicked the cinematic rhythms of the movie and that would define the Pixies imprint on the music world. They weren’t Nirvana. Or Radiohead. Or Smashing Pumpkins. But they were the ones that influenced all three. We may not have any of those bands without this song. What I’m drawn to on this track: Black Francis going from tentative to full-blown insane. I also think the simple, pervasive guitar riff trumps the mini guitar solo.

“With your feet on the air and your head on the ground, try this trick and spin it, yeah.”

"GOUGE AWAY" PIXIES (1989)

It’s time to get back to my favorite decade. For the month of March, I’ll be looking back at some of my favorite jams from the 80s. These songs often came to me via MTV or the radio. NYC-area stations WDRE, WPLJ, WNEW, K-ROCK and Z100 introduced me to everything from irresistible pop confections to under-the-radar post-punk anthems. I would not be who I am today if it weren’t for the 80s. It was the decade when I discovered music can be a truly powerful thing. #31DaysOf80sSongs

Ahh, Doolittle. One of the greatest albums of all time. I’ve probably played it hundreds of times and never get bored. There may be no greater collection of two-minute bangers than this precursor to grunge. The Pixies were great not because they thrashed, wailed and screamed, although they did all those things. They were great because they would change tempos and the sonic demeanor of a song on a whim. They were the masters of quiet-loud-quiet dynamics, which made the thrashing, wailing and screaming that much more irresistable. “Gouge Away” is a case in point.

It really is hard to pick just one song from Doolittle, but “Gouge Away” gets the nod on today’s Mental Jukebox post because it was the album closer. It’s what made Doolittle finish on a high note. Everything on the track is extremely tactile. You can feel the pick on Joey Santiago’s guitar strums and hear the intonation crystal clear on Kim Deal’s bass lines. And, of course, there’s Black Francis – going from a small flicker of a flame to a bona fide three-alarm fire.

“Stay all day, if you want to.”

"WHERE IS MY MIND?" PIXIES (1988)

Exceptional soundtracks can make good movies great. They can also take on a life of their own, becoming a greater highlight than their respective films. In this series, I’m selecting some of my favorite soundtrack songs. While quite a few are well-known recordings, I’m also including a few that have flown under the radar over the years.

While it may not be in the upper echelon of my personal Pixies favorites, “Where Is My Mind?” has cultural implications that far outweigh the rest of this great band’s catalog. That’s mostly due to Fight Club, which was not just a terrific film, it was a cultural phenomenon. Controversial and influential, Fight Club ended with this song — and then continued on in public discourse and in private fight clubs across the U.S.

“Where Is My Mind?” is an introduction to the irresistible, jarring world of the Pixies. It’s a coming out party of loud-soft-loud dynamics that mimicked the cinematic rhythms of the movie and that would define the Pixies imprint on the music world. They weren’t Nirvana. Or Radiohead. Or Smashing Pumpkins. But they were the ones that influenced all three. We may not have any of those bands without this song.

“With your feet on the air and your head on the ground.”

"U-MASS" PIXIES (1991)

This is the song that recounts the hallowed academic grounds where Black Francis and Joey Santiago met. It’s not where The Pixies started, but there would also be no Pixies without U Mass. This is not the best Pixies song, but its opening guitar riff hooked me in on the first listen. And as Pixie fans know, all it takes is a single guitar riff or a signature howl from Francis to make us play these condensed rock songs over and over again.

“We' re not just kids to say the least.”

"WAVE OF MUTILATION" PIXIES (1989)

Just when the 80’s were about to wrap up, Doolittle made its way on to modern rock radio stations, including my beloved WDRE. I played the album over and over again, soaking in one edgy two-minute song after another. The third Track was one of my favorites. Like many songs from the pixies, “wave of Mutilation” took you on a triP. The guitar scorchEd, waiLed And didn’t waste a second getting warmed up. And instead of screaming into our ear drums, Black Francis was practically whispering inside secrets to us Verse by verse.

“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.”