'Doolittle' - Pixies (1989)

"So the theme for last week’s art assignment was heat. We have this lovely beach painting from Allison. And the flames of Olympia from Alec. And then we come to yours, Michael. It appears to be three figures throwing themselves in to a volcano."

"Yep, that’s right, Mr Grieves. And they’re melting on the way down."

"Hmm. I was hoping for a still life."

"In many ways it is. There’s lava in there."

"Erm, ok. This may affect your grade for the term, Michael."

"I’m guessing not in a positive way." 

First editions of 'Doolittle' came with this lovely lyric book featuring
evocative still life images inspired by the songs.  

Art direction and design: Vaughan Oliver/v23
Photography: Simon Larbalestier

Spotify linky:

Pixies – I Bleed

‘Levitate Me’ – Pixies (1987)

“Come on pilgrim,
You know he loves you.”

So it wasn’t bad enough having to share a school with rabid Bros fans. Oh no. I actually had to share a school with the Bros twins Matt and Luke themselves. That’s right. My poor, fey gothic heart was imprisoned in the temple of infantile pop by the ascending pharaohs of the culturally inane. What’s more, they lived at the end of my road. There was no escape.

The Goss boys were a couple of years above me and I can’t say I noticed them at all until they left. By then I was in the lower sixth and their first single had come out ('I Owe You Nothing'). And then they were back, playing the school gym at lunchtime. And then they were everywhere. Now, I can understand the kids in the first year thinking this was all very exciting. But I had classmates who were thrilled simply because they had finally discovered a band before the rest of the world. Oh dear. How to explain to these people that there were far better bands waiting to be be discovered out there. Just turn on the John Peel show. Go to a gig that isn’t being held either at lunchtime or in your school gym. Read a music paper. Please. But no, I was surrounded by people buying multiple signed copies of the first Bros single as an investment for when they hit the big time – yes, Spencer, I’m talking about you. Which is all very fair enough I suppose as those singles probably were worth a fair bit for two weeks in 1988 as Bros-mania swept Saturday morning telly.

Meanwhile, I was hunting down the first Pixies mini-album and wondering who would like to come see My Bloody Valentine with me. And people wondered why I felt so isolated at school. Funnily enough though, I can talk about those bands now and quickly find kindred spirits. Don’t see so many people bonding over Bros.

Spotify linky:

Pixies – Levitate Me

‘U-Mass’ – Pixies (1991)

“And stupid stuff,
it makes us shout”

ABBA at one in the morning. No-one should have to suffer that. (And if you disagree, you may well be reading the wrong blog.) And this wasn’t a one-off. This was a neighbour in the flat downstairs who seemed to be taking the philosophy of ‘Gimme Gimme Gimme (A Man After Midnight)’ far too literally.

You could bang on the floor and you’d get a torrent of abuse back. You could write a polite note and it would have no effect. So I tried another approach. When I got up for work at 6.30am, I’d move my old paint-splattered ghetto blaster (I’m guessing they’re not called that these days) into my bedroom, face the speakers towards the floor, and crank out ‘U-Mass’ by Pixies. Childish? Yes. Immensely satisfying? Absolutely.

This song seems perfectly engineered to wake your neighbours. It starts with a raw guitar riff and only gets louder – with the drums then pounding in, closely followed by the bass. And as it’s picking up speed to the first chorus, Black Francis drops in a wonderfully unnecessary sweary bit for added pleasure. Now, I don’t condone this kind of language. But, hey; stick your ‘Dancing Queen’.

After lots of typical Pixies yelping (“It’s EDUCATIONAAAAAL!!”), the song pulls a glorious false ending, before crashing back in on a final burst of full-on distorted guitar mayhem. Three minutes of perfection. And after that, you could hear my neighbours were up and moving about – job done. But not quite yet. As the final trick was always to let them settle down again and think the storm has passed, before coming back with an encore (something like the 17-minute version of ‘Sister Ray’ by the Velvet Underground). Reading this back it seems rather cruel. But remember this: ‘Mamma Mia’. 1am. Day after day. Yes? Exactly.

So, are they still around? Nah. Their landlord booted them out after two weeks and we all slept happily ever after.

Spotify linky:

Pixies – U-mass

Bonus linky (in case you need to annoy your neighbours too):

The Velvet Underground – Sister Ray

‘Let’s Go Round There’ – The Darling Buds (1989)

“We don’t have to talk,
We don’t have to smile,
‘Cos we’ve only just met,
But please stay for a while”

(“What’s this?” Etched vinyl, kids. Yep, it made a whole side of your expensive record completely unplayable. Buy, hey, look at the pretty flower pattern.)

My Dad wins competitions that he doesn’t even enter. A crate of champagne will turn up at the door. Or tickets will arrive for a weekend away. Once he won a car (which he wanted to sell, but my mum nabbed it).

My winnings total a 12-inch by the La’s (whom I never liked, so that went to my friend Laura G) and a Darling Buds T-shirt. Impressive, eh? I snagged them both in the same competition. A Sunday night phone-in on Radio 210 – the local Reading station. The presenter, Sarah Jane, phoned me after the show to take my details and we got chatting about indie stuff.

The next week I got a name check and the new Buds single dedicated to me. And so began a weekly correspondence where I’d send in requests (The Wonder Stuff for my mum and some Pixies for my sister) and get my letters read out. This continued for about a year and I was mighty chuffed to get a shout out in the final show. The radio just hasn’t meant the same to me since – you never hear a good Darling Buds giveaway any more.

Spotify linky:

The Darling Buds – Let's Go Round There

Diary doodles 1990 - No.6

Today’s Diary Doodle has a song to accompany it. (“What!??!” Yes, that’s right, folks; I’m turning the format of this post on its head. For one day only. Hold on tight and enjoy the ride.)

This is actually going to be my most vacuous song story yet. It begins with me buying the ‘Velouria’ 12-inch at the Rock Box (the local indie store) in Camberley. And it ends with me then bumping (not literally) into the girl in the doodle. Karen. (No, I still can’t remember her second name.) And there’s nothing in between. And nothing before or after that I can remember.

But for some reason, I clearly recall holding this record and talking to her that morning twenty years ago. My diary says we chatted about “school (I’d left for college, but she was in her final year), hair dye, supermarkets and cheese graters.” I had a huge soft spot for Karen and clearly thought of her as a friend in the doodle, but really she was a friend of a friend who fancied one of my friends.

And, no, I don’t where she is these days. I kinda sorta actually lost touch with all my school friends.

Wow, I’ve really managed to stretch this out based on next to nothing.

‘Velouria’– Pixies (1990)

“Hold my head,
we’ll trampoline …
finally through the roof.
On to somewhere near,
and far in time.”

Spotify linky:

Pixies – Velouria