Pixies

The entire edition size has now sold out. In 2002 Q magazine named The Pogues as one of the "50 Bands To See Before You Die". Many of the reunion shows, including that April 13 show in Minneapolis, were sold by DiscLive (http://pixies.disclive.com/) in sets of 1,000. The band, including MacGowan, re-formed for a Christmas tour in 2001 and performed 9 shows in the UK in December 2004. A "new retrospective compilation CD" is set for release in the near future. His autobiography, A Drink With Shane MacGowan, co-written with his journalist girlfriend appeared in 2001. In spring 2004, 4AD released Wave of Mutilation: The Best of the Pixies and a companion DVD which features a full concert, the music videos, and a documentary on the Pixies. Shane MacGowan remains the sole member of the band in the spotlight, having founded The Popes (AKA Shane MacGowan and The Popes) in 1994.

This was followed by a three-month world tour and four-month return to the US, ending on December 18 at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City (see tour dates (http://www.pixiesmusic.com/live_04.php) for detailed information). Though he came with strings attached, few would argue that without MacGowan, The Pogues were a band lacking a leader and in search of creative direction. It is rumoured that these dates hold the world record for fastest selling shows ever. Two politely received but disappointing albums followed until 1996 when the Pogues disbanded. Tickets for shows on this tour often sold out minutes after going on sale despite some rather moderately sized Canadian cities such as Winnipeg and Regina being stops. Without their singer, vocal duties were for a time handled by Joe Strummer, before Stacy finally took over permanently. It wasn't until 2004 when the Pixies would play their first "post-breakup" concert on April 13 at The Fine Line Music Cafe in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota and a 15 concert warmup tour of the western United States and Canada, culminating in the performance at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. With his departure, the band was thrown into a state of flux.

Roughly once a year on April Fool's Day someone would be led to believe that the band had re-united. MacGowan and the band parted company in 1991. In the 11 years since the band broke up, there were a number of rumors that would circulate regarding reunion tours. Their next album Hell's Ditch, produced by The Clash's Joe Strummer, featured Stacy and Finer handling many of the vocal duties. This revitalized some interest in the band after they were gone. The band was at the peak of its commercial success, but MacGowan was spiralling out of control (especially notable during an appearance on the US Saturday Night Live). There are substantial parallels between the two groups' sounds and Kurt Cobain was known to have been a fan—in fact, in a Rolling Stone interview he claimed "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was his attempt to write a Pixies song. They managed to get things together to record If I Should Fall from Grace with God in 1988 (with its Christmas hit duet with Kirsty MacColl "Fairytale of New York") and 1989's Peace and Love (featuring "White City" and "Down All The Days").

Right at the moment they were imploding, Nirvana was recording Nevermind, the album that would break alternative rock into the mainstream. Looming over the band at this period (as throughout their entire career) was the increasingly erratic behaviour of their vocalist, principal songwriter and creative visionary, Shane MacGowan. Musically, the Pixies were just slightly ahead of their time. The band failed to take advantage of the momentum created by the strong artistic and commercial success of their second album. They first refused to record another album (offering up the 4 track EP Poguetry in Motion instead); O'Riordan married Costello and left the band, to be replaced by bassist Darryl Hunt; and they added a multi-instrumentalist in Terry Woods, fomerly of Steeleye Span. Santiago has appeared on Frank Black's solo albums, writes music for FOX television, and has a band called The Martinis with his wife, Linda Mallari. Their version of Eric Bogle's "The Band Played Waltzing Matilda" featured on the album and has become more popular than the original. Lovering dropped back into obscurity, making occasional appearances as a "scientific phenomenalist", performing experiments on stage; he also drummed on one of Tanya Donelly's solo albums. While the first album had focused mostly on traditional songs, Shane MacGowan came into his own as a songwriter with this disc, offering up some remarkable pieces of poetic story-telling.

Kim Deal has also recorded with The Amps. The album cover featured The Raft of the Medusa. The album, Title TK, finally appeared in 2002, with only Kim and Kelley remaining from the previous Breeders lineup. Phil Chevron (guitar) joined the group soon after, then with the aid of punk and new wave forefather Elvis Costello they recorded the follow up, Rum Sodomy & the Lash, in 1985 (The album title is a reply attributed to Winston Churchill and others in describing the Royal Navy.). However, for several years they struggled to produce another album, mainly due to Kelley Deal's struggles with heroin. Shortening their name to "The Pogues" due to lack of radio play for the curse in their name, they released their first album Red Roses for Me in 1985. Deal returned to the Breeders, and scored a hit with "Cannonball" from that group's Last Splash in 1993. The band rapidly developed a reputation, started releasing some indie work, and ended up opening for The Clash on tour in 1984.

He then went on to form a band with Scott Boutier, Eric Drew, Rich Gilbert, David McGaffrey, and Dave Phillips called Frank Black and the Catholics. During this time they added Jeremy 'Jem' Finer (guitar, banjo), Cait O'Riordan (bass) and Andrew Ranken (drums). Black Francis renamed himself Frank Black, and released several solo albums. Shane MacGowan (vocals), Jim Fearnley (accordion) and Spider Stacy (tin whistle) were the original members of the Pogues, in the days when they busked on the streets of London. Without telling anyone, Black Francis ended the band, and it wasn't until a year later that he faxed an official notice to the other members. In the later incarnations of the band, after the departure of Shane MacGowan, electronic instruments such as the electric guitar would become more prevalent. Trompe le Monde still featured little input from Deal and wasn't as critically regarded as their first few albums. Their politically-tinged music was reminiscent of The Clash, with whom they played (Joe Strummer produced one of their albums), and utilised traditional Irish instruments such as the tin whistle, banjo mandolin, accordion, and more.

Break-up announcements notwithstanding, one more album was to follow. The Pogues were founded in London in 1982 as Pogue Mahone — "pogue mahone" being the Anglicization of the Irish póg mo thóin, meaning "kiss my arse." The band specialised in Celtic folk with a side order of punk attitude and featured a largely Irish-born cast. The Pixies were at the height of their popularity, however, and while headlining at the Reading Festival in 1991, they played a highly enthusiastic version of "Debaser" which has become legendary among fans. They had a strong following, providing music which remains largely unique to this day. Deal was not pleased, and unilaterally announced an apparent break-up of the band on-stage during the following tour. The Pogues were a popular Irish folk/punk band of the 1980s. During this time, Black Francis limited Deal's contributions to the band; the first two albums had been partly written by Deal, but when Bossanova was released in 1990, all songs were by him. The Rest Of The Best.

After Doolittle, Black Francis temporarily went solo, while Kim Deal formed The Breeders with Tanya Donelly of Throwing Muses and Deal's sister, Kelley. The Best of The Pogues. Their sophomore album, Doolittle, featured three prominent singles: "Debaser," "Here Comes Your Man," and "Monkey Gone to Heaven." It was a top 10 hit in the UK and reached the top 100 in North America. Pogue Mahone. For the remainder of their career, the Pixies remained large-scale stars in Britain and cult figures in the US. Waiting For Herb. The band remained unsigned in the US for a while, but after a foray up the UK pop charts and some inroads into American college rock stations, they were picked up by Elektra Records. Hell's Ditch.

4AD was a British music label, and the notoriously rabid British music press immediately clutched the Pixies to their collective bosoms and refused to let go. Peace and Love. It was followed by their first full-length album, Surfer Rosa in early 1988. Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah. Eight tracks from the demo were selected for the Come on Pilgrim EP, the band's first release. Poguetry in Motion. The demo fell into the hands of Ivo Watts-Russell, owner of 4AD, who signed the band. If I Should Fall From Grace with God.

Smith became the band's manager and produced a 17 track demo (known as the "Purple Tape", publicly released in 2002). Rum, Sodomy, and the Lash. During a concert with Throwing Muses, the band was noticed by Gary Smith, a producer at Fort Apache Studios. Red Roses For Me. They arrived at a name ("Pixies") by selecting an entry from the dictionary at random, and began playing shows in the Boston area. Reportedly, the ad asked for a bass player who liked The Mamas and the Papas and Husker Du.

Bassist Kim Deal joined the band after she responded to a classified ad Black Francis had placed which requested an unusual combination of musical influences. The band was formed in 1986 in Boston, Massachusetts by Joey Santiago and Black Francis (born Charles Thompson IV). Most notable was their use of soft verses and hard choruses, which was later popularized by Nirvana. Their style of music influenced many aspects of alternative rock throughout the 1990s.

Frank Black (vocals, guitar), Joey Santiago (lead guitar), Kim Deal (bass, vocals), and David Lovering (drums). The band's lineup consists of Black Francis a.k.a. The Pixies are a band which toured and recorded in the late 1980s and early 1990s, then reunited in 2004 and began touring again. Download sample of "Holiday Song" from Come on Pilgrim.