This product is new from the record label, but it comes in sleeve rather than shrink wrapped. Wave of Mutilation: Best of Pixies is a compilation album by Pixies. It was released on May 3, 2004 in the United Kingdom and the following day in the United States. Track listing all songs written by Black Francis, unless ( noted ). 'Bone Machine' – 3:03. 'Nimrod's Son' – 2:16. 'Holiday Song' – 2:15.
'Caribou' – 3:14. 'Broken Face' – 1:29. 'Gigantic' (single version) – 3:13 ( Mrs John Murphy / Black Francis ). 'Vamos' (Surfer Rosa version) – 4:18.
'Hey' – 3:28. 'Monkey Gone to Heaven' – 2:55. 'Debaser' – 2:51. 'Gouge Away' – 2:42.
'Wave of Mutilation' (Doolittle version)– 2:03. 'Here Comes Your Man' – 3:21. 'Tame' – 1:56. 'Where Is My Mind?' – 3:53.
'Into the White' – 4:39. 'Velouria' – 3:40. 'Allison' – 1:17. 'Dig for Fire' – 3:02. 'U-Mass' – 3:00. 'Alec Eiffel' – 2:47. 'Planet of Sound' – 2:06.
'Winterlong' – 3:08 ( Neil Young ).
4AD tries, tries again with, the second best-of they've released since the band broke up in 1992 and the companion piece to the long-awaited, simultaneously released DVD. Lessons have been learned from 1997's half-baked: this compilation's track listing is in more or less chronological order (although 's 'Where Is My Mind?' Pops up in the middle of the album, after a string of tracks), which helps the flow of the collection; since each of ' albums had its own distinctive feel, the cut'n'paste approach of the previous best-of didn't always serve the songs it collected.
More importantly, boasts 23 songs, as opposed to the 17 on the best-of disc on. While, theoretically, 23 tracks should be enough to capture most, if not all, of the band's definitive moments, that's not quite the case here. The collection does a good job of compiling the band's singles, two excellent B-sides ('Into the White' and 'Winterlong'), and many of their key album tracks, but those are so numerous that, for the second time, more than a few of ' best songs have been left off of their best-of album. The picks from are more or less perfect (although including the wonderfully creepy 'I Bleed' certainly would've earned some extra credit), but several near-essential songs from each of their other albums are missing in action. 's 'Cactus' and 'River Euphrates are at the top of that list. 's 'I've Been Tired' and 'Levitate Me' are missed nearly as much, even though including them would bring the total songs from the eight-song mini-album that appear on to five (making a case for to be considered ' most consistent - if not best - work). Not coincidentally, the albums that get the shortest shrift on the collection, and, have also been downplayed in the set lists of ' reunion concerts.
Yes, those two albums aren't quite as strong or immediate as what preceded them. And yes, 'Velouria,' 'Allison,' and 'Dig for Fire,' and 'U-Mass,' 'Alec Eiffel,' and 'Planet of Sound' are good selections from and. However, the best moments from these albums (that don't already appear on the compilation) reflect the atmospheric sound that made them so unique in ' catalog. 's 'The Happening' or 'All Over the World' would've been apt nods to the band's sci-fi fetish, while 'Letter to Memphis,' 'The Sad Punk,' 'Motorway to Roswell,' or the title track from also would've worked well on the collection. One final, more minor flaw is the collection's bright, shiny artwork, which recalls the mid-'90s work that the design studio v23 did for 4AD artists like and. It's attractive, but a little faceless and lacking the dramatic surrealism of 's photos, which clothed ' albums in what seemed like stills from the dreams and nightmares unspooling in the band's songs. In some ways, for die-hard fans it's easier to miss what isn't here than to appreciate what is; then again, fans can (and probably have) made their own master mixes of what they consider ' greatest hits.
Even though the best way to experience the band is still devouring each of their albums, is intended as a primer to their work, and - fannish nitpicking aside - it's a far better overview than what was available before.