To commemorate the 30th anniversary of
Surfer Rosa's 1988 release,
4AD collected the album and its predecessor, the mini-album
Come on Pilgrim, as
Come on Pilgrim... It's Surfer Rosa. Both works still sound great:
Pixies' essential sound --
Black Francis' distinctive, demented worldview and unearthly shriek of a voice;
David Lovering's propulsive drumming;
Joey Santiago's insistent, prickly guitar playing; and
Kim Deal's sugar-and-sandpaper vocals and steady basslines -- arrives fully formed on
Come on Pilgrim, which remains one of the band's most consistent (and underrated) releases. On
Surfer Rosa,
Steve Albini's production adds a muscular edge that makes
Pixies' harshest moments seem even more menacing and perverse, yet every blazing piece of punk is balanced by softer, poppier moments that uphold its status as one of the most compulsively listenable college rock albums of the '80s. However, unlike the wealth of extras that accompanied the 25th anniversary edition of
Doolittle,
Come on Pilgrim... It's Surfer Rosa offers little in the way of bonus material. While Live from the Fallout Shelter, the 1986 live set originally broadcast on Lowell, Massachusetts college radio station WUML, is a nice touch, overall the set feels somewhat slight compared to the band's previous reissues and deluxe editions. Nevertheless, for some
Pixies fans, the beautiful packaging and musical excellence of
Come on Pilgrim... It's Surfer Rosa may make it worth adding to their collections. ~ Heather Phares
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