Friday, February 19, 2010

Song of the Day: Pixies - Head On

When I was a youngster, I used to go to Long Island twice a year to visit family.  My grandparents had cable, which we did not have at home, so I took full advantage.  I remember the Christmas of 1991, when I was 15, watching MTV and seeing a video that would change my life - Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit."  The album had only been out a few months but was starting to gain steam, and this video was repeating like crazy.  But this post is about another video I saw that impacted me - the Pixies' "Head On."

Two things I didn't know at the time - the Pixies were a huge influence on Nirvana (of course, Nirvana was new to me at the time too) and this is a cover of a Jesus and Mary Chain song (no idea who they were either, even though Frank Black/Black Francis says it at the beginning).  All I knew at the time is that this song was catchy as hell and the video that made them look like midgets was entertaining.  When I got home after Christmas, I immediately got the Nirvana CD (sidenote - it doesn't include the bonus track Endless Nameless, which means it was one of the first pressings...maybe 20,000 or so depending on who you ask) and the Pixies album, which of course would be there last.  But it led me to find their earlier, superior albums, although I have to say that Trompe Le Monde still sounds pretty great to me (but Doolittle and Surfer Rosa...I mean c'mon those are tough to beat).  While not the best song by any stretch, I still love it.  Bonus: the video also is included below.



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