Amazon.co.uk allows you to pay for your items in your local currency. Restrictions apply. Learn More. |
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
Listen to Samples and Buy MP3s
Songs from this album are available to purchase as MP3s. Click on "Buy MP3" or
view the MP3 Album.
|
Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Opinion varies as to which seminal slab of the Pixies back-catalogue is the greatest. Those who think the perfect breakfast is a cup of black coffee and cigarette rate the earlier Surfer Rosa and Doolittle; whilst those who think breakfast should consist of cake prefer the laterBossanova and Trompe Le Monde. It's not as if the Pixies suddenly turned into the Bangles, though. Black Francis still yowls like a Second World War fought out entirely between battalions of cougars; and "Down To The Well" isn't anything other than extreme arse-kicking. But with the endlessly magnificent "Velouria" and as-hitty-as-the-Pixies-were-going-to-get hit single "Dig For Fire", the Pixies had learnt to use their heat and power to make crowns and coronets, not just cannon and shell. When Nirvana's Kurt Cobain wrote "Teen Spirit", he claimed he was "just trying to rip off a Pixies' song". These are the ones he was trying to rip off. --Caitlin Moran
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Following Doolittle, an album continually rated as one of the best albums ever (in a recent NME poll it was rated 2nd after the Stone Roses), was never going to be an easy task. The jury seems to be out on whether or not they accomplished this task.
Many fans of Pixies, including myself consider Bossanova a clever and sensible follow on to Doolittle. The melodies are the sweetest yet, songs like Alison are simply fantastic. The other half of Pixies fans seem to consider Bossanova a step too far towards commercialism, Dig for Fire about as accessable as the Pixies were going to get.
Whether you are a Pixies fan, or just have an ear for a great tune, you can't go far wrong with Bossanova. Worth buying after Doolittle.
Many fans of Pixies, including myself consider Bossanova a clever and sensible follow on to Doolittle. The melodies are the sweetest yet, songs like Alison are simply fantastic. The other half of Pixies fans seem to consider Bossanova a step too far towards commercialism, Dig for Fire about as accessable as the Pixies were going to get.
Whether you are a Pixies fan, or just have an ear for a great tune, you can't go far wrong with Bossanova. Worth buying after Doolittle.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
The pxies fourth album is regarded by many to be their most tame, and to a certain extent this is true. It does have more melodic, quieter tracks, but this does nothing to diminish the overall power of the album. I wouldn't describe bossanova as more tame than their previous efforts, more that it's well....smoother. Black Francis has another outlet for his continuing obsession with aliens in "the happening", and the beautiful vocal talents of both Francis and Kim are shown off in the closing track "Havalina". Other stand out tracks include "hang wire", in which Francis' demented vocal stylings are allowed to flourish to their fullest and "all over the world", which features outstanding guitars from Joey Santiago (check out his cowboy get up in the sleeve photo's). Over all, just as amazing as everything else the pixies ever did. But it and meet me at the hang wire.
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
As Pixies had hinted on 'Doolittle', their next album saw the band mutate into a slightly different beast. Gone were the Biblical references, frenzied Spanish vocals and (for the most part) sex; instead, Bossanova (the Pixies' fourth - and best - album)takes outer space as a frequent reference point and wraps it up in a dreamlike, sinister Summer's day. The sense of evil on the first three albums has now turned into a more mysterious feeling that - as on 'Ana' and 'Havalina' - occasionally draws clouds across the sun. Or something more ominous, maybe.
Although not quite as alien-obsessed as the following album, there's plenty here to suggest that Pixies were from another planet: The opening 'Cecilia Ann' and 'Rock Music', which suggest high-speed space travel and an intergalactic battle respectively; the lyrics to mini-classic 'Allison'; and the sci-fi-like theremin on the spookily romantic 'Velouria', to name a few examples.
The one fault with 'Bossanova' is that it is the first Pixies album to bear noticably less trace of Kim Deal. Her bass is no longer quite as dominant a force, she sings no lead vocals and not many backing vocals and contributes no new songs. That said, when her backing vocals put in an appearance - 'Velouria', 'Dig for Fire' and 'Havalina' notably - they add a divine dimension to already classic songs. As if to compensate, though, Black Francis' own vocals have mellowed. Not exclusively so - 'Rock Music''s vocal is nearly as terrifying as it was on 'Tame' - but when it's required he sounds both human and oddly angelic.
The album's crowning glory, however, is 'The Happening'. Telling the story of aliens landing on Earth ("saying 'Hi'") it encapsulates all that is great about 'Bossanova'. The verse is not unlike early Pixies: angry guitars, demented vocal, before erupting into a glorious sun-drenched chorus consisting of just one syllable stretched out in falsetto. Over an endlessly repated chorus, the final verse has Black Francis rounding off the tale in an slmost trance-like state. It's not as well-known as 'Gigantic' or 'Debaser', but it's more than equal to them.
Ultimately, your enjoyment of 'Bossanova' is down to to whether or not you are willing to accept that a band might want to stray from their winning formula. For those willing to listen, though, here is the sound of a band emerging into the light - but retaining enough of the dark to keep it interesting.
Although not quite as alien-obsessed as the following album, there's plenty here to suggest that Pixies were from another planet: The opening 'Cecilia Ann' and 'Rock Music', which suggest high-speed space travel and an intergalactic battle respectively; the lyrics to mini-classic 'Allison'; and the sci-fi-like theremin on the spookily romantic 'Velouria', to name a few examples.
The one fault with 'Bossanova' is that it is the first Pixies album to bear noticably less trace of Kim Deal. Her bass is no longer quite as dominant a force, she sings no lead vocals and not many backing vocals and contributes no new songs. That said, when her backing vocals put in an appearance - 'Velouria', 'Dig for Fire' and 'Havalina' notably - they add a divine dimension to already classic songs. As if to compensate, though, Black Francis' own vocals have mellowed. Not exclusively so - 'Rock Music''s vocal is nearly as terrifying as it was on 'Tame' - but when it's required he sounds both human and oddly angelic.
The album's crowning glory, however, is 'The Happening'. Telling the story of aliens landing on Earth ("saying 'Hi'") it encapsulates all that is great about 'Bossanova'. The verse is not unlike early Pixies: angry guitars, demented vocal, before erupting into a glorious sun-drenched chorus consisting of just one syllable stretched out in falsetto. Over an endlessly repated chorus, the final verse has Black Francis rounding off the tale in an slmost trance-like state. It's not as well-known as 'Gigantic' or 'Debaser', but it's more than equal to them.
Ultimately, your enjoyment of 'Bossanova' is down to to whether or not you are willing to accept that a band might want to stray from their winning formula. For those willing to listen, though, here is the sound of a band emerging into the light - but retaining enough of the dark to keep it interesting.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Awesome
This is without doubt one of the best albums ever -
The songs make me feel nostalgic about a time before i was even born, it's very odd. Read more
The songs make me feel nostalgic about a time before i was even born, it's very odd. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Robin
They came from another planet...
They watched us since the 1950s and then they decided they would send their own to play among us. At last all the arguments are settled: is there intelligent life out there? Yes. Read more
Published on 1 Mar 2009 by Zig Zag Wanderer
Crossover classic
This album explores certain motifs, and the general feeling is that the paranormal is explored... UFOs, vampiric imagery, night-time scenes abound. Read more
Published on 15 April 2008 by Dmitri M. A. Hubbard
Unmemorable
This is the weakest Pixies album. It's like smoking pot - time seems to drift by and you can't remember anything about it afterwards.
Published on 26 Dec 2007 by customer
Takes a lot of listening to like
I think this album takes one hell of a lot of listening to appreciate. When I first bought it I thought is she weird, velouria, dig for fire and the happening were the only good... Read more
Published on 16 Oct 2005
underrated pixies classic
When asked to name the best pixies album, people immediately jump to saying Doolitle or possibly surfa rosa. Read more
Published on 25 Mar 2004 by "dan_halpin"
Vibrating with pleasure
Perhaps more so than any other Pixies album, this album showed that the band <had ideas and weren't just kids to say the least>. Read more
Published on 31 Mar 2002 by are-empty
One of the best Rock albums I've ever heard
Of all the American rock bands that emerged in the late 80's early 90's, the Pixies - although not as commerically succesful, were most probably the most talented. Read more
Published on 15 Feb 2002
Out of space
For their fourth LP, Pixies took the spiky accessibility of Doolittle to what some may feel to be its logical conclusion; to others, it was a step too far. Read more
Published on 1 April 2001 by knowledeayton
'Astonishing'
Arguably Rock music's finest-ever group, The Pixies' fourth and best album is a pure and magnificent distillation of their incredible talent. Read more
Published on 1 Feb 2001
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
