Track Listing

1. Cecilia Ann
2. Velouria
3. Is She Weird
4. All Over The World
5. Down To The Well
6. Blown Away
7. Stormy Weather
8. Rock Music
9. Allison
10. Ana
11. Dig For Fire
12. Happening
13. Hang Wire
14. Havalina

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5094 in Music
• Released on: 1993-12-31
• Number of discs: 1

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

CD Description
With a keen sense of the absurd, Black Francis's (now FrankBlack) Pixies were the consummate darlings of the music press--no surprise, with their refreshing mix of overblown guitars, discreet nods to the surreal and a vibrant grasp of pure pop that offered a luscious blow to the senses on execution. "Cecilia Ann" stood somewhere between spandex metal and Beach Blanket Bingo, while the deranged singalong of "Is She Weird" sat alongside the first single, "Velouria", underlining their ability to write timeless singles that filled the head and sent toes tapping incessantly out of time. A recent compilation confirmed their standing.

Customer Reviews

Unimaginative Bossanova review title.
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.

Even I'll adore ya, my velouria
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.

Very Good
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.