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Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Into the White: A Pixies Bootleg

I recently obtained a free promotional copy of a Pixies bootleg entitled: Into the White: BBC Recordings from 1988 and 1989.  On first glance, I was really taken aback by the quality of the sleeve design (a nice two-color screen print) and the look of the vinyl (a sturdy standard weight pressed on transparent dark green).  But, then I listened to it.

A good portion of the tracks have been taken directly from the Pixies at the BBC CD, originally released in 1998 by 4AD, omitting Subbacultcha, Is She Weird, Ana, Letter to Memphis, and Monkey Gone to Heaven.  The good news is that two unreleased tracks have been added: Tame and Into the White, both of which sound exceptional.

Keeping in mind that this was a bootleg, I didn't have too high of hopes for the quality of the sound.  For the most part, I was correct...but I was also occasionally surprised.  Surface noise and the random 'pops' aside, this isn't a bad release.



 
The Good:
  • Two unreleased BBC recordings
  • The condition of the vinyl itself as well as the sleeve
  • Supposedly limited to 100 (transparent dark green) or 500 (standard black)
  • Caribou sounds fantastic
The Bad:
  • Caribou is completely left off of the track list (on both the sleeve and LP's label)
  • Nearly every track cuts in at the beginning
  • Some songs have the channels reversed (comparing to Pixies at the BBC)
  • Noise between tracks (but not as noticeable during songs)
Sure, it's a bootleg...but the price was right and I don't mind adding more content to my Pixies collection.  If I want quality sound, I'll stick with the Minotaur set....maybe I'll do a write up of that set in an upcoming post.  Maybe.

Track Listing:

Pixies - Into the White: BBC Recordings from 1988 and 1989

Side One
  1. "Hey"
  2. "Levitate Me"
  3. "Wild Honey Pie"
  4. "Caribou"
  5. "In Heaven"
  6. "Dead"
Side Two
  1. "Tame"
  2. "There Goes My Gun"
  3. "Manta Ray"
  4. "Down to the Well"
  5. "Into the White"
  6. "Wave of Mutilation"



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