Bossanova (Pixies album)

Background and recording

After Pixies finished touring obligations for their second album Doolittle (1989) in January 1990, band members Black Francis, Joey Santiago, and David Lovering moved from Boston to Los Angeles. Bassist Kim Deal meanwhile stayed in the UK to record the first Breeders album during January with producer Steve Albini. Deal ultimately decided to travel out to Los Angeles with the rest of the group. Lovering stated that he, Santiago, and Black Francis moved to Los Angeles because that's where they intended to record. The three band members lived in the Oakwood apartments, along with comic Garrett Morris and members of the band White Lion. Producer Gil Norton also moved into the apartment complex.

Pixies started recording material for Bossanova at Cherokee Studios in February 1990, where the sessions ran into problems. Norton said that nothing could be recorded after six P.M. because the recording desk would pick up pirate radio stations. Norton decided to work at overdubs somewhere else for a few days until the problem was corrected, but when he returned to Cherokee, he found that any time something was plugged into a guitar amplifier it would generate "this incredible hum". Norton refused to tell 4AD owner Ivo Watts-Russell about the problem until he felt he could address the problems. One day while visiting a bar, Norton and Santiago met producer Rick Rubin, whom they informed of their situation. Rubin had his secretary find another studio for the group, and the band continued recording at Master Control.

One album song, "Blown Away", had been written in Spain in early June 1989 while on tour. The song was recorded at Hansa Tonstudio after their 19 June 1989 Berlin gig with producer Gil Norton who was specially flown in for the one-song session.

In contrast to previous records, many songs were written in the studio and few demo recordings were created. Santiago said that the band only practiced for a two-week period, in contrast to previous practice in Boston where the group rehearsed constantly. Black Francis noted, "So I was writing [lyrics] on napkins five minutes before I sang. Sometimes it's good, sometimes not. That's just the nature of that songwriting."

Release

The album was released in August 1990 on 4AD in the UK, and jointly by 4AD and Elektra in the USA. After 4AD re-acquired sole distribution rights for Pixies' back catalog, a re-issued CD (although not remastered) appeared solely on 4AD in the USA in 2004. Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab released a version in 2008 that was remastered from the original analog master tapes.

Critical reception

The UK reviews of Bossanova were generally positive. Q's Mat Snow, in his September 1990 review of Bossanova, said "the Pixies are masters of the calculated incongruity," and commented that "they give other rockers an object lesson in the first principles of how it should be done." NME noted that the album's production "leans towards the harsh garage grunge of Surfer Rosa, although the songs retain the strong melodies of Doolittle," and said that "Bossanova is the composite Pixies LP."

Rolling Stone gave Bossanova three out of five stars. In comparison to the previous albums, reviewer Moira McCormick described Bossanova as "more of a straight-ahead rock album—by the Pixies' standards, meaning it's still safely off the mainstream".

UK magazine Select made Bossanova their album of the year for 1990.

Track listing

All songs written by Black Francis; except "Cecilia Ann", which was written by The Surftones.

Personnel

Sales chart positions