''Doolittle'' is the second studio album by the American
alternative rock
Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...
band
Pixies
A pixie (also pisky, pixy, pixi, pizkie, and piskie in Cornwall and Devon, and pigsie or puggsy in the New Forest) is a mythical creature of British folklore. Pixies are considered to be particularly concentrated in the high moorland areas aro ...
, released in April 1989 on
4AD. ''Doolittle'' was the Pixies' first international release, with
Elektra Records
Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between the 1 ...
as the album's distributor in the United States and
PolyGram
PolyGram N.V. was a multinational entertainment company and major music record label formerly based in the Netherlands. It was founded in 1962 as the Grammophon-Philips Group by Dutch corporation Philips and German corporation Siemens, to be a ...
in Canada.
Pixies released two singles from ''Doolittle'': "
Here Comes Your Man
"Here Comes Your Man" is a song by the American alternative rock band Pixies, written and sung by the band's frontman Black Francis. Produced by Gil Norton, it was released as the second single from the group's second album '' Doolittle'' in June ...
" and "
Monkey Gone to Heaven
"Monkey Gone to Heaven" is a song by the American alternative rock band Pixies. Recorded in November 1988 during the sessions for the band's 1989 album '' Doolittle'', it was released as a single in March, and included as the seventh track on the ...
", both of which were chart successes on the ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
''
Modern Rock Tracks
Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-played ...
chart in the US, while tracks such as "
Debaser
"Debaser" is a song by American alternative rock band Pixies, and is the first song on their 1989 album '' Doolittle''. The song was written and sung by frontman Black Francis and was produced by Gil Norton during ''Doolittles recording sess ...
" and "Hey" have also received praise. The album itself reached number eight on the
UK Albums Chart
The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...
, an unexpected success for the band.
Although it is considered the most accessible Pixies album, ''Doolittle'' is often regarded as the band's strongest and greatest work,
and has continued to sell consistently well in the years since its release, being
certified
Certification is the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestation or confirmation of certain characteristics of a ...
Gold in 1995 and Platinum in 2018 by the
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
. The album has been cited as inspirational by many alternative artists, while numerous music publications have ranked it as one of the most influential albums ever. A 2003 poll of ''
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'' writers ranked ''Doolittle'' as the second-greatest album of all time,
''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' placed the album at 141 on its 2020 list of "
The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
"The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" is a recurring opinion survey and music ranking of the finest albums in history, compiled by the American magazine ''Rolling Stone''. It is based on weighted votes from selected musicians, critics, and indust ...
"
and ''
Pitchfork
A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves.
The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...
'' ranked it as the fourth best album of the 1980s.
The album's offbeat and dark subject matter features references to
surrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself. Its aim was, according to l ...
,
Biblical
The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...
violence,
torture
Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons such as punishment, extracting a confession, interrogation for information, or intimidating third parties. Some definitions are restricted to acts c ...
and death.
Background
Following their highly regarded but commercially unsuccessful 1988 album ''
Surfer Rosa
''Surfer Rosa'' is the debut studio album by the American alternative rock band Pixies, released in March 1988 on the British label 4AD. It was produced by Steve Albini. ''Surfer Rosa'' contains many of the elements of Pixies' earlier output, incl ...
'', the band embarked on a European tour with fellow Bostonians
Throwing Muses
Throwing Muses are an American alternative rock band formed in 1981 in Newport, Rhode Island, United States, that toured and recorded extensively until 1997, when its members began concentrating more on other projects.
The group was originall ...
, before beginning a tour of North American states. During this time,
Black Francis
Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV (born April 6, 1965) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is best known as the frontman of the alternative rock band Pixies, with whom he performs under the stage name Black Francis. Fo ...
, the group's frontman and principal songwriter, began to write new material for a future album, with songs such as "Dead", "Hey", "Tame", and "There Goes My Gun" emerging through the course of the year. Versions of the newly composed songs were recorded during several sessions for
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...
's radio show in 1988, while a live recording of "Hey" appeared on a free
EP circulated with a 1988 edition of ''
Sounds
In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid.
In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the ...
''.
![Papessa tiara](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/54/Papessa_tiara.jpg)
In mid-1988, the Pixies began to record demo sessions while on breaks from touring. The band headed to the Boston
recording studio
A recording studio is a specialized facility for sound recording, mixing, and audio production of instrumental or vocal musical performances, spoken words, and other sounds. They range in size from a small in-home project studio large enoug ...
Eden Sound, which at the time comprised a small room in the basement of a
hair salon
A beauty salon or beauty parlor is an establishment dealing with cosmetic treatments for people. Other variations of this type of business include hair salons, spas, day spas, and medical spas.
Beauty treatments
Massage for the body is a b ...
. They recorded at the studio for a week, in circumstances similar to the previous year's
Purple Tape
''Purple Tape'' is the first album by Lisa Loeb, self-released in 1992 on audio cassette only, used to pitch her to record companies. The record features mostly Loeb's voice accompanied by a guitar. Loeb would later include and re-record the majo ...
sessions. Francis gave the
demo tape
A demo (shortened from "demonstration") is a song or group of songs typically recorded for limited circulation or for reference use, rather than for general public release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas in a fixed for ...
and upcoming album the provisional title of ''Whore'', though he later claimed his natural father had originally suggested the name. Francis has clarified that he was thinking of the word "in the more traditional sense ... the operatic, biblical sense, ... as in the great
whore of Babylon
Babylon the Great, commonly known as the Whore of Babylon, refers to both a symbolic female figure and place of evil mentioned in the Book of Revelation in the Bible. Her full title is stated in Revelation 17 (verse 5) as "Mystery, Babylon the Gr ...
".
[Sisario, Ben. ''Doolittle 33⅓''. Continuum, 2006. . p. 21] After completing the demo tape, band manager Ken Goes suggested two producers for the album:
Liverpudlian
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...
Gil Norton
Gil Norton (born in Liverpool) is an English record producer known for his work with alternative rock bands such as Pixies, Echo & the Bunnymen, Foo Fighters, Tribe, Jimmy Eat World, Dashboard Confessional, Feeder, The Distillers, Maxïmo ...
and American
Ed Stasium
Ed Stasium is an American record producer and audio engineer, who has worked on albums by the Ramones, Talking Heads, Motörhead, the Smithereens and Living Colour.
History
Stasium began his recording career in 1970 fronting the band Brandywine. ...
. The band had previously worked with Norton while recording the single version of "
Gigantic" in May 1988. Francis had no preference, although
Ivo Watts-Russell
Ivo Watts-Russell (born 1954) is a British music producer and record label executive. He was joint-founder with Peter Kent of the indie record label 4AD. He has produced several records, although he prefers to use the term "musical director".
Ea ...
, head of the band's label
4AD, wanted Norton to produce the next album. Norton was hired as producer, with Stasium not even approached for the position.
[Sisario, 2006. p. 45]
Norton arrived in Boston on October 31, 1988, and first visited Francis' apartment to review the album's demos. The two talked about arrangements, and spent two days intensively analyzing the album's songs. Norton learned to gauge Francis's reaction to changing arrangements, and later observed that the frontman "doesn't like to do anything twice". Norton spent a further two weeks in pre-production to familiarize himself with the Pixies' sound.
Recording and production
Recording sessions for the album began on October 31, 1988, at
Downtown Recorders
Downtown Recorders is a recording studio in Boston, Massachusetts. Located in the city's Cyclorama building in the South End, it has been a focal point of the Boston music scene since the studio's inception in 1979 by two local musicians, Mitch ...
in Boston, Massachusetts, which was at the time a professional 24-track studio. 4AD allotted the Pixies a budget of $40,000, excluding producer's fees. This was a modest sum for a 1980s major label album; however, it quadrupled the amount spent on the band's previous album, ''Surfer Rosa''. Along with Norton, two assistant
recording engineer
An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization, dynamics processing and audio effects, mixing, reproduction, ...
s and two second assistants were assigned to the project. The sessions lasted three weeks, concluding on November 23, with "nearly a song a day" being recorded.
Production and mixing began on November 28. The band relocated to Carriage House Studios, a residential studio in
Stamford, Connecticut
Stamford () is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut, outside of Manhattan. It is Connecticut's second-most populous city, behind Bridgeport. With a population of 135,470, Stamford passed Hartford and New Haven in population as of the 2020 ...
, to oversee production and record further tracks. Norton recruited
Steven Haigler as
mixing engineer
A mixing engineer (or simply mix engineer) is responsible for combining ("mixing") different sonic elements of an auditory piece into a complete rendition (also known as "final mix" or "mixdown"), whether in music, film, or any other content of a ...
, whom he had worked with at
Fort Apache Studios
Fort Apache Studios is a New England recording studio focusing on alternative rock sessions produced there since 1986.
History
The studio was initially built by a collective begun in 1985 by musician/producer Joe Harvard and members of a band ...
. During production, Haigler and Norton added layers of guitars and vocals to songs, including
overdubbed
Overdubbing (also known as layering) is a technique used in audio recording in which audio tracks that have been pre-recorded are then played back and monitored, while simultaneously recording new, doubled, or augmented tracks onto one or more av ...
guitars on "
Debaser
"Debaser" is a song by American alternative rock band Pixies, and is the first song on their 1989 album '' Doolittle''. The song was written and sung by frontman Black Francis and was produced by Gil Norton during ''Doolittles recording sess ...
" and
double tracked vocals on "Wave of Mutilation". During the recordings, Norton advised Francis to alter several songs; a noted example being "There Goes My Gun", which was originally intended as a much faster,
Hüsker Dü
Hüsker Dü () was an American punk rock band formed in Saint Paul, Minnesota, in 1979. The band's continual members were guitarist/vocalist Bob Mould, bassist/vocalist Greg Norton, and drummer/vocalist Grant Hart. They first gained notabili ...
-style song. However, at Norton's advice, Francis slowed down the tempo.
Norton's suggestions were not always welcome, and several instances of advice to add verses and increase track length contributed to the frontman's building frustration. Eventually, Francis took Norton to a record store, where he handed him a copy of a
Buddy Holly
Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known as Buddy Holly, was an American singer and songwriter who was a central and pioneering figure of mid-1950s rock and roll. He was born to a musical family in Lubbock, Texas ...
greatest hits album
A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...
, in which most of the songs are around two minutes long. He told Norton, "If it's good enough for Buddy Holly ..." In a ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' interview, Francis later recalled that "this record is him trying to make us, shall I say, commercial, and us trying to remain somewhat grungy". Production continued until December 12, 1988, with Norton and Haigler adding extra effects, including
gated reverb
Gated reverb or gated ambience is an audio processing technique that combines strong reverb and a noise gate. The effect is often associated with the sound of 1980s British popular music. It was developed in 1979 by producer Steve Lillywhite and e ...
to the mix. The master tapes were then sent for final post-production later that month.
During the recording of ''Doolittle'', tensions between Francis and Deal became visible to band members and the production team. Bickering and standoffs between the two marred the recording sessions and led to increased stress among the band members. John Murphy, Deal's husband at the time, later recalled that, with ''Doolittle'', the band dynamic "went from just all fun to work". Exhaustion from touring and from releasing three records in two years contributed to the friction. This culminated at the end of the US post-''Doolittle'' "Fuck or Fight" tour, where they were too tired to attend the end-of-tour party. Soon afterwards, the band announced that they were taking a break.
Composition
Music
''Doolittle'' features an eclectic mix of musical styles. While tracks such as "Tame" and "
Crackity Jones
"Crackity Jones" is an alternative rock song by the American band Pixies, and is the ninth track on their 1989 album '' Doolittle''. Written and sung by the band's frontman Black Francis, "Crackity Jones" describes a crazed roommate and was inspi ...
" are fast and aggressive, and incorporate the band's trademark loud–quiet dynamic, other songs such as "Silver", "I Bleed", and "Here Comes Your Man" reveal a quieter, slower and more melodic temperament. With ''Doolittle'', the band began to incorporate further instruments into their sound; for instance, "Monkey Gone to Heaven" features two
violin
The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...
s and two
cello
The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a Bow (music), bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), t ...
s.
"Tame" is based on a
three chord formula, including
Joey Santiago
Joseph Alberto Santiago (born June 10, 1965) is a Filipino-American guitarist and composer. Active since 1986, Santiago is best known as the lead guitarist for the American alternative rock band Pixies. After the band's breakup in 1993, Santiag ...
playing a "
Hendrix chord
In music, the dominant 79 chord ("dominant seven sharp nine" or "dominant seven sharp ninth") is a chord built by combining a dominant seventh, which includes a major third above the root, with an augmented second, which is the same pitch, albe ...
" over the main bass progression. "I Bleed" is melodically simple, and is formed around a single rhythmical repetition. Some songs are influenced by other
genres of music
A music genre is a conventional category that identifies some pieces of music as belonging to a shared tradition or set of conventions. It is to be distinguished from ''musical form'' and musical style, although in practice these terms are some ...
; while "Crackity Jones" has a distinctly
Spanish sound, and incorporates G and A triads over a C pedal, the song's
rhythm guitar
In music performances, rhythm guitar is a technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., drum kit, bass guitar ...
, played by Francis, starts with an eighth-note
downstroke typical of
punk rock music.
Lyrics
The lyrical themes explored on ''Doolittle'' range from the surrealism of "
Debaser
"Debaser" is a song by American alternative rock band Pixies, and is the first song on their 1989 album '' Doolittle''. The song was written and sung by frontman Black Francis and was produced by Gil Norton during ''Doolittles recording sess ...
", to the environmental catastrophe of "
Monkey Gone to Heaven
"Monkey Gone to Heaven" is a song by the American alternative rock band Pixies. Recorded in November 1988 during the sessions for the band's 1989 album '' Doolittle'', it was released as a single in March, and included as the seventh track on the ...
". The
prostitutes
Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-penet ...
of "Mr. Grieves", "Tame", and "Hey" share space with the Biblical analogies of "Dead" and "Gouge Away". Black Francis often claimed that ''Doolittles lyrics were words which just "fit together nicely", and that "the point
f the album
F, or f, is the sixth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''ef'' (pronounced ), and the plural is ''efs''.
Hist ...
is to experience it, to enjoy it, to be entertained by it". Francis wrote all the material for the album with the exception of "Silver", which he co-wrote with
Kim Deal
Kimberley Ann Deal (born June 10, 1961) is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. She was the bassist and the co-vocalist in the alternative rock band Pixies, before forming the Breeders in 1989.
Deal joined Pixies in January ...
.
The album's opening track, "Debaser", references
surrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself. Its aim was, according to l ...
, a theme that runs throughout the album. "Debaser" alludes to
Luis Buñuel
Luis Buñuel Portolés (; 22 February 1900 – 29 July 1983) was a Spanish-Mexican filmmaker who worked in France, Mexico, and Spain. He has been widely considered by many film critics, historians, and directors to be one of the greatest and m ...
and
Salvador Dalí
Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marquess of Dalí of Púbol (; ; ; 11 May 190423 January 1989) was a Spanish Surrealism, surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, and the striking and bizarr ...
's 1929 surrealist film ''
Un Chien Andalou
''Un Chien Andalou'' (, ''An Andalusian Dog'') is a 1929 French silent short film directed by Luis Buñuel, and written by Buñuel and Salvador Dalí. Buñuel's first film, it was initially released in a limited capacity at Studio des Ursuline ...
'', and the lyric "slicing up eyeballs" refers to an early scene in the film. Surrealism heavily influenced Francis in his college years and throughout his career with the Pixies. In 1989, Francis expressed his interest in surrealism and its influence on his songwriting method to ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' by stating "I got into
avant-garde
The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical ...
movies and Surrealism as an escape from reality. ... To me, Surrealism is totally artificial. I recently read an interview with the director
David Lynch
David Keith Lynch (born January 20, 1946) is an American filmmaker, visual artist and actor. A recipient of an Academy Honorary Award in 2019, Lynch has received three Academy Award nominations for Best Director, and the César Award for Be ...
who said he had ideas and images but that he didn't know exactly what they meant. That's how I write."
Another of the album's main themes is environmental catastrophe. "Monkey Gone to Heaven" deals with man's destruction of the ocean and "confusion of man's place in the universe". As Francis put it: "On one hand, it's this big organic toilet. Things get flushed and repurified or decomposed and it's this big, dark, mysterious place. It's also a very mythological place where there are octopus's gardens, the
Bermuda Triangle
The Bermuda Triangle, also known as the Devil's Triangle, is an urban legend focused on a loosely defined region in the western part of the North Atlantic Ocean where a number of aircraft and ships are said to have disappeared under mysterio ...
,
Atlantis
Atlantis ( grc, Ἀτλαντὶς νῆσος, , island of Atlas (mythology), Atlas) is a fictional island mentioned in an allegory on the hubris of nations in Plato's works ''Timaeus (dialogue), Timaeus'' and ''Critias (dialogue), Critias'' ...
, and mermaids." "Monkey Gone to Heaven" is concerned with man's relationship to
the divine
Divinity or the divine are things that are either related to, devoted to, or proceeding from a deity.[divine< ...](_blank)
, a theme shared with "Mr. Grieves".
Two songs on ''Doolittle'' are fashioned after Biblical stories: the story of
David and Bathsheba in "Dead", and
Samson
Samson (; , '' he, Šīmšōn, label= none'', "man of the sun") was the last of the judges of the ancient Israelites mentioned in the Book of Judges (chapters 13 to 16) and one of the last leaders who "judged" Israel before the institution o ...
and
Delilah
Delilah ( ; , meaning "delicate";Gesenius's ''Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon'' ar, دليلة, Dalīlah; grc, label=Greek, Δαλιδά, Dalidá) is a woman mentioned in the sixteenth chapter of the Book of Judges in the Hebrew Bible. She is loved b ...
in "Gouge Away". Francis' fascination with Biblical themes can be traced back to his teenage years; when he was twelve, he and his parents joined an evangelical church linked to the
Assemblies of God
The Assemblies of God (AG), officially the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, is a group of over 144 autonomous self-governing national groupings of churches that together form the world's largest Pentecostal denomination."Assemblies of God". ...
. This background was to be an influence on ''Doolittle'', where he referred to
the Devil
Satan,, ; grc, ὁ σατανᾶς or , ; ar, شيطانالخَنَّاس , also known as the Devil, and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an entity in the Abrahamic religions that seduces humans into sin or falsehood. ...
being "six" and
God
In monotheism, monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator deity, creator, and principal object of Faith#Religious views, faith.Richard Swinburne, Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Ted Honderich, Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Ox ...
being "seven" in "Monkey Gone to Heaven".
Other songs explored eccentric subjects, such as "Wave of Mutilation", which Francis described as being about "Japanese businessmen doing murder-suicides with their families because they'd failed in business, and they're driving off a pier into the ocean."
The sea and underwater themes of "Wave of Mutilation", which also feature in "Mr. Grieves" and "Monkey Gone to Heaven", are explorations of one arena for man's death and destruction.
Ben Sisario
Ben Sisario is an American academic, author, and journalist.
Career
He is a staff reporter for ''The New York Times'', covering music and culture. Sisario is also the author of ''Doolittle'' (2006) a non-fiction book in the 33⅓ series about t ...
points out that the album begins ("Debaser") and ends ("Gouge Away") with songs about violence being done to eyes. "
Crackity Jones
"Crackity Jones" is an alternative rock song by the American band Pixies, and is the ninth track on their 1989 album '' Doolittle''. Written and sung by the band's frontman Black Francis, "Crackity Jones" describes a crazed roommate and was inspi ...
" covers another offbeat subject: Francis' roommate in his student exchange trip to
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan (, , ; Spanish for "Saint John") is the capital city and most populous municipality in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2020 census, it is the 57th-largest city under the jur ...
, whom he described as a "weird psycho gay roommate".
''Doolittle'' also references more ostensibly conventional subjects. "La La Love You", sung by the band's drummer,
David Lovering
David Lovering (born December 6, 1961) is an American musician and magician. He is best known as the drummer for the alternative rock band Pixies, which he joined in 1986. After the band's breakup in 1993, Lovering drummed with several other act ...
, is a
love song
A love song is a song about romantic love, falling in love, heartbreak after a breakup, and the feelings that these experiences bring. A comprehensive list of even the best known performers and composers of love songs would be a large order. ...
; although its "first base, second base, third base, home run" break has led to it being described as "a dig at the very idea of a love song". Francis gave it to Lovering to sing, "like a
Ringo thing". Lovering initially refused to sing it, but Norton said that he was soon unable to "get him away from the microphone". As well as lead vocals on "La La Love You", Lovering played
bass guitar
The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...
on "Silver", with Deal playing slide guitar; this arrangement did not occur again.
Packaging and title
''Doolittle'' was the first album where
Simon Larbalestier
Simon Larbalestier (born 1962 in Pembrokeshire) is a Wales, Welsh photographer.
Larbalestier is noted for his collaborative work with Vaughan Oliver and the design studios 23 Envelope and v23 with whom he has provided photography used on the album ...
, the Pixies' cover photographer, and
Vaughan Oliver
Vaughan Oliver (12 September 1957 – 29 December 2019) was a British graphic designer based in Epsom, Surrey. Oliver was best known for his work with graphic design studios 23 Envelope and v23. Both studios maintained a close relationship with ...
, the band's cover artist, had access to the lyrics. According to Larbalestier, this "made a fundamental difference".
[Frank, Ganz, 2005. p. 117]
The surrealist and abstract images throughout the album booklet are linked to the album's content. "Gouge Away" is represented by a picture of a spoon containing hair, laid across a woman's
torso
The torso or trunk is an anatomical term for the central part, or the core, of the body of many animals (including humans), from which the head, neck, limbs, tail and other appendages extend. The tetrapod torso — including that of a human ...
; a direct pictorial representation of heroin, with the spoon and the hair being horses. The image "As Loud As Hell" shows "a ringing bell", with a set of teeth; this alludes to the line "it shakes my teeth" in the song "I Bleed". "Walking with the Crustaceans" is a visual representation of the lyrics to "Wave of Mutilation". Larbalestier later commented that he was interested in "early Surrealist stuff" at this time.
During the recording sessions, ''Whore'' was discarded as a potential album title, after Oliver changed the cover artwork idea to a monkey and halo cover. Francis later explained his rationale for the move:
Francis then named the album ''Doolittle'', from the "Mr. Grieves" lyric "Pray for a man in the middle / One that talks like Doolittle".
Release
In the months following the release of ''Surfer Rosa'', Pixies' management fielded calls from a number of labels.
Elektra Records
Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between the 1 ...
A&R scout Peter Lubin first saw the band in October 1988, when they opened for
the Jesus and Mary Chain
The Jesus and Mary Chain are a Scottish alternative rock band formed in East Kilbride in 1983. The band revolves around the songwriting partnership of brothers Jim and William Reid. After signing to independent label Creation Records, they rele ...
, and immediately sought to convince the band to sign to his label. Pixies signed to Elektra Records during a UK spring tour in 1989. Elektra followed by releasing a live promotional album, which contained two songs from their forthcoming album—"Debaser" and "Gouge Away"—along with a selection of earlier material.
However, Elektra had not yet attained distribution rights to the band's forthcoming album. 4AD, then a small British independent record label, held worldwide distribution rights to Pixies, but did not have access to distribution outside of the United Kingdom; the band had had to import all its previous records from Europe. Pixies' management sought international distribution, and while negotiations with Elektra and other record companies began in the third quarter of 1988, they were only completed just two weeks before ''Doolittles release, on April 2, 1989.
PolyGram
PolyGram N.V. was a multinational entertainment company and major music record label formerly based in the Netherlands. It was founded in 1962 as the Grammophon-Philips Group by Dutch corporation Philips and German corporation Siemens, to be a ...
had already secured Canadian distribution rights by that time.
''Doolittle'' was released in the United Kingdom on April 17, 1989, and in the United States the following day. Throughout the States, helped by Elektra's
major label
A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produc ...
status, retail displays were constructed for the record, and "Monkey Gone to Heaven", the first single from the album, was released to
radio station
Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radio ...
s for inclusion on playlists.
Reissues
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the album, 4AD announced that a deluxe edition of the album, titled ''Doolittle 25'', was to be released January 12, 2015, containing unreleased B-sides, demos, and two full
Peel sessions
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...
.
On December 9, 2016, a limited
Pure Audio Blu-Ray version of the album was released containing a 5.1
surround sound
Surround sound is a technique for enriching the fidelity and depth of sound reproduction by using multiple audio channels from speakers that surround the listener ( surround channels). Its first application was in movie theaters. Prior to sur ...
mix of the album by Kevin Vanbergen and a high definition stereo mix by
Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab
Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab (MFSL or MoFi) is a record label specializing in the production of audiophile issues. The company produces reissued vinyl LP records, compact discs, and Super Audio CDs and other formats.
History
Recording engineer ...
.
Reception
Commercial
''Doolittle''s chart performance in the United States was unremarkable, as the album entered the
''Billboard'' 200 at number 171. However, with the help of
college radio
Campus radio (also known as college radio, university radio or student radio) is a type of radio station that is run by the students of a college, university or other educational institution. Programming may be exclusively created or produced ...
play of "Monkey Gone to Heaven", ''Doolittle'' eventually rose to number 98 and spent two weeks in the top 100.
In Britain, the record reached number eight on the
UK Albums Chart
The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...
.
This chart placing was an unexpected success for the band as their previous two records, ''
Come On Pilgrim'' and ''Surfer Rosa'', had failed to reach as high on the British charts.
In June 1989, 4AD released "Here Comes Your Man" as the album's second single. It reached number three on the US
Modern Rock Tracks
Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-played ...
chart and number 56 in the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
.
It was not the last single from the album: in 1997, "Debaser" was released as a single to promote the ''
Death to the Pixies
''Death to the Pixies'' was the first Pixies best-of compilation, released by 4AD in the UK on October 6, 1997, and 4AD/ Elektra the following day in the United States to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the band's debut. It covered the years ...
'' compilation.
Following its release, ''Doolittle'' sold steadily in America, and broke sales of 100,000 after six months. By early 1992, while the band were supporting
U2 on their
Zoo TV Tour
The Zoo TV Tour (also written as ZooTV, ZOO TV or ZOOTV) was a worldwide concert tour by rock band U2. Staged in support of their 1991 album '' Achtung Baby'', the tour visited arenas and stadiums from 1992 to 1993. It was intended to mirror ...
, the album was selling 1,500 copies per week. By the middle of 1993—two years after the release of the band's last album before their initial breakup, ''
Trompe le Monde''—''Doolittle'' saw sales average 1,200 copies per week. ''Doolittle'' was
certified
Certification is the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestation or confirmation of certain characteristics of a ...
Gold by the
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
in 1995 and Platinum in 2018.
Ten years after the breakup, ''Doolittle'' was still selling between 500 and 1,000 copies a week, and their 2004 reunion tour saw sales creep back up to 1,200 copies per week. At the end of 2005, best estimates put total sales in America at between 800,000 and one million copies. As of 2015, sales in the United States have exceeded 834,000 copies, according to
Nielsen SoundScan
Luminate (formerly Nielsen SoundScan, Nielsen Music Products, and MRC Data) is a provider of music sales data. Established by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett in 1991, data is collected weekly and made available every Sunday (for albums sales) and eve ...
.
On May 6, 2019, "Here Comes Your Man" was certified Gold in Canada.
On September 20, 2021, "Hey" was certified Gold in Canada.
Critical
Reaction to ''Doolittle'' was positive in general, with the album garnering praise from several major music publications.
[Frank, Ganz, 2005. p. 120] ''
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'' writer
Edwin Pouncey commented that "the songs on ''Doolittle'' have the power to make you literally jump out of your skin with excitement".
''
Q'' critic Peter Kane said that ''Doolittle''s "carefully structured noise and straightforward rhythmic insistence makes perfect sense".
Tim Rolston of ''
The Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally.
It was fo ...
'' praised ''Doolittle'' as "a scintillating rock'n'roll album" and the Pixies' "finest half-hour so far". Several other publications ran positive reviews of the album, including the British music weekly ''
Record Mirror
''Record Mirror'' was a British weekly music newspaper between 1954 and 1991 for pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after the ''NME'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK album chart was published in ''Re ...
'', ''
The Philadelphia Inquirer
''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The newspaper's circulation is the largest in both the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley metropolitan region of Southeastern Pennsy ...
'', the ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'', and the ''
Chicago Tribune
The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...
''.
Robert Christgau
Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...
of ''
The Village Voice
''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the crea ...
'' wrote, "They're in love and they don't know why—with rock and roll, which is heartening in a time when so many college dropouts have lost touch with the verities". However, he concluded that "getting famous too fast could ruin them", while suggesting the lyrics reflect somewhat of a disconnection with "the outside world".
Some reviewers were more critical.
[Sisario, 2006. p. 62–63] ''
Time Out'' said that "Gil Norton's toy theatre production makes a drama out of what should have been a crisis". ''
Spin
Spin or spinning most often refers to:
* Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning
* Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis
* Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...
'' ran a hundred-word review of the album, with critic Joe Levy finding "the insanity less surreal and more silly, and the songs themselves more like songs and less like adventures". ''Rolling Stone'' published "a tentative endorsement" of ''Doolittle'', rating it three and a half stars;
reviewer Chris Mundy concluded, "The emphasis on more textured production has in no way taken away from the band's intensity. Francis is at all times in command of the album, quietly stringing us along before turning on us and screaming for attention. It's about time everyone started taking notice."
''Doolittle'' appeared on several end-of-year "Best Album" lists; both ''Rolling Stone'' and ''The Village Voice'' placed the album tenth, and independent music magazines ''Sounds'' and ''
Melody Maker
''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. It was founded in 1926, largely as a magazine for dance band musicians, by Leicester-born ...
'' both ranked the album as the second-best of the year. ''NME'' also ranked the album highly, placing it fourth in their end-of-year list.
Legacy
The sudden loud to quiet dynamic present on ''Doolittle'', most notably in "Tame", has been very influential on
alternative rock
Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...
. After writing "
Smells Like Teen Spirit
"Smells Like Teen Spirit" is a song by the American rock band Nirvana. It is the opening track and lead single from the band's second album, ''Nevermind'' (1991), released on DGC Records. The unexpected success of the song propelled ''Neve ...
", both
Kurt Cobain
Kurt Donald Cobain (February 20, 1967 – April 5, 1994) was an American musician who served as the lead vocalist, guitarist and primary songwriter of the rock band Nirvana. Through his angst-fueled songwriting and anti-establishment persona ...
and
Krist Novoselic
Krist Anthony Novoselic (; ; born May 16, 1965) is an American musician and activist. He was the bassist and co-founder of the rock band Nirvana.
Novoselic and Kurt Cobain formed the band Nirvana in 1987 along with drummer Aaron Burckhard, wh ...
of
Nirvana
( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lampRichard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo.' ...
thought: "this really sounds like the Pixies. People are really going to nail us for this." Producer Gil Norton usually receives much credit for the album's dynamic, and is sought by bands seeking a similar sound.
The Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins (also referred to as simply Smashing Pumpkins) are an American alternative rock band from Chicago. Formed in 1988 by frontman and guitarist Billy Corgan, bassist D'arcy Wretzky, guitarist James Iha and drummer Jimmy Chamb ...
guitarist
James Iha
(born March 26, 1968) is an American rock musician. He is best known as a guitarist and co-founder of the alternative rock band the Smashing Pumpkins. He was a member until the initial breakup in 2000. Among his musical projects of recent years ...
described ''Doolittle'' as less raw than ''Surfer Rosa'' but "more listenable" and "Here Comes Your Man" as a "classic pop record". Fellow alternative musician
PJ Harvey
Polly Jean Harvey (born 9 October 1969) is an English singer, songwriter, and musician. Primarily known as a vocalist and guitarist, she is also proficient with a wide range of instruments.
Harvey began her career in 1988 when she joined loca ...
was "in awe" of "I Bleed" and "Tame", and described Francis's writing as "amazing".
The album was also included in the book ''
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die
''1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die'' is a musical reference book first published in 2005 by Universe Publishing. Part of the ''1001 Before You Die'' series, it compiles writings and information on albums chosen by a panel of music critics ...
''. ''
PopMatters
''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...
'' included it in their list of the "12 Essential 1980s Alternative Rock Albums" saying, "''Doolittle'', captured the musicians at the top of their game when it was released in 1989."
Accolades
A range of music magazines have since acclaimed ''Doolittle'' as one of the quintessential alternative rock albums of the 1980s. ''Rolling Stone'', reviewing ''Doolittle'' again in 2002, gave the album a maximum score of five stars, remarking that it laid the "groundwork for Nineties rock".
''Doolittle'' has received a number of international accolades and is consistently noted as one of the best albums of the 1980s in any genre.
The information regarding accolades attributed to ''Doolittle'' is taken from AcclaimedMusic.net.
(*) designates unordered lists.
Track listing
All tracks were written by
Black Francis
Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV (born April 6, 1965) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is best known as the frontman of the alternative rock band Pixies, with whom he performs under the stage name Black Francis. Fo ...
, except where noted.
''Doolittle 25'' bonus discs
;Disc 2 / LP 2 – B-sides & Peel Sessions
All tracks previously released unless otherwise indicated.
;Disc 3 / LP 3 (tracks 1-18) – Demos
All tracks previously unreleased unless otherwise indicated.
Personnel
Pixies
*
Black Francis
Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV (born April 6, 1965) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is best known as the frontman of the alternative rock band Pixies, with whom he performs under the stage name Black Francis. Fo ...
– vocals, guitar
*
Kim Deal
Kimberley Ann Deal (born June 10, 1961) is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. She was the bassist and the co-vocalist in the alternative rock band Pixies, before forming the Breeders in 1989.
Deal joined Pixies in January ...
– bass guitar, vocals,
acoustic slide guitar ("Silver")
*
Joey Santiago
Joseph Alberto Santiago (born June 10, 1965) is a Filipino-American guitarist and composer. Active since 1986, Santiago is best known as the lead guitarist for the American alternative rock band Pixies. After the band's breakup in 1993, Santiag ...
– lead guitar, backing vocals
*
David Lovering
David Lovering (born December 6, 1961) is an American musician and magician. He is best known as the drummer for the alternative rock band Pixies, which he joined in 1986. After the band's breakup in 1993, Lovering drummed with several other act ...
– drums, lead vocal ("La La Love You"), bass guitar ("Silver")
Additional musicians
* Karen Karlsrud – violin ("Monkey Gone to Heaven")
* Corine Metter – violin ("Monkey Gone to Heaven")
* Arthur Fiacco – cello ("Monkey Gone to Heaven")
* Ann Rorich – cello ("Monkey Gone to Heaven")
Technical
*
Gil Norton
Gil Norton (born in Liverpool) is an English record producer known for his work with alternative rock bands such as Pixies, Echo & the Bunnymen, Foo Fighters, Tribe, Jimmy Eat World, Dashboard Confessional, Feeder, The Distillers, Maxïmo ...
– producer, engineer
* Dave Snider – assistant engineer
* Matt Lane – assistant engineer
* Steve Haigler – mixing
*
Vaughan Oliver
Vaughan Oliver (12 September 1957 – 29 December 2019) was a British graphic designer based in Epsom, Surrey. Oliver was best known for his work with graphic design studios 23 Envelope and v23. Both studios maintained a close relationship with ...
– art direction, design
*
Simon Larbalestier
Simon Larbalestier (born 1962 in Pembrokeshire) is a Wales, Welsh photographer.
Larbalestier is noted for his collaborative work with Vaughan Oliver and the design studios 23 Envelope and v23 with whom he has provided photography used on the album ...
– photography
* Chris Bigg – calligraphy
Chart performance
Album
Singles
Certifications and sales
References
Citations
Works cited
* Frank, Josh; Ganz, Caryn. ''
Fool the World: The Oral History of a Band Called Pixies''. Virgin Books, 2005. .
* Sisario, Ben. ''Doolittle ''. Continuum, 2006. .
External links
''Doolittle''(
Adobe Flash
Adobe Flash (formerly Macromedia Flash and FutureSplash) is a multimedia Computing platform, software platform used for production of Flash animation, animations, rich web applications, application software, desktop applications, mobile apps, mo ...
) at
Radio3Net
Radio 3 net is the former ''Radio România Tineret'' (or Radio 3). More than 20,000 albums are stored on Radio 3 net. A few of the prominent features available on the website are "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die
''1001 Albums You Mus ...
(streamed copy where licensed)
''Doolittle''at
Last.fm
Last.fm is a music website founded in the United Kingdom in 2002. Using a music recommender system called "Audioscrobbler", Last.fm builds a detailed profile of each user's musical taste by recording details of the tracks the user listens to, e ...
''Doolittle''at
Google Music
Google Play Music is a discontinued music and podcast streaming service and an online music locker operated by Google as part of its Google Play line of services. The service was announced on May 10, 2011; after a six-month, invitation-only b ...
{{Authority control
1989 albums
4AD albums
Albums produced by Gil Norton
Elektra Records albums
Noise pop albums
Pixies (band) albums
PolyGram albums