''Pigpile'' is a
live album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
by the American musical group
Big Black
Big Black was an American punk rock band from Evanston, Illinois, active from 1981 to 1987. Founded by singer and guitarist Steve Albini, the band's initial lineup also included guitarist Santiago Durango and bassist Jeff Pezzati, both of Nake ...
. It is a recording from July 24, 1987 during the
post-hardcore
Post-hardcore is a punk rock music genre that maintains the aggression and intensity of hardcore punk but emphasizes a greater degree of creative expression. It was initially inspired by post-punk and noise rock. Like post-punk, the term has been ...
band's final European tour, released in 1992 originally as a
VHS tape (it was their second video release, following the 'Live' tape on Atavistic Records). It was later issued as an audio-only LP/cassette/CD. The recordings were made at the
Hammersmith Clarendon ballroom,
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
. A 5" transparent heavy-duty vinyl record was included away free with all copies of the VHS tape and some copies of the soundtrack album, featuring a
cover version
In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...
of the
Mary Jane Girls
The Mary Jane Girls were an American girl group formed in 1983, best known for their songs "In My House", " All Night Long", "Candy Man", and their cover version of " Walk Like a Man". They were protégées of musician Rick James and disbanded i ...
song "In My House". Lower-quality recordings from the Hammersmith concert had previously appeared in a different configuration on the
bootleg
Bootleg or bootlegging most often refers to:
* Bootleg recording, an audio or video recording released unofficially
* Rum-running, the illegal business of transporting and trading in alcoholic beverages, hence:
** Moonshine, or illicitly made ...
LP ''Tonight We Walked With Giants''.
''Pigpile'' coincided with the re-release of Big Black's entire catalog on
Touch and Go Records
Touch and Go Records is an American independent record label based in Chicago, Illinois. After its genesis as a handmade fanzine in 1979, it grew into one of the key record labels in the American 1980s underground and alternative rock scenes. Tou ...
A limited edition of ''Pigpile'' was issued as a box set that included the LP and its insert, a VHS tape of the Hammersmith concert, the "In My House" one-sided 5" single, a poster and a Big Black T-shirt.
Reception
Released five years after Big Black chose to disband at the peak of their artistic and commercial success, ''Pigpile'' received concurrent and retrospective reviews ranging from lukewarm to gushing. Writing shortly after the album's release, ''
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 ...
'' magazine remarked that ''Pigpile'' was "a live album with sound quality unworthy of an audio nut like Albini."
Looking back at Albini's career through Big Black and his subsequent band,
Rapeman
Rapeman was a short-lived American noise rock band founded in 1987 and disbanded in 1989. It consisted of Steve Albini (formerly of Big Black) on guitar and vocals, David Wm. Sims (formerly of Scratch Acid and simultaneously of the Jesus Liza ...
a decade on, ''
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 ...
'' called ''Pigpile'' a "fun-but-not-revelatory live album," ranking it a notch below any of the group's studio albums.
Track listing
# "Fists of Love" – 4:14
# "L Dopa" – 1:49
# "Passing Complexion" – 3:06
# "Dead Billy" – 5:12
# "Cables" – 3:18
# "Bad Penny" – 3:03
# "Pavement Saw" – 2:56
# "Kerosene" – 6:38
# "Steelworker" – 4:52
# "Pigeon Kill" – 2:24
# "Fish Fry" – 1:55
# "Jordan, Minnesota" – 7:05
Album credits
*
Big Black
Big Black was an American punk rock band from Evanston, Illinois, active from 1981 to 1987. Founded by singer and guitarist Steve Albini, the band's initial lineup also included guitarist Santiago Durango and bassist Jeff Pezzati, both of Nake ...
- Performance
*
Steve Albini
Steve Albini (pronounced ; born July 22, 1962) is an American musician, record producer, audio engineer and music journalist. He was a member of Big Black, Rapeman and Flour, and is a member of Shellac. He is the founder, owner and principal en ...
- Inlay Notes
*Cheryl Graham - Album Artwork
References
Big Black albums
1992 live albums
Touch and Go Records live albums
Au Go Go Records live albums
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