''Pigpile'' is a

live album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...

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 N ...

. 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 be ...

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 List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, 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 dow ...

. 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 relea ...

of the Mary Jane Girls 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 a ...

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. ...

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 ...

'' 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 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, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' 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

- 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 ...

- 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 {{1990s-punk-album-stub