Black Francis (born
Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV on April 6, 1965) is an American singer, songwriter and
guitaristA guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as acoustic guitars, electric guitars, classical guitars and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :...
. He is best known as the frontman of the influential
alternative rockAlternative rock is a genre of rock music that emerged in the 1980s and became widely popular in the 1990s...
band Pixies, with whom he performs under the
stage nameA stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
Black Francis. Following the band's breakup in 1993, he embarked on a solo career under the name
Frank Black. After releasing two albums with
4AD4AD is a British independent record label that was started in 1979 by Ivo Watts-Russell and Peter Kent, funded by Beggars Banquet Records, and is still active today...
, he left the label and formed a backing band,
Frank Black and the Catholics. He reformed the Pixies in 2004 and continues to release solo records and tour as a solo artist, having re-adopted his current stage name in 2007.
His vocal style has varied from a screaming, yowling delivery as lead vocalist of the Pixies to a more measured and melodical style in his solo career. In a recent interview on
CBCCBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.-Overview:CBC Television provides a complete 24-hour network schedule of news, sports, entertainment and children's programming, in most cases feeding the same programming at the same local times...
's The Hour, Black described his musical transformation: "Pixies were quite abstract in their repertoire, it was kind of surrealist, kind of drop-out lyrics, but instinctively I knew I wasn't going to sing about all of my 'hard times' or whatever because it wouldn't have rang true. Now I've had a good life, I've had some ups and downs like everybody and so you feel you could be a little more
Leonard CohenLeonard Norman Cohen, CC, GOQ is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, poet and novelist. Cohen published his first book of poetry in Montreal in 1956 and his first novel in 1963. His work often deals with the exploration of religion, isolation, sexuality and complex interpersonal relationships...
or something." His cryptic lyrics mostly explore unconventional subjects, such as
surrealismSurrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
,
incestIncest is any sexual activity between close relatives irrespective of the ages of the participants and irrespective of their consent, that is illegal or socially taboo. The type of sexual activity and the nature of the relationship between persons that constitutes a breach of law or social taboo...
and
BiblicalThe Bible contains the central religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. Modern Judaism generally recognizes a single set of canonical books known as the Tanakh, or Hebrew Bible, as it is written almost entirely in the Hebrew language, with some small portions in Aramaic...
violence, along with dam collapses,
science fictionScience fiction is a genre of fiction. It differs from fantasy in that, within the context of the story, its imaginary elements are largely possible within scientifically-established or scientifically-postulated laws of nature...
and
surf cultureSurf culture includes the people, language, fashion and life surrounding the sport of surfing.The culture began early in the 20th century, spread quickly during the 1950s and 1960s, and continues to evolve. It affected fashion, music, literature, films, jargon, and more...
. His use of atypical
meter signatureThe time signature is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each measure and which note value constitutes one beat....
s, loud-quiet dynamics and distinct preference for live-to-two-track recording in his career as a solo artist give him a more specific style in
alternative rockAlternative rock is a genre of rock music that emerged in the 1980s and became widely popular in the 1990s...
.
As frontman of the Pixies, his songs (such as "
Where Is My Mind?"Where Is My Mind?" is a song by the American alternative rock band Pixies. It is the seventh track on their 1988 album Surfer Rosa. The song was written by frontman Black Francis while he attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, inspired by his experiences scuba diving in the Caribbean....
" and "
Debaser"Debaser" is a song by the 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 Doolittle's recording sessions."Debaser" was later released as a...
") received praise and citations from contemporaries, including
RadioheadRadiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their first single, "Creep", in 1992...
's
Thom YorkeThomas Edward Yorke is an English musician who is the lead singer and principal songwriter of the alternative rock group Radiohead. He mainly plays guitar and piano, but he has also played drums and bass guitar...
and
NirvanaNirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
's
Kurt CobainKurt Donald Cobain was an American musician, best known as the lead singer, guitarist and songwriter of the rock band Nirvana....
. Cobain once said that "
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 1991 breakthrough album Nevermind...
" was his attempt at trying to "rip off the Pixies." However, in his solo work and records with the Catholics, he received fewer popular and critical accolades.
Youth and college
Charles Thompson was born in at the St. Elizabeth's Medical Center. His father was a bar owner, and Thompson first lived in as a baby because his father wanted to "learn more about the restaurant and bar business". Thompson was introduced to music at a young age, as his parents listened to 1960s
folk rockFolk rock is a musical genre, combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s...
. His first guitar was his mother's, a
YamahaYamaha may refer to:* Yamaha Corporation, a Japanese company with a wide range of products and services** Yamaha Motor Company, a Japanese motorized vehicle-producing company...
classical guitarThe classical guitar is a plucked string instrument from the family of instruments called chordophones. It traditionally has 3 plain gut bass strings and 3 gut wound silk core treble strings and the modern adaption typically has 6 nylon strings .The basic characteristics of the shape of the...
bought with money from his father's bar tips, which he started to play at age "11 or 12".
Thompson's family moved between California and Massachusetts fifteen times, first with his father, and then his stepfather, a religious man who "pursued
real estateReal estate is a legal term that encompasses land along with anything permanently affixed to the land, such as buildings, specifically property that is fixed in location.
"Real estate" The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin...
on both coasts"; his parents had separated twice by the time he was in first grade. When Thompson was 12, his mother and stepfather joined a church that was tied to the evangelical
Assemblies of GodThe World Assemblies of God Fellowship or Assemblies of God is the world's largest Pentecostal Christian denomination. With over 300,000 churches and outstations in over 110 countries and approximately 57 to 60 million adherents worldwide, it is the fourth largest international body of Christians...
, a move that influenced many of his songs written with the Pixies, which often refer to the Bible.
He discovered the music of
Christian rockChristian rock is a form of rock music played by bands whose members are Christians and who often focus the lyrics on matters concerned with the Christian faith. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Christian varies between bands. Much Christian rock has ties to the contemporary...
singer-songwriterA singer–songwriter is a musician who writes, composes and sings their own material including lyrics and melodies. They often provide the sole accompaniment to an entire composition or song, typically using a guitar or piano...
Larry NormanLarry David Norman was an American Christian musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and humorist. Norman's recordings are noted for their Christian and social subject matter, and he is often described as the "father of Christian rock music"...
at 13 when Norman played at a religious
summer campSummer camp is a supervised program for children and/or teenagers conducted during the summer months in some countries. Children and adolescents who attend summer camp are known as campers....
that Thompson attended. Norman's music influenced Thompson to the extent that he named the Pixies' first
EPAn extended play is a vinyl record, CD, or music download which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as an LP. Usually, a CD single has around 10–28 minutes of music, an EP has up to 36 minutes, and an album generally has 30–80 minutes. Mini-LPs generally contain 20–30...
and a lyric in the band's song "Levitate Me" after one of Norman's catchphrases, "
come on, pilgrimCome On Pilgrim is the debut release from the American alternative rock band Pixies, released on the British independent record label 4AD in September 1987.-Background:...
!" Thompson later described the music he listened to during his youth:
Just before Thompson's senior year, his family moved to , where he received a
Teenager of the Year award—the title of a later
solo albumA solo album, in popular music, is an album headlined by a current or former member of a band. A solo album may feature simply one person performing all instruments, but typically features the work of other collaborators; rather, it may be made with different collaborators than the artist is...
. During this time, Thompson composed several songs that appeared in his later career, including "
Here Comes Your Man"Here Comes Your Man" is a song by the American alternative rock band Pixies, and is the fifth track on their 1989 album Doolittle. "Here Comes Your Man" was written and sung by the band's frontman Black Francis, and produced by Gil Norton. The song was released as a single in June 1989 in the...
" from
DoolittleDoolittle is the second studio album from the American alternative rock band Pixies, released in April 1989 on 4AD. The album's offbeat and dark subject material, featuring references to surrealism, Biblical violence, torture and death, contrasts with the clean production sound achieved by the...
, and "Velvety Instrumental Version".
After graduating from high school in 1983, he studied in the
University of Massachusetts AmherstThe University of Massachusetts is a selective research and land-grant university in Amherst, Massachusetts...
, majoring in
anthropologyAnthropology is the study of human beings, everywhere and throughout time....
. Thompson shared a room with another roommate for a semester before moving in with future Pixies guitarist
Joey SantiagoJoey Santiago 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, Santiago produced musical scores for film and television documentaries, and he formed The...
. The two shared an interest in
rock musicRock music is a genre of popular music that entered the mainstream in the 1960s. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, rhythm and blues, country music and also drew on folk music, jazz and classical music....
, and Santiago introduced Thompson to 1970s punk and the music of
David BowieDavid Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. Active in five decades of popular music and frequently reinventing his music and image, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
; they began to jam together. It was at this time that Thompson discovered
The CarsThe Cars were an American rock band that emerged from the early New Wave music scene in the late 1970s. The band consisted of singer and rhythm guitarist Ric Ocasek, singer and bassist Benjamin Orr, guitarist Elliot Easton, keyboardist Greg Hawkes and drummer David Robinson...
, a band he described as "very influential on me and the Pixies".
In his second year of college, Thompson embarked on a trip to
San Juan, Puerto RicoSan Juan is the capital and largest municipality in Puerto Rico. As of the 2000 census, it has a population of 433,733, making it the 42nd-largest city under the jurisdiction of the United States. San Juan was founded by Spanish colonists in 1521, who called it Ciudad de Puerto Rico...
as part of an
exchange programA student exchange program is a program in which a student, typically in secondary or higher education, chooses to live in a foreign country to learn, among other things, language and culture. These programs are called 'exchanges' because originally the goal was an exchange of students between...
. He spent six months in an apartment with a "weird,
psychoPsychosis literally means abnormal condition of the mind, and is a generic psychiatric term for a mental state often described as involving a "loss of contact with reality"...
,
gayThe term gay was originally used, until well into the mid-20th century, primarily to refer to feelings of being "carefree", "happy", or "bright and showy"; it had also come to acquire some connotations of "immorality" as early as 1637....
roommate", who later served as a direct inspiration for the Pixies' song "
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 inspired by Francis' stay in an apartment block with a "weirdo,...
"; many of the band's early songs refer to Thompson's experiences in Puerto Rico. Thompson failed to grasp the
Spanish languageSpanish or Castilian is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that originated in northern Spain and gradually spread in the Kingdom of Castile, evolving into the principal language of government and trade in the Iberian peninsula...
, and left his studies after debating whether he would go to New Zealand to view Halley's Comet (he later said it "seemed like the cool romantic thing to do at the time"), or start a
rock bandRock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
. He wrote a letter urging Santiago, with the words "we gotta do it, now is the time Joe", to join him in a band upon his return to Boston.
Pixies
Soon after returning to Massachusetts, Thompson dropped out of college, and moved to
BostonBoston is the capital and largest city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is considered the economic and cultural center of the region and is sometimes regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England"...
with Santiago. He spent 1985 working in a warehouse, "managing buttons on
teddy bearThe teddy bear is a stuffed toy bear. It is an enduring, traditional form of a stuffed animal, often serving the purpose of entertaining children. In recent times, some teddy bears have become collector's items.- History :...
s", composing songs on his
acoustic guitarAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only acoustic methods to project the sound produced by its strings. The term is a retronym, coined after the advent of electric guitars, which depend on electronic amplification to make their sound audible....
, and writing lyrics on the subway train. In January 1986, Thompson formed the Pixies with Santiago. Bassist
Kim DealKimberley Ann Deal is an American singer, songwriter and musician, best known as the bassist of the alternative rock band the Pixies. Deal first joined the Pixies in January 1986 as the band's bassist, adopting the stage name Mrs. John Murphy for the band's releases Come On Pilgrim and Surfer Rosa...
was recruited a week later via a classified advertisement placed in a Boston paper, which requested a bassist "into
Hüsker DüHüsker Dü was an American rock band formed in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota in 1979. The band's continual members were guitarist Bob Mould, bassist Greg Norton, and drummer Grant Hart. Hüsker Dü never achieved mainstream success, but attained an influence far larger than their modest sales...
and
Peter, Paul and MaryPeter, Paul and Mary was a musical group from the United States who were one of the most successful folk-singing groups of the 1960s...
," and joined a week later. Drummer David Lovering was later hired on recommendation from Deal's husband.
In 1987, the Pixies released an 18-track
demo tapeA demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for musicians to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
, commonly referred to as
The Purple TapePixies is a 2002 EP release of the previously unissued material from the Pixies' original 17-track demo tape , recorded at Fort Apache Studios in March 1987 by Gary Smith...
. Thompson's father assisted the band financially, loaning $1000 in order to record the demo tape; Thompson later said that his father "wasn't around for a lot of my younger years, so I think he was doing his best to make up for lost time".
The Purple Tape led to a recording contract with the English independent record label
4AD4AD is a British independent record label that was started in 1979 by Ivo Watts-Russell and Peter Kent, funded by Beggars Banquet Records, and is still active today...
. Thompson adopted the alias "Black Francis" for the release of the mini album
Come On PilgrimCome On Pilgrim is the debut release from the American alternative rock band Pixies, released on the British independent record label 4AD in September 1987.-Background:...
, a name inspired by his father: “he had been saving that name in case he had another son”.
In 1988, the Pixies recorded their debut album
Surfer RosaSurfer Rosa is the first full-length album by the American alternative rock band Pixies, released in March 1988 on the British independent record label 4AD...
. Thompson wrote and sang on all the tracks, with the exception of the single "
Gigantic"Gigantic" is a song by the American alternative rock band Pixies, co-written by bassist Kim Deal and lead vocalist/guitarist Black Francis. The song appeared on the band's first studio album, Surfer Rosa, released in 1988...
", which was co-written and sung by Deal. To support the album, the band undertook a European tour, during which Thompson met
Eric Drew FeldmanEric Drew Feldman is an American keyboard and bass guitar player. Feldman has worked with Captain Beefheart, Fear, Snakefinger, The Residents, Pere Ubu, Pixies, dEUS, Katell Keineg, Frank Black, The Polyphonic Spree, Tripping Daisy, Reid Paley, Charlotte Hatherley, Custard, and PJ Harvey.He was...
, a later collaborator on Pixies and solo albums.
DoolittleDoolittle is the second studio album from the American alternative rock band Pixies, released in April 1989 on 4AD. The album's offbeat and dark subject material, featuring references to surrealism, Biblical violence, torture and death, contrasts with the clean production sound achieved by the...
, with Thompson-penned songs such as "Debaser" and "Monkey Gone To Heaven", was released the following year to widespread critical acclaim. However, by this time, tensions between Thompson and Deal combined with exhaustion, and led the band to announce a hiatus. Thompson has an aversion to flying, and spent this time driving across America with his girlfriend, Jean Walsh (whom he had met in the band's early days), performing solo shows in order to raise funds to buy furniture for his new
Los AngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the municipality of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123.445 inhabitants...
apartment.
The band reconvened in 1990, and recorded two further albums: 1990s
BossanovaBossanova is the third album by the American alternative rock band Pixies, released in August 1990 on the English independent record label 4AD in the United Kingdom and by Elektra Records in the United States...
and 1991's
Trompe le MondeTrompe le Monde is the fourth and final album by the American alternative rock band Pixies, released in 1991 on the English independent record label 4AD in the United Kingdom and by Elektra Records in the United States...
; the latter was Thompson's first collaboration with Feldman. The later Pixies albums were characterized by Thompson's increasing influence on the band's output, as well as a focus on
science fiction themesThe following is a list of recurring themes in science fiction. Please note this list also includes themes you'd also find in other genres.-Overarching themes:*Cosmology*Creation of the Universe*The future *History **Alternate history...
, including
alienExtraterrestrial life is defined as life which does not originate from planet Earth. The existence of life outside the planet is theoretical and all assertions of such life remain disputed....
s and UFOs. These themes would continue to be explored throughout his early solo work.
Trompe le Monde includes the song "U-Mass", which was written about the university he attended as a youth, and due to the keyboard part played by Feldman, signified a move away from the band's alternative rock sound. Although Deal had contributed on the songs "Gigantic" (from
Surfer Rosa) and "Silver" (from
Doolittle), from
Bossanova on, Thompson wrote all the band's original material. This contributed to the increasing tension between him and Deal, and the Pixies broke up in 1992; this was not publicly announced until early 1993.
Early solo career
While the Pixies' 1991 album
Trompe le Monde was being recorded, Thompson had discussions with the album's producer,
Gil NortonGil Norton is a British record producer known for his work with such bands as Pixies, Echo & the Bunnymen, Foo Fighters, Tribe, Jimmy Eat World, Dashboard Confessional, Feeder, The Distillers, Maxïmo Park, Counting Crows, Terrorvision, The Triffids, Del Amitri, James, The Feelers, The Beekeepers...
, about a possible solo record. He told Norton he was keen to record again, even though he had no new material; as a result, the two decided on a
cover albumIn popular music, a cover version, or simply cover, is a new rendition of a previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
. However, by the time Thompson visited a
recording studioA recording studio is a facility for sound recording. Ideally, the space is specially designed by an acoustician to achieve the desired acoustic properties...
again in 1992, he had "plenty of tunes and musical scraps."
He collaborated with Feldman to record new material; they began by trimming down the number of covers to one,
The Beach BoysThe Beach Boys are an American rock band. Formed in 1961, the group gained popularity for its close vocal harmonies and lyrics reflecting a Southern California youth culture of cars, surfing, and romance...
' "
Hang On to Your Ego"Hang On to Your Ego" is a song written by Brian Wilson and Tony Asher for the American pop band The Beach Boys. The song was originally going to be released on their classic 1966 album Pet Sounds. Mike Love however objected to the title of the song and some of the lyrics and insisted that it be...
". Feldman became the album's producer, and played keyboard and
bass guitarThe electric bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a plectrum....
on several songs, with Santiago featuring on lead guitar and
Nick VincentNick Vincent is an American rock and roll, jazz, and studio drummer, producer and composer. Artists he has performed and/or recorded with include Frank Black, Art Garfunkel, Carole King, Justyna Kelley, Ann-Margret, John Fogerty, Hilary Duff, Hanson, Charlotte Hatherley, Ian McLagan and Roger Miller...
on
drumsA drum set is a collection of drums, cymbals and sometimes other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person . The term "drum kit" first became used in the 1700s in Britain...
. Francis recorded the album during the hiatus and breakup of the Pixies in late 1992 and early 1993. He then adopted the stage name "Frank Black" (inverting his old persona "Black Francis") and released the results as
Frank BlackFrank Black is the first solo album from the American alternative rock musician Frank Black. The album was recorded in 1992 and released on 9 March 1993 via 4AD, after the breakup of the Pixies....
in March 1993.
Frank Black was characterized by a focus on UFOs and science fiction, although he explored other eclectic subjects, such as in "I Heard Ramona Sing", a song about the
RamonesThe Ramones were an American rock band often regarded as the first punk rock group. Formed in Forest Hills, Queens, New York in 1974, all of the band members adopted pseudonyms ending with the surname 'Ramone', though none of them were actually related. They performed 2,263 concerts, touring...
. The album was similar in style, both musically and lyrically, to the Pixies' albums
Bossanova and
Trompe le Monde. Feldman later said that the first record connected his solo career with
Trompe le Monde, "but at the same time it is an island, like nothing else he [Black] did."
The following year, Black released his second solo record, a 22-song double album entitled
Teenager of the YearReleased in 1994, Teenager of the Year was Frank Black’s second solo album, produced by Eric Drew Feldman. Notable songs include " Abstract Plain" and "Headache"...
.
Teenager included the song "Headache" , a moderate success on alternative rock playlists; critics described the song as "irresistible
popPop music is a music genre that developed from the mid-1950s as a softer alternative to rock 'n' roll and later to rock music. It has a focus on commercial recording, often orientated towards a youth market, usually through the medium of relatively short and simple love songs...
". The production of
Teenager of the Year was markedly different from
Frank Black; in the previous album, MIDI templates were used when writing songs, but in
Teenager, Black showed individual parts to band members, the core of which included drummer Vincent and
Lyle WorkmanLyle Workman is an American guitarist, composer and music producer. His music has been widely distributed since his debut on the eponymous Bourgeois Tagg album in 1986, and is currently best known for his work as composer and bandleader for the Superbad soundtrack.Workman is also credited as...
on
lead guitarA lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, and guitar solos within a song structure.In rock, heavy metal, blues, jazz and fusion bands and some pop contexts as well as others, the lead guitar lines are usually supported by a second guitarist who plays...
. Feldman noted that Thompson's songwriting became "a lot more spontaneous" while recording the album. Thompson had begun to stray from his style with the Pixies, writing songs that covered a variety of genres and topics, and his new-found method of recording was closer to later albums than that of
Frank Black and
Trompe le Monde.
Both
Frank Black and
Teenager of the Year were critically well-received and remain fan favorites, although they enjoyed little commercial success. In 1995, Thompson left his long-time labels
4AD4AD is a British independent record label that was started in 1979 by Ivo Watts-Russell and Peter Kent, funded by Beggars Banquet Records, and is still active today...
and
ElektraElektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009.-Beginnings:...
. He continued to write new material: In 1996, he released
The Cult of RayThe Cult of Ray is the third Frank Black solo album. The title refers to Ray Bradbury. The core musicians employed on this album would eventually be dubbed The Catholics, and would continue as Black's backing group for the following seven years...
on
Rick RubinFrederick Jay "Rick" Rubin is an American record producer and, as of mid-2009, the co-head of Columbia Records....
's
American RecordingsAmerican Recordings is a Los Angeles-based record label headed by record producer Rick Rubin. The label's most successful artists include Slayer, The Black Crowes, Danzig, Tom Petty, Johnny Cash, and System of a Down.-Company History:...
; the album marked a turn away from the elaborate production of his first solo works and was recorded primarily live with few overdubs. His band for this album featured sole
Teenager holdover
Lyle WorkmanLyle Workman is an American guitarist, composer and music producer. His music has been widely distributed since his debut on the eponymous Bourgeois Tagg album in 1986, and is currently best known for his work as composer and bandleader for the Superbad soundtrack.Workman is also credited as...
on
lead guitarA lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, and guitar solos within a song structure.In rock, heavy metal, blues, jazz and fusion bands and some pop contexts as well as others, the lead guitar lines are usually supported by a second guitarist who plays...
, along with bassist David McCaffrey and Scott Boutier on drums. Though the album was neither critically nor commercially successful, its stripped-down approach would increasingly define Thompson's working methods for the next several years.
Frank Black and the Catholics
Thompson dubbed his new band "Frank Black and the Catholics", and recorded their
eponymous first albumFrank Black and the Catholics was the eponymous debut album from Frank Black and the Catholics. The backing group on this album performed on Black's previous album, The Cult of Ray, but the group name was first adopted on this release...
in 1997. Recorded live-to-two-track initially as merely a demo, he was so pleased with the results that he decided to release the sessions with no further production. The album was delayed for over a year by conflicts at American, both internal and over its production, and was ultimately released in late 1998 by
SpinArt RecordsspinART Records is a now-defunct New York City-based independent record label that released recordings by artists such as The Apples in Stereo, Clem Snide, Frank Black and Michael Penn.The label was started by Jeff Price and Joel Morowitz in 1991...
in the US. Since leaving American, Black has avoided long-term contracts with labels, and has maintained ownership of his album masters, licensing each album individually for release.
Frank Black and the Catholics became the first album to be posted to the
eMusiceMusic is an online music and audiobook store that operates by subscription. It is headquartered in New York City and owned by Dimensional Associates, LLC. As of September 2008 eMusic has over 400,000 subscribers....
service; they claim it is "the first album ever made legally available for commercial download". Critical reception to the album was mixed, with some writers noting Thompson's seemingly deliberate turn away from the "quirkiness" of the Pixies and his early solo work for a self-consciously straightforward approach, and the "disappointingly straightforward punk-pop" musical style present on the album.
He would continue to eschew multi-track recording for the live-to-two-track technique for all subsequent releases under the group name. Live-to-two-track recording precludes the use of overdubs to correct errors or add texture; all takes are recorded continuously, and mixing is done "on the fly". On later albums, he incorporated more musicians into the sessions to allow for more varied instrumental textures. Explaining his rationale behind the method, he commented:
Workman left the Catholics in 1998 to pursue session and sideman work; Rich Gilbert was added to the band to replace him. Frank Black and the Catholics released
PistoleroPistolero is the second album by Frank Black and the Catholics, produced by Nick Vincent and released via spinART Records on March 9, 1999.-Track listing:#"Bad Harmony"#"I Switched You"#"Western Star"#"Tiny Heart"#"You're Such a Wire"...
in 1999, which critics cited as a return to Thompson's earlier form, and
Dog in the SandDog in the Sand, Frank Black's third album with backing group the Catholics was released by the Cooking Vinyl record label in 2001, and was produced by Nick Vincent. The album was generally met with favorable reviews...
in 2001, considered a high point in his solo career.
Dog in the Sand added Dave Philips on
pedal steel guitarThe pedal steel guitar is a type of electric guitar that uses a metal slide to stop or shorten the length of the strings, rather than fingers on strings as with a conventional guitar. Unlike other types of steel guitar, it uses foot pedals and knee levers to affect the pitch, hence its name...
and lead guitar, and Santiago and Feldman began making occasional appearances with the group live and on record. Both
PistoleroPistolero is the second album by Frank Black and the Catholics, produced by Nick Vincent and released via spinART Records on March 9, 1999.-Track listing:#"Bad Harmony"#"I Switched You"#"Western Star"#"Tiny Heart"#"You're Such a Wire"...
and
Dog in the SandDog in the Sand, Frank Black's third album with backing group the Catholics was released by the Cooking Vinyl record label in 2001, and was produced by Nick Vincent. The album was generally met with favorable reviews...
were produced by
Nick VincentNick Vincent is an American rock and roll, jazz, and studio drummer, producer and composer. Artists he has performed and/or recorded with include Frank Black, Art Garfunkel, Carole King, Justyna Kelley, Ann-Margret, John Fogerty, Hilary Duff, Hanson, Charlotte Hatherley, Ian McLagan and Roger Miller...
.
By this time, while dismissing the possibility of a Pixies reunion, Thompson had begun to incorporate an increasing number of the band's songs into Catholics concerts, as well as including Santiago in his solo work again. Black and the Catholics continued to release records; two separate albums,
Black Letter DaysBlack Letter Days is the first of two albums by Frank Black and the Catholics to be simultaneously released in 2002. The title implies the opposite of the term "Red Letter Days" which are holidays — a "black letter day" being all the ordinary days in a given month.-Track listing:# "The Black...
and
Devil's WorkshopDevil's Workshop is the second of a pair of albums by Frank Black and the Catholics to be simultaneously released on August 20, 2002. 'His Kingly Cave' was originally recorded for an aborted album project in mid-2000 entitled Sunday Sunny Mill Valley Groove Day. "Velvety"'s music comes from an...
, were released simultaneously in 2002.
Devil's Workshop included the song "Velvety" , a version of the Pixies' song "Velvety Instrumental Version" (written by Black as a teenager) with lyrics. The song was one of the first signs that he had acknowledged his past work with the Pixies in his solo output. A sixth album with the Catholics,
Show Me Your TearsShow Me Your Tears is the final album to be released to date by Frank Black and the Catholics. The album employs a wide range of guests, including piano and an arrangement by maverick composer Van Dyke Parks on the final track...
, was released in 2003.
Show Me Your Tears' title and many of the songs in it were inspired by Thompson's recent
divorceDivorce or dissolution of marriage is the final termination of a marriage, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between two persons...
and entry into
therapyPsychotherapy or personal counseling with a psychotherapist, is an intentional interpersonal relationship used by trained psychotherapists to aid a client or patient in problems of living.It aims to increase the individual's sense of their own well-being...
.
Pixies reunion, Nashville and the Return of Black Francis
In late 2003, following long-standing rumors, an official announcement was made that the Pixies were practicing for a reunion tour. The band played publicly for the first time in 12 years in April 2004, and went on to tour extensively throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe in the same year. They also recorded one of Deal's compositions, "
Bam Thwok"Bam Thwok" is a 2004 download-only single by the American alternative rock band Pixies. The song was written and sung by bassist Kim Deal, and released exclusively through the iTunes Store on June 15, 2004. Upon its release, "Bam Thwok" was a commercial success, debuting at #1 on the very first...
", which was released on the iTunes Music Store.
Frank Black FrancisFrank Black Francis is a 2-CD set released in 2004 by Frank Black, roughly coinciding with the Pixies reunion tour. Disc 1 consists of a March 1987 solo acoustic demo tape recorded by engineer Gary Smith, just prior to the first Pixies recording session...
, a double album bridging the gap between his two personas, was released to coincide with the Pixies reunion tour. The first disc consisted of solo demos of Pixies songs recorded the day before
The Purple Tape was recorded, and the second contained studio collaborations, again of Pixies songs, with Two Pale Boys.
Also in 2004, Thompson began to collaborate with a group of
NashvilleNashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is the second most populous city in the state after Memphis. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state...
session men, including
Steve CropperSteve "The Colonel" Cropper is an American guitarist, songwriter and producer. As part of the Stax Records house band Booker T. & The MG's, he played on hundreds of recordings by Stax artists such as Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Carla and Rufus Thomas and Johnnie Taylor, also acting as producer on...
,
Spooner OldhamDewey Lyndon "Spooner" Oldham is an American songwriter and session musician. An organist, he recorded in Muscle Shoals, Alabama and at FAME Studios on such hit R&B songs as "When a Man Loves a Woman" by Percy Sledge, "Mustang Sally" by Wilson Pickett and "I Never Loved a Man" by Aretha...
,
Reggie YoungReggie Young has played with some of the most influential names in modern day music, such as Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and JJ Cale.He has recorded many classic guitar solos and riffs ....
, and
Anton FigAnton Fig , known as "The Thunder from Down Under" is a session drummer, noted for his work in David Letterman's house band, the CBS Orchestra.-Early career:...
, as well as producer
Jon TivenJon Tiven is a composer, guitarist and record producer. He has produced albums by Wilson Pickett, Frank Black and Don Covay as well as a series of tribute albums paying tribute to the songwriting of Don Covay, Arthur Alexander, Otis Blackwell, Curtis Mayfield, and Van Morrison.-Early career:He was...
. In July 2005, the collective released
HoneycombHoneycomb is the eleventh studio album by American alternative rock musician Frank Black, released in July 2005 on Back Porch Records. His first original solo work since 1996's The Cult of Ray, Honeycomb was recorded in Nashville, TN and features notable local session musicians, such as Steve...
under the Frank Black name, to generally favorable reviews.
Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books and popular culture. Unlike celebrity-focused publications US Weekly, People, and In Touch Weekly, EWs primary concentration is on entertainment...
described the album as "spare, graceful, [and] in the pocket", while
Billboard noted it as "One of [Thompson's] finest hours". A second volume of Nashville sessions, a
double albumA double album is an audio album which spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold . A double album is typically, though not always, released because the recording is longer than the capacity of the medium...
entitled
Fast Man Raider ManFast Man Raider Man is a solo double album by Frank Black released in 2006.-Disc one:#"If Your Poison Gets You"#"Johnny Barleycorn"#"Fast Man"#"You Can't Crucify Yourself"...
, was released in June 2006. Thompson appeared at a concert by Christian rock pioneer
Larry NormanLarry David Norman was an American Christian musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and humorist. Norman's recordings are noted for their Christian and social subject matter, and he is often described as the "father of Christian rock music"...
in June 2005 in
Salem, OregonSalem is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary between Marion and Polk counties, and the city neighborhood...
. Norman and Thompson performed a duet on "Watch What You're Doing", which later appeared on Norman's album,
Live at The ElsinoreThe Elsinore Theatre is a theatre located in Salem, Oregon, United States, that first opened on May 28, 1926.- Construction and early years :...
.
Thompson continued to tour with the Pixies through 2005 and 2006. Though the Catholics were effectively defunct, they released two separate albums of B-sides and rarities,
Snake Oil and
One More Road for the Hit, on
iTunesiTunes is a proprietary digital media player application, used for playing and organizing digital music and video files. The program is also an interface to manage the contents on Apple's popular iPod digital media players as well as the iPhone...
, with an eye towards a future CD release. Thompson was also working on more new solo material with Feldman in the first part of 2006, some of which they performed live. In the fall of 2006, Thompson began his first solo tour since 2003, taking Feldman, Billy Block, and
Duane JarvisDuane Jarvis was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter who recorded songs with many rock and roll and country music performers, including Frank Black, Peter Case, Rosie Flores, John Prine, Amy Rigby, Lucinda Williams and Dwight Yoakam.In addition to his collaborations, which included...
along as his backing band. In October 2006, Thompson announced plans for the Pixies to start rehearsing and recording a new album in January 2007, but it is believed that no recording took place because of the reluctance of another member of the Pixies to commit to the project. In December 2006, he released the compilation
Christmass album; a collection of new studio tracks, hotel room sessions, and live acoustic recordings from a solo tour the previous summer.
A Frank Black "best of" compilation,
Frank Black 93-03Frank Black 93–03 is a compilation by Frank Black. It highlights the 10 years of his solo career after disbanding the influential alternative rock band, the Pixies in 1993, as well as songs from the many albums he created with backing band "the Catholics". Included also is material from his next...
, was released in June 2007. Concurrently with that release, Thompson undertook a European tour with a new band, featuring Salem's Guards of Metropolis members Jason Carter and Charles Normal, as well as bassist Ding Archer. For this tour, Thompson eschewed his usual rhythm guitar role and performed solely as a frontman and singer. In September 2007, a new album entitled
BluefingerBluefinger is an album by Black Francis . The album was released on 11 September 2007 in the United States and Europe...
was released under his former stage name of Black Francis. For this album, he was inspired by the life and works of
Herman BroodHerman Brood was a Dutch musician, painter and media personality...
, a Dutch musician and artist. He also released a new "mini-album" entitled
Svn FngrsSvn Fngrs is a mini-album by Black Francis , released on March 3, 2008. The album's title is a reference to the Irish mythological hero Cúchulainn, who was said to have seven fingers and seven toes...
as Black Francis in March 2008.
In February 2008, Thompson was taken away by Gardai in
DublinDublin is the largest city and capital of Ireland. It is officially known in Irish as Baile Átha Cliath or Áth Cliath ; the English name comes from the Irish Dubh Linn meaning "black pool". It is located near the midpoint of Ireland's east coast, at the mouth of the River Liffey and at the...
, Ireland after staging an impromptu "precore" acoustic solo gig at
St. Stephen's GreenSt Stephen's Green is an city centre public park in Dublin, Ireland. The park is adjacent to one of Dublin's main shopping streets, Grafton Street, and to a shopping centre named for it, while on its surrounding streets are the offices of a number of public bodies and the city terminus of one of...
. He was later released and performed that night in Vicar Street as planned. However, a similar event planned for
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
was prevented by police and had to be re-arranged for a small indoor venue.
Thompson currently lives in
Portland, OregonPortland is a city located in the Northwestern United States, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the state of Oregon. As of July 2008, it has an estimated population of 575,930, making it the 29th most populous in the United States. It has been referred to as the most...
, and is married to Violet Clark, his second wife, with whom he has three children, along with her two children from previous relationships. The couple formerly lived in
Eugene, OregonEugene is the second largest city in the U.S. State of Oregon and the county seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about 50 miles east of the Oregon Coast...
, where they met. Thompson and Clark currently compose the band
Grand DuchyGrand Duchy is an American rock band formed in 2008 by Black Francis and his wife Violet Clark....
. Their debut album,
Petit Fours, was released in February 2009.
In early 2009, Art Brut released their third album,
Art Brut vs. SatanArt Brut vs. Satan is the third album by Art Brut, released on April 20, 2009. The lead-off single from the album was "Alcoholics Unanimous". The album was produced by Frank Black, best known as the frontman of Pixies....
, which Black produced throughout late 2008. Black has given several joint interviews with frontman
Eddie ArgosEddie Argos is the lead singer of English rock band Art Brut,born in Weymouth, England. He later moved to Poole, Dorset as a young child...
about the album, a move typically unusual for a producer.
Musical style
- See also: Pixies' musical style
Over the course of his career, Thompson's musical style has grown to encompass a large number of genres; however, he is considered to produce rock or alternative rock compositions. Whereas songs such as "Here Comes Your Man" (
Doolittle), "Velvety" (
Devil's Workshop) and "Headache" (
Teenager of the Year) expose a more
light rockSoft rock is a style of music which uses the techniques of rock and roll to compose a softer, more toned-down sound for listening. Soft rock songs generally tend to focus on themes like love, everyday life and relationships...
side, others such as "Something Against You" (
Surfer Rosa) and "Thalassocracy" (
Teenager of the Year) hint to a more
heavy rockHard rock or heavy rock is a sub-genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage and psychedelic rock and is considerably harder than conventional rock music...
influence in his material. A strong
country musicCountry music is a blend of popular musical forms originally found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains...
influence is also increasingly evident in his style, most notably in his Nashville albums,
Honeycomb and
Fast Man Raider Man.
Thompson has said that he acquired his vocal style as a teenager, when a
ThaiThe Thai are the main ethnic group of Thailand and are part of the larger Tai ethnolinguistic peoples found in Thailand and adjacent countries in Southeast Asia as well as southern China. Their language is the Thai language, which is classified as part of the Kradai family of languages, and the...
neighbor asked him to sing "
Oh! Darling"Oh! Darling" is a song of The Beatles composed by Paul McCartney and appearing as the fourth song on the Abbey Road album in 1969...
" by
The BeatlesThe Beatles were an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960 who became one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed bands in the history of popular music...
(from their album
Abbey RoadAbbey Road is the 11th official U.K. album and 17th U.S. album released by The Beatles. Though work on Abbey Road began in April 1969, making it the final album recorded by the band, Let It Be was the last album released before the Beatles' dissolution in 1970. Abbey Road was released on 26...
) and to "Scream it like you hate that bitch!" Thompson's powerful screams were a signature of Pixies albums, along with the band's typical song structure of quietly paced
versesVerse-chorus form is a musical form common in popular music and predominant in rock since the 1960s. In contrast to AABA form, which is focused on the verse , in verse-chorus form the chorus is highlighted...
followed by thundering
chorusA refrain is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song...
lines and repetitive guitar
staccatoIn musical notation, the Italian word staccato indicates that notes are separated in a detached and distinctly separate manner or short and separated, with silence making up the latter part of the time allocated to each note. The rhythm is not affected. Notes identified as staccato are often...
.
Influences
Thompson has drawn influence from a number of
musical genresA music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other types of music....
. As a teenager, he mostly listened to 1960s folk and religious music, including the
ChristianA Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic, religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, who Christians believe was the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible, and the Son of God.The term "Christian" is also used adjectivally to...
singer-songwriterA singer–songwriter is a musician who writes, composes and sings their own material including lyrics and melodies. They often provide the sole accompaniment to an entire composition or song, typically using a guitar or piano...
Larry NormanLarry David Norman was an American Christian musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and humorist. Norman's recordings are noted for their Christian and social subject matter, and he is often described as the "father of Christian rock music"...
. Later in high school and in college, he discovered
punk musicPunk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed the perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
(
Black FlagBlack Flag was an American punk rock band formed in 1976 in Hermosa Beach, California. The band was established largely as the brainchild of Greg Ginn: the guitarist, primary songwriter and sole continuous member through multiple personnel changes...
), along with bands from other genres, such as the
new waveNew Wave is a genre of rock and pop music that emerged in in the middle to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, and...
band
The CarsThe Cars were an American rock band that emerged from the early New Wave music scene in the late 1970s. The band consisted of singer and rhythm guitarist Ric Ocasek, singer and bassist Benjamin Orr, guitarist Elliot Easton, keyboardist Greg Hawkes and drummer David Robinson...
and the obscure Angst (SST band). Francis noted, "The most influential band on me was [new-wave pop hitmakers]
The CarsThe Cars were an American rock band that emerged from the early New Wave music scene in the late 1970s. The band consisted of singer and rhythm guitarist Ric Ocasek, singer and bassist Benjamin Orr, guitarist Elliot Easton, keyboardist Greg Hawkes and drummer David Robinson...
. And I didn't even know it! I don't own the Cars' albums, but remember how their first hit singles had that muffled guitar riff? Dun-dun-dun-dun ... all of a sudden it was okay to muffle your hands on the strings and just pluck some stupid guitar riff. I learned how to do that and it was like, 'Oh my God, I sound like the Cars!' You can't imagine how many [Cars leader] Ric Ocasek impersonations I wrote when I was 16!". While in Boston in 1984, before starting the Pixies, he listened to
Hüsker DüHüsker Dü was an American rock band formed in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota in 1979. The band's continual members were guitarist Bob Mould, bassist Greg Norton, and drummer Grant Hart. Hüsker Dü never achieved mainstream success, but attained an influence far larger than their modest sales...
's
Zen ArcadeZen Arcade is the third studio album from the American punk rock band Hüsker Dü, released in July 1984 on SST Records. Originally released as a double album on two vinyl LPs, Zen Arcade is a concept album about an adolescent who runs away because his home life is unfulfilling, only to find the...
,
The Spotlight KidThe Spotlight Kid is the sixth album by Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band, originally released in 1972. It is the only album credited solely to Captain Beefheart...
by
Captain BeefheartDon Van Vliet is an American musician and painter, best known by the pseudonym Captain Beefheart. His musical work was mainly conducted with a rotating assembly of musicians called The Magic Band, which was active between the mid-1960s and the early 1980s...
, and
I'm Sick of You, an
Iggy PopIggy Pop is a songwriter, and occasional actor. Although he has had only limited mainstream commercial success, Iggy Pop is considered an influential innovator of punk rock, hard rock, and other related styles...
bootleg. His choice of covers in his career reveals many influences, with songs such as The Beatles' "
Wild Honey Pie"Wild Honey Pie" is a short song by The Beatles written by Paul McCartney and released on The Beatles .-Background:McCartney is the sole performer on the recording...
" (from
The White AlbumThe Beatles is the ninth official British album and the fifteenth American album by The Beatles, a double album released in 1968. It is commonly known as The White Album as it has no graphics or text other than the band's name on its plain white sleeve...
) and "Head On" (by
The Jesus and Mary ChainThe 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...
) with the Pixies,
The Beach BoysThe Beach Boys are an American rock band. Formed in 1961, the group gained popularity for its close vocal harmonies and lyrics reflecting a Southern California youth culture of cars, surfing, and romance...
' "
Hang On to Your Ego"Hang On to Your Ego" is a song written by Brian Wilson and Tony Asher for the American pop band The Beach Boys. The song was originally going to be released on their classic 1966 album Pet Sounds. Mike Love however objected to the title of the song and some of the lyrics and insisted that it be...
" in his solo career, and
Tom WaitsThomas Alan "Tom" Waits is an American singer-songwriter, composer and actor. Waits has a distinctive voice, described by critic Daniel Durchholz as sounding "like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car."...
' "
The Black RiderThe Black Rider is an album by Tom Waits, released in 1993 on Island Records. The album contains studio versions of songs Waits wrote for the play The Black Rider, directed by Robert Wilson and co-written by William S. Burroughs...
" with the Catholics.
Thompson's lyrics have also featured references to the
BibleThe Bible contains the central religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. Modern Judaism generally recognizes a single set of canonical books known as the Tanakh, or Hebrew Bible, as it is written almost entirely in the Hebrew language, with some small portions in Aramaic...
, especially in his career with the Pixies, appear in his work; most notably in the
incestIncest is any sexual activity between close relatives irrespective of the ages of the participants and irrespective of their consent, that is illegal or socially taboo. The type of sexual activity and the nature of the relationship between persons that constitutes a breach of law or social taboo...
uous tale of "
NimrodNimrod is a Mesopotamian monarch mentioned in the Book of Genesis, who also figures in many legends and folktales. He is depicted in the Bible as a mighty ruler and nation builder who founded many cities, including the great Babel or Babylon...
's Son", the stories of
UriahUriah the Hittite was a soldier in King David’s army mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. He was the husband of Bathsheba, and was murdered by order of David by having the soldiers retreat from him in battle. Uriah's wife was pregnant by King David through an adulterous affair...
and
BathshebaAccording to the Hebrew Bible, Bathsheba was the wife of Uriah the Hittite and later of David, king of the United Kingdom of Israel and Judah. She was the mother of Solomon, who succeeded David as king....
in "Dead",
SamsonSamson, Shimshon : שמשון, Standard Šimšon Tiberian ; meaning "of the sun" – perhaps proclaiming he was radiant and mighty, or "[One who] Serves [God]") or Shamshoun شمشون or Samson Σαμψών is the third to last of the Judges of the ancient Children of Israel mentioned...
in "Gouge Away" and references to the The Tower of Babel in songs such as "Build High" and "Old Black Dawning". He cited
surrealistSurrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
films
EraserheadEraserhead is a surrealist-horror film written and directed by David Lynch, and released in . In 1971, Lynch moved to Los Angeles to pursue an MFA degree at the AFI Conservatory. At the Conservatory, Lynch began working on his first feature-length film, Eraserhead, using a $10,000 grant from the AFI...
and
Un Chien AndalouUn chien andalou is a sixteen minute silent surrealist film produced in France by the Spanish director Luis Buñuel and artist Salvador Dalí. Its title means "An Andalusian Dog", but it is normally released under its original French title in the English-speaking world...
(as mentioned in "Debaser") as major influences on his work with the Pixies; however, surrealism was less of an influence in his solo career. He commented on these influences (which he paid tribute to most in the Pixies'
Doolittle), saying he "didn't have the patience to sit around reading Surrealist novels", but found it easier to watch 20-minute films.
Songwriting and lyrics
During his stay in Puerto Rico, Thompson acquired a fairly fluent, although informal and at times incorrect, use of Spanish, which he has continued throughout his career. Several early Pixies songs, including "Isla de Encanta" and "Vamos", reference his experiences in
San JuanSan Juan is the capital and largest municipality in Puerto Rico. As of the 2000 census, it has a population of 433,733, making it the 42nd-largest city under the jurisdiction of the United States. San Juan was founded by Spanish colonists in 1521, who called it Ciudad de Puerto Rico...
, and the lyrics are often heavily seasoned with the island's
slangSlang is the use of highly informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's dialect or language. It is often used as a way to say words that are not appropriate, and is not often found in the standard dictionary for the language...
. The island's influence in his work is most notable in the song "Isla De Encanta", named after the island's
mottoA motto is a phrase meant to formally describe the general motivation or intention of a social group or organization. A motto may be in any language, but Latin is the most used...
, "Isla Del Encanto". Other Pixies songs drawn from his experiences there include "Vamos" (
Come On PilgrimCome On Pilgrim is the debut release from the American alternative rock band Pixies, released on the British independent record label 4AD in September 1987.-Background:...
), "Oh My Golly!", "
Where Is My Mind?"Where Is My Mind?" is a song by the American alternative rock band Pixies. It is the seventh track on their 1988 album Surfer Rosa. The song was written by frontman Black Francis while he attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, inspired by his experiences scuba diving in the Caribbean....
" (
Surfer RosaSurfer Rosa is the first full-length album by the American alternative rock band Pixies, released in March 1988 on the British independent record label 4AD...
), "
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 inspired by Francis' stay in an apartment block with a "weirdo,...
" (
DoolittleDoolittle is the second studio album from the American alternative rock band Pixies, released in April 1989 on 4AD. The album's offbeat and dark subject material, featuring references to surrealism, Biblical violence, torture and death, contrasts with the clean production sound achieved by the...
) and the B-side "Bailey's Walk". Several of his songs contain Spanish lyrics, most notably in the Pixies' first album,
Come On Pilgrim, and a Spanish translation of "Evil Hearted You" by
The YardbirdsThe Yardbirds are an English rock band, notable for starting the careers of three of rock's more famous guitarists: Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page, all of whom were in the top fifteen of Rolling Stones' 100 Top Guitarists list...
.
Thompson's lyrics are noted for their obscure references to off-beat topics such as
outer spaceOuter space comprises the relatively empty regions of the universe outside the atmospheres of celestial bodies. Outer space is used to distinguish it from airspace and terrestrial locations....
,
UFOUnidentified flying object is the popular term for any aerial phenomenon whose cause cannot be easily or immediately identified...
s, and The Three Stooges—the last of these being the subject of "Two Reelers", a song from
Teenager of the Year. Lyrics with a focus on science fiction were particularly prominent on the later Pixies records, as well as his early solo albums. With the Catholics, his lyrics have tended towards historical topics; for example, the song "St. Francis Dam Disaster" (from
Dog in the Sand) details the catastrophic collapse of the
St. Francis DamThe St. Francis Dam was a concrete gravity-arch dam, designed to create a reservoir as a storage point of the Los Angeles Aqueduct. The dam was located 40 miles northwest of Los Angeles, California, near the present city of Santa Clarita...
near Los Angeles in March 1928, and the
All My Ghosts EPAn extended play is a vinyl record, CD, or music download which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as an LP. Usually, a CD single has around 10–28 minutes of music, an EP has up to 36 minutes, and an album generally has 30–80 minutes. Mini-LPs generally contain 20–30...
featured an account of the "Humboldt County Massacre" of Wiyot Indians in 1860 near
EurekaEureka is the county seat and principal city in Humboldt County, California, United States. Located adjacent to Humboldt Bay 270 miles north of San Francisco, the port city of 26,097 residents is situated near extensive preserves of the world's tallest trees - the Coast Redwoods...
,
CaliforniaCalifornia is the most populous state in the United States, and the third largest by area. California is the second most populous sub-national entity in the Americas, behind only São Paulo, Brazil...
.
Television appearances and videos
- See also: Pixies' television appearances and videos
Thompson has appeared on a range of television shows solo and as part of the Pixies, ranging from
120 Minutes120 Minutes is a television show in the U.S. dedicated to alternative music, originally airing on MTV from 1986 to 2000, and then on MTV's sister channel MTV2 from 2001 to 2003....
and
The Late ShowThe Late Show can refer to:* The Late Show , the Australian comedy television show of 1992-1993* The Late Show , a late-night American talk show broadcast by the Fox Network from 1986-1988...
in the United States , to
The WordThe Word may mean:*The Word , a blues/jam rock group*The Word , a 1953 documentary film*The Word or Ordet, a 1955 Danish film*The Word , a novel by Irving Wallace...
in the UK.
As part of the Pixies, he was reluctant to film
music videoA music video is a short film or video that accompanies a complete piece of music/song. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings. Although the origins of music videos go back much further, they came into their own in the...
s for singles.
Elektra RecordsElektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009.-Beginnings:...
' Peter Lubin commented that "to get videos out of them was a major [...] undertaking and it only got worse over time", citing the fact that Thompson refused to lip-sync; the video for "
Here Comes Your Man"Here Comes Your Man" is a song by the American alternative rock band Pixies, and is the fifth track on their 1989 album Doolittle. "Here Comes Your Man" was written and sung by the band's frontman Black Francis, and produced by Gil Norton. The song was released as a single in June 1989 in the...
" features Thompson and Deal opening their mouths as the vocals are being heard, mocking the practice.
In his early solo career as Frank Black, his videos were more professional; he became more willing to take part in them. "Los Angeles" is an example; the video features Thompson riding across a desert on a
hovercraftA hovercraft is a craft capable of traveling over relatively smooth surfaces supported by a cushion of slow moving, high-pressure air, ejected against the surface below, and contained within a "skirt." Although supported by the air, they are not usually considered to be aircraft.Hovercraft are...
.
They Might Be GiantsThey Might Be Giants is a double Grammy Award-winning American alternative rock band which began as a duo of John Flansburgh and John Linnell, and currently also includes Marty Beller, Dan Miller, and Danny Weinkauf. Formed in 1982, they are best known for an unconventional and experimental style...
'
John FlansburghJohn Conant Flansburgh is an American musician. He is half of the longstanding Brooklyn, New York-based alternative rock duo They Might Be Giants, for which he writes, sings and plays rhythm guitar...
, who directed the "Los Angeles" video, later commented on the change in Black's attitude to music videos:
Thompson has released few music videos since leaving 4AD, one being a low-budget video in Germany for
Dog in the Sand's "Robert Onion". The last widely-released video produced for his solo material was for "Men in Black", from
Cult of Ray.
Studio albums
- Frank Black
Frank Black is the first solo album from the American alternative rock musician Frank Black. The album was recorded in 1992 and released on 9 March 1993 via 4AD, after the breakup of the Pixies....
(1993)
- Teenager of the Year
Released in 1994, Teenager of the Year was Frank Black’s second solo album, produced by Eric Drew Feldman. Notable songs include " Abstract Plain" and "Headache"...
(1994)
- The Cult of Ray
The Cult of Ray is the third Frank Black solo album. The title refers to Ray Bradbury. The core musicians employed on this album would eventually be dubbed The Catholics, and would continue as Black's backing group for the following seven years...
(1996)
- Frank Black and the Catholics
Frank Black and the Catholics was the eponymous debut album from Frank Black and the Catholics. The backing group on this album performed on Black's previous album, The Cult of Ray, but the group name was first adopted on this release...
(1998)
- Pistolero
Pistolero is the second album by Frank Black and the Catholics, produced by Nick Vincent and released via spinART Records on March 9, 1999.-Track listing:#"Bad Harmony"#"I Switched You"#"Western Star"#"Tiny Heart"#"You're Such a Wire"...
(1999)
- Sunday Sunny Mill Valley Groove Day (2000, not released)
- Oddballs (2000, out of print)
- Dog in the Sand
Dog in the Sand, Frank Black's third album with backing group the Catholics was released by the Cooking Vinyl record label in 2001, and was produced by Nick Vincent. The album was generally met with favorable reviews...
(2001)
- Black Letter Days
Black Letter Days is the first of two albums by Frank Black and the Catholics to be simultaneously released in 2002. The title implies the opposite of the term "Red Letter Days" which are holidays — a "black letter day" being all the ordinary days in a given month.-Track listing:# "The Black...
(2002)
- Devil's Workshop
Devil's Workshop is the second of a pair of albums by Frank Black and the Catholics to be simultaneously released on August 20, 2002. 'His Kingly Cave' was originally recorded for an aborted album project in mid-2000 entitled Sunday Sunny Mill Valley Groove Day. "Velvety"'s music comes from an...
(2002)
- Show Me Your Tears
Show Me Your Tears is the final album to be released to date by Frank Black and the Catholics. The album employs a wide range of guests, including piano and an arrangement by maverick composer Van Dyke Parks on the final track...
(2003)
- Frank Black Francis
Frank Black Francis is a 2-CD set released in 2004 by Frank Black, roughly coinciding with the Pixies reunion tour. Disc 1 consists of a March 1987 solo acoustic demo tape recorded by engineer Gary Smith, just prior to the first Pixies recording session...
(2004)
- Honeycomb
Honeycomb is the eleventh studio album by American alternative rock musician Frank Black, released in July 2005 on Back Porch Records. His first original solo work since 1996's The Cult of Ray, Honeycomb was recorded in Nashville, TN and features notable local session musicians, such as Steve...
(2005)
- Fast Man Raider Man
Fast Man Raider Man is a solo double album by Frank Black released in 2006.-Disc one:#"If Your Poison Gets You"#"Johnny Barleycorn"#"Fast Man"#"You Can't Crucify Yourself"...
(2006)
- Christmass
Christmass is an album by Frank Black. It was released on the Internet in December 2006. 5 February 2007 saw the album released to stores on CD and DVD...
(2006)
- Bluefinger
Bluefinger is an album by Black Francis . The album was released on 11 September 2007 in the United States and Europe...
(2007)
- Svn Fngrs
Svn Fngrs is a mini-album by Black Francis , released on March 3, 2008. The album's title is a reference to the Irish mythological hero Cúchulainn, who was said to have seven fingers and seven toes...
(2008)
External links