As previously reported, Pixies are releasing a deluxe, well packaged Vaughan Oliver-curated box set of their complete studio output. It was organized by A+R/Artists In Residence the design studio that also did the Ghosts I-IV deluxe editions. The caveat we gave then: The recordings won’t be remastered, just repackaged. Well, things change … looks like it’ll be mastered for 5.1 surround sound (thanks, klikger). Another thing we didn’t know then: Minotaur weighs 25 pounds, is two-feet tall, and includes penis art. As Frank Black says:
I like that the sheer size of Minotaur moves it into the category of being an art object as opposed to being just a CD box set. It’s not necessarily something you’d put next to your stereo, but on your marble coffee table with your other art books.
Yes, he wants you to buy it, but still. (Also, note to Frank: The words “sheer size” in relation to something including penis art is good for a cheap laugh, thanks.) We have video of the collection to give you a better, more tangible idea of the set’s worth.
For more Minotaur info head to Artist In Residence, where it’s currently for sale in the Deluxe ($175) and autographed Limited-Edition ($495) versions. If you don’t have the cash, no worries, we can offer you something Pixies-related for free: Last night at the Isle Of Wright festival, the band played their first show since those festival gigs in 2007. According to Rolling Stone, the set opened with “U-Mass” and included “Gouge Away,” “Gigantic,” “Head On,” and:
“Hey”
“Monkey Gone To Heaven”
“Debaser”
Tonight the band’s appearing with Vaughan Oliver at London’s Village Underground to promote Minotaur. There are rumors that they’ll perform, but no confirmation on that. The note at Pixies’ MySpace:
This is a gallery exhibition for the work of Vaughan Oliver and Simon Larbalestier’s work for the MINOTAUR box set. THE PIXIES WILL BE IN ATTENDANCE! We’re not saying the Pixies will be performing, but we’re not not saying that either! What we will say is, YOU MOST DEFINITELY WANT TO BE THERE!!!! TRUST US!!
OKAY!!
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The following was posted at p4k yesterday. Guessing this means remastered after all, as it wasn’t originally mastered for 5.1.
“Here’s what’s in the Deluxe Edition, all stuffed inside a “custom dual-chambered slipcase”:
* Come on Pilgrim (1987), Surfer Rosa (1988), Doolittle (1989), Bossanova (1990), and Trompe le Monde (1991) on 24k gold-plated CDs, mastered for 5.1 surround sound
* Come on Pilgrim (1987), Surfer Rosa (1988), Doolittle (1989), Bossanova (1990), and Trompe le Monde (1991) on DVD/Blu-Ray discs, mastered for 5.1 surround sound
* DVD/Blu-Ray of a previously unreleased 1991 performance at Brixton Academy in London
* DVD/Blu-Ray of every Pixies video
* 54-page art book
Seems like a hell of a lot, right? Well, the Limited Edition includes everything that’s in the Deluxe Edition PLUS:
* Come on Pilgrim (1987), Surfer Rosa (1988), Doolittle (1989), Bossanova (1990), and Trompe le Monde (1991) on 180-gram virgin 12″ vinyl, cut from the original analog tapes
* Faux fur hardcover 96-page art book
* Two 48″ X 36″, double-sided, fold-out, four-color wall posters
* A 22″ X 14″ Giclée print of brand new Larbalestier photo
”
Yeah.
See everyone… your high school notebook sketches CAN be considered art.
So… It’s a dick in a box. Well, I’m not paying 500 bucks for that.
http://bonafidewithheadphones.blogspot.com/
Is this band supposed to be important or something?
is your face supposed to have my fist on it?
Penis…lol
Vaughan Oliver curated this set? Don’t you mean he designed the package, rather than he selected and organized the songs included in it?
I prefer vagina graffitti.
Much more difficult to draw.
Nah. Just look at the cover for “Arm’s Way.” Apparently a child drew that shit.
If there is a God (and that’s a stretch) will he/she please make the Pixies tour the US just one more time. I’m not asking a lot.
Is this really fucking necessary?
Okay, we get it Pixies…you need money. Since only a few people are really gonna shell out $200/$400 for one good record (c’mon, the legend far outshines the product), they’ll most definitely tour at least once more.
I am pretty surprised to see the general disdain / lack of enthusiasm in the comments section. For one, I feel that the title is misleading. It is 500 bucks, and that it is a ripoff to pay 300 bucks for a few signatures, I agree. However, for 200 bucks the box set seems like it is quite an impressive thing in and of itself. Radiohead’s In Rainbows album box-set thing was 90, and the art booklet was only like 10 pages long (granted it did have 2 LP’s). However, the Blu-Ray albums (and the fact that it is 5 great albums) seems legit. That is a huge, cool looking book. I’m, sure that this is worthwhile for massive pixies fans.
I won’t buy it, I am not the biggest enthusiast. However, not buying this box set does not negate the fact that I am excited to hear that they are playing again. I saw them in Atlanta for the round of shows in 2007 and I can safely say it was one of the best concert experiences I’ve been apart of.
Kinda funny that the new Pixies boxset seems to directly reference the early work of one of their more blatant copiers:
http://www.amazon.com/Pleather-Toadies/dp/B000001Y4L
does the sheer size of frank black make him an object too?
snap
I love having $500 > than I love the pixies.
Do they announce this with the hopes that most of us will add it to our Christmas wishlist or something? ?
I can see how if we start saving now..
“Since only a few people are really gonna shell out $200/$400 for one good record (c’mon, the legend far outshines the product), they’ll most definitely tour at least once more.”
Yeah, hopefully they tour again. That’d be great.
Yeah, one good record. You must mean ‘Trompe Le Monde’. Er ‘Doolittle’. Or ‘Bossanova’? No wait ‘Surfer Rosa’! Geez, it’s hard to guess which one. There all so incredible. How could you possibly choose!?!
“Surfer Rosa,” hands down — especially if it is paired with the “Come On, Pilgrim” EP, as it was for some early releases.
Whoever is talking shit about the pixies knows nothing about music. Yes this band is important, probably the most important band in the last 30 years.
Dear Pixies,
I’ve already purchased all of your albums (inc. Live at BBC & B-sides), two DVDs, and have seen you live four times since you regrouped (buying a couple of t-shirts in the process). You’ve already got me for at least $500, so please send me a complimentary faux fur artbook, two penis drawings, and a new LP asap.
Cheers,
k
lol! i’m totally with you on this one. i think everybody has all the albums, and if you don’t you have them you are a fool. when i think about it the bands entire output is amazing, not that many songs i can skip over. reminds me of a time when bands did music cuz’ if felt right and later became hip because of it, not like now where bands become hip, move to a hip place, and then make music hoping it’ll be hip… sad.
i do hope to see them live one day, i’ll save my money for that. one of the greatest american bands that ever existed.
hell the box is nice, just ain’t got the money….
I love the Pixies, but damn that’s a lot of money for an unemployed college kid.
yeah, if you’re unemployed and in college my advice to you is NOT to spend 500 bucks you don’t have on a pixies box set. that’s just bad decision-making.
then get a job, punk kid
I guess you really must be die hard fan to cough up the 500 bucks. But it’s autographed! For that kind of money you’d expect them to deliver it to your house personally.
Perhaps the penis art symbolizes Black’s ultimately damaging control over Deal’s songwriting on later albums.
I love hearing all you people bitch about the price of this, I mean come on, most of you don’t pay for music at all anyway, so why even waste space by commenting on something obviously not meant for you? I was at the Village Underground last night, the art looks amazing. The point of this set is that it is a work of art, not merely a repackaging of a catalogue. The band owes you nothing.
Metabitching is fun, yeah?
I don’t really care about the rest of the stuff in that set– no Blu-Ray player, no 5.1 setup, and I rarely watch concert DVDs– but hell, how much for just the vinyl releases?
The ONLY thing the Pixies need to do is record another album. Besides that, they can shut the fuck up.
Would it sway your judgement if you knew that fur covering is straight off the ‘Come On Pilgrim’ man’s back?
It’s shaved straight off Frank Black’s back!
Sha-clack-clack!! That shit’s from way backk!!!
go penis graffiti go!
beyondrace.com
The Pixies were just one of those bands that tripped your shit. I love them. To me they are what Husker Du could have been…. or something like that. Maybe they owe something to Husker Du and Bob Mould. Who knows… I dig them.
OOOH!, i want one of these boxsets now