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Frank Black (album)

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Frank Black is the debut solo album by American alternative rock musician Frank Black. The album was recorded in 1992 and released on March 8, 1993, via 4AD and Elektra Records, after the breakup of Black's band Pixies.

Frank Black
Studio album by
Frank Black
ReleasedMarch 8, 1993 (1993-03-08)
Recorded1992
Studio
  • The Clubhouse (Burbank, California)
  • Master Control (Burbank, California)
GenreAlternative rock
Length46:29
Label
Producer
Frank Black chronology
Frank Black
(1993) 		Teenager of the Year
(1994)

The album is similar in style, both musically and lyrically, to the Pixies' last album prior to their 1993 breakup, Trompe le Monde. Frank Black is characterized by a focus on UFOs and science fiction. Two singles from the album—"Los Angeles" and "Hang On to Your Ego"—were released in 1993; both reached the top ten of Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart.[1]

The song "I Heard Ramona Sing" is featured in the 2010 film Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, as well as its soundtrack.

Recording and production

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While the Pixies' 1991 album Trompe le Monde was being recorded, Black, known as Black Francis at the time, had discussions with the album's producer, Gil Norton, 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 covers album. However, by the time Francis visited a recording studio again in 1992, he had "plenty of tunes and musical scraps".[2]

He collaborated with Eric Drew Feldman of Pere Ubu to record new material; they began by trimming down the number of covers to one, the Beach Boys' "Hang On to Your Ego".[3] Feldman became the album's producer, and played keyboard and bass guitar on several songs,[4] with former Pixies guitarist Joey Santiago on lead guitar.[5] 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 Black in March 1993.[6]

Music

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"Los Angeles"
A sample of "Los Angeles"
Problems playing this file? See media help.

Frank Black is characterized by a lyrical focus on UFOs and science fiction, although he explored other eclectic subjects, such as in "I Heard Ramona Sing", a song about the Ramones.[7] The album is 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".[8]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [9]
Chicago Tribune    [10]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music     [11]
Entertainment WeeklyB−[12]
Los Angeles Times    [13]
Q     [14]
Rolling Stone     [3]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide     [15]
Select5/5[16]
Spin Alternative Record Guide8/10[17]

The New York Times wrote: "Thompson has memorized the unabridged punk-rock songbook from the Rolling Stones onward. In his hands, though, aggressive, malevolent underpinnings take on a bleak cheeriness as he rambles on about seedy seaports and science-fiction conventions and turns himself into a maniacal soda jerk and a fallen czar."[18] The Indianapolis Star noted that "the full, grinding punk/surf/sci-fi kick of the Pixies is missing from his first solo album, [but] Frank Black has the essential cryptic lyrics, peripatetic rhythms and pop sensibility."[19]

In 2024, The Independent ranked Frank Black number six on their list of the 20 most underrated albums ever.[20]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Frank Black, except where noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Los Angeles" 4:08
2."I Heard Ramona Sing" 3:40
3."Hang On to Your Ego"
3:24
4."Fu Manchu" 3:02
5."Places Named After Numbers" 2:52
6."Czar" 2:42
7."Old Black Dawning" 2:02
8."Ten Percenter" 3:28
9."Brackish Boy" 1:35
10."Two Spaces" 2:25
11."Tossed" (instrumental version) 4:09
12."Parry the Wind High, Low" 4:32
13."Adda Lee" 2:00
14."Every Time I Go Around Here" 3:31
15."Don't Ya Rile 'Em" 2:52

Notes

  1. ^ Erroneously credited to Brian Wilson and Tony Asher in album sleeve

Personnel

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Additional musicians

Technical personnel

  • Alistair Clay – engineer, mixing
  • Efren Herrera – second engineer
  • Matt Packuko – second engineer
  • Sean Leonard – second engineer
  • Wally Traugott – mastering
  • Chris Bigg – design
  • Vaughan Oliver – design
  • Simon Larbalestier – artwork photography
  • Michael Halsband – portrait photography

Charts

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Chart (1993) Peak
position
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[21] 34
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[22] 83
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[23] 14
UK Albums (OCC)[24] 9
US Billboard 200[25] 117
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[26] 2

References

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  1. ^ "Frank Black Chart History (Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  2. ^ "Frank Black". 4AD. p. 1. Archived from the original on November 23, 2006. Retrieved November 29, 2006.
  3. ^ a b Wright, Christian (April 1, 1993). "Frank Black: Frank Black". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on November 4, 2007. Retrieved February 18, 2010.
  4. ^ "Eric Drew Feldman Discography". The Captain Beefheart Radar Station. Archived from the original on October 28, 2006. Retrieved November 29, 2006. Eric Drew Feldman (bass, keyboards, synthetics)
  5. ^ Frank & Ganz 2005, pp. 187–88.
  6. ^ "Frank Black". 4AD. Archived from the original on July 7, 2006. Retrieved January 6, 2007.
  7. ^ "Frank Black". 4AD. p. 2. Archived from the original on May 12, 2006. Retrieved December 2, 2006.
  8. ^ Frank & Ganz 2005, p. 188.
  9. ^ Phares, Heather. "Frank Black – Frank Black". AllMusic. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  10. ^ Kot, Greg (March 18, 1993). "Frank Black: Frank Black (4AD/Elektra)". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  11. ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). "Black, Frank". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
  12. ^ Romero, Michele (March 19, 1993). "Frank Black". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  13. ^ Boehm, Mike (March 21, 1993). "Frank Black 'Frank Black' 4AD/Elektra". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
  14. ^ "Frank Black: Frank Black". Q. No. 79. April 1993. p. 78.
  15. ^ Wolk, Douglas (2004). "Frank Black". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). New York: Simon & Schuster. pp. 74–75. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  16. ^ Maconie, Stuart (April 1993). "Frank Black: Frank Black". Select. No. 34. p. 73. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  17. ^ Weisbard, Eric (1995). "Pixies". In Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (eds.). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. pp. 301–02. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
  18. ^ Miles, Milo (March 14, 1993). "Black Francis? Frank Black? It's Still Charles Thompson". The New York Times. p. A23.
  19. ^ Allan, Marc D. (March 22, 1993). "Frank Black 'Frank Black'". The Indianapolis Star. p. C3.
  20. ^ Beaumont, Mark; O'Connor, Roisin (2024-10-19). "The 20 most underrated albums ever". The Independent. Retrieved 2024-11-01.
  21. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Frank Black – Frank Black" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  22. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Frank Black – Frank Black" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  23. ^ "Charts.nz – Frank Black – Frank Black". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  24. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  25. ^ "Frank Black Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  26. ^ "Frank Black Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2020.

Bibliography

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