When
Rough Trade
reissued
the Pixies
' seminal full-length debut album,
Surfer Rosa
, on CD, they added the terrific mini-album
Come on Pilgrim
as a bonus. While it's nice to have these two records on one disc, the sequencing of
after
is a little disconcerting, since the two albums each have distinctive sounds that clash slightly.
Steve Albini
's production of
is metallic and spare -- it's in black and white, with no shades of grey and no color.
, on the other hand, is filled with greys and colors, and while the contrast between the two is certainly interesting, it would be more enlightening if the mini-LP was placed before
. Nevertheless, some fans might like having both albums on one disc, but buying them individually is a better move and, in any case, a little more cost-effective as well. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine