Black Francis
Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV (born April 6, 1965) is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known as the frontman of the influential alternative rock band Pixies, with whom he performs under the 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 record label 4AD and one with American Recordings, he left the label and formed a new band, Frank Black and the Catholics. He re-adopted the name Black Francis in 2007.
His vocal style has varied from a screaming, yowling delivery as lead vocalist of the Pixies to a more measured and melodic style in his solo career. His cryptic lyrics mostly explore unconventional subjects, such as surrealism, incest and biblical violence, along with science fiction and surf culture. His use of atypical meter signatures, loud–quiet dynamics and distinct preference for live-to-two-track recording in his career as a solo artist give him a distinct style within alternative rock.
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. Disc 2 is a contemporary recording of Frank Black reworking a number of Pixies songs with Keith Moliné and Andy Diagram, who are part of David Thomas and Two Pale Boys.
Critical reception
The album received largely positive reviews.
Track listing
Frank Black (disambiguation)
Frank Black may refer to:
- Frank Black (album), the eponymous debut album of Frank Black
See also
Frank Black (character)
Frank Black is a fictional character in the crime-thriller television series Millennium. Black serves as the primary character of the series, which centers his investigation into unusual crimes as part of the private investigative organisation the Millennium Group. Black appeared in all but one of the series' sixty-seven episodes, with "Anamnesis" being the exception; the character was portrayed by Lance Henriksen throughout the series.
The character of Black was conceived by series creator Chris Carter as a modern Western hero, and has been considered the main constant throughout the series' changes in tone and direction. Henriksen was described by Carter as his "first and last" choice for the role, and has garnered critical acclaim for his portrayal, including three Golden Globe Award nominations.
Character arc
Frank Black (Lance Henriksen) started his career as an offender profiler for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), where his unusual gift for empathising with the killers he was investigating aided in their capture. However, Black retires when he finds that his family—wife Catherine (Megan Gallagher) and daughter Jordan (Brittany Tiplady)—are being threatened by an unknown stalker, who is mailing polaroid photographs of the family to Black. After retiring from the FBI, Black moves to Seattle, Washington, and begins to consult for the Millennium Group, a private investigative organisation that aid law enforcement in violent criminal cases.
Frank Black (album)
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.
The album was similar in style, both musically and lyrically, to the Pixies' last album Trompe le Monde. Frank Black was 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.
Recording and production
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".
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". Feldman became the album's producer, and played keyboard and bass guitar on several songs, with former Pixies guitarist Joey Santiago on lead guitar. 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.
Podcasts:
Frank Black
ALBUMS
- 93-03 released: 2007
- Christmass released: 2006
- Fast Man Raider Man released: 2006
- Honeycomb released: 2005
- Frank Black Francis released: 2004
- Oddballs released: 2000
- 1996-04-24: Portland, OR, USA released: 1996
- The Black Sessions (live in Paris) + The Kitchen Tapes released: 1996
- The Cult of Ray released: 1996
- Hate Me: Live Wetlands New York City 13 June 1994 released: 1994
- Live at the Reading Festival released: 1994
- Black Session released: 1994
- Teenager of the Year released: 1994
- Frank Black released: 1993
- 2006-09-29: Berkeley, CA, USA released:
- 1993-07-03: New Orleans, LA, USA released:
- 2000-02-22: Minneapolis, MN, USA released:
- 1996-06-14: Hultsfred, Sweden released:
- 2000-11-01: Hamburg, Germany released:
- 1996-09-21: Santa Monica, CA, USA released:
- No Big Deal released:
- The Dream Is Over released:
93-03
Released 2007- Los Angeles
- Ten Percenter
- Czar
- Old Black Dawning
- (I Want to Live on an) Abstract Plain
- Calistan
- Speedy Marie
- Headache
- Freedom Rock
- Men in Black
- You Ain’t Me
- I Don’t Want to Hurt You (Every Single Time)
- All My Ghosts
- I Gotta Move
- Bad Harmony
- Western Star
- Robert Onion
- Hermaphroditos
- Velvety
- California Bound
- Massif Centrale
- Manitoba
- Threshold Apprehension (radio edit)
1996-04-24: Portland, OR, USA
Released 1996- [intro]
- The Marsist
- Superabound
- Whatever Happened to Pong? / Thalassocracy
- Brackish Boy
- Kicked in the Taco
- Headache
- Mosh, Don't Pass the Guy
- Big Red
- The Creature Crawling
- [crowd noise]
- Adda Lee
- Jesus Was Right
- White Noise Maker / Men in Black
- Los Angeles
- Czar
- You Ain't Me
- (I Want to Live on An) Abstract Plain
- The Last Stand of Shazeb Andleeb
- Calistan
- Two Reelers
- Freedom Rock
- Ten Percenter
- Pray a Little Faster / You Never Heard About Me
- Announcement
The Black Sessions (live in Paris) + The Kitchen Tapes
Released 1996- Two Spaces
- (I Want to Live on An) Abstract Plain
- Headache
- Old Black Dawning
- Superabound
- Calistan
- The Vanishing Spies
- Sir Rockaby
- Big Red
- The Jacques Tati
- Oddball
- Men in Black
- Czar
- Freedom Rock
- Whatever Happened To Pong?
- Thalasocracy
- White Noise Maker
- Los Angeles
- Handyman
- Modern Age
- Jumping Beans
- (I Want to Live on An) Abstract Plain (acoustic)
Hate Me: Live Wetlands New York City 13 June 1994
Released 1994- Sir Rockaby
- Two Spaces
- Hate Me
- (I Want to live on an) Abstract Plain
- Song About John Candy
- Calistan
- Headache
- Freedom Rock
- Space Is Gonna Do Me Good
- Big Red
- Superabound
- Places Like This
- Pure Denizen of the Citizens Band
- White Noise Maker
- Speedy Marie
- Camcorder Assault
- Adda Lee
- Parry the Wind High, Low
- I’m a Jerk
- The Man Who Was Too Loud
- I Fix Broken Hearts
- Los Angeles
- Ole Mulholland
- There’s No Time
1993-07-03: New Orleans, LA, USA
- [intro]
- [synth noodling]
- Fear (Theme from "One Step Beyond")
- War of the Satellites
- Tossed (instrumental version)
- I Heard Ramona Sing
- Los Angeles
- Fu Manchu
- Adda Lee
- Hang On to Your Ego
- Freedom Rock
- Parry the Wind High, Low
- Ten Percenter
- Two Spaces
- Old Black Dawning
- Don't Ya Rile 'Em
- This Is Where I Belong
- Duke of Earl / Brackish Boy
- Places Named After Numbers
- Everytime I Go Around Here
- Czar
1996-09-21: Santa Monica, CA, USA
- Old Black Dawning
- (I Want to Live on An) Abstract Plain
- Pray a Little Faster
- Los Angeles
- Pure Denizen of the Citizen's Band
- Six-Sixty-Six
- Adda Lee
- Kicked in the Taco
- Headache
- Superabound
- The Last Stand of Shazeb Andleeb
- Skeleton Man
- The Creature Crawling
- Sir Rockaby
- Don't Ya Rile 'Em
- Jumping Beans
- At the End of the World
- Two Reelers
- Calistan
- I Heard Ramona Sing
- Village of the Sun
- The Vanishing Spies
- Modern Age
- Wave of Mutilation
- Sister Isabel
- Brackish Boy
- The Cult of Ray
- Big Red
- I Don't Want to Hurt You (Every Single Time)
- I Could Stay Here Forever
- Whatever Happened to Pong?
- Oddball
- Everybody Got the Beat [aborted] / Dance War
- Everytime I Go Around Here
- Punk Rock City
No Big Deal
- Fear (Theme from "One Step Beyond")
- War of the Satellites / Tossed (vocal version)
- Czar
- Hang On to Your Ego
- I Heard Ramona Sing
- Adda Lee
- Old Black Dawning
- Places Named After Numbers
- Two Spaces
- Don't Ya Rile 'Em
- Freedom Rock
- Fu Manchu
- Los Angeles
- Parry the Wind High, Low
- Ten Percenter
- Brackish Boy
- This Is Where I Belong
- Everytime I Go Around Here
The Dream Is Over
- Tame
- Cactus / Tony's Theme
- The Holiday Song
- Gouge Away
- Monkey Gone to Heaven
- Weird at My School
- Hang Wire
- No. 13 Baby
- Dead
- Wave of Mutilation
- Broken Face
- Into the White
- I'm Amazed
- The Happening
- Manta Ray
- I Bleed
- Blown Away
- Crackity Jones
- Is She Weird
- Nimrod's Son
- Ed Is Dead
- Levitate Me
- River Euphrates
- Dancing the Manta Ray
Black Francis
ALBUMS
- Abbabubba released: 2011
- The Golem released: 2010
- NonStopErotik released: 2010
- The Golem released: 2010
- Live in Nijmegen released: 2009
- Svn Fngrs released: 2008
- Bluefinger released: 2007
The Golem
Released 2010- Miriam and Florian Theme (version 2)
- Makanujo
- Bad News
- The Flower Song
- (Oh How I Wish I Could) Stay
- The Word
- Astaroth
- The Obedient Servant
- The Maharal
- Little Stars Theme
- Miriam and Florian
- The Conjuring
- Meet Me at the Ghetto Gates
- Stars
- Custom All the Way
- You’re Gonna Pay
- The Word (reprise)
- The Maharal (reprise)
The Golem
Released 2010- You're Gonna Pay (preview)
- Little Stars Theme
- Bad News
- Astaroth
- The Maharal
- Miriam and Florian
- Stars Theme / Miriam and Florian Theme (version 1)
- Stars
- The Conjuring / Astaroth (reprise)
- Makanujo (preview)
- The Word
- The Obedient Servant
- Miriam and Florian Theme (version 2)
- Golem's Theme (version 1) / Miriam and Florian Theme (version 3)
- The Maharal (reprise)
- Golem's Theme (version 2)
- The Flower Song (preview)
- Golem's Theme (version 3)
- Miriam and Florian Theme (version 4)
- Makanujo
- Golem's Theme (version 4)
- Meet Me at the Ghetto Gates
Live in Nijmegen
Released 2009- Get Away Oil
- I Sent Away
- When They Come to Murder Me
- Seven Fingers
- (Do What You Want) Gyaneshwar
- Half Man
- All Around the World
- Talking #1
- Dead Man's Curve
- Bluefinger
- Talking #2
- Tight Black Rubber
- Test Pilot Blues
- Discotheque 36
- Your Mouth Into Mine
- She Took All the Money
- Angels Come to Comfort You
- Threshold Apprehension
- You Can't Break a Heart and Have It
- Talking #3
- Lolita
- Captain Pasty
- Band Intro
- That Burnt Out Rock 'n' Roll
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Black Francis - Live in Nijmegen
by: Black FrancisAll my days
I've been listenin' to you play
I've spent all my days drivin'
All my nights tryin'
You are so big
But that don't make me so small
You rule the world
But now I'm standin' tall
I'm takin' your mouth into mine
I'll take it in now, I'll take it in now, now, now, now
I've been waitin' all my days for you now
Been waitin' all my
Got into your parts
And I made you squeal
And I got into your heart
It was no big deal
And I'm takin' your mouth into mine
I'll take it in now, I'll take it in now, now, now, now
I've been waitin' all my days to get on that
Been waitin' all my
I'm takin' your mouth into mine
Suck it in now, suck it in now, now
I've been waitin' all my days to get on that
Waitin' all my
I'm takin' your mouth
Got into your parts
And I got into your charts
And I'm takin' your mouth
I'm takin' your mouth
I'm takin' your mouth
I'm takin' your mouth
I'm takin' your mouth
I'm takin' your mouth