If you were ever impressed by the number of albums The Pixies managed to put out in the five years they were doing such things, you should probably sit down before you look up Frank Black’s solo discography. This compilation pulls tracks from the first nine Black solo albums he released between 1993 and 2003.

With the tracks placed in chronological order, you can clearly follow the change in Black’s songwriting style as he slowly shakes the Pixies out of his system. The first point you notice any significant change is on Calistan from 1994’s Teenager Of The Year, which sounds like the Pixies covering Bruce Springsteen (or perhaps the other way around).

Once we hit 1996’s Cult Of Ray he starts to sound like he’s really enjoying being on his own, and I Don’t Want To Hurt You (Every Single Time) hints at where his solo work would eventually go to. But it’s not until 1999’s Pistolero that he really starts to experiment and fully let in the country influence that dictates his sound now.

The closing of this arcs ensures the diverse collection of songs (which you really need if you’re going to sit down and listen to 22 songs in a row), and while nothing here really matches up to anything in the Pixies back catalogue, it’s no disaster either. If you’ve been looking at that discography and wondering where you’d even start, the answer is here.

Label: Cooking Vinyl
Website: www.blackfrancis.net
Release date: 18th June 2007

Tracklist:

1. Los Angeles
2. Ten Percenter
3. Czar
4. Old Black Drawing
5. I Want To Live On An Abstract Plain
6. Calistan
7. Speedy Marie
8. Headache
9. Freedom Rocks
10. Men In Black
11. You Ain’t Me
12. I Don’t Want To Hurt You (Every Single Time)
13. All My Ghosts
14. I Gotta Move
15. Bad Harmony
16. Western Star
17. Robert Onion
18. Hermaphrodites
19. Velvety
20. California Bound
21. Massif Centrale
22. Manitoba