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{{short description|1989 studio album by Pixies}}
{{short description|1989 studio album by Pixies}}
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'''''Doolittle''''' is the second studio album by the American [[alternative rock]] band [[Pixies (band)|Pixies]], released in April 1989 on [[4AD]]. ''Doolittle'' was the Pixies' first international release, with [[Elektra Records]] as the album's distributor in the United States and [[PolyGram]] in Canada.
'''''Doolittle''''' is the second studio album by the American [[alternative rock]] band [[Pixies (band)|Pixies]], released in April 1989 on [[4AD]]. ''Doolittle'' was the Pixies' first international release, with [[Elektra Records]] as the album's distributor in the United States and [[PolyGram]] in Canada. The album's lyrics invoke [[surrealism|surrealist]] imagery, refer to instances of biblical violence, and allude to themes of torture and death.


Pixies released two singles from ''Doolittle'': "[[Here Comes Your Man]]" and "[[Monkey Gone to Heaven]]", both of which were chart successes on the ''[[Billboard magazine|Billboard]]'' [[Alternative Airplay|Modern Rock Tracks]] chart in the US, while tracks such as "[[Debaser]]" and "Hey" have also received praise. The album itself reached number eight on the [[UK Albums Chart]], an unexpected success for the band.
"Doolittle" has been considered as one of the quintessential albums of the 1980s, and continued to sell consistently since its release. The album itself reached number eight on the [[UK Albums Chart]]. It was [[RIAA certification|certified]] gold in 1995 and Platinum in 2018 by the [[Recording Industry Association of America]].
Pixies released two singles from the album: "[[Here Comes Your Man]]" and "[[Monkey Gone to Heaven]]", both of which reached the ''[[Billboard magazine|Billboard]]'' [[Alternative Airplay|Modern Rock Tracks]] chart in the US, while tracks such as "[[Debaser]]" and "Hey" remain critical favourites. Numerous music publications have ranked it as one of the top albums of the 1980s, and it has been cited as an inspiration for many [[alternative rock]] artists.

As well as being considered the most accessible Pixies album, ''Doolittle'' is often regarded as the band's strongest and greatest work,<ref name="Powell"/> and has continued to sell consistently well in the years since its release, being [[RIAA certification|certified]] Gold in 1995 and Platinum in 2018 by the [[Recording Industry Association of America]]. The album has been cited as inspirational by many alternative artists, while numerous music publications have ranked it as one of the most influential albums ever. A 2003 poll of ''[[NME]]'' writers ranked ''Doolittle'' as the second-greatest album of all time,<ref name="rocklistmusic.co.uk">{{cite web|url = http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/nmes_100_best_albums.htm|title = NME's 100 Best Albums|access-date = March 16, 2007|website = Rocklist.net|archive-date = March 31, 2018|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180331111540/http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/nmes_100_best_albums.htm|url-status = live}}</ref> ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' placed the album at&nbsp;141 on its 2020 list of "[[Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time]]"<ref name="RS Magazine">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-156826/pixies-doolittle-166723/ |title=500 Greatest Albums of All Time |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=November 17, 2018 |archive-date=October 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181014204116/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-156826/pixies-doolittle-166723/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]'' ranked it as the fourth best album of the 1980s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/5882-top-100-albums-of-the-1980s/?page=10|title=Top 100 Albums of the 1980s – Page 10|website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|access-date=January 19, 2017|archive-date=January 16, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170116160728/http://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/5882-top-100-albums-of-the-1980s/?page=10|url-status=live}}</ref>

The album's offbeat and dark subject matter features references to [[surrealism]], [[The Bible|Biblical]] violence, [[torture]] and death.


== Background ==
== Background ==
Following their highly regarded but commercially unsuccessful 1988 album ''[[Surfer Rosa]]'',<ref>Frank, Josh; Ganz, Caryn. ''[[Fool the World: The Oral History of a Band Called Pixies]]''. [[Virgin Books]], 2006. {{ISBN|0-312-34007-9}}. p. 87</ref> the band embarked on a European tour with fellow Bostonians [[Throwing Muses]], before beginning a tour of North American states. During this time, [[Black Francis]], the group's frontman and principal songwriter, began to write new material for a future album, with songs such as "Dead", "Hey", "Tame", and "There Goes My Gun" emerging through the course of the year.<ref>Frank, Ganz, 2005. p. 104</ref> Versions of the newly composed songs were recorded during several sessions for [[John Peel]]'s radio show in 1988, while a live recording of "Hey" appeared on a free [[Extended play|EP]] circulated with a 1988 edition of ''[[Sounds (magazine)|Sounds]]''.<ref name="pop2">{{cite web|url=http://4ad.com/artists/pixies |title=4AD&nbsp;— Pixies profile |access-date=2014-11-16 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606063822/http://www.4ad.com/pixies/profile/?page=3 |archive-date=June 6, 2011 }}</ref>
Following their 1988 album ''[[Surfer Rosa]]'', which was well received in England but not in the United States,{{sfn|Sisario|2006|pp=[https://archive.org/details/doolittle0000sisa/page/19 19–20]}} the band embarked on a European tour with fellow Bostonians [[Throwing Muses]].{{sfn|Frank|Ganz|2006|p=[https://archive.org/details/foolworldoralhis00fran/page/115 115]}} In July 1988, versions of the songs that would appear on ''Doolittle''—including "Dead", "Hey", "Tame" and "There Goes My Gun"—were recorded during several sessions for [[John Peel]]'s radio show in 1988, and "Hey" appeared on a free [[Extended play|EP]] circulated with a 1988 edition of ''[[Sounds (magazine)|Sounds]]''.<ref name="4AD2014">{{cite web|url=http://4ad.com/artists/pixies |title=Pixies |publisher=[[4AD]] |page=2|access-date=November 16, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606063330/http://www.4ad.com/pixies/profile/?page=2 |archive-date=June 6, 2011 }}</ref>

[[File:Papessa tiara.jpg|alt=|thumb|''Doolittle''{{'}}s lyrics contain several biblical references—principal Pixies songwriter Black Francis wanted the album to be operatic like the biblical [[Whore of Babylon]].]]

In mid-1988, the Pixies began to record demo sessions while on breaks from touring. The band headed to the Boston [[recording studio]] Eden Sound, which at the time comprised a small room in the basement of a [[hair salon]]. They recorded at the studio for a week, in circumstances similar to the previous year's [[Pixies (EP)|Purple Tape]] sessions. Francis gave the [[Demo (music)|demo tape]] and upcoming album the provisional title of ''Whore'', though he later claimed his natural father had originally suggested the name. Francis has clarified that he was thinking of the word "in the more traditional sense ... the operatic, biblical sense, ... as in the great [[whore of Babylon]]".<ref name="pg21">Sisario, Ben. ''Doolittle 33⅓''. Continuum, 2006. {{ISBN|0-8264-1774-4}}. p. 21</ref> After completing the demo tape, band manager Ken Goes suggested two producers for the album: [[Liverpool, England|Liverpudlian]] [[Gil Norton]] and American [[Ed Stasium]]. The band had previously worked with Norton while recording the single version of "[[Gigantic (song)|Gigantic]]" in May 1988. Francis had no preference, although [[Ivo Watts-Russell]], head of the band's label [[4AD]], wanted Norton to produce the next album. Norton was hired as producer, with Stasium not even approached for the position.<ref name="Sisario, 2006. p. 45">Sisario, 2006. p. 45</ref>


[[File:Papessa tiara.jpg|alt=|thumb|''Doolittle''{{'}}s lyrics contain several biblical references—lyricist Black Francis nicknamed the album ''Whore'', in reference the biblical [[Whore of Babylon]].{{sfn|Sisario|2006|p=[https://archive.org/details/doolittle0000sisa/page/21 21]}}]] In mid-1988 the Pixies began to record demo sessions while on breaks from touring. The band headed to the Boston [[recording studio]] Eden Sound, located in the basement of a [[hair salon]]. They recorded at the studio for a week, similar to the previous year's [[Pixies (EP)|Purple Tape]] sessions. [[Black Francis]], the group's frontman and principal songwriter, gave the [[Demo (music)|demo tape]] and upcoming album the provisional title of ''Whore'', later claiming that he meant it "in the more traditional sense ... the operatic, biblical sense, ... as in the great [[whore of Babylon]]".{{sfn|Sisario|2006|p=[https://archive.org/details/doolittle0000sisa/page/21 21]}} After completing the demo tape, band manager Ken Goes suggested two producers for the album: [[Liverpool, England|Liverpudlian]] [[Gil Norton]] and American [[Ed Stasium]]. The band had previously worked with Norton while recording the single version of "[[Gigantic (song)|Gigantic]]" in May 1988. Francis had no preference. [[Ivo Watts-Russell]], head of the band's label [[4AD]], chose Norton to produce the next album.{{sfn|Sisario|2006|pp=[https://archive.org/details/doolittle0000sisa/page/44 44–45]}} Norton arrived in Boston in mid October 1988 and had Francis come over to his temporary apartment to review the album's demos. The two spent two days analyzing the song structures and arrangements. They spent a further two weeks in pre-production while Norton familiarize himself with the Pixies' sound.{{sfn|Frank|Ganz|2006|pp=[https://archive.org/details/foolworldoralhis00fran/page/139 139–140]}}
Norton arrived in Boston on October 31, 1988, and first visited Francis' apartment to review the album's demos. The two talked about arrangements, and spent two days intensively analyzing the album's songs. Norton learned to gauge Francis's reaction to changing arrangements, and later observed that the frontman "doesn't like to do anything twice". Norton spent a further two weeks in pre-production to familiarize himself with the Pixies' sound.<ref>Frank, Ganz, 2005. p. 112</ref>


== Recording and production ==
== Recording and production ==
Recording sessions for the album began on October 31, 1988, at [[Downtown Recorders]] in Boston, Massachusetts, which was at the time a professional 24-track studio. 4AD allotted the Pixies a budget of $40,000, excluding producer's fees. This was a modest sum for a 1980s major label album; however, it quadrupled the amount spent on the band's previous album, ''Surfer Rosa''. Along with Norton, two assistant [[recording engineer]]s and two second assistants were assigned to the project. The sessions lasted three weeks, concluding on November 23,<ref>Sisario, 2006. p. 47</ref> with "nearly a song a day" being recorded.<ref>Ganz, Caryn. "Pixies – ''Doolittle''". ''Spin''. July 2005.</ref>
Recording sessions for the album began on October 31, 1988, at [[Downtown Recorders]] in Boston, Massachusetts, which was at the time a professional 24-track studio. 4AD allotted the Pixies a budget of $40,000 (approximately ${{inflation|US|40,000|1988|fmt=3}} today), excluding producer's fees. This was a modest sum for a 1980s major label album; however, it quadrupled the amount spent on the band's previous album, ''Surfer Rosa''.{{sfn|Sisario|2006|pp=[https://archive.org/details/doolittle0000sisa/page/46 46–47]}} Along with Norton, two assistant [[recording engineer]]s and two second assistants were assigned to the project.{{sfn|Sisario|2006|p= [https://archive.org/details/doolittle0000sisa/page/47 47]}} The sessions lasted three weeks, concluding on November 23.{{sfn|Sisario|2006|p= [https://archive.org/details/doolittle0000sisa/page/54 54]}}


Production and mixing began on November 28. The band relocated to Carriage House Studios, a residential studio in [[Stamford, Connecticut]], to oversee production and record further tracks.<ref>Frank, Ganz, 2005. p. 116</ref> Norton recruited [[Steven Haigler]] as [[Mix engineer|mixing engineer]], whom he had worked with at [[Fort Apache Studios]]. During production, Haigler and Norton added layers of guitars and vocals to songs, including [[overdubbing|overdubbed]] guitars on "[[Debaser]]" and [[double tracking|double tracked]] vocals on "Wave of Mutilation". During the recordings, Norton advised Francis to alter several songs; a noted example being "There Goes My Gun", which was originally intended as a much faster, [[Hüsker Dü]]-style song. However, at Norton's advice, Francis slowed down the tempo.<ref name="Sisario, 2006. p. 45" />
Production and mixing began on November 28. The band relocated to Carriage House Studios, a residential studio in [[Stamford, Connecticut]], to oversee production and record further tracks. Norton recruited [[Steven Haigler]] as [[Mix engineer|mixing engineer]], whom he had worked with at [[Fort Apache Studios]].{{sfn|Sisario|2006|pp= [https://archive.org/details/doolittle0000sisa/page/55 55–57]}} During production, Haigler and Norton added layers of guitars and vocals to songs, including [[overdubbing|overdubbed]] guitars on "[[Debaser]]" and [[double tracking|double tracked]] vocals on "Wave of Mutilation". During the recordings, Norton advised Francis to alter several songs; a noted example being "There Goes My Gun", which was originally intended as a much faster, [[Hüsker Dü]]-style song. At Norton's advice, Francis slowed down the tempo.{{sfn|Sisario|2006|p= [https://archive.org/details/doolittle0000sisa/page/52 52]}}


Norton's suggestions were not always welcome, and several instances of advice to add verses and increase track length contributed to the frontman's building frustration. Eventually, Francis took Norton to a record store, where he handed him a copy of a [[Buddy Holly]] [[greatest hits album]], in which most of the songs are around two minutes long.<ref>Frank, Ganz, 2006. p. 114</ref> He told Norton, "If it's good enough for Buddy Holly ..."<ref>Sisario, p. 46</ref> In a ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' interview, Francis later recalled that "this record is him trying to make us, shall I say, commercial, and us trying to remain somewhat grungy".<ref>Sisario, 2006. p. 52</ref> Production continued until December 12, 1988, with Norton and Haigler adding extra effects, including [[gated reverb]] to the mix. The master tapes were then sent for final post-production later that month.<ref>Sisario, 2006. pp. 55–56</ref>
Norton's suggestions were not always welcome, and several instances of advice to add verses and increase track length contributed to the Francis's building frustration. Once, he took Norton to a record store and handed him a copy of a [[Buddy Holly]] [[greatest hits album]] in which most of the songs are around two minutes or three minutes long, justifying why his songs should be kept short.{{sfn|Frank|Ganz|2006|p= [https://archive.org/details/foolworldoralhis00fran/page/142 142]}} Francis later expressed that Norton was trying to give the band a more commercial sound and Francis wanted to keep it more [[grunge]]-like.{{sfn|Sisario|2006|p=[https://archive.org/details/doolittle0000sisa/page/52 52]}} Production continued until December 12, 1988, with Norton and Haigler adding extra effects, including [[gated reverb]] to the mix. The master tapes were then sent for final post-production later that month.{{sfn|Sisario|2006|pp=[https://archive.org/details/doolittle0000sisa/page/57 57–58]}}


During the recording of ''Doolittle'', tensions between Francis and Deal became visible to band members and the production team. Bickering and standoffs between the two marred the recording sessions and led to increased stress among the band members.<ref>Sisario, 2006. p. 53</ref> John Murphy, Deal's husband at the time, later recalled that, with ''Doolittle'', the band dynamic "went from just all fun to work".<ref>Frank, Ganz, 2005. p. 115</ref> Exhaustion from touring and from releasing three records in two years contributed to the friction. This culminated at the end of the US post-''Doolittle'' "Fuck or Fight" tour, where they were too tired to attend the end-of-tour party. Soon afterwards, the band announced that they were taking a break.<ref name="allmusic-bio">{{cite web | url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p5149/biography|pure_url=yes}} | title=Pixies > Biography | access-date=September 10, 2006 | last=Stephen Thomas Erlewine | website=Allmusic}}</ref>
During the recording of ''Doolittle'', tensions between Francis and Deal became visible to band members and the production team. Bickering and standoffs between the two marred the recording sessions and led to increased stress among the band members.{{sfn|Sisario|2006|p=[https://archive.org/details/doolittle0000sisa/page/53 53]}} John Murphy, Deal's husband at the time, later recalled that, with ''Doolittle'', the band dynamic "went from just all fun to work".{{sfn|Frank|Ganz|2006|p=[https://archive.org/details/foolworldoralhis00fran/page/144 144]}} Exhaustion from touring and from releasing three records in two years contributed to the friction. The friction between Francis and Deal culminated at the end of the US post-''Doolittle'' "Fuck or Fight" tour, and they did not attend their end-of-tour party.{{sfn|Mendelssohn|2005|pp=[https://archive.org/details/giganticstoryoff0000mend_h2w2/page/86 86–89]}} Soon afterwards, the band announced that they were going on hiatus.<ref name="allmusic-bio">{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p5149/biography|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110426201401/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p5149/biography| title=Pixies > Biography | archive-date=26 April 2011 | last=Erlewine|first=Stephen Thomas|website=Allmusic}}</ref>


== Composition ==
== Composition ==
=== Music ===
{{listen
{{listen
| filename = Debaser.ogg
| filename = Debaser.ogg
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| filename3 = MonkeyGoneToHeaven.ogg
| filename3 = MonkeyGoneToHeaven.ogg
| title3 = "Monkey Gone to Heaven"
| title3 = "Monkey Gone to Heaven"
| description3 = "Monkey Gone to Heaven" is the seventh track from ''Doolittle''. This sample contains the chorus, bridge and start of the second verse.
| description3 = "Monkey Gone to Heaven" is the seventh track from ''Doolittle''. This sample contains the end of the second verse and the beginning of the chorus.
}}
}}
=== Music ===

Francis wrote all the material for ''Doolittle'' with the exception of "Silver", which he co-wrote with [[Kim Deal]].<ref>''Doolittle'' CD booklet.</ref> The album features an eclectic mix of musical styles. "Crackity Jones" has a distinctly [[Music of Spain|Spanish sound]], incorporating G{{music|sharp}} and A triads over a C{{music|sharp}} pedal. The song's [[rhythm guitar]], played by Francis, starts with an eighth-note [[downpicking|downstroke]] typical of [[punk rock]].{{sfn|Sisario|2006|pp=[https://archive.org/details/doolittle0000sisa/page/102 102–103]}} "Tame"'s [[three-chord song|three chord]] bass progression is overlaid by [[Joey Santiago]]'s "[[Hendrix chord]]", and pivots on a sudden shift from quiet to loud,{{sfn|Sisario|2006|pp=[https://archive.org/details/doolittle0000sisa/page/80 80–82]}} a signature Pixie [[dynamics (music)|dynamic]].<ref name=Edwards2004>{{cite news | url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/article465372.ece | title=Pop: Loud quiet loud | access-date=March 16, 2007 | last=Edwards|first=Mark | newspaper=The Sunday Times | date=August 8, 2004 | location=London | archive-date=April 29, 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429231355/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/article465372.ece}}</ref>
''Doolittle'' features an eclectic mix of musical styles. While tracks such as "Tame" and "[[Crackity Jones]]" are fast and aggressive, and incorporate the band's trademark loud–quiet dynamic,<ref>{{cite news | url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/article465372.ece | title=Pop:Loud quiet loud | access-date=March 16, 2007 | last=Edwards, Mark | newspaper=The Sunday Times | date=2004-08-08 | location=London | archive-date=2011-04-29 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429231355/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/article465372.ece | url-status=live }}</ref> other songs such as "Silver", "I Bleed", and "Here Comes Your Man" reveal a quieter, slower and more melodic temperament.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.albumvote.co.uk/albums/pixies-doolittle.html |title=albumvote reviews&nbsp;— Doolittle by Pixies |access-date=March 16, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070211133803/http://www.albumvote.co.uk/albums/pixies-doolittle.html |archive-date=February 11, 2007 }}<!-- Aggregates reviews by music publications --></ref> With ''Doolittle'', the band began to incorporate further instruments into their sound; for instance, "Monkey Gone to Heaven" features two [[violin]]s and two [[cello]]s.
In contrast, "Monkey Gone to Heaven" features [[cello]]s and [[violin]]s.<ref name="almm"/>

"Tame" is based on a [[three-chord song|three chord]] formula, including [[Joey Santiago]] playing a "[[Hendrix chord]]" over the main bass progression.<ref>Sisario, 2006. pp. 80–82</ref> "I Bleed" is melodically simple, and is formed around a single rhythmical repetition. Some songs are influenced by other [[Music genre|genres of music]]; while "Crackity Jones" has a distinctly [[Music of Spain|Spanish sound]], and incorporates G{{music|sharp}} and A triads over a C{{music|sharp}} pedal, the song's [[rhythm guitar]], played by Francis, starts with an eighth-note [[downpicking|downstroke]] typical of [[punk rock]] music.<ref>Sisario, 2006. p. 102</ref>


=== Lyrics ===
=== Lyrics ===
The lyrical themes explored on ''Doolittle'' range from the surrealism of "[[Debaser]]", to the environmental catastrophe of "[[Monkey Gone to Heaven]]". The [[Prostitution|prostitutes]] of "Mr. Grieves", "Tame", and "Hey" share space with the Biblical analogies of "Dead" and "Gouge Away". Black Francis often claimed that ''Doolittle'''s lyrics were words which just "fit together nicely", and that "the point [of the album] is to experience it, to enjoy it, to be entertained by it".<ref>Sisario, 2006. blurb</ref> Francis wrote all the material for the album with the exception of "Silver", which he co-wrote with [[Kim Deal]].<ref>''Doolittle'' CD booklet.</ref>
The lyrical themes explore a variety of topics, many of them violent.<ref name=4AD2014 /> For example, the first song, "Debaser", references slicing eyes and the final song, "Gouge Away", ends with everyone dying in a crushing collapse.{{sfn|Sisario|2006|pp=[https://archive.org/details/doolittle0000sisa/page/117 117–121]}} Black Francis often claimed that ''Doolittle'''s lyrics were words which just "fit together nicely", and that "the point [of the album] is to experience it, to enjoy it, to be entertained by it".{{sfn|Sisario|2006|p=[https://archive.org/details/doolittle0000sisa/page/4 4]}}


The album's opening track, "Debaser", references [[surrealism]], a theme that runs throughout the album. "Debaser" alludes to [[Luis Buñuel]] and [[Salvador Dalí]]'s 1929 surrealist film ''[[Un Chien Andalou]]'', and the lyric "slicing up eyeballs" refers to an early scene in the film.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20000416/REVIEWS08/401010369/1023 | title=Un Chien Andalou | access-date=March 19, 2007 | last=Ebert, Roger | publisher=RogerEbert.com | date=April 16, 2000 | archive-date=February 12, 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130212191702/http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20000416%2FREVIEWS08%2F401010369%2F1023 | url-status=live }}</ref> Surrealism heavily influenced Francis in his college years and throughout his career with the Pixies. In 1989, Francis expressed his interest in surrealism and its influence on his songwriting method to ''[[The New York Times]]'' by stating "I got into [[avant-garde]] movies and Surrealism as an escape from reality.&nbsp;... To me, Surrealism is totally artificial. I recently read an interview with the director [[David Lynch]] who said he had ideas and images but that he didn't know exactly what they meant. That's how I write."<ref>Sisario, 2006. p. 26.</ref>
"Debaser" references [[surrealism]]; the lyrics "slicing up eyeballs" refers to [[Luis Buñuel]] and [[Salvador Dalí]]'s 1929 film ''[[Un Chien Andalou]]''.<ref name=Hughes2018>{{cite web|last=Hughes|first=Rob|date=17 April 2018|title=The Pixies: Looking back on Doolittle and the making of a classic|website=Louder|url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/the-pixies-looking-back-on-doolittle-and-the-making-of-a-classic|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807014223/https://www.loudersound.com/features/the-pixies-looking-back-on-doolittle-and-the-making-of-a-classic|archive-date=7 August 2020}}</ref> Surrealism influenced Francis in his college years and throughout his career with the Pixies. Describing its influence on his songwriting method, he said "I got into [[avant-garde]] movies and Surrealism as an escape from reality.&nbsp;... To me, Surrealism is totally artificial. I recently read an interview with the director [[David Lynch]] who said he had ideas and images but that he didn't know exactly what they meant. That's how I write."{{sfn|Sisario|2006|p=[https://archive.org/details/doolittle0000sisa/page/29 29]}}


Another of the album's main themes is environmental catastrophe. "Monkey Gone to Heaven" deals with man's destruction of the ocean and "confusion of man's place in the universe". As Francis put it: "On one hand, it's this big organic toilet. Things get flushed and repurified or decomposed and it's this big, dark, mysterious place. It's also a very mythological place where there are octopus's gardens, the [[Bermuda Triangle]], [[Atlantis]], and mermaids."<ref>Sisario, 2006. p. 96</ref> "Monkey Gone to Heaven" is concerned with man's relationship to [[divinity|the divine]], a theme shared with "Mr. Grieves".
"Monkey Gone to Heaven" describes the human-caused environmental catastrophe in the ocean,<ref name="almm"/> As Francis put it: "On one hand, it's this big organic toilet. Things get flushed and repurified or decomposed and it's this big, dark, mysterious place. It's also a very mythological place where there are octopus's gardens, the [[Bermuda Triangle]], [[Atlantis]], and mermaids." The song's lyrics question humanity's place in the universe. {{sfn|Sisario|2006|p=[https://archive.org/details/doolittle0000sisa/page/96 96]}} The following song, "Mr. Grieves" takes the theme of destruction further, suggesting the human race it doomed to extinction.{{sfn|Sisario|2006|pp=[https://archive.org/details/doolittle0000sisa/page/99 99–101]}} Francis described "Wave of Mutilation" as being about "Japanese businessmen doing murder-suicides with their families because they'd failed in business, and they're driving off a pier into the ocean."{{sfn|Sisario|2006|pp=[https://archive.org/details/doolittle0000sisa/page/82
82–83]}} Themes of the sea and drowning also feature in "Mr. Grieves" and "Monkey Gone to Heaven".{{sfn|Sisario|2006|p=[https://archive.org/details/doolittle0000sisa/page/85 85]}}


Two songs on ''Doolittle'' are fashioned after Biblical stories: the story of [[Bathsheba|David and Bathsheba]] in "Dead", and [[Samson]] and [[Delilah]] in "Gouge Away".<ref>Spitz, Marc. "Life to the Pixies". ''Spin''. September 2004.</ref> Francis' fascination with Biblical themes can be traced back to his teenage years; when he was twelve, he and his parents joined an evangelical church linked to the [[Assemblies of God]]. This background was to be an influence on ''Doolittle'', where he referred to [[the Devil]] being "six" and [[God]] being "seven" in "Monkey Gone to Heaven".
Two songs on ''Doolittle'' are based on stories of sex and death in the [[Old Testament]]:{{sfn|Sisario|2006|p=[https://archive.org/details/doolittle0000sisa/page/92 92]}} the story of [[Bathsheba|David and Bathsheba]] in "Dead", and [[Samson]] and [[Delilah]] in "Gouge Away".<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Spitz|first=Marc|date=16 June 2013|url=https://www.spin.com/2013/06/life-to-the-pixies/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150607232029/https://www.spin.com/2013/06/life-to-the-pixies/|archive-date=7 June 2015|title=Life to the Pixies|magazine=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]}}</ref> Francis' fascination with Biblical themes can be traced back to his teenage years; when he was twelve, he and his parents joined an evangelical church linked to the [[Assemblies of God]]. The themes also influenced the lyrics of "Monkey Gone to Heaven", [[the Devil]] being "six" and [[God]] being "seven".<ref name="almm">{{cite web|last=Janovitz|first=Bill|url= https://www.allmusic.com/song/monkey-gone-to-heaven-mt0033242458|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120605000629/https://www.allmusic.com/song/monkey-gone-to-heaven-mt0033242458|archive-date=5 June 2012|title= Monkey Gone to Heaven"|website=[[AllMusic]]}}</ref>


The lyrics in "[[Crackity Jones]]" alludes to Francis' roommate during his student exchange trip to [[San Juan, Puerto Rico]], whom he described as a "weird psycho gay roommate".{{sfn|Sisario|2006|p=[https://archive.org/details/doolittle0000sisa/page/13 13]}} "La La Love You", which was sung by the band's drummer [[David Lovering]], is seen as a satire of love songs.{{sfn|Mendelssohn|2005|p=[https://archive.org/details/giganticstoryoff0000mend_h2w2/page/72 72]}} Its tongue-in-cheek vocal style and simplistic lyrics (including the line "first base, second base, third base, home run") were a crude joke about sex.{{sfn|Sisario|2006|p=[https://archive.org/details/doolittle0000sisa/page/104 104]}} Francis asked Lovering to provide vocals so it would be "a [[Ringo Starr|Ringo]] thing". Lovering initially refused, but according to Norton Francis was soon unable to "get him away from the microphone".{{sfn|Frank|Ganz|2006|pp=[https://archive.org/details/foolworldoralhis00fran/page/141 141–142]}}
Other songs explored eccentric subjects, such as "Wave of Mutilation", which Francis described as being about "Japanese businessmen doing murder-suicides with their families because they'd failed in business, and they're driving off a pier into the ocean."<ref>Sisario, 2006. p. 83</ref>


===Artwork and title===
The sea and underwater themes of "Wave of Mutilation", which also feature in "Mr. Grieves" and "Monkey Gone to Heaven", are explorations of one arena for man's death and destruction.<ref>Sisario, 2006. p. 85</ref> [[Ben Sisario]] points out that the album begins ("Debaser") and ends ("Gouge Away") with songs about violence being done to eyes.<ref>Sisario, 2006. p. 119.</ref> "[[Crackity Jones]]" covers another offbeat subject: Francis' roommate in his student exchange trip to [[San Juan, Puerto Rico]], whom he described as a "weird psycho gay roommate".<ref>Sisario, 2006. p. 12</ref>

''Doolittle'' also references more ostensibly conventional subjects. "La La Love You", sung by the band's drummer, [[David Lovering]], is a [[love song]]; although its "first base, second base, third base, home run" break has led to it being described as "a dig at the very idea of a love song".<ref>Sisario, 2006, 104.</ref> Francis gave it to Lovering to sing, "like a [[Ringo Starr|Ringo]] thing". Lovering initially refused to sing it, but Norton said that he was soon unable to "get him away from the microphone".<ref>Frank, Ganz, 2005. p. 113</ref> As well as lead vocals on "La La Love You", Lovering played [[bass guitar]] on "Silver", with Deal playing slide guitar; this arrangement did not occur again.

== Packaging and title ==
[[File:As Loud As Hell.jpg|right|thumbnail|"As Loud As Hell" by [[Simon Larbalestier]], from the ''Doolittle'' booklet. The image alludes to lyrics in "I Bleed".]]
[[File:As Loud As Hell.jpg|right|thumbnail|"As Loud As Hell" by [[Simon Larbalestier]], from the ''Doolittle'' booklet. The image alludes to lyrics in "I Bleed".]]


The artwork was designed by photographer [[Simon Larbalestier]] and graphic artist [[Vaughan Oliver]] who had worked on the Pixies' previous albums, ''Come on Pilgrim'' and ''Surfer Rosa''.<ref name=Denny2018>{{cite magazine|last=Denney|first=Alex|date=1 October 2018|title=The Surreal secrets behind the Pixies' iconic sleeve art|magazine=Another Man|url=https://www.anothermanmag.com/life-culture/10532/secrets-behind-pixies-iconic-sleeve-art-vaughan-oliver-simon-larbalestier|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181108194535/https://www.anothermanmag.com/life-culture/10532/secrets-behind-pixies-iconic-sleeve-art-vaughan-oliver-simon-larbalestier|archive-date=8 November 2018}}</ref> Larbalestier stated ''Doolittle'' was the first album where he and Oliver had access to the lyrics, which according to Larbalestier "made a fundamental difference", and he, like Francis, was interested in early surrealism.{{sfn|Frank|Ganz|2006|p=[https://archive.org/details/foolworldoralhis00fran/page/146 146]}}
''Doolittle'' was the first album where [[Simon Larbalestier]], the Pixies' cover photographer, and [[Vaughan Oliver]], the band's cover artist, had access to the lyrics. According to Larbalestier, this "made a fundamental difference".<ref name="fg117">Frank, Ganz, 2005. p. 117</ref>


The artwork was designed by photographer [[Simon Larbalestier]] and graphic artist [[Vaughan Oliver]] who had worked on the Pixies' previous albums, ''Come on Pilgrim'' and ''Surfer Rosa''.<ref name=Denny2018>{{cite magazine|last=Denney|first=Alex|date=1 October 2018|title=The Surreal secrets behind the Pixies' iconic sleeve art|magazine=Another Man|url=https://www.anothermanmag.com/life-culture/10532/secrets-behind-pixies-iconic-sleeve-art-vaughan-oliver-simon-larbalestier|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181108194535/https://www.anothermanmag.com/life-culture/10532/secrets-behind-pixies-iconic-sleeve-art-vaughan-oliver-simon-larbalestier|archive-date=8 November 2018}}</ref> Larbalestier stated ''Doolittle'' was the first album where he and Oliver had access to the lyrics, which "made a fundamental difference"{{sfn|Frank|Ganz|2006|p=[https://archive.org/details/foolworldoralhis00fran/page/146 146]}} Larbalestier said that both Oliver and Francis supported the dark, macabre, and surreal images to illustrate the album. These were photographs constructed by juxtaposing two principle elements, such as a bell and teeth. Images included: ''Monkey Gone to Heaven'', with a monkey and halo; "Tame", with a pelvic bone and stiletto; "Gouge Away", a spoon containing hair laid across a woman's [[torso]].<ref name=PRG2009>{{cite web|date=30 April 2009|title=Cover Story Interview- The Pixies- Doolittle- with photography by Simon Labalestier|website=Rockpop Gallery|url=https://rockpopgallery.typepad.com/rockpop_gallery_news/2009/04/cover-story-interview-the-pixies-doolittle-with-photography-by-simon-larbalestier.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090908084151/https://rockpopgallery.typepad.com/rockpop_gallery_news/2009/04/cover-story-interview-the-pixies-doolittle-with-photography-by-simon-larbalestier.html|archive-date=8 September 2009}} Also see the images in {{Harvnb|Frank|Ganz|2006|loc=[https://archive.org/details/foolworldoralhis00fran/page/n173 inset]}}</ref>
The surrealist and abstract images throughout the album booklet are linked to the album's content. "Gouge Away" is represented by a picture of a spoon containing hair, laid across a woman's [[torso]]; a direct pictorial representation of heroin, with the spoon and the hair being horses.<ref>Frank, Ganz, 200. insert.</ref> The image "As Loud As Hell" shows "a ringing bell", with a set of teeth; this alludes to the line "it shakes my teeth" in the song "I Bleed". "Walking with the Crustaceans" is a visual representation of the lyrics to "Wave of Mutilation". Larbalestier later commented that he was interested in "early Surrealist stuff" at this time.<ref name="fg117" />


Around the time Oliver decided to portray a monkey and halo for the cover art, Francis discarded the working title ''Whore'' for the album. He later explained that he "thought people were going to think I was some kind of anti-Catholic or that I'd been raised Catholic and trying to get into this Catholic naughty-boy stuff.&nbsp;... A monkey with a halo, calling it ''Whore'', that would bring all kinds of shit that wouldn't be true. So I said I'd change the title."{{sfn|Sisario|2006|p=[https://archive.org/details/doolittle0000sisa/page/54 54]}}
During the recording sessions, ''Whore'' was discarded as a potential album title, after Oliver changed the cover artwork idea to a monkey and halo cover. Francis later explained his rationale for the move:<ref>Sisario, 2006. p. 54</ref>

{{quote|I thought people were going to think I was some kind of anti-Catholic or that I'd been raised Catholic and trying to get into this Catholic naughty-boy stuff.&nbsp;... A monkey with a halo, calling it ''Whore'', that would bring all kinds of shit that wouldn't be true. So I said I'd change the title.}}

Francis then named the album ''Doolittle'', from the "Mr. Grieves" lyric "Pray for a man in the middle / One that talks like Doolittle".<ref>Francis, Black. Lyrics. "[http://www.songmeanings.net/lyric.php?lid=15882 Mr. Grieves] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060522230410/http://www.songmeanings.net/lyric.php?lid=15882 |date=2006-05-22 }}". ''Doolittle''. [[Gramophone record|LP]]. [[4AD Records|4AD]] 1989.</ref>


== Release ==
== Release ==
In Fall 1988, [[Elektra Records]] began to take interest in the Pixies, and amid a bidding war, signed the band.{{sfn|Sisario|2006|pp=[https://archive.org/details/doolittle0000sisa/page/21 21–22]}} Elektra then began to negotiate with the Pixies' British label 4AD, which held their worldwide distribution rights, and released a promotional live album containing the album tracks "Debaser" and "Gouge Away" along with a selection of earlier material.<ref name=4AD2014 /> Two weeks before ''Doolittle'' released on April 2, 1989, Elektra and 4AD closed a deal that gave Elektra distribution rights in the US. By that time, [[PolyGram]] had already secured Canadian distribution rights.{{sfn|Sisario|2006|p=[https://archive.org/details/doolittle0000sisa/page/22 22]}}
In the months following the release of ''Surfer Rosa'', Pixies' management fielded calls from a number of labels. [[Elektra Records]] [[A&R]] scout Peter Lubin first saw the band in October 1988, when they opened for [[the Jesus and Mary Chain]], and immediately sought to convince the band to sign to his label. Pixies signed to Elektra Records during a UK spring tour in 1989. Elektra followed by releasing a live promotional album, which contained two songs from their forthcoming album—"Debaser" and "Gouge Away"—along with a selection of earlier material.<ref name="pop2" />

However, Elektra had not yet attained distribution rights to the band's forthcoming album. 4AD, then a small British independent record label, held worldwide distribution rights to Pixies, but did not have access to distribution outside of the United Kingdom; the band had had to import all its previous records from Europe. Pixies' management sought international distribution, and while negotiations with Elektra and other record companies began in the third quarter of 1988, they were only completed just two weeks before ''Doolittle'''s release, on April 2, 1989. [[PolyGram]] had already secured Canadian distribution rights by that time.<ref>Sisario, 2006. p. 22</ref>

''Doolittle'' was released in the United Kingdom on April 17, 1989, and in the United States the following day. Throughout the States, helped by Elektra's [[World music market|major label]] status, retail displays were constructed for the record, and "Monkey Gone to Heaven", the first single from the album, was released to [[radio station]]s for inclusion on playlists.<ref>Sisario, 2006. p. 61</ref>

=== Reissues ===
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the album, 4AD announced that a deluxe edition of the album, titled ''Doolittle 25'', was to be released January 12, 2015, containing unreleased B-sides, demos, and two full [[John Peel#Peel sessions|Peel sessions]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://4ad.com/news/494|date=October 16, 2014|title=Pixies : '''Doolittle 25' Announced, Pre-Order Now''|website=4AD.com|access-date=July 24, 2019|archive-date=July 24, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190724230257/https://4ad.com/news/494|url-status=live}}</ref>

On December 9, 2016, a limited [[High Fidelity Pure Audio|Pure Audio Blu-Ray]] version of the album was released containing a 5.1 [[surround sound]] mix of the album by Kevin Vanbergen and a high definition stereo mix by [[Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://4ad.com/news/760|date=November 11, 2016|title=Pixies : ''Pure Audio Blu-Ray Edition Of Doolittle Out Next Month''|website=4AD.com|access-date=July 24, 2019|archive-date=July 24, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190724225829/https://4ad.com/news/760|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Reception ==
===Commercial===
''Doolittle''{{'}}s chart performance in the United States was unremarkable, as the album entered the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] at number 171. However, with the help of [[Campus radio|college radio]] play of "Monkey Gone to Heaven", ''Doolittle'' eventually rose to number 98 and spent two weeks in the top 100.<ref name="usalbumchart">{{cite magazine | url={{BillboardURLbyName|artist=pixies|chart=Billboard 200}} | title=Pixies Album & Song Chart History| access-date=April 17, 2011 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]}}</ref> In Britain, the record reached number eight on the [[UK Albums Chart]].<ref name="ukcharts" /> This chart placing was an unexpected success for the band as their previous two records, ''[[Come On Pilgrim]]'' and ''Surfer Rosa'', had failed to reach as high on the British charts.<ref>Sisario, 2006. p. 63</ref>

In June 1989, 4AD released "Here Comes Your Man" as the album's second single. It reached number three on the US [[Alternative Airplay|Modern Rock Tracks]] chart and number 56 in the [[UK Singles Chart]].<ref name="ukcharts" /><ref name="ussinglechart">{{cite magazine|url={{BillboardURLbyName|artist=pixies|chart=Alternative Songs}}|title=Pixies Album & Song Chart History&nbsp;– Alternative Songs|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|access-date=April 17, 2011}}</ref> It was not the last single from the album: in 1997, "Debaser" was released as a single to promote the ''[[Death to the Pixies]]'' compilation.

Following its release, ''Doolittle'' sold steadily in America, and broke sales of 100,000 after six months. By early 1992, while the band were supporting [[U2]] on their [[Zoo TV Tour]], the album was selling 1,500 copies per week. By the middle of 1993—two years after the release of the band's last album before their initial breakup, ''[[Trompe le Monde]]''—''Doolittle'' saw sales average 1,200 copies per week. ''Doolittle'' was [[RIAA certification|certified]] Gold by the [[Recording Industry Association of America]] in 1995 and Platinum in 2018.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.riaa.com/gp/default.asp | title=RIAA Certification | access-date=March 16, 2007 | author=RIAA | website=[[Recording Industry Association of America]] | author-link=RIAA | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070308084509/http://www.riaa.com/gp/default.asp| archive-date = March 8, 2007}}</ref>

Ten years after the breakup, ''Doolittle'' was still selling between 500 and 1,000 copies a week, and their 2004 reunion tour saw sales creep back up to 1,200 copies per week. At the end of 2005, best estimates put total sales in America at between 800,000 and one million copies.<ref>Sisario, 2006. p. 69</ref> As of 2015, sales in the United States have exceeded 834,000 copies, according to [[Nielsen SoundScan]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.capradio.org/41691|title=The Record: Unfinished Business|website=www.capradio.org|access-date=2021-10-20|archive-date=2019-04-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190416140916/http://www.capradio.org/41691|url-status=live}}</ref>


''Doolittle'' was released in the United Kingdom on April 17, 1989, and in the US the following day. Elektra's [[World music market|major label]] status helped get retail displays for the record put up across the United States. Elektra also got "Monkey Gone to Heaven", the first single from the album, sent to major [[radio station]]s.{{sfn|Sisario|2006|p=[https://archive.org/details/doolittle0000sisa/page/61 61]}}
On May 6, 2019, "Here Comes Your Man" was certified Gold in Canada.<ref name="CanadaGoldSingles">{{Cite web|url=https://musiccanada.com/gold-platinum/?_gp_search=Pixies&_gp_certification=gold-single|title=Gold/Platinum|website=musiccanada.com|access-date=December 23, 2021}}</ref> On September 20, 2021, "Hey" was certified Gold in Canada.<ref name="CanadaGoldSingles"/>


===Critical===
===Critical reception===
{{Music ratings
{{Music ratings
| title = Contemporary professional ratings
| title = Contemporary professional ratings
Line 139: Line 105:
| rev5score = 4/5<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Pixies: Doolittle |magazine=[[Record Mirror]] |date=April 15, 1989 |last=Levy |first=Eleanor |page=32}}</ref>
| rev5score = 4/5<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Pixies: Doolittle |magazine=[[Record Mirror]] |date=April 15, 1989 |last=Levy |first=Eleanor |page=32}}</ref>
| rev6 = ''[[Rolling Stone]]''
| rev6 = ''[[Rolling Stone]]''
| rev6score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}<ref name="Mundy">{{cite magazine |title=Pixies: Doolittle |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |issue=556–557 |date=July 13–27, 1989 |last=Mundy |first=Chris}}</ref>
| rev6score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}<ref name="Mundy1989">{{cite magazine|title=Pixies: Doolittle |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=July 13, 1989 |last=Mundy |first=Chris|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/doolittle-248094/|url-access=subscription}}</ref>
| rev7 = ''[[Sounds (magazine)|Sounds]]''
| rev7 = ''[[Sounds (magazine)|Sounds]]''
| rev7score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine |title=It's the end of the world (and I feel fine) |magazine=[[Sounds (magazine)|Sounds]] |date=April 15, 1989 |last=Phillips |first=Shaun |page=39}}</ref>
| rev7score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine |title=It's the end of the world (and I feel fine) |magazine=[[Sounds (magazine)|Sounds]] |date=April 15, 1989 |last=Phillips |first=Shaun |page=39}}</ref>
| rev8 = ''[[The Village Voice]]''
| rev8 = ''[[The Village Voice]]''
| rev8score = B+<ref name="Christgau">{{cite news |url=https://robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cgv1189-89.php |title=Consumer Guide |newspaper=[[The Village Voice]] |date=November 21, 1989 |access-date=June 1, 2013 |last=Christgau |first=Robert |author-link=Robert Christgau |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130815184529/https://robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cgv1189-89.php |archive-date=August 15, 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref>
| rev8score = B+<ref name="Christgau1989">{{cite news |url=https://robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cgv1189-89.php |title=Consumer Guide |newspaper=[[The Village Voice]] |date=November 21, 1989 |access-date=June 1, 2013 |last=Christgau |first=Robert |author-link=Robert Christgau |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130815184529/https://robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cgv1189-89.php |archive-date=August 15, 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref>
}}
}}


Reaction to ''Doolittle'' was positive in general, with the album garnering praise from several major music publications.<ref name="reviews">Frank, Ganz, 2005. p. 120</ref> ''[[NME]]'' writer [[Savage Pencil|Edwin Pouncey]] commented that "the songs on ''Doolittle'' have the power to make you literally jump out of your skin with excitement".<ref name="Pouncey"/> ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]'' critic Peter Kane said that ''Doolittle''{{'}}s "carefully structured noise and straightforward rhythmic insistence makes perfect sense".<ref name="Kane"/> Tim Rolston of ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'' praised ''Doolittle'' as "a scintillating rock'n'roll album" and the Pixies' "finest half-hour so far".<ref>{{cite web | url=http://aleceiffel.free.fr/press.html | title=Pixies Press Quotes | access-date=January 28, 2007 | last1=Bie, Jean-Michel | last2=Gourraud, Christophe | publisher=Alec Eiffel | archive-date=December 4, 2006 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061204061713/http://aleceiffel.free.fr/press.html | url-status=live }}</ref> Several other publications ran positive reviews of the album, including the British music weekly ''[[Record Mirror]]'', ''[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]]'', the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', and the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''.<ref name="reviews" /> [[Robert Christgau]] of ''[[The Village Voice]]'' wrote, "They're in love and they don't know why—with rock and roll, which is heartening in a time when so many college dropouts have lost touch with the verities". However, he concluded that "getting famous too fast could ruin them", while suggesting the lyrics reflect somewhat of a disconnection with "the outside world".<ref name="Christgau"/>
When ''Doolittle'' was released, it was received positively by many critics,<ref name=Hughes2018/> ''[[NME]]'' critic [[Savage Pencil|Edwin Pouncey]] wrote that "the songs on ''Doolittle'' have the power to make you literally jump out of your skin with excitement". He singled out "Debaser" as one of the highlights, describing it as "blessed with the kind of beefy bass hook that originally brought "[[Gigantic (song)|Gigantic]]" to life".<ref name="Pouncey1989">{{cite magazine |url=https://eyesore.no/pdf/Pixies.Doolittle.Review.NME.19890415.pdf |title=Ape-Ocalypse Now! |magazine=[[NME]] |date=April 15, 1989 |access-date=August 23, 2015 |last=Pouncey |first=Edwin |author-link=Savage Pencil |page=34 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150929035316/https://eyesore.no/pdf/Pixies.Doolittle.Review.NME.19890415.pdf |archive-date=September 29, 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]'' critic Peter Kane wrote that the album's "carefully structured noise and straightforward rhythmic insistence makes perfect sense".{{sfn|Frank|Ganz|2006|p= [https://archive.org/details/foolworldoralhis00fran/page/150 150]}} [[Robert Christgau]] of ''[[The Village Voice]]'' wrote, "They're in love and they don't know why—with rock and roll, which is heartening in a time when so many college dropouts have lost touch with the verities". However, he concluded that "getting famous too fast could ruin them", while suggesting the lyrics reflect somewhat of a disconnection with "the outside world".<ref name="Christgau1989"/>


Some reviewers were more critical.<ref name="sisreviews">Sisario, 2006. p. 62–63</ref> ''[[Time Out (magazine)|Time Out]]'' said that "Gil Norton's toy theatre production makes a drama out of what should have been a crisis". ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]'' ran a hundred-word review of the album, with critic Joe Levy finding "the insanity less surreal and more silly, and the songs themselves more like songs and less like adventures". ''Rolling Stone'' published "a tentative endorsement" of ''Doolittle'', rating it three and a half stars;<ref name="sisreviews" /> reviewer Chris Mundy concluded, "The emphasis on more textured production has in no way taken away from the band's intensity. Francis is at all times in command of the album, quietly stringing us along before turning on us and screaming for attention. It's about time everyone started taking notice."<ref name="Mundy"/> ''Doolittle'' appeared on several end-of-year "Best Album" lists; both ''Rolling Stone'' and ''The Village Voice'' placed the album tenth, and independent music magazines ''Sounds'' and ''[[Melody Maker]]'' both ranked the album as the second-best of the year.<ref name="acclaimed">{{cite web | url= http://www.acclaimedmusic.net/061024/A760.htm | title= Doolittle at AcclaimedMusic.net | access-date= January 28, 2007 | archive-date= September 30, 2007 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070930184659/http://www.acclaimedmusic.net/061024/A760.htm | url-status= live }}</ref> ''NME'' also ranked the album highly, placing it fourth in their end-of-year list.<ref>{{cite web |title=NME's best albums and tracks of 1989 |url=https://www.nme.com/features/1989-2-1045381 |website=NME |access-date=April 29, 2023 |date=October 10, 2016}}</ref>
Some reviewers were more critical. ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]'' ran a hundred-word review of the album, with critic Joe Levy finding "the insanity less surreal and more silly, and the songs themselves more like songs and less like adventures". ''Rolling Stone'' published "a tentative endorsement" of ''Doolittle'', rating it three and a half stars;{{sfn|Sisario|2006|pp=[https://archive.org/details/doolittle0000sisa/page/62 62–63]}} reviewer Chris Mundy concluded, "The emphasis on more textured production has in no way taken away from the band's intensity. Francis is at all times in command of the album, quietly stringing us along before turning on us and screaming for attention."<ref name="Mundy1989"/>


''Doolittle'' appeared on several end-of-year "Best Album" lists. Both ''Rolling Stone'' and ''The Village Voice'' placed the album tenth, and independent music magazines ''Sounds'' and ''[[Melody Maker]]'' both ranked the album as the second-best of the year.<ref name=acclaimed> {{cite web | url= http://www.acclaimedmusic.net/061024/A760.htm | title= Pixies: Doolittle |publisher= [[Acclaimed Music]] | access-date= January 28, 2007 | archive-date= September 30, 2007 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070930184659/http://www.acclaimedmusic.net/061024/A760.htm | url-status= live }}</ref> ''NME'' ranked the album fourth in their end-of-year list.<ref>{{cite web |title=NME's best albums and tracks of 1989 |url=https://www.nme.com/features/1989-2-1045381 |website=NME |date=October 10, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211002233050/https://www.nme.com/features/1989-2-1045381|archive-date=2 October 2021}}</ref>
== Legacy ==
{{Music ratings
| title = Retrospective professional ratings
| MC = 100/100<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/doolittle-25/pixies |title=Doolittle 25 by Pixies Reviews and Tracks |website=[[Metacritic]] |access-date=September 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210917040926/https://www.metacritic.com/music/doolittle-25/pixies |archive-date=September 17, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref>
| rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/doolittle-mw0000653196 |title=Doolittle – Pixies |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=June 1, 2013 |last=Phares |first=Heather |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211124000514/https://www.allmusic.com/album/doolittle-mw0000653196 |archive-date=November 24, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref>
| rev2 = ''[[Blender (magazine)|Blender]]''
| rev2score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.blender.com/guide/new/55354/doolittle.html |title=Pixies: Doolittle |magazine=[[Blender (magazine)|Blender]] |volume=7 |issue=11 |date=December 2008 – January 2009 |access-date=October 19, 2015 |last=Dolan |first=Jon |page=86 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090421134630/http://www.blender.com/guide/new/55354/doolittle.html |archive-date=April 21, 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
| rev3 = ''[[The Guardian]]''
| rev3score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/nov/27/pixies-doolittle-25-review |title=Pixies: Doolittle 25 review – alt-rock milestone from US indie's weirdest stars |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date=November 27, 2014 |access-date=April 11, 2022 |last=Petridis |first=Alexis |author-link=Alexis Petridis |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200821073418/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/nov/27/pixies-doolittle-25-review |archive-date=August 21, 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref>
| rev4 = ''[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]''
| rev4score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Animal crackers |magazine=[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]] |issue=254 |date=January 2015 |last=Cameron |first=Keith |page=108}}</ref>
| rev5 = ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]''
| rev5score = 10/10<ref name="Powell">{{cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/19282-pixies-catalogue/ |title=Pixies: Catalog |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |date=April 25, 2014 |access-date=April 25, 2014 |last=Powell |first=Mike |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220410013850/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/19282-pixies-catalogue/ |archive-date=April 10, 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref>
| rev6 = ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]''
| rev6score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine |title=The Debasement Tapes |magazine=[[Q (magazine)|Q]] |issue=342 |date=January 2015 |last=Segal |first=Victoria |page=134}}</ref>
| rev7 = ''[[Rolling Stone]]''
| rev7score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref name="Kemp">{{cite magazine |url=http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/pixies/albums/album/220913/review/5946661/doolittle |title=Pixies: Doolittle |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |issue=910 |date=November 28, 2002 |access-date=August 23, 2015 |last=Kemp |first=Mark |author-link=Mark Kemp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071101050926/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/pixies/albums/album/220913/review/5946661/doolittle |archive-date=November 1, 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
| rev8 = ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]''
| rev8score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}<ref>{{cite book |chapter=The Pixies |last=Wolk |first=Douglas |author-link=Douglas Wolk |title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide |title-link=The Rolling Stone Album Guide |editor1-last=Brackett |editor1-first=Nathan |editor1-link=Nathan Brackett |editor2-last=Hoard |editor2-first=Christian |editor2-link=Christian Hoard |publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]] |edition=4th |year=2004 |isbn=0-7432-0169-8 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/639 639–640]}}</ref>
| rev9 = ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]''
| rev9score = A<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NhnqJL2C06oC&pg=PA73 |title=Rock Music: A Pixies Discography |magazine=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]] |volume=20 |issue=9 |date=September 2004 |access-date=April 11, 2022 |last=Milner |first=Greg |page=73}}</ref>
| rev10 = ''[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]''
| rev10score = 10/10<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Pixies: Doolittle 25 |magazine=[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]] |issue=212 |date=January 2015 |last=Richards |first=Sam |page=89}}</ref>
}}

The sudden loud to quiet dynamic present on ''Doolittle'', most notably in "Tame", has been very influential on [[alternative rock]]. After writing "[[Smells Like Teen Spirit]]", both [[Kurt Cobain]] and [[Krist Novoselic]] of [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]] thought: "this really sounds like the Pixies. People are really going to nail us for this."<ref>Azerrad, Michael. ''Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana''. Doubleday, 1993. {{ISBN|0-385-47199-8}}, p. 176</ref> Producer Gil Norton usually receives much credit for the album's dynamic, and is sought by bands seeking a similar sound.<ref name="Eskimo Joe Interview">{{cite web | url=http://livenudedann.wordpress.com/2009/06/26/eskimo-joe/ | title=Eskimo Joe interview | access-date=September 10, 2006 | last=Buzz Magazine | publisher=Buzz Magazine Australia | archive-date=April 30, 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430184808/http://livenudedann.wordpress.com/2009/06/26/eskimo-joe/ | url-status=live }}</ref> [[The Smashing Pumpkins]] guitarist [[James Iha]] described ''Doolittle'' as less raw than ''Surfer Rosa'' but "more listenable" and "Here Comes Your Man" as a "classic pop record". Fellow alternative musician [[PJ Harvey]] was "in awe" of "I Bleed" and "Tame", and described Francis's writing as "amazing".<ref name="reviews" /> The album was also included in the book ''[[1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die]]''.<ref>{{cite book|first1=Robert |last1=Dimery|first2=Michael |last2=Lydon|title=1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die |edition=Revised and Updated|date=23 March 2010|publisher=Universe|isbn=978-0-7893-2074-2}}</ref> ''[[PopMatters]]'' included it in their list of the "12 Essential 1980s Alternative Rock Albums" saying, "''Doolittle'', captured the musicians at the top of their game when it was released in 1989."<ref>{{cite web |last=Makowsky |first=Jennifer |url=https://www.popmatters.com/184696-184696-hope-despite-the-times-12-essential-alternative-rock-albums-f-2495629508.html?rebelltpage=2 |title=Hope Despite the Times: 12 Essential Alternative Rock Albums from the 1980s |website=[[PopMatters]] |date=February 11, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180122054617/https://www.popmatters.com/184696-184696-hope-despite-the-times-12-essential-alternative-rock-albums-f-2495629508.html?rebelltpage=2 |access-date=February 11, 2020|archive-date=2018-01-22 }}</ref>

=== Accolades ===
A range of music magazines have since acclaimed ''Doolittle'' as one of the quintessential alternative rock albums of the 1980s. ''Rolling Stone'', reviewing ''Doolittle'' again in 2002, gave the album a maximum score of five stars, remarking that it laid the "groundwork for Nineties rock".<ref name="Kemp"/> ''Doolittle'' has received a number of international accolades and is consistently noted as one of the best albums of the 1980s in any genre.<ref name="acclaimed" />


The information regarding accolades attributed to ''Doolittle'' is taken from AcclaimedMusic.net.<ref name="acclaimed" />
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+Accolades for ''Doolittle''
! scope="col" | Publication
! scope="col" | Publication
! scope="col" | Country
! scope="col" | Country
Line 191: Line 128:
! scope="row" | ''[[Hot Press]]''
! scope="row" | ''[[Hot Press]]''
| Ireland
| Ireland
| Top 100 Albums<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hotpress.com/vote/top100albums/top100list.adp|title = Electric Ladyland (100/100 Greatest Albums Ever)|access-date=March 16, 2007| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070311042432/http://www.hotpress.com/vote/top100albums/top100list.adp| archive-date = March 11, 2007}}</ref>
| Top 100 Albums<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hotpress.com/vote/top100albums/top100list.adp|title = Electric Ladyland (100/100 Greatest Albums Ever) |publisher= Hot Press|access-date=March 16, 2007| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070311042432/http://www.hotpress.com/vote/top100albums/top100list.adp| archive-date = March 11, 2007}}</ref>
| 2006
| 2006
| 34
| 34
|-
! scope="row" | ''Juice''
| Australia
| The 50 Best Albums of All Time<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/juice.html|title=Juice All Time 50 Albums|access-date=March 16, 2007|website=Rocklist.net|archive-date=May 15, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070515032624/http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/juice.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
| 1997
| 2
|-
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[NME]]''
! scope="row" | ''[[NME]]''
| UK
| UK
| 100 Best Albums<ref name="rocklistmusic.co.uk" />
| 100 Best Albums<ref name="NME2003"/>
| 2003
| 2003
| 2
| 2
|-
! scope="row" | ''Panorama''
| Norway
| The 30 Best Albums of the Year 1970–98
| 1999
| 1
|-
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]''
! scope="row" | ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]''
| US
| US
| Top 100 Albums of the 1980s<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/5882-top-100-albums-of-the-1980s/1/|title=Top 100 Albums of the 1980s|work=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|date=20 November 2002|access-date=1 June 2009|archive-date=22 May 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090522162636/http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/5882-top-100-albums-of-the-1980s/1/|url-status=live}}</ref>
| Top 100 Albums of the 1980s<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/5882-top-100-albums-of-the-1980s/1/|title=Top 100 Albums of the 1980s|work=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|date=November 20, 2002|access-date=June 1, 2009|archive-date=May 22, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090522162636/http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/5882-top-100-albums-of-the-1980s/1/|url-status=live}}</ref>
| 2002
| 2002
| 4
| 4
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]''
| UK
| Ultimate Music Collection<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/qcollection.htm|title=Q Ultimate Music Collection|access-date=March 16, 2007|website=Rocklist.net|archive-date=January 18, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130118064152/http://rocklistmusic.co.uk/qcollection.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>
| 2005
| *
|-
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=3| ''[[Rolling Stone]]''
! scope="row" rowspan=3| ''[[Rolling Stone]]''
|rowspan=3| United States
|rowspan=3| United States
|rowspan=3| The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://genius.com/Rolling-stone-the-500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-2003-annotated|title=Rolling Stone – The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (2003)|website=Genius|access-date=2021-07-16|archive-date=2021-04-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210424152519/https://genius.com/Rolling-stone-the-500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-2003-annotated|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://genius.com/Rolling-stone-the-500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-2012-lyrics|title=Rolling Stone – The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (2012)|via=genius.com|access-date=2021-07-16|archive-date=2021-02-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210201144940/https://genius.com/Rolling-stone-the-500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-2012-lyrics|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-albums-of-all-time-1062063/|title=The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|first1=Rolling|last1=Stone|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=September 22, 2020|access-date=July 16, 2021|archive-date=September 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922163403/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-albums-of-all-time-1062063/|url-status=live}}</ref>
|rowspan=3| The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-albums-of-all-time-1062063/|title=The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=September 22, 2020|access-date=July 16, 2021|archive-date=September 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922163403/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-albums-of-all-time-1062063/|url-status=live}}</ref>
| 2003
| 2003
| 226
| 226
Line 239: Line 158:
! scope="row" | ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]''
! scope="row" | ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]''
| US
| US
| 100 Greatest Albums, 1985–2005<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.spin.com/features/magazine/covers/2005/06/0507_cover_greatest_albums/|title=SPIN.com: 100 Greatest Albums, 1985–2005|date=June 20, 2005|access-date=March 16, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070312105828/http://www1.spin.com/features/magazine/covers/2005/06/0507_cover_greatest_albums/ <!--Added by H3llBot-->|archive-date=March 12, 2007}}</ref>
| 100 Greatest Albums, 1985–2005<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.spin.com/features/magazine/covers/2005/06/0507_cover_greatest_albums/|title=100 Greatest Albums, 1985–2005|publisher= [[Spin (magazine)|Spin]] |date=June 20, 2005|access-date=March 16, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070312105828/http://www1.spin.com/features/magazine/covers/2005/06/0507_cover_greatest_albums/ <!--Added by H3llBot-->|archive-date=March 12, 2007}}</ref>
| 2005
| 2005
| 36
| 36
Line 245: Line 164:
! scope="row" |''[[Slant Magazine]]''
! scope="row" |''[[Slant Magazine]]''
| US
| US
| Best Albums of the 1980s<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/feature/best-albums-of-the-1980s/308/page_7|title=The 100 Best Albums of the 1980s – Feature – Slant Magazine|website=Slant Magazine|date=5 March 2012|access-date=2012-03-18|archive-date=2012-05-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120529063902/http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/feature/best-albums-of-the-1980s/308/page_7|url-status=live}}</ref>
| Best Albums of the 1980s<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/feature/best-albums-of-the-1980s/308/page_7|title=The 100 Best Albums of the 1980s|website=Slant Magazine|date=March 5, 2012|access-date=March 18, 2012|archive-date=May 29, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120529063902/http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/feature/best-albums-of-the-1980s/308/page_7|url-status=live}}</ref>
| 2012
| 2012
| 34
| 34
|}
|}

<small>(*) designates unordered lists.</small>
===Sales===
In the first week after its release in Britain,{{sfn|Sisario|2006|p=[https://archive.org/details/doolittle0000sisa/page/61 61]}} ''Doolittle'' was number eight on the [[UK Albums Chart]].<ref name="ukcharts" /> In the US, the album entered the Billboard 200 at number 171. With the help of college radio-play of "Monkey Gone to Heaven", it eventually rose to number 98,<ref name="usalbumchart">{{cite magazine | url={{BillboardURLbyName|artist=pixies|chart=Billboard 200}} | title=Pixies Album & Song Chart History| access-date=August 7, 2023 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]}}</ref> spending two weeks in the Top 100.{{sfn|Sisario|2006|pp=[https://archive.org/details/doolittle0000sisa/page/63 63–64]}} ''Doolittle'' sold steadily in America, breaking sales of 100,000 after six months. By early 1992, while the band were supporting [[U2]] on their [[Zoo TV Tour]], the album was selling 1,500 copies per week. By the middle of 1993—two years after the release of the band's last album before their initial breakup, ''[[Trompe le Monde]]''—''Doolittle'' saw sales average 1,200 copies per week.{{sfn|Sisario|2006|p=[https://archive.org/details/doolittle0000sisa/page/69 69]}} ''Doolittle'' was [[RIAA certification|certified]] Gold by the [[Recording Industry Association of America]] in 1995 and Platinum in 2018.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.riaa.com/gp/default.asp | title=RIAA Certification | access-date=March 16, 2007 | author=RIAA | website=[[Recording Industry Association of America]] | author-link=RIAA | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070308084509/http://www.riaa.com/gp/default.asp| archive-date = March 8, 2007}}</ref>

Ten years after their breakup, ''Doolittle'' continued to sell between 500 and 1,000 copies a week, and following their 2004 reunion tour sales reached 1,200 copies per week. At the end of 2005, best estimates put total US sales at between 800,000 and one million copies.{{sfn|Sisario|2006|p=[https://archive.org/details/doolittle0000sisa/page/69 69]}} As of 2015, sales in the United States have exceeded 834,000 copies, according to [[Nielsen SoundScan]].<ref>"{{cite web|date=3 February 2015|url=https://www.capradio.org/41691|title=The Record: Unfinished Business|website=[[CapRadio]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906011705/http://www.capradio.org/41691|archive-date=6 September 2015}}</ref>

A number of singles from ''Doolittle'' were released. In 1997, "Debaser" was released to promote the ''[[Death to the Pixies]]'' compilation.<ref name=Franks2010>{{cite web|last=Franks|first=Alison|date=30 January 2010|url=https://consequence.net/2010/01/dusting-em-off-pixies-doolittle/ |title=Dusting 'Em Off: Pixies – Doolittle|website=[[Consequence (publication)|Consequence]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220921205147/https://consequence.net/2010/01/dusting-em-off-pixies-doolittle/|archive-date=21 September 2022}}</ref>
In June 1989, 4AD released "Here Comes Your Man" as the album's second single. It reached number three on the US [[Alternative Airplay|Modern Rock Tracks]] chart and number 56 in the [[UK Singles Chart]].<ref name="ukcharts" /><ref name="ussinglechart">{{cite magazine|url={{BillboardURLbyName|artist=pixies|chart=Alternative Songs}}|title=Pixies Album & Song Chart History&nbsp;– Alternative Songs|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|access-date=August 7, 2023}}</ref>
On May 6, 2019, "Here Comes Your Man" was certified Gold in Canada; On September 20, 2021, "Hey" was certified Gold in Canada.<ref name="CanadaGoldSingles">{{Cite web|url=https://musiccanada.com/gold-platinum/?_gp_search=Pixies&_gp_certification=gold-single|title=Gold/Platinum|website=[[Music Canada]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220129004247/https://musiccanada.com/gold-platinum/?_gp_search=Pixies&_gp_certification=gold-single|archive-date=29 January 2022}}</ref>

== Legacy ==
{{Music ratings
| title = Retrospective professional ratings
| MC = 100/100<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/doolittle-25/pixies |title=Doolittle 25 by Pixies Reviews and Tracks |website=[[Metacritic]] |access-date=September 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210917040926/https://www.metacritic.com/music/doolittle-25/pixies |archive-date=September 17, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref>
| rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/doolittle-mw0000653196 |title=Doolittle – Pixies |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=June 1, 2013 |last=Phares |first=Heather |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211124000514/https://www.allmusic.com/album/doolittle-mw0000653196 |archive-date=November 24, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref>
| rev2 = ''[[Blender (magazine)|Blender]]''
| rev2score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.blender.com/guide/new/55354/doolittle.html |title=Pixies: Doolittle |magazine=[[Blender (magazine)|Blender]] |volume=7 |issue=11 |date=December 2008 – January 2009 |access-date=October 19, 2015 |last=Dolan |first=Jon |page=86 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090421134630/http://www.blender.com/guide/new/55354/doolittle.html |archive-date=April 21, 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
| rev3 = ''[[The Guardian]]''
| rev3score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/nov/27/pixies-doolittle-25-review |title=Pixies: Doolittle 25 review – alt-rock milestone from US indie's weirdest stars |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date=November 27, 2014 |access-date=April 11, 2022 |last=Petridis |first=Alexis |author-link=Alexis Petridis |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200821073418/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/nov/27/pixies-doolittle-25-review |archive-date=August 21, 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref>
| rev4 = ''[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]''
| rev4score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Animal crackers |magazine=[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]] |issue=254 |date=January 2015 |last=Cameron |first=Keith |page=108}}</ref>
| rev5 = ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]''
| rev5score = 10/10<ref name=Powell2014>{{cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/19282-pixies-catalogue/ |title=Pixies: Catalog |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |date=April 25, 2014 |access-date=April 25, 2014 |last=Powell |first=Mike |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220410013850/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/19282-pixies-catalogue/ |archive-date=April 10, 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref>
| rev6 = ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]''
| rev6score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine |title=The Debasement Tapes |magazine=[[Q (magazine)|Q]] |issue=342 |date=January 2015 |last=Segal |first=Victoria |page=134}}</ref>
| rev7 = ''[[Rolling Stone]]''
| rev7score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref name="Kemp">{{cite magazine |url=http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/pixies/albums/album/220913/review/5946661/doolittle |title=Pixies: Doolittle |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |issue=910 |date=November 28, 2002 |access-date=August 23, 2015 |last=Kemp |first=Mark |author-link=Mark Kemp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071101050926/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/pixies/albums/album/220913/review/5946661/doolittle |archive-date=November 1, 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
| rev8 = ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]''
| rev8score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}{{sfn|Wolk|2004|pp=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/639 639–640]}}
| rev9 = ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]''
| rev9score = A<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NhnqJL2C06oC&pg=PA73 |title=Rock Music: A Pixies Discography |magazine=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]] |volume=20 |issue=9 |date=September 2004 |access-date=April 11, 2022 |last=Milner |first=Greg |page=73}}</ref>
| rev10 = ''[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]''
| rev10score = 10/10<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Pixies: Doolittle 25 |magazine=[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]] |issue=212 |date=January 2015 |last=Richards |first=Sam |page=89}}</ref>
}}

"Doolittle" consistently appears in numerous lists as one of the best albums of the 1980s and of all time.<ref name="acclaimed"/> In 2017, ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]'' ranked it as the fourth best album of the 1980s;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/5882-top-100-albums-of-the-1980s/?page=10|title=Top 100 Albums of the 1980s – Page 10|website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|access-date=January 19, 2017|archive-date=January 16, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170116160728/http://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/5882-top-100-albums-of-the-1980s/?page=10|url-status=live}}</ref> a 2003 poll of ''[[NME]]'' writers ranked ''Doolittle'' as the second-greatest album of all time;<ref name="NME2003">{{cite web |title=Stone Glee! |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/the-stone-roses-235-1374850 |website=NME |date=5 March 2003 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230717233706/https://www.nme.com/news/music/the-stone-roses-235-1374850|archive-date=17 July 2023}}</ref> and
''[[Rolling Stone]]'' placed the album at&nbsp;141 on its 2020 list of "[[Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time]]".<ref name="RS Magazine">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-156826/pixies-doolittle-166723/ |title=500 Greatest Albums of All Time |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=7 August 2023}}</ref>

The album has been recognized as one of the key alternative rock albums of the 1980s. It established the Pixies' loud—quiet dynamic,{{sfn|Sisario|2006|p=[https://archive.org/details/doolittle0000sisa/page/50 50]}} which became highly influential on [[alternative rock]].<ref name=Tryneski2014>{{cite web|last= Tryneski|first=John|url=https://www.popmatters.com/180443-the-top-15-pixies-songs-2495671818.html|title=Loud Quiet Loud: The Top 15 Pixies Songs|website=[[PopMatters]]|date=2 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190501224753/https://www.popmatters.com/180443-the-top-15-pixies-songs-2495671818.html|archive-date=1 May 2019}}</ref><ref name=Edwards2004/> After writing "[[Smells Like Teen Spirit]]", both [[Kurt Cobain]] and [[Krist Novoselic]] of [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]] thought: "this really sounds like the Pixies. People are really going to nail us for this."{{sfn|Azerrad|1993|p=[https://archive.org/details/comeasyouarestor0000azer_w8b2/page/176 176]}} Norton was frequently credited with capturing the album's dynamics and became highly sought after by bands wishing to achieve a similar sound.<ref name="Eskimo Joe Interview">{{cite web | url=http://livenudedann.wordpress.com/2009/06/26/eskimo-joe/ | title=Eskimo Joe interview | access-date=September 10, 2006 | publisher=Buzz Magazine Australia | archive-date=April 30, 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430184808/http://livenudedann.wordpress.com/2009/06/26/eskimo-joe/ | url-status=live }}</ref> Fellow alternative musician [[PJ Harvey]] was "in awe" of "I Bleed" and "Tame", and described Francis's writing as "amazing".{{sfn|Frank|Ganz|2006|p=[https://archive.org/details/foolworldoralhis00fran/page/151 151]}}

A 2002 ''Rolling Stone'' review gave it the maximum score five stars, remarking that it laid the "groundwork for Nineties rock".<ref name="Kemp"/>
The critic Michael Powell called "Doolittle" "their most famous album."<ref name=Powell2014/> It was included in critic Robert Dimer's influential book ''[[1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die]]''.{{sfn|Dimery|Lydon|2010|p= [https://archive.org/details/1001albumsyoumus0000unse_l0q0/page/626 626]}} ''[[PopMatters]]'' included it in their list of the "12 Essential 1980s Alternative Rock Albums" saying, "''Doolittle'', captured the musicians at the top of their game when it was released in 1989."<ref>{{cite web |last=Makowsky |first=Jennifer |url=https://www.popmatters.com/184696-184696-hope-despite-the-times-12-essential-alternative-rock-albums-f-2495629508.html?rebelltpage=2 |title=Hope Despite the Times: 12 Essential Alternative Rock Albums from the 1980s |website=[[PopMatters]] |date=February 11, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180122054617/https://www.popmatters.com/184696-184696-hope-despite-the-times-12-essential-alternative-rock-albums-f-2495629508.html?rebelltpage=2 |access-date=February 11, 2020|archive-date=January 22, 2018 }}</ref>


== Track listing ==
== Track listing ==
All tracks were written by [[Black Francis]], except where noted.
All tracks were written by [[Black Francis]], except where noted.
{{Track listing
{{Track listing
|headline=''Doolittle'' track listing
|title1 = [[Debaser]]
|title1 = [[Debaser]]
|length1 = 2:52
|length1 = 2:52
Line 287: Line 249:
|total_length = 38:38
|total_length = 38:38
}}
}}

== Reissues ==
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the album, 4AD released a deluxe edition titled ''Doolittle 25'', containing unreleased B-sides, demos and two full [[John Peel#Peel sessions|Peel sessions]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://4ad.com/news/494|date=October 16, 2014|title=Pixies: Doolittle 25 Announced, Pre-Order Now|publisher=[[4AD]]|access-date=July 24, 2019|archive-date=July 24, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190724230257/https://4ad.com/news/494|url-status=live}}</ref> On December 9, 2016, a limited [[High Fidelity Pure Audio|Pure Audio Blu-Ray]] version of the album was released containing a 5.1 [[surround sound]] mix of the album by Kevin Vanbergen and a high definition stereo mix by [[Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://4ad.com/news/760|date=November 11, 2016|title=Pixies : Pure Audio Blu-Ray Edition Of Doolittle Out Next Month|publisher= [[4AD]]|access-date=July 24, 2019|archive-date=July 24, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190724225829/https://4ad.com/news/760|url-status=live}}</ref>


=== ''Doolittle 25'' bonus discs ===
=== ''Doolittle 25'' bonus discs ===

;Disc 2 / LP 2 – B-sides & Peel Sessions<ref name="store">{{cite web|url=http://pixies.tmstor.es/cart/product.php?id=19301 |title=Doolittle 25 |access-date=November 1, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141102040258/http://pixies.tmstor.es/cart/product.php?id=19301 |archive-date=November 2, 2014 }}</ref>

All tracks previously released unless otherwise indicated.
All tracks previously released unless otherwise indicated.


{{Track listing
{{Track listing
| headline =
| headline = Disc 2 / LP 2 – B-sides & Peel Sessions
| extra_column = Notes
| extra_column = Notes
| title1 = Dead
| title1 = Dead
| note1 =
| note1 =
| length1 = 3:18
| length1 = 3:18
| extra1 = Peel session, 9 October 1988
| extra1 = Peel session, October 9, 1988
| title2 = Tame
| title2 = Tame
| note2 =
| note2 =
| length2 = 1:58
| length2 = 1:58
| extra2 = Peel session, 9 October 1988; previously unreleased
| extra2 = Peel session, October 9, 1988; previously unreleased
| title3 = There Goes My Gun
| title3 = There Goes My Gun
| note3 =
| note3 =
| length3 = 2:18
| length3 = 2:18
| extra3 = Peel session, 9 October 1988
| extra3 = Peel session, October 9, 1988
| title4 = Manta Ray
| title4 = Manta Ray
| note4 =
| note4 =
| length4 = 1:49
| length4 = 1:49
| extra4 = Peel session, 9 October 1988
| extra4 = Peel session, October 9, 1988
| title5 = Into the White
| title5 = Into the White
| note5 =
| note5 =
| length5 = 4:11
| length5 = 4:11
| extra5 = Peel session, 16 April 1989; previously unreleased
| extra5 = Peel session, April 16, 1989; previously unreleased
| title6 = Wave of Mutilation
| title6 = Wave of Mutilation
| note6 =
| note6 =
| length6 = 2:31
| length6 = 2:31
| extra6 = Peel session, 16 April 1989
| extra6 = Peel session, April 16, 1989
| title7 = Down to the Well
| title7 = Down to the Well
| note7 =
| note7 =
| length7 = 2:14
| length7 = 2:14
| extra7 = Peel session, 16 April 1989
| extra7 = Peel session, April 16, 1989
| title8 = Manta Ray
| title8 = Manta Ray
| note8 =
| note8 =
Line 350: Line 312:
| extra13 = B-side of "Here Comes Your Man"
| extra13 = B-side of "Here Comes Your Man"
}}
}}

;Disc 3 / LP 3 (tracks 1-18) – Demos

All tracks previously unreleased unless otherwise indicated.


{{Track listing
{{Track listing
| headline =
| headline = Disc 3 / LP 3 (tracks 1–18) – Demos
| extra_column = Notes
| extra_column = Notes
| title1 = Debaser
| title1 = Debaser
Line 480: Line 438:
{{album chart|New Zealand|18|artist=Pixies|album=Doolittle|rowheader=true|access-date=September 4, 2022}}
{{album chart|New Zealand|18|artist=Pixies|album=Doolittle|rowheader=true|access-date=September 4, 2022}}
|-
|-
! scope="row" | [[UK Albums Chart|UK Albums]] ([[Official Charts Company|OCC]])<ref name="ukcharts">{{cite web|url=http://www.theofficialcharts.com/artist/_/Pixies/|title=PIXIES&nbsp;– The Official Charts Company|publisher=[[Official Charts Company]]|access-date=April 17, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430020117/http://www.theofficialcharts.com/artist/_/Pixies/|archive-date=April 30, 2011}}</ref>
! scope="row" | [[UK Albums Chart|UK Albums]] ([[Official Charts Company|OCC]])<ref name="ukcharts">{{cite web|url=http://www.theofficialcharts.com/artist/_/Pixies/|title=Pixies&nbsp;– The Official Charts Company|publisher=[[Official Charts Company]]|access-date=April 17, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430020117/http://www.theofficialcharts.com/artist/_/Pixies/|archive-date=April 30, 2011}}</ref>
| align="center" | 8
| align="center" | 8
|-
|-
Line 486: Line 444:
|align="center"| 98
|align="center"| 98
|-
|-
! scope="row" | French Album Chart ([[Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique|SNEP]])<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.infodisc.fr/Albums_ChartRun.php |title=Tous les "Chart Runs" des Albums classés despuis 1985 |publisher=InfoDisc |accessdate=2011-04-17 |language=French |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080820092500/http://www.infodisc.fr/Albums_ChartRun.php |archivedate=2008-08-20 }} Note: The Pixies must be searched manually.</ref>
! scope="row" | French Album Chart ([[Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique|SNEP]])<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.infodisc.fr/Albums_ChartRun.php |title=Tous les "Chart Runs" des Albums classés despuis 1985 |publisher=InfoDisc |accessdate=April 17, 2011 |language=French |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080820092500/http://www.infodisc.fr/Albums_ChartRun.php |archivedate=August 20, 2008 }} Note: The Pixies must be searched manually.</ref>
| align="center" | 66
| align="center" | 66
|}
|}


==Certifications and sales==
==Certifications==
{{certification Table Top}}
{{certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for ''Doolittle''}}
{{certification Table Entry|title=Doolittle|type=album|artist=Pixies|relyear=1989|region=Canada|award=Gold|certyear=2011}}
{{certification Table Entry|title=Doolittle|type=album|artist=Pixies|relyear=1989|region=Canada|award=Gold|certyear=2011|access-date=July 2, 2023}}
{{certification Table Entry|title=Doolittle|type=album|artist=Pixies|relyear=1989|region=France|award=Gold|certyear=1997|access-date=April 16, 2019}}
{{certification Table Entry|title=Doolittle|type=album|artist=Pixies|relyear=1989|region=France|award=Gold|certyear=1997|access-date=April 16, 2019}}
{{certification Table Entry|title=Doolittle|type=album|artist=Pixies|relyear=1989|certyear=2015|region=United Kingdom|award=Platinum|id=1920-1060-2}}
{{certification Table Entry|title=Doolittle|type=album|artist=Pixies|relyear=1989|certyear=2015|region=United Kingdom|award=Platinum|id=1920-1060-2|access-date=July 2, 2023}}
{{certification Table Entry|title=Doolittle|type=album|artist=Pixies|relyear=1989|certyear=2018|region=United States|award=Platinum|access-date=April 16, 2019}}
{{certification Table Entry|title=Doolittle|type=album|artist=Pixies|relyear=1989|certyear=2018|region=United States|award=Platinum|access-date=April 16, 2019}}
{{certification Table Bottom | streaming=true}}
{{certification Table Bottom | streaming=true}}
Line 502: Line 460:
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


=== Works cited ===
=== Sources ===
* {{cite book |last=Azerrad |first= Michael |author-link=Michael Azerrad|title=Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana |url=https://archive.org/details/comeasyouarestor0000azer_w8b2|url-access=registration|publisher= Doubleday |year= 1993 |isbn=0-385-47199-8}}
* Frank, Josh; Ganz, Caryn. ''[[Fool the World: The Oral History of a Band Called Pixies]]''. Virgin Books, 2005. {{ISBN|0-312-34007-9}}.
* {{cite book|first1=Robert |last1=Dimery|first2=Michael |last2=Lydon|title=1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die |edition=Revised and Updated|date=March 23, 2010|publisher=Universe|isbn=978-0-7893-2074-2| url= https://archive.org/details/1001albumsyoumus0000unse_s5b9|url-access=registration}}
* Sisario, Ben. ''Doolittle {{frac|33|1|3}}''. Continuum, 2006. {{ISBN|0-8264-1774-4}}.
* {{cite book |last1=Frank |first1= Josh |last2=Ganz|first2= Caryn |title=Fool the World: The Oral History of a Band Called Pixies |publisher=St. Martin's Griffin |edition=first |year=2006 |isbn=0-312-34007-9|url= https://archive.org/details/foolworldoralhis00fran|url-access=registration}}

* {{cite book |last=Mendelssohn |first=John |author-link=John Mendelsohn (musician)|title= Gigantic: The Story of Frank Black and the Pixies |url=https://archive.org/details/giganticstoryoff0000mend_h2w2|url-access=registration|publisher= Omnibus Press |year=2005 |isbn= 978-1-8444-9490-3}}
== External links ==
* {{cite book |last=Sisario |first= Ben |author-link= Ben Sisario |title= Doolittle 33 1/3 |publisher= Continuum |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-8264-1774-9|url= https://archive.org/details/doolittle0000sisa|url-access=registration}}
{{Wikiquote|Doolittle}}
* {{cite book |chapter=The Pixies |last=Wolk |first=Douglas |author-link=Douglas Wolk |title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide |editor1-last=Brackett |editor1-first=Nathan |editor1-link=Nathan Brackett |editor2-last=Hoard |editor2-first=Christian |editor2-link=Christian Hoard |publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]] |edition=4th |year=2004 |isbn=0-7432-0169-8|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/639|chapter-url-access=registration|pages=639–640}}
<!-- This is a licensed stream for the album, which is allowed under Wikipedia polices -->
* [https://archive.today/20130417083146/http://www.radio3net.ro/dbartists/supersearch/RG9vbGl0dGxl/Doolittle ''Doolittle''] ([[Adobe Flash]]) at [[Radio3Net]] (streamed copy where licensed)
* [http://www.last.fm/music/Pixies/Doolittle ''Doolittle''] at [[Last.fm]]
* [http://www.google.com/musicl?lid=V1ZrbpEE9IP&aid=qe-FXrQD4RF ''Doolittle''] at [[Google Music]]


{{Pixies}}
{{Pixies}}

Revision as of 02:00, 28 August 2023

Doolittle
Studio album by
Pixies
ReleasedApril 17, 1989
RecordedOctober 31 – November 23, 1988
StudioDowntown Recorders (Boston)
GenreAlternative rock
Length38:38
Label
ProducerGil Norton
Pixies chronology
Surfer Rosa
(1988) 		Doolittle
(1989) 		Bossanova
(1990)
Singles from Doolittle
  1. "Monkey Gone to Heaven"
    Released: March 20, 1989
  2. "Here Comes Your Man"
    Released: June 1, 1989
  3. "Debaser"
    Released: July 21, 1997

Doolittle is the second studio album by the American alternative rock band Pixies, released in April 1989 on 4AD. Doolittle was the Pixies' first international release, with Elektra Records as the album's distributor in the United States and PolyGram in Canada. The album's lyrics invoke surrealist imagery, refer to instances of biblical violence, and allude to themes of torture and death.

"Doolittle" has been considered as one of the quintessential albums of the 1980s, and continued to sell consistently since its release. The album itself reached number eight on the UK Albums Chart. It was certified gold in 1995 and Platinum in 2018 by the Recording Industry Association of America. Pixies released two singles from the album: "Here Comes Your Man" and "Monkey Gone to Heaven", both of which reached the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart in the US, while tracks such as "Debaser" and "Hey" remain critical favourites. Numerous music publications have ranked it as one of the top albums of the 1980s, and it has been cited as an inspiration for many alternative rock artists.

Background

Following their 1988 album Surfer Rosa, which was well received in England but not in the United States,[1] the band embarked on a European tour with fellow Bostonians Throwing Muses.[2] In July 1988, versions of the songs that would appear on Doolittle—including "Dead", "Hey", "Tame" and "There Goes My Gun"—were recorded during several sessions for John Peel's radio show in 1988, and "Hey" appeared on a free EP circulated with a 1988 edition of Sounds.[3]

Doolittle's lyrics contain several biblical references—lyricist Black Francis nicknamed the album Whore, in reference the biblical Whore of Babylon.[4]

In mid-1988 the Pixies began to record demo sessions while on breaks from touring. The band headed to the Boston recording studio Eden Sound, located in the basement of a hair salon. They recorded at the studio for a week, similar to the previous year's Purple Tape sessions. Black Francis, the group's frontman and principal songwriter, gave the demo tape and upcoming album the provisional title of Whore, later claiming that he meant it "in the more traditional sense ... the operatic, biblical sense, ... as in the great whore of Babylon".[4] After completing the demo tape, band manager Ken Goes suggested two producers for the album: Liverpudlian Gil Norton and American Ed Stasium. The band had previously worked with Norton while recording the single version of "Gigantic" in May 1988. Francis had no preference. Ivo Watts-Russell, head of the band's label 4AD, chose Norton to produce the next album.[5] Norton arrived in Boston in mid October 1988 and had Francis come over to his temporary apartment to review the album's demos. The two spent two days analyzing the song structures and arrangements. They spent a further two weeks in pre-production while Norton familiarize himself with the Pixies' sound.[6]

Recording and production

Recording sessions for the album began on October 31, 1988, at Downtown Recorders in Boston, Massachusetts, which was at the time a professional 24-track studio. 4AD allotted the Pixies a budget of $40,000 (approximately $103,050 today), excluding producer's fees. This was a modest sum for a 1980s major label album; however, it quadrupled the amount spent on the band's previous album, Surfer Rosa.[7] Along with Norton, two assistant recording engineers and two second assistants were assigned to the project.[8] The sessions lasted three weeks, concluding on November 23.[9]

Production and mixing began on November 28. The band relocated to Carriage House Studios, a residential studio in Stamford, Connecticut, to oversee production and record further tracks. Norton recruited Steven Haigler as mixing engineer, whom he had worked with at Fort Apache Studios.[10] During production, Haigler and Norton added layers of guitars and vocals to songs, including overdubbed guitars on "Debaser" and double tracked vocals on "Wave of Mutilation". During the recordings, Norton advised Francis to alter several songs; a noted example being "There Goes My Gun", which was originally intended as a much faster, Hüsker Dü-style song. At Norton's advice, Francis slowed down the tempo.[11]

Norton's suggestions were not always welcome, and several instances of advice to add verses and increase track length contributed to the Francis's building frustration. Once, he took Norton to a record store and handed him a copy of a Buddy Holly greatest hits album in which most of the songs are around two minutes or three minutes long, justifying why his songs should be kept short.[12] Francis later expressed that Norton was trying to give the band a more commercial sound and Francis wanted to keep it more grunge-like.[11] Production continued until December 12, 1988, with Norton and Haigler adding extra effects, including gated reverb to the mix. The master tapes were then sent for final post-production later that month.[13]

During the recording of Doolittle, tensions between Francis and Deal became visible to band members and the production team. Bickering and standoffs between the two marred the recording sessions and led to increased stress among the band members.[14] John Murphy, Deal's husband at the time, later recalled that, with Doolittle, the band dynamic "went from just all fun to work".[15] Exhaustion from touring and from releasing three records in two years contributed to the friction. The friction between Francis and Deal culminated at the end of the US post-Doolittle "Fuck or Fight" tour, and they did not attend their end-of-tour party.[16] Soon afterwards, the band announced that they were going on hiatus.[17]

Composition

"Debaser"
"Debaser" is the opening track of Doolittle. This sample contains the first chorus and the bridge into the second verse.
"Monkey Gone to Heaven"
"Monkey Gone to Heaven" is the seventh track from Doolittle. This sample contains the end of the second verse and the beginning of the chorus.
Problems playing these files? See media help.

Music

Francis wrote all the material for Doolittle with the exception of "Silver", which he co-wrote with Kim Deal.[18] The album features an eclectic mix of musical styles. "Crackity Jones" has a distinctly Spanish sound, incorporating G♯ and A triads over a C♯ pedal. The song's rhythm guitar, played by Francis, starts with an eighth-note downstroke typical of punk rock.[19] "Tame"'s three chord bass progression is overlaid by Joey Santiago's "Hendrix chord", and pivots on a sudden shift from quiet to loud,[20] a signature Pixie dynamic.[21] In contrast, "Monkey Gone to Heaven" features cellos and violins.[22]

Lyrics

The lyrical themes explore a variety of topics, many of them violent.[3] For example, the first song, "Debaser", references slicing eyes and the final song, "Gouge Away", ends with everyone dying in a crushing collapse.[23] Black Francis often claimed that Doolittle's lyrics were words which just "fit together nicely", and that "the point [of the album] is to experience it, to enjoy it, to be entertained by it".[24]

"Debaser" references surrealism; the lyrics "slicing up eyeballs" refers to Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí's 1929 film Un Chien Andalou.[25] Surrealism influenced Francis in his college years and throughout his career with the Pixies. Describing its influence on his songwriting method, he said "I got into avant-garde movies and Surrealism as an escape from reality. ... To me, Surrealism is totally artificial. I recently read an interview with the director David Lynch who said he had ideas and images but that he didn't know exactly what they meant. That's how I write."[26]

"Monkey Gone to Heaven" describes the human-caused environmental catastrophe in the ocean,[22] As Francis put it: "On one hand, it's this big organic toilet. Things get flushed and repurified or decomposed and it's this big, dark, mysterious place. It's also a very mythological place where there are octopus's gardens, the Bermuda Triangle, Atlantis, and mermaids." The song's lyrics question humanity's place in the universe. [27] The following song, "Mr. Grieves" takes the theme of destruction further, suggesting the human race it doomed to extinction.[28] Francis described "Wave of Mutilation" as being about "Japanese businessmen doing murder-suicides with their families because they'd failed in business, and they're driving off a pier into the ocean."[29] Themes of the sea and drowning also feature in "Mr. Grieves" and "Monkey Gone to Heaven".[30]

Two songs on Doolittle are based on stories of sex and death in the Old Testament:[31] the story of David and Bathsheba in "Dead", and Samson and Delilah in "Gouge Away".[32] Francis' fascination with Biblical themes can be traced back to his teenage years; when he was twelve, he and his parents joined an evangelical church linked to the Assemblies of God. The themes also influenced the lyrics of "Monkey Gone to Heaven", the Devil being "six" and God being "seven".[22]

The lyrics in "Crackity Jones" alludes to Francis' roommate during his student exchange trip to San Juan, Puerto Rico, whom he described as a "weird psycho gay roommate".[33] "La La Love You", which was sung by the band's drummer David Lovering, is seen as a satire of love songs.[34] Its tongue-in-cheek vocal style and simplistic lyrics (including the line "first base, second base, third base, home run") were a crude joke about sex.[35] Francis asked Lovering to provide vocals so it would be "a Ringo thing". Lovering initially refused, but according to Norton Francis was soon unable to "get him away from the microphone".[36]

Artwork and title

"As Loud As Hell" by Simon Larbalestier, from the Doolittle booklet. The image alludes to lyrics in "I Bleed".

The artwork was designed by photographer Simon Larbalestier and graphic artist Vaughan Oliver who had worked on the Pixies' previous albums, Come on Pilgrim and Surfer Rosa.[37] Larbalestier stated Doolittle was the first album where he and Oliver had access to the lyrics, which according to Larbalestier "made a fundamental difference", and he, like Francis, was interested in early surrealism.[38]

The artwork was designed by photographer Simon Larbalestier and graphic artist Vaughan Oliver who had worked on the Pixies' previous albums, Come on Pilgrim and Surfer Rosa.[37] Larbalestier stated Doolittle was the first album where he and Oliver had access to the lyrics, which "made a fundamental difference"[38] Larbalestier said that both Oliver and Francis supported the dark, macabre, and surreal images to illustrate the album. These were photographs constructed by juxtaposing two principle elements, such as a bell and teeth. Images included: Monkey Gone to Heaven, with a monkey and halo; "Tame", with a pelvic bone and stiletto; "Gouge Away", a spoon containing hair laid across a woman's torso.[39]

Around the time Oliver decided to portray a monkey and halo for the cover art, Francis discarded the working title Whore for the album. He later explained that he "thought people were going to think I was some kind of anti-Catholic or that I'd been raised Catholic and trying to get into this Catholic naughty-boy stuff. ... A monkey with a halo, calling it Whore, that would bring all kinds of shit that wouldn't be true. So I said I'd change the title."[9]

Release

In Fall 1988, Elektra Records began to take interest in the Pixies, and amid a bidding war, signed the band.[40] Elektra then began to negotiate with the Pixies' British label 4AD, which held their worldwide distribution rights, and released a promotional live album containing the album tracks "Debaser" and "Gouge Away" along with a selection of earlier material.[3] Two weeks before Doolittle released on April 2, 1989, Elektra and 4AD closed a deal that gave Elektra distribution rights in the US. By that time, PolyGram had already secured Canadian distribution rights.[41]

Doolittle was released in the United Kingdom on April 17, 1989, and in the US the following day. Elektra's major label status helped get retail displays for the record put up across the United States. Elektra also got "Monkey Gone to Heaven", the first single from the album, sent to major radio stations.[42]

Critical reception

Contemporary professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Chicago Tribune[43]
Los Angeles Times[44]
NME10/10[45]
Q[46]
Record Mirror4/5[47]
Rolling Stone[48]
Sounds[49]
The Village VoiceB+[50]

When Doolittle was released, it was received positively by many critics,[25] NME critic Edwin Pouncey wrote that "the songs on Doolittle have the power to make you literally jump out of your skin with excitement". He singled out "Debaser" as one of the highlights, describing it as "blessed with the kind of beefy bass hook that originally brought "Gigantic" to life".[51] Q critic Peter Kane wrote that the album's "carefully structured noise and straightforward rhythmic insistence makes perfect sense".[52] Robert Christgau of The Village Voice wrote, "They're in love and they don't know why—with rock and roll, which is heartening in a time when so many college dropouts have lost touch with the verities". However, he concluded that "getting famous too fast could ruin them", while suggesting the lyrics reflect somewhat of a disconnection with "the outside world".[50]

Some reviewers were more critical. Spin ran a hundred-word review of the album, with critic Joe Levy finding "the insanity less surreal and more silly, and the songs themselves more like songs and less like adventures". Rolling Stone published "a tentative endorsement" of Doolittle, rating it three and a half stars;[53] reviewer Chris Mundy concluded, "The emphasis on more textured production has in no way taken away from the band's intensity. Francis is at all times in command of the album, quietly stringing us along before turning on us and screaming for attention."[48]

Doolittle appeared on several end-of-year "Best Album" lists. Both Rolling Stone and The Village Voice placed the album tenth, and independent music magazines Sounds and Melody Maker both ranked the album as the second-best of the year.[54] NME ranked the album fourth in their end-of-year list.[55]

Accolades for Doolittle
Publication Country Accolade Year Rank
Hot Press Ireland Top 100 Albums[56] 2006 34
NME UK 100 Best Albums[57] 2003 2
Pitchfork US Top 100 Albums of the 1980s[58] 2002 4
Rolling Stone United States The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time[59] 2003 226
2012 227
2020 141
Spin US 100 Greatest Albums, 1985–2005[60] 2005 36
Slant Magazine US Best Albums of the 1980s[61] 2012 34

Sales

In the first week after its release in Britain,[42] Doolittle was number eight on the UK Albums Chart.[62] In the US, the album entered the Billboard 200 at number 171. With the help of college radio-play of "Monkey Gone to Heaven", it eventually rose to number 98,[63] spending two weeks in the Top 100.[64] Doolittle sold steadily in America, breaking sales of 100,000 after six months. By early 1992, while the band were supporting U2 on their Zoo TV Tour, the album was selling 1,500 copies per week. By the middle of 1993—two years after the release of the band's last album before their initial breakup, Trompe le Monde—Doolittle saw sales average 1,200 copies per week.[65] Doolittle was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America in 1995 and Platinum in 2018.[66]

Ten years after their breakup, Doolittle continued to sell between 500 and 1,000 copies a week, and following their 2004 reunion tour sales reached 1,200 copies per week. At the end of 2005, best estimates put total US sales at between 800,000 and one million copies.[65] As of 2015, sales in the United States have exceeded 834,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.[67]

A number of singles from Doolittle were released. In 1997, "Debaser" was released to promote the Death to the Pixies compilation.[68] In June 1989, 4AD released "Here Comes Your Man" as the album's second single. It reached number three on the US Modern Rock Tracks chart and number 56 in the UK Singles Chart.[62][69] On May 6, 2019, "Here Comes Your Man" was certified Gold in Canada; On September 20, 2021, "Hey" was certified Gold in Canada.[70]

Legacy

Retrospective professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic100/100[71]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[72]
Blender[73]
The Guardian[74]
Mojo[75]
Pitchfork10/10[76]
Q[77]
Rolling Stone[78]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[79]
SpinA[80]
Uncut10/10[81]

"Doolittle" consistently appears in numerous lists as one of the best albums of the 1980s and of all time.[54] In 2017, Pitchfork ranked it as the fourth best album of the 1980s;[82] a 2003 poll of NME writers ranked Doolittle as the second-greatest album of all time;[57] and Rolling Stone placed the album at 141 on its 2020 list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time".[83]

The album has been recognized as one of the key alternative rock albums of the 1980s. It established the Pixies' loud—quiet dynamic,[84] which became highly influential on alternative rock.[85][21] After writing "Smells Like Teen Spirit", both Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic of Nirvana thought: "this really sounds like the Pixies. People are really going to nail us for this."[86] Norton was frequently credited with capturing the album's dynamics and became highly sought after by bands wishing to achieve a similar sound.[87] Fellow alternative musician PJ Harvey was "in awe" of "I Bleed" and "Tame", and described Francis's writing as "amazing".[88]

A 2002 Rolling Stone review gave it the maximum score five stars, remarking that it laid the "groundwork for Nineties rock".[78] The critic Michael Powell called "Doolittle" "their most famous album."[76] It was included in critic Robert Dimer's influential book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[89] PopMatters included it in their list of the "12 Essential 1980s Alternative Rock Albums" saying, "Doolittle, captured the musicians at the top of their game when it was released in 1989."[90]

Track listing

All tracks were written by Black Francis, except where noted.

Doolittle track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Debaser" 2:52
2."Tame" 1:55
3."Wave of Mutilation" 2:04
4."I Bleed" 2:34
5."Here Comes Your Man" 3:21
6."Dead" 2:21
7."Monkey Gone to Heaven" 2:56
8."Mr. Grieves" 2:05
9."Crackity Jones" 1:24
10."La La Love You" 2:43
11."No. 13 Baby" 3:51
12."There Goes My Gun" 1:49
13."Hey" 3:31
14."Silver"
2:25
15."Gouge Away" 2:45
Total length:38:38

Reissues

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the album, 4AD released a deluxe edition titled Doolittle 25, containing unreleased B-sides, demos and two full Peel sessions.[91] On December 9, 2016, a limited Pure Audio Blu-Ray version of the album was released containing a 5.1 surround sound mix of the album by Kevin Vanbergen and a high definition stereo mix by Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab.[92]

Doolittle 25 bonus discs

All tracks previously released unless otherwise indicated.

Disc 2 / LP 2 – B-sides & Peel Sessions
No.TitleNotesLength
1."Dead"Peel session, October 9, 19883:18
2."Tame"Peel session, October 9, 1988; previously unreleased1:58
3."There Goes My Gun"Peel session, October 9, 19882:18
4."Manta Ray"Peel session, October 9, 19881:49
5."Into the White"Peel session, April 16, 1989; previously unreleased4:11
6."Wave of Mutilation"Peel session, April 16, 19892:31
7."Down to the Well"Peel session, April 16, 19892:14
8."Manta Ray"B-side of "Monkey Gone to Heaven"2:04
9."Weird at My School"B-side of "Monkey Gone to Heaven"1:58
10."Dancing the Manta Ray"B-side of "Monkey Gone to Heaven"2:14
11."Wave of Mutilation (UK Surf)"B-side of "Here Comes Your Man"3:02
12."Into the White"B-side of "Here Comes Your Man"4:43
13."Bailey's Walk"B-side of "Here Comes Your Man"2:24
Disc 3 / LP 3 (tracks 1–18) – Demos
No.TitleNotesLength
1."Debaser"Previously released3:00
2."Tame" 2:01
3."Wave of Mutilation"First demo2:04
4."I Bleed" 1:46
5."Here Comes Your Man"1986 demo; previously released3:07
6."Dead" 1:35
7."Monkey Gone to Heaven" 2:52
8."Mr. Grieves" 1:42
9."Crackity Jones" 1:21
10."La La Love You" 2:08
11."No. 13 Baby – VIVA LA LOMA RICA"First demo2:17
12."There Goes My Gun" 1:29
13."Hey"First demo3:22
14."Silver" 2:11
15."Gouge Away" 1:42
16."My Manta Ray Is All Right" 2:03
17."Santo"Previously released as B-side of "Dig for Fire"2:17
18."Weird at My School"First demo1:53
19."Wave of Mutilation" 1:03
20."No. 13 Baby"Previously released3:07
21."Debaser"First demo3:37
22."Gouge Away"First demo2:08

Personnel

Pixies

Additional musicians

  • Karen Karlsrud – violin ("Monkey Gone to Heaven")
  • Corine Metter – violin ("Monkey Gone to Heaven")
  • Arthur Fiacco – cello ("Monkey Gone to Heaven")
  • Ann Rorich – cello ("Monkey Gone to Heaven")

Technical

  • Gil Norton – producer, engineer
  • Dave Snider – assistant engineer
  • Matt Lane – assistant engineer
  • Steve Haigler – mixing
  • Vaughan Oliver – art direction, design
  • Simon Larbalestier – photography
  • Chris Bigg – calligraphy

Charts

Chart performance for Doolittle
Chart (1989) Peak
position
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[93] 53
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[94] 18
UK Albums (OCC)[62] 8
US Billboard 200[63] 98
French Album Chart (SNEP)[95] 66

Certifications

Certifications for Doolittle
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[96] Gold 50,000^
France (SNEP)[97] Gold 100,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[98] Platinum 300,000*
United States (RIAA)[99] Platinum 1,000,000‡

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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