The original title for the Pixies classic 1989 record “Doolittle” was “Whore,” discarded during the recording sessions because Black Francis wanted to avoid any sort of specific anti-religious imagery or interpretation of the material. Compelling to consider how different the perception of the album would’ve been to this day if Francis had kept the initial name rather than changing it to a reference to a throwaway lyric from one of its songs. “Doolittle” has often been cited as one of the more influential rock albums ever made, and rightly so—the record, stuffed with an assortment of genres ranging from punk, to art-rock, to college alt-rock, inspired the commercial grunge movement and later, in the 2000s, gave the post-punk kids something to name-check alongside Joy Division and Wire. The band broke up in 1992 only to resurface again in 2005 with a string of shows that included five straight at the Aragon, plus an appearance at Lollapalooza. No new material yet, but the reformed four-piece has set out in honor of “Doolittle”‘s twentieth anniversary, playing the record in entirety, plus some b-sides and a handful of songs from other albums. Personally, “Doolittle” remains a top-ten record for me, hanging with “Loveless,” “Small Change” and “The Bends,” so at least one of these shows is a must-attend. (Tom Lynch)
Pixies play November 19-21 at Aragon, 1106 W. Lawrence, (773)561-9500, at 7:30pm. $47.50.
Cooling It: A Preview of Colleen Green at Cole’s Bar When Green strums power chords or chiming notes on top of her backing track, you might think you’re at Ramones karaoke night and Madonna is taking her turn.
Brutal Finesse: A Preview of King Crimson at Ravinia There have been few new compositions from King Crimson these past two decades, but the live arrangements of songs from its catalog are often strikingly different than the recorded versions.
For “Want” of a Change: A Preview of Rufus Wainwright at Ravinia Park Rufus Wainwright isn’t the first singer-songwriter to reinterpret earlier work through an orchestral lens. And much of Wainwright’s third and fourth albums, “Want One” and “Want Two”—whose twentieth anniversaries are the prompt for this new tour—is fully scored. But when Wainwright hits the Pavilion stage at Ravinia tonight, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra will be behind him.
Whisperin' for Some Reason: A Preview of Ian Sweet at Empty Bottle Angeleno Jilian Medford produces a lo-fi indie-rock sound that could acutely score a mid-2000s Michael Cera film but still feels postmodern. Melancholic but defiant, her lyricism coupled with simple and elegant guitar progressions provides for the addicting kind of pop to sway awkwardly to.
Can’t-Miss Music Events (Fall Arts Preview 2023) This fall we get new albums and tours from iconic acts like Wilco and Kurt Elling, plus a Corrine Bailey Rae project inspired by Theaster Gates' Stony Island Arts Bank.
