Frank Black Francis
by Frank Black
  • Record Label: Spin Art
  • Release Date: Oct 12, 2004
Metascore
69

Generally favorable reviews - based on 19 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 19
  3. Negative: 0 out of 19
  1. Delusions of Adequacy
    60
    Overall, what could have been yet another cash-cow milker actually turns out to be a curious and compelling piece of therapy for Frank Black as a writer and performer.
  2. Junkmedia
    60
    [Disc 1 is] a revealing, if not quite essential, portrait of the artist.... [Disc 2 is] an inventive, rewarding look at the Pixies esteemed catalogue.
  3. Paste Magazine
    60
    Unfortunately, disc two’s cache of amorphous, New Age-y, re-recorded Pixies standards falls flat.
  5. Tiny Mix Tapes
    60
    The one thing the demo and the remix have in common is they both put Francis' voice in a more prominent position than on the Pixies albums, and that is certainly not a bad thing.
  6. Under The Radar
    60
    It is fun to hear the songs re-imagined [on Disc 2], no doubt, but the first disc is sketches of invention with the seedlings of genius. [average of scores of 7 for Disc 1 and 5 for Disc 2; #8, p.108]
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  7. Spin
    58
    These reimaginings... unlock some interesting textures suggested by [Black's] still-scratchy vocals. [Dec 2004, p.118]
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  8. cokemachineglow
    56
    [Disc 1] is fantastic and worth the price of admission in and of itself.... Sadly, the results [on disc 2] sound more like the soundtrack to a bad '80s cop movie than appropriate or even interesting re-takes of some of the best pop songs ever penned.
  9. Stylus Magazine
    50
    File under: very bad ideas.
  10. Q Magazine
    40
    If anything, [Disc 2] is the real rip-off, as unsuspecting buyers will be shellshocked by these FX-laden, space-ambient settings. [Dec 2004, p.135]
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  11. Blender
    40
    Hearing "Cactus" and "Subbacultcha" transformed into droning ambient jazz is upsetting, yet somehow perfect for this listen-once-and-destroy disc. [Dec 2004, p.134]
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User Reviews

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User Score
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No user score yet- Awaiting 1 more rating

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 3
  3. Negative: 0 out of 3
  1. Ricko
    Jan 5, 2012
    8
    A sure sign of the quality of these songs that they still sound good after Frank Black's revisiting here. On the remix disk, one would haveA sure sign of the quality of these songs that they still sound good after Frank Black's revisiting here. On the remix disk, one would have thought any tampering with this material would have been ill advised, but while I'd take the originals every time, this take on things is enjoyable for old fans. It does take a good few listens to get into and I wasn't sure about this at all in the beginning but like it now. The demo disk is more of a rock music history document than anything else and again, for hardcore fans is a treat.… Full Review »
  2. MoneyB
    Apr 21, 2005
    9
    Great Album! I don't get the low ratings. A must buy for true pixies fans. Only song that was not so great - planet of sound on disc 2.
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