I bought this album as my introduction to the Pixies. It's been said that it's a bit of a waste of money compared to Doolittle or Surfer Rosa, because in the end you'll probably buy both of the above albums anyway. That's true to a point - I certainly did buy both, not long after buying this compilation, wasting the early half or so of the CD - but I'm still glad I bought it.

The nice part of this album is that it's set up a bit linearly stylisticly, unlike many "greatest hits" shufflings of tunes - it starts with a Come On Pilgrim/Surfer Rosa taste, then melds Doolittle into it, eventually moving on to Bossanova and beyond. Because the Pixies albums were distinct to the fine ear, after a few listens, you can get a good sample of what each album is about, and you can even hear the band's growth from from one style to the next. Listening to this CD, for example, I found that I loved the Surfer Rosa and Come On Pilgrim, liked the Doolittle, and didn't care for the rest of it. I bought the CDs according to this and have yet to be let down.

So for any neophyte, I'd recommend it as a first album - find out which parts you like most and hone in on them.

Pixies is easily one of the most influencial bands in modern rock that is relatively unknown. This album is great for anyone new to the band to start listening and start loving. I recommend buying their full albums, but if you don't know much about them, then get this album. Great compilation, a must have.

"Where is My Mind?" BEST. SONG. EVER. But that's just my opinion, see for yourself. When I heard this song playing at the end credits of the movie "Fight Club", I nearly juped outta my seat. It's an awesome song and perfect for that ending.

If you are familiar with the Pixies catchy, diverse, crazy-rock sound then you would most likely agree that every album they ever put out was exceptional and a worthy addition to your music collection. There are just too many good songs by these guys to even attempt making a best of collection. Songs not included like 'Motorway to Roswell', 'Is She Weird', and 'Subbacultcha' are some of the best songs they wrote - without these songs and many others, you cannot have a complete collection of the Pixies best.

The 5 star rating is for the music that is on this album, not the album itself. If you insist on buying this best of album then you will only realize how great this band is and end up buying their whole collection anyhow.

RECOMMENDATION: If you are not familiar with the Pixies it would be better to start by buying either 'Bossanova' (my personal favorite), 'Trompe Le Monde' (my next favorite), or 'Doolittle' (their most popular).

I thought about buying this one, but then I remembered -- I own it already. A decade ago they called it "Death to the Pixies." The DVD is interesting though.

Death to the Pixies, on the other hand, is a dual-disc set: one being a good mix of Pixies sounds, the other being a live show. Buy that one. It makes more sense.

This is in no way a criticism of the group - one of the best rock bands ever - or this compilation - which is actually a decent representation of the group. My only thought is that with only 5 albums and a bigger official collection/live album out already, someone ready for the Pixies experience should just spring for all their studio albums. Start with "Doolittle" or "Surfer Rosa" and then get the rest. But if you only want 1 Pixies album, this is a good one to own.