Pixies 'Surfer Rosa' 4AD CAD 803 A1/B1 UK 1st rough cover + inner 1988

	£		100
	$		133

Pixies 'Surfer Rosa' 4AD CAD 803 UK 1st press Vinyl, LP, housed in a light card inner liner, and released, in a rough cover, in March 1988.
The vinyl appears to have been lightly played and is in great shape. It played through beautifully on my stereo - no stick or skip. It is housed in its original printed, gold inner sleeve, which has some ring-wear, but which is otherwise in good condition, with no rips or writing. Similarly, the 'rough cover' is a little grubby from use, but it is, otherwise in good shape - again, no rips or writing. The spine is intact and legible. Matrix / Runout Side One : CAD 803 A1 MPO JA WITH AN 'F' Matrix / Runout Side Two : CAD 803 B1 JA NUDISM MPO
'Surfer Rosa' is the debut studio album by the American alternative rock band Pixies, released in March 1988 on the British label 4AD. It was produced by Steve Albini. 'Surfer Rosa' contains many of the elements of the Pixies' earlier output, including Spanish lyrics and references to Puerto Rico. It includes references to mutilation and voyeurism alongside experimental recording techniques and a distinctive drum sound.
As 4AD was an independent label, distribution in the United States was handled by British label Rough Trade Records; however, it failed to chart in either country. Only one single was released, a rerecorded version of "Gigantic", and reached number 93 on the UK Singles Chart. 'Surfer Rosa' was rereleased in the US by Elektra Records in 1992, and in 2005 was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.
'Surfer Rosa' was released in the UK by 4AD on March 21, 1988, entering the UK Indie Chart the following week. It spent 60 weeks in the chart, peaking at number 2. Until August of that year it was only available in the US as an import. Although the label held worldwide distribution rights to Pixies, they did not have access to a distributor outside the UK. When 4AD signed a distribution deal with Rough Trade's US branch, the album was released on vinyl and cassette as part of the 'Surfer Rosa/Come On Pilgrim' release.
'Surfer Rosa''s cover artwork features a photograph of Isabel Tamen, a Portuguese dancer and friend of photographer Simon Larbalestier, posing topless as a flamenco dancer against a wall displaying a crucifix and a torn poster for the 1983 Spanish film Carmen. Larbalestier, who contributed pictures to all Pixies album sleeves, decided to build the set because "we couldn't find the atmosphere we wanted naturally." According to Larbalestier, Black Francis came up with the idea for the cover as he wrote songs in his father's "topless Spanish bar"; Larbalestier added the crucifix and torn poster, and they "sort of loaded that with all the Catholicism."
UK music press reviews of 'Surfer Rosa' were generally positive. Q's Ian Cranna wrote that "what sets the Pixies apart are their sudden bursts of memorable pop melody," and noted that "they could have a bright future ahead of them." NME's Mark Sinker, reviewing the album in March 1988, said "they force the past to sound like them", while Dave Henderson from Underground magazine found the songs "well crafted, well delivered sketches which embrace commercial ideals as well as bizarre left-field out of control moments". John Dougan of American music magazine Spin described it as "beautifully brutal", and the magazine later named Pixies their musicians of the year. In a less enthusiastic contemporary review for The Village Voice, Robert Christgau found the band's guitar riffs recognizable and their strong rhythms unique, but felt they had been overrated by critics who hailed them as "the Amerindie find of the year". In a 2003 review of the Pixies' 2002 self-titled EP, Christgau wrote that while he initially found Francis' fey and philosophically limited lyrics somewhat annoying, Surfer Rosa now seemed "audaciously funny and musically prophetic".
Both Surfer Rosa and Steve Albini's production of the album have been influential on alternative rock, and on grunge in particular. Nirvana's Kurt Cobain cited 'Surfer Rosa' as the basis for Nevermind's songwriting. When he first heard the album, Cobain discovered a template for the mix of heavy noise and pop he was aiming to achieve. He remarked in 1992 that he "heard songs off of Surfer Rosa that I'd written but threw out because I was too afraid to play them for anybody." Cobain listed 'Surfer Rosa' as one of the top 50 albums he thought were most influential to Nirvana's sound in his journal in 1993. Cobain hired Albini to produce Nirvana's 1993 album 'In Utero', primarily due to his contribution to 'Surfer Rosa'.
The Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan described 'Surfer Rosa' as "the one that made me go, 'holy shit'. It was so fresh. It rocked without being lame." Corgan was impressed by the album's drum sound, and acknowledged that the Smashing Pumpkins used to study the record for its technical elements. Nada Surf have also cited the album as an influence. Musician PJ Harvey said that 'Surfer Rosa' "blew my mind," and that she "immediately went to track down Steve Albini." Dinosaur Jr.'s J Mascis, comparing the record to the later Pixies albums 'Bossanova' and 'Trompe le Monde', said he thought that Albini's production "sounded way better than the other ones".
Ivo Watts-Russell recalled: "I remember when I first heard Surfer Rosa thinking, 'I didn't know the Pixies could sound like The Fall.' That was my immediate reaction, in other words, incredibly raw." Gary Smith, who at the time was in a disagreement with the band, admitted he "was really happy that they had made such a forceful, aggressive, record."