Come On Pilgrim is the debut EP by the Pixies, released on September 28, 1987, on 4AD. Produced by Gary Smith, the release consists of eight tracks from a seventeen-song recording session that the band had recorded at Fort Apache Studios in March 1987.
Signing the band based on the quality of the recordings, 4AD founder Ivo Watts-Russell whittled its track-listing down to eight songs, remixing them to become Come On Pilgrim. The remaining nine songs were subsequently released in 2002 as Pixies.
The title of the album is derived from “Watch What You’re Doing“, a song by Christian rock singer Larry Norman, that includes the line, “C’mon pilgrim, you know He loves you”, which the Pixies quote in the song “Levitate Me“. Of Norman, Francis said:
“When I was 14 I really dug him. I dressed like him, I looked like him, he was my total idol.”
The artwork was conceived by Vaughan Oliver, with photography from Simon Larbalestier. The man in the “hair shirt” on the cover was a friend of Larbalestier‘s and the photograph was from a series of work Larbalestier was making based on The Temptation of Saint Anthony by Gustave Flaubert.
Come On Pilgrim showcased much of Pixies‘ variety and set up the beginnings of many trends in their music. It displayed Joey Santiago‘s innovative guitar leads, Kim Deal‘s sunny vocal harmonies, and Black Francis‘s vocal range, which varied from screaming to traditionally-sung melodies. A version of the song Vamos would appear on Pixies‘ next two releases: re-recorded with Steve Albini for their first full-length album, Surfer Rosa, and as a live B-side on their first single, Gigantic.
Reflecting on Come On Pilgrim in 2022, Black Francis noted:
“I was listening to Murmur by R.E.M. a lot just before Come on Pilgrim and that was hugely influential on me as a songwriter. I’m going to be cocky and say: we were even better than Murmur.”
Tracklist:
- Caribou
- Vamos
- Isla De Encanta
- Ed Is Dead
- The Holiday Song
- Nimrod’s Son
- I’ve Been Tired
- Levitate Me
Pixies
Black Francis: vocals, guitars
David Lovering: drums
Kim Deal: bass guitar, vocals (credited as “Mrs. John Murphy”)
Joey Santiago: lead guitars
Technical
Gary Smith: producer
Paul Q. Kolderie: engineer
Vaughan Oliver: art direction, design
Simon Larbalestier: photography
Jack Adams: mastering
