When most bands send out demos, they include three or, at most, four songs. The Pixies crammed 17 onto theirs and eight of those tracks became their debut, Come On Pilgrim. 

 Steve Albini, not yet an alt-rock household name, recorded the unstoppable Surfer Rosa, honing the Pixies' sound to scalpel sharpness. The songs are harder and, in places, more fragmented than Pilgrim's, but incredible tunes poke out. 

 The first half of Doolittle is an alt-rock landmark, years ahead of its time and a model for later bands, so it's a shame that the second half falls off. But for 20 minutes, the Pixies can do no wrong. 

 Bossanova is a serious stumble, with inappropriately bombastic production and songwriting that suggests the Pixies had finally started listening to their college-rock contemporaries (not a good thing). 

 The band's farewell, Trompe le Monde, on the other hand, rocks–not the kamikaze punk-rock attack of Surfer Rosa but Francis and Santiago pull out one massive guitar blast after another. 

 Death to the Pixies collects a disc's worth of singles and album tracks, which lose something out of context, and appends a fairly dull live set from 1990. 

 When most bands send out demos, they include three or, at most, four songs. The Pixies crammed 17 onto their legendary Purple Tape. 

 That year the Pixies mounted a comeback tour and played the Coachella Festival; Live in Minneapolis showed they hadn't lost a step. The group wanted to capitalize on their momentum with a new studio disc, but Deal vetoed the plan. 

 Released to cash in on the band's 2004 reunion, Wave of Mutilation improves on the earlier best-of a bit–the almost-chronological approach serves it better, and the B side "Into the White" is an inspired inclusion.  

 In 2009 they launched a Doolittle 20th anniversary tour and released Minotaur, a gigantic five-CD, six Blu-Ray, six DVD collection that comes with a 54 page book. At $230.49, this gorgeous set is obviously for extreme hardcore fans.