This is the third installment of "Highlights from My Vinyl Collection," an appreciation of great music, not necessarily rare finds or expensive imports. This is not about "deleted Smiths singles and original, not rereleased - underlined - Frank Zappa albums," as Rob Gordon so eloquently put it, though a small select gems might appear every now and again.
Let's face it, I've had a musical crush on Kim Deal since "Gigantic." When Kim and sister Kelley formed The Breeders and released Pod, I didn't think life could get any better. Last Splash became their breakthrough, and perhaps sealed their doom. How? I don't know, but after that album, they wouldn't release another one for another nine years...sort of. You see, they released a single / EP (depends on how you define it, I suppose) in 1994 called Head to Toe, a gem of a little single that I just had to pick up, you guessed it, when it came out back in 1994. At the time, I don't think I even had access to a record player, but I just couldn't resist the lime green vinyl and the promise of covers of both Guided by Voices and Sebadoh. J Mascis produced the EP, which is extraordinary considering the Sebadoh song, "Freed Pig" is a musical slam against him. It is rumored that during recording, he didn't recognize the track once the Breeders started playing it, but that's an apocryphal story. The one original single, the title track, is probably the most "garage" that the Breeders ever got. Super fast lo-fi guitar chords and driving drums power this song along, and is highlighted by a shouty chorus of "Your face! Looks good! To me!" It can be argued that the guys in GBV and Lou Barlow are such good songwriters that it would be tough to screw up their songs, but the Breeders certainly do them more justice than I could have at first guessed. "Freed Pig," in particular, is brilliant, with Deal adding a bit of sultry slink to the vitriolic lyrics. Though I love Frank Black, especially his first two solo albums, and dug the Amps, the Breeders were the post-Pixies band for me, and I'm glad I have this little gem of a single.
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