The Pixies were initially a well-received alternative rock band in the late ‘80s, an era when their commercial prospects were fairly limited. But the band members believed in their music’s intrinsic value and their audience members, who seemingly memorized every word. Doolittle is their second studio album, and while it's more accessible than Surfer Rosa, it was still considered quite weird to mainstream audiences not yet primed by Nirvana. These multiple Peel Sessions, b-sides, and demos provide a close-up to the band’s processes as they sculpt the album into shape. Rawness, however, is a virtue for alt-rock bands, and live performances often tell the real tale.