Bizarre as it was for such a seemingly anti-rock & roll band as Big Black to release a posthumous live record, it was even more odd that they would release a video. (Both were issued in the same year of Touch & Go's reissue campaign.) In the video companion piece to the audio recording, the quartet (don't forget Roland) rolls out the hits with great effort, giving those who never saw the band in person a fine approximation of a Big Black show, replete with incidental jokes that provide breathers from the live action. This was definitely a different band to watch, remarkable for the odd way Steve Albini and Santiago Durango strapped their guitars around their waists and the bizarre stares Durango would give the crowd. All the while, bassist Dave Riley stands around like a tired factory worker who would like to punch out and proceed to the bar. It's a wonder Albini can get anything out vocally, given the mad way he handles his wares. Viewers are also treated to some fireworks displays, with Albini demonstrating his prowess with all things flammable and capable of generating noise. One can only guess what it must have been like to be a neighborhood chum of Albini during his youth, let alone having to spend time in a studio with this cantankerous individual. The video quality is fine and vivid, carrying a suitable grainy quality. Throughout, an anti-vivisectionist flicks red paint onto the front man, which seems to add more energy to his performance in the manner of Popeye's spinach consumption. A bonus missing from the audio-only version is a half-successful encore of Wire's 'Heartbeat,' including the addition of that band's Graham Lewis and Bruce Gilbert, whose group was headlining that night. As a further bonus, the Pigpile video includes a clear 5' 45 of the boys' faithful rendition of the Mary Jane Girls' 'In My House.'
(aka Talk About Fucking) (Blast First! UK) Big Black - Songs About Fucking - (1987) Big Black - Pigpile - MC/CD/VHS (1992) edit 1985-1989.