Album · 35 years old this year
Trompe le Monde
Trompe le Monde, French for "Fool the World", is the fourth studio album by the American alternative rock band Pixies, released on 23 September 1991 on 4AD. It was recorded in Burbank, California, Paris and London, with Gil Norton producing.
It closes the first chapter of the Pixies story. Coming after Surfer Rosa, Doolittle and Bossanova, it was the last studio album before the band split two years later, and the final one to feature founding bassist Kim Deal. That alone makes it a fascinating record to return to, a snapshot of the original line-up's last studio work together. A remastered edition adds the extra songs "Brackish Boy" and "Punk Loop".
Trompe le Monde: tracklist, credits and charts
15 tracks · 39:02Tracklist
- 1Trompe le MondeBlack Francis1:47
- 2Planet of SoundBlack Francis2:06
- 3Alec EiffelBlack Francis2:50
- 4The Sad PunkBlack Francis3:00
- 5Head OnJim Reid and William Reid2:14
- 6U‐MassBlack Francis3:01
- 7Palace of the BrineBlack Francis1:34
- 8Letter to MemphisBlack Francis2:40
- 9Bird Dream of the Olympus MonsBlack Francis2:48
- 10Space (I Believe In)Black Francis4:19
- 11SubbacultchaBlack Francis2:10
- 12Distance Equals Rate Times TimeBlack Francis1:24
- 13Lovely DayBlack Francis2:06
- 14Motorway to RoswellBlack Francis4:44
- 15The Navajo KnowBlack Francis2:20
- Produced by
- Gil Norton
- Recorded at
- Master Control, Burbank, Pacifique, Burbank, Studio des dames, Paris, Blackwing, London
- Recorded
- 1991
- Engineered by
- Steve Haigler
- Label
- 4AD
- Length
- 39:02
Line-up
- Black Francis · electric guitar, vocals
- Kim Deal · electric bass guitar, vocals
- Dave Lovering · drums (drum set)
- Joey Santiago · electric guitar
- Eric Drew Feldman · keyboard, synthesizer · guest
- Jef Feldman · tabla, darbuka · guest
Singles
- “Planet of Sound” · 28 May 1991
- “Alec Eiffel” · 1991
- “Letter to Memphis” · 1991
- “Head On” · 1991
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 1991 | 7 |
| US Billboard 200 · 1991 | 92 |
| New Zealand Albums · 1991 | 20 |
| Dutch Albums · 1991 | 26 |
| German Albums · 1991 | 35 |
| Swedish Albums · 1991 | 43 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 1991 | 61 |
| Belgian Albums (Wallonia) · 2021 | 124 |
| Belgian Albums (Flanders) · 2021 | 191 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| France · 2000 | Gold |
| United Kingdom · 1991 | Silver |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
72.4
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
4.3k
ListenBrainz listeners
69k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
11k
Deezer fans (all editions)
Released the same week
Decade of Decadence ’81–’91
Mötley Crüe · 1991
Nevermind
Nirvana · 1991
Prove You Wrong
Prong · 1991
Live Train to Heartbreak Station
Cinderella · 1991
Use Your Illusion I
Guns N’ Roses · 1991
Use Your Illusion II
Guns N’ Roses · 1991
No More Tears
Ozzy Osbourne · 1991
Pretty on the Inside
Hole · 1991
The Best of R.E.M.
R.E.M. · 1991
Also released on 23 September
Every year →
The Long Road
Nickelback · 2003
Shout at the Devil
Mötley Crüe · 1983
Live and Loud
Nirvana · 2013
Love You Live
The Rolling Stones · 1977
Havana Moon
The Rolling Stones · 2016
That’s How Strong My Love Is
The Rolling Stones · 2022
Best of the Beast
Iron Maiden · 1996
Decade of Decadence ’81–’91
Mötley Crüe · 1991
The Best of Pantera: Far Beyond the Great Southern Cowboys’ Vulgar Hits!
Pantera · 2003
The Singles 1991-1996
Pantera · 1996
More from Pixies
Full discography →
Come On Pilgrim
1987
Surfer Rosa
1988
Doolittle
1989
Bossanova
1990
Death to the Pixies
1997
Pixies at the BBC
1998
Complete ‘B’ Sides
2001
Pixies
2002
Wave of Mutilation: Best of Pixies
2004
Minotaur
2009
EP1
2013
EP2
2014
EP3
2014
Indie Cindy
2014
Head Carrier
2016
Beneath the Eyrie
2019
Beneath the Eyrie Demos, Pt. 1
2020
Beneath the Eyrie Demos, Pt. 2
2020
Doggerel
2022
The Night the Zombies Came
2024
The best of 1991
All of 1991 →Nevermind
Nirvana · 1991
Metallica
Metallica · 1991
Ten
Pearl Jam · 1991
Use Your Illusion I
Guns N’ Roses · 1991
Use Your Illusion II
Guns N’ Roses · 1991
Out of Time
R.E.M. · 1991
No More Tears
Ozzy Osbourne · 1991
On Tour Now!
Guns N’ Roses · 1991
Badmotorfinger
Soundgarden · 1991
Kerplunk!
Green Day · 1991
Innuendo
Queen · 1991
Gish
The Smashing Pumpkins · 1991
More on 4AD
The label →Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + musicbrainz + wikidata
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 23 September 1991 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 23 September 1991 | |
| Wikidata | 23 September 1991 | |
| US release | 8 October 1991 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 23 September 1991 | earliest UK or European date |
23 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | XE | 4AD | 652637101416 | other |
| 1991 | DE | 4AD | 4005902122023 | other |
| 1991 | DE | Rough Trade | 4005902122016 | other |
| 1991 | AU | Liberation Records | 9399603065723 | other |
| 1991 | BE | Play It Again Sam | 5413356007022 | other |
| 1991 | CA | 4AD | 731451037726 | other |
| 1991 | US | Elektra | other | |
| 1991 | CA | 4AD | 652637101423 | other |
| 23 September 1991 | BE | 4AD | 5413356007121 | original |
| 23 September 1991 | GB | 4AD | 5014436101427 | original |
| 1 October 1991 | JP | 4AD | other | |
| 8 October 1991 | US | Elektra | 075596111829 | other |
| 8 October 1991 | US | Columbia House | other | |
| 1992 | LT | Zona Records | other | |
| 1992 | PL | Sonic Records | other | |
| 6 February 1998 | GB | 4AD | 5014436101427 | other |
| 20 May 2003 | US | 4AD | 652637101423 | other |
| 2013 | US | Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab | other | |
| 27 August 2013 | US | Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab | 821797206662 | other |
| 10 August 2020 | XW | 4AD | other | |
| 2024 | GB | 4AD | 652637101423 | other |
| 11 September 2026 | XW | [no label] | 191400090477 | other |
| 11 September 2026 | XW | 4AD Records Ltd. | 191400090422 | other |
Cover art sources
coverartarchive · native: native 4000x4000, downscaled to 3000
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| coverartarchive ✓ | 4000×4000 | native: native 4000x4000, downscaled to 3000 |
| deezer | 1800×1800 | native |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |