When I hear a really good Pixies song I get overly happy. I get really happy; I almost cry sometimes. - Kurt Cobain on French radio, November 22, 1992.

Pixies recorded five albums between 1987 and 1991 (the last of which, Trompe Le Monde, was released the day before Nevermind), and though none of them were a huge commercial success the band are remembered as one of the most influential alt-rock bands ever. Credited with pioneering the ‘quiet verse, loud chorus’ dynamic, their influence on Nirvana is clear to see. Indeed, in 1994 Cobain even admitted to Rolling Stone magazine that Smells Like Teen Spirit was his attempt at writing a Pixies song. It went pretty well for him.