Using the "backing band" from his 1996 solo album, The Cult of Ray, Thompson dubbed his new band "Frank Black and the Catholics", and recorded their eponymous first album in 1997. His band consisted of Lyle Workman on lead guitar, bassist David McCaffrey and Scott Boutier on drums.
Frank Black and the Catholics became the first album to be posted to the eMusic service; they claim it is "the first album ever made legally available for commercial download". Having eschewed multi-track recording for his later solo material, Thompson continued the live-to-two-track technique for all subsequent releases under the Catholics. Live-to-two-track recording precludes the use of overdubs to correct errors or add texture; all takes are recorded continuously, and mixing is done "on the fly". On later albums, he incorporated more musicians into the sessions to allow for more varied instrumental textures. Explaining his rationale behind the method, he commented:
"Well, it's real. It's a recording of a performance, of a real performance between a group of people, an entourage, a band, as opposed to a facsimile of that, which is frequently what people do with multi-track recording ... I prefer it. It's a little more real. It's got a little more heart."
Workman left the Catholics in 1998 to pursue session work with Rich Gilbert replacing him. Frank Black and the Catholics released Pistolero in 1999 and Dog in the Sand in 2001. Dog in the Sand added Dave Philips on pedal steel guitar and lead guitar, with Joey Santiago and Eric Drew Feldman making appearances with the group live and on record.
By this time, while dismissing the possibility of a Pixies reunion, Thompson had begun to incorporate an increasing number of the band's songs into Catholics concerts, as well as including Santiago in his solo work again. Black and the Catholics continued to release records; two separate albums, Black Letter Days and Devil's Workshop, were released simultaneously in 2002. Devil's Workshop included the song "Velvety", a version of the Pixies' song "Velvety Instrumental Version" (written by Black as a teenager) with lyrics. The song was one of the first signs that he had acknowledged his past work with the Pixies in his solo output. A sixth album with the Catholics, Show Me Your Tears, was released in 2003. Show Me Your Tears' title and many of the songs in it were inspired by Thompson's recent divorce and entry into therapy.
Los Angeles
Frank Black and the Catholics Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He was a good man
Sailing and shoring
Dancing the beta can-can
Making me foreign
Oh yeah
I want to live in Los Angeles
No, not the one in South California
The got one in South Patagonia
I want to live in Los Angeles
Not the one in Los Angeles
They got a bunch down in Moleville
They got a bunch more still
I want to live in Los Angeles
Not the one is Los Angeles
They got one in twenty-five two five
Works just like a beehive
I want to live in Los Angeles
Not the one in Los Angeles
Counting helicopters on a Saturday night
The symphony of the fair light
I hear them saying Los Angeles
In all the black and white movies
And if you think they star-spangled us
How come we say Los Angeleez?
I'll wait in Los Angeles
I'll wait in the pouring sun
No way
For not anyone
No way
I met a man
He was a good man
Sailing and shoring
He got a betatron, man
Talking that foreign
Oh yeah
I'll wait in Los Angeles
I'll wait in the pouring sun
No way
For not anyone
No way
The song "Los Angeles" by Frank Black and the Catholics is a commentary on the glamour, allure, and superficiality of Los Angeles. The lyrics touch upon the desire to be part of the bright and shiny culture that surrounds the city and a simultaneous repulsion of the over-the-top showmanship that falsely represents Los Angeles. The song's opening verse introduces the singer of the song who meets a man that is adventurous and cosmopolitan. The singer is inspired by the man's bravery and his ability to adapt to different cultures.
The chorus of the song repeats the desire to live in Los Angeles, but not in the literal sense, and describes other places that bear the name. These places represent the fake and superficial imitations of the city of Los Angeles. The lyrics suggest that the real Los Angeles may be a mythical city, and the one portrayed in movies and magazines might be an illusion, and the song's protagonist refuses to conform to that facade. The singer's hopelessness of finding a genuine experience in Los Angeles is highlighted through the last verse, where he waits in the pouring sun, stating that he will not compromise himself to fit into the superficial glamour of the city.
Line by Line Meaning
I met a man
I encountered an individual
He was a good man
He was a morally righteous person
Sailing and shoring
Traveling to various places and doing odd jobs
Dancing the beta can-can
Participating in a type of dance called the beta can-can
Making me foreign
Causing me to feel like an outsider in my surroundings
Oh yeah
An exclamation of agreement and enthusiasm
I want to live in Los Angeles
I desire to reside in the city of Los Angeles
Not the one in Los Angeles
Not referring to the commonly known Los Angeles in Southern California
No, not the one in South California
Specifically not the Los Angeles in Southern California
The got one in South Patagonia
A lesser-known location of Los Angeles in the region of South Patagonia
They got a bunch down in Moleville
There are multiple instances of Los Angeles located in the town of Moleville
They got a bunch more still
There are more instances of Los Angeles located in other areas
They got one in twenty-five two five
Another location of Los Angeles with the address of twenty-five two five
Works just like a beehive
Operating in a busy and productive manner
Counting helicopters on a Saturday night
Observing and keeping track of the number of helicopters present on a Saturday night
The symphony of the fair light
The various sounds and sights of the city at night
I hear them saying Los Angeles
I have noticed individuals using the phrase 'Los Angeles'
In all the black and white movies
From films that were not in color
And if you think they star-spangled us
If you believe that they have treated us with exceptional care
How come we say Los Angeleez?
Why do we pronounce Los Angeles as 'Los Angeleez' instead of the traditional 'Los Angeles'
I'll wait in Los Angeles
I will remain in Los Angeles
I'll wait in the pouring sun
I will wait outside in sunny conditions
No way
An exclamation of disbelief or refusal
For not anyone
For no particular person or reason
No way
An exclamation of disbelief or refusal
I met a man
I encountered an individual
He was a good man
He was a morally righteous person
Sailing and shoring
Traveling to various places and doing odd jobs
He got a betatron, man
He obtained a device called a betatron
Talking that foreign
Speaking a different language or using unfamiliar expressions
Oh yeah
An exclamation of agreement and enthusiasm
I'll wait in Los Angeles
I will remain in Los Angeles
I'll wait in the pouring sun
I will wait outside in sunny conditions
No way
An exclamation of disbelief or refusal
For not anyone
For no particular person or reason
No way
An exclamation of disbelief or refusal
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Davidowalls19
I met a man
He was a good man
Sailing and shoring
Dancing the beta can-can
Making me foreign
Oh yeah
I want to live in Los Angeles
Not the one in Los Angeles
No, not the one in South California
They got one in South Patagonia
I want to live in Los Angeles
Not the one in Los Angeles
They got a bunch down in Moleville
They got a bunch more still
I want to live in Los Angeles
Not the one in Los Angeles
They got one in twenty-five two five
Works just like a beehive
I want to live in Los Angeles
Not the one in Los Angeles
Counting helicopters on Saturday night
The symphony of the fair light
I hear them saying Los Angeles
In all the black and white movies
And if you think they star-spangled us
How come we say Los Angeles?
I'll wait in Los Angeles
I'll wait in the pouring sun
No way
For not anyone
No way
I met a man
He was a good man
Sailing and shoring
He got a betatron, man
Talking that foreign
Oh yeah
I'll wait in Los Angeles
I'll wait in the pouring sun
No way, for not anyone
No way
@ferna2294
Discovered this song in Tony Hawk´s American Wasteland. Makes me wanna live in Los Angeles, but not the one in Los Angeles.
@chicxulub2947
me too
@Mr.McBigMacFatty
They got that song from Eric Koston’s part in Yeah Right
@zackworrell535
You didn't listen to the song did you? "I wanna live in Los Angeles, not the one in South California, they got one in South Patagonia". The song is about his pessimistic view of the future of LA after he was there recording when the tragic earthquake hit in '89...but you're too young to remember that probably. You should have asked to have been in 1971. Your life would be better.
@ferna2294
@@zackworrell535 Calm down I´m not even from the USA. It was just a comment. And seeing the terrible social tensions that you guys have in there, trust me when I say that I wouldn´t live there even if they paid me. I want my students safe.
@therealmacronin
Fuck yeah dude.
@ishtarbabylon4869
Saw this at 17 the first time it came out when I was super stoned ..
I couldn’t stop laughing at Frank Cruising around in his Hovercraft ..
The whole video and song is like a fever dream ..
Gen X and proud ❤
@flukeDC4
Legend has it he is still out there... The Frank, all in black, with his guitar over his shoulder... Floating around the desert in his hovercraft. Like a tiny proud captain of a porcelain gravy boat floating on the sea of your grandmas table cloth at thanksgiving. Godspeed, Mr. Black. Godspeed. (Also a snarky and proud Gen Xer of a very similar age stuck on the same thing lol)
@staciamwalrus
Who else used to watch 120 Minutes every week?
@ronaldburgess2884
I first saw this on "Beavis and Butthead".