Some bands can look back at their history and easily polish down their music to the few good songs they actually recorded. When bands release a greatest hits album it is usually a couple of good songs they were known for and the rest is still filler. For some bands an EP's-worth of greatest hits is usually enough. The Pixies are a different story. Their work is being confined to one disc here, when they easily could have made this a two disc set. But I'll digress in that greatest hits albums are made for the uninitiated and anyone who is uninitiated would not feel like paying for two CDs.
"Wave of Mutilation" is the bare essentials for anyone who wants to become familiar with the Pixies. Even though there's room for two or three more songs on the CD (no "Havalina" or "Trompe le Monde"?) and maybe room to remove some in the place of others (is "Into the White" really a great song?), this has nearly every song I would suggest to someone who wants to know what the Pixies are all about.
The tracks are presented chronologically, which does not offer much in the way of organizing songs how they flow best together, but the songs are still damn good. "Bone Machine" and "Nimrod's Son" kick it off with the wild ramblings of Black Francis, showing the casual listener just how fucking crazy the Pixies are. The main appeal of the Pixies, besides their overall quirkiness, is their coverage of a wide range of musical styles. They could slow it down and be real mellow with songs like "Caribou" and "Hey". Conversely, they could freakin' rock out like in "Debaser", "Nimrod's Son", and "Planet of Sound". They have poppy songs like "Here Comes Your Man", "Gigantic", and "Alec Eiffel" and they have deeper, serious songs like "Monkey Gone to Heaven", "Where Is My Mind", and "Velouria".
I can't describe the Pixies sound. It's something that is damn hard to do. This band was years ahead of its time. "Come on Pilgrim" came out in 1987, but these guys could be a brand new band if I didn't know better. Without these guys alternative music would literally not be the same as it is today. Landmark bands like Weezer and Nirvana would be wholly different bands -- if bands at all. And I mean that 100%.
If you know the Pixies, then you know these songs and you know which ones you love. I think most people would agree that this is a near perfect lineup of songs for anyone who has never heard a Pixies song before. If you want to get into this band, now's your chance, pick up this album now.