Diehard fans went into mourning in 1993, when Pixies frontman Black Francis (a.k.a. Charles Thompson) pulled the plug on the influential Beantown alt-rock band. I remember interviewing a very Frank (natch) Black a few years after the breakup, when he was doing press for his album, The Cult of Ray. He all but dismissed a Pixies reunion before he hung up on me – saying there was “no new ground to cover” and the band had “done all that it was intended to.”

Two messages for Mr. Black over a decade later: One, never say never. And two, thanks for the reunion. Seriously, it felt like college all over again.

Ego clashes and an opening slot on U2’s Zoo TV Tour were to blame when the Pixies’ disbanded; the reinvented bandleader quickly released his first solo album with a semi-inverted moniker and spent the next decade churning out quirky edgy alt-pop on his own. Nine albums in ten years, to be precise. To wit, reviewing a “greatest hits” package of Black’s work is as strange as using those words in the same sentence as his ever-changing name.

Though not as troublesome as the last Pixies compilation, Wave of Mutilation, one has to wonder how the essentials are picked, when it all seems to be, well, essential?

See, Black’s never one who cared for or about hit records. And from the sounds of Frank Black 93-03, that will seemingly never change. This two-disc compilation supports that attitude – highlighting his 10-year solo career, as well songs from the many records he fashioned with his hand-picked backing band, The Catholics. Also included also is a hidden track called “Threshold Apprehension” from his upcoming solo album Bluefinger. In the end, this sounds about as correct as any Black compilation could. But the odds are his most devout fans will dissect the selections and running order like Trekkies analyze Kirk, Spock and McCoy for many years to come.

Black’s early work recalls the Pixies Trompe Le Monde, offering the insight that he never really stopped being Pixie-like, he just got tired of working with Kim Deal, Dave Lovering, and Joey Santiago for a while. And yet, there is enough diversity in this compilation to engage an introductory listener and leave longtime fans of his band wondering, “what if?”

Cuts like the edgy, metallic “Los Angeles,” the Stooges-like “Ten Percenter” and dreamy-pop precision of “Headache” show Black at his best. Other lesser-known gems like “Robert Onion,” “I Want to Live on an Abstract Plain” (from the sublime Teenager of the Year) and “I Gotta Move” from the first Catholics album shows a mindful leaning toward more odd time signatures and garage punk. And “Western Star” from his album Pistolero? Well, it’s like icing on this alt-rock cake to this reviewer.

Make that a two-story cake: Black offers a second disc of live material with this release, offering minor set alterations to each depending which version you buy. In the end, this portion of the compilation proves that there’s plenty of new ground to cover and that Black hasn’t done all he’s intended to yet... with or without the other three Pixies, this iconoclast has a noise in his head that will always keep you guessing.

So what’s next? Beyond ten more years, it’s anyone’s guess.