Pere Ubu: Classic Or Dud

lol @ david thomas slipping in and out of role on stage. seems that the two are basically interchangeable anyway, although i'm disappointed by their lack of preparation for this venture. it's typically facetious of him to do this kind of thing only a few years after sreynolds quoted him as being entirely dismissive in the alfred jarry play.

of?

is there a real connection between the jarry work and the band's? i thought it was just "oh, wow, cool name"

Yes, I think it was originally just 'wow, cool name' and 'great! we get to say merdre merdre a lot'. Apparently people have been on at him for years to do something with the play though, and he'd always refused.

Live gigs that I've seen have generally been great - although I prefer it when he's cantankerous rather than actively disruptive (whereas I like MES to be actively disruptive in The Fall's live performances).

And it sounds like this album, or set of podcasts, might be worth a listen, the whole caboodle presumably having undergone some processing since I saw it.

all the same, i've enjoyed the new album from a musical standpoint. sj morris and thomas work well as pere/mere ubu and there's an almost miyazaki meets dada vibe to the whole thing. it manages to be avant-garde, absurdist and puerile (a whole track of grotesque burping noises over eerie ambient music - sounds pretentious, and probably is, but that's Ubu for you). elsewhere there are "proper songs" - even some punky stuff, infuriatingly catchy chants, 8-minutes of eerie "pillow talk" between pere and mere played out like a pitch black big-reveal nightmare, and even some quite pretty moments. i liked it, the gent in the wire said he didn't, but like the original it will divide audiences who give a rats arse.

avant-garde, absurdist and puerile

tempted to make that my 'three adjectives that describe you' on okc —

is this the first ubu release (of new compositions) since why i hate women? i might actually get it, despite not having read the play. is it out yet? what's it called?

pere ubu and the fall are probably top two on 'bands i am hugely fond of and who are still gigging but could probably not bear to actually go and see'. actually they may be the only two on that list.

it's called "long live pere ubu" - don't know if it's out yet.

what's the deal w/ Datapanik being so cheap in the UK? Is it the same thing being reissued?

Well, if they come to your town and you actively avoid seeing them you are making a mistake cuz they are still fucking great live.

i've never seen Pere Ubu, but I did see the reunited Rocket from the Tombs, and would def. put Thomas up there as one of the top 10 best/scariest frontmen I've ever seen.

Am I crazy or is this performance simply stunning?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hYqvtHzr48

I can't get over Thomas's vocal performance here....every moment that he's not singing is filled with a breath or tic that is just perfect. He's actually harmonizing, too.

And the video is notable also for David Sanborn sporting the official "late 80s, early 90s" uniform.

Yeah, I've referred to this clip several times in the last couple of years. They also performed "Waiting For Mary" with Debbie Harry!

How's the recently issued live album with both Cutler and Krauss on drums? (Recorded just after Cloudland I believe)?

The live album - London, Texas - 's great. Dudes're in fiery fettle.

I bought the 'Datapanik in Year Zero' box today despite never really hearing Pere Ubu. Impulsive yes but I've had some good luck in the past buying box sets of stuff I've never heard before i.e the Robert Wyatt box and the first four factory records Durutti Column set.

Looking forward to diving in tonight.

Or should I have listened to AMG?

"However, if you're simply interested in Pere Ubu, consider the set carefully before investing. Pere Ubu were indeed one of the most innovative and challenging bands of their era, which means that their music is an acquired taste. However, those willing to invest in the box will find a wealth of inventive, hard-edged avant rock & roll."

i found i had to retune my brain in order to get Pere Ubu, but it was worth it. I am a real fan of their last album. i think i voted it number one on the 2009 albums poll.

it's a fantastic box set. dig in!

I lean heavily on the first two CDs, but certainly worth it.

I basically listened to The Tenement Years every day last October ("Say Goodbye" and "We Have the Technology" especially)

Yeah-- if anotherdeadhero buys one other disc to supplement his box set it should be Tenement Year.

Or maybe it should be Cloudland.

Cloudland has some great highs but too many duds. And Tenement Year has actual OG Allen Ravenstine on squawks, bleeps and whirrs as opposed to a dude drafted in from late Beefheart.

The highs on Cloudland >>>> The Tenement Year.

Ooof. Have to revisit the materials if I wanna respond to that.

I can listen to "Waiting for Mary," "Breathe," "Bus Called Happiness" and "Love Love Love" on an endless loop.

Hmmm by wild coincidence I just noticed 'Long Live Pere Ubu- The Spectacle American' is happening march 28 here in nyc at Le Poisson Rouge...

so weird, I had "waiting for mary" in my head a few days ago but could not remember what song it was or who it was by. I kind of like this sub-talking heads period of pere ubu.

Yeah there's something endearingly quixotic about it. Right down to the record label they were on-- Imago (lol).

I can listen to "Waiting for Mary," "Breathe," "Bus Called Happiness" and "Love Love Love" on an endless loop.Those would definitely be my four picks from the album, if I could only pick four.

(line break)

I saw thenm on a double bill around the time of Tenement Year with John Cale. good show.

never understood them, like Material or 23 skidoo.

I like all three, to varying degrees...but Pere Ubu have way more to offer. While I can imagine struggling with some of the weirder early album stuff, I'm not sure what's not to understand about Heart of Darkness, Final Solution, Nonalignment Pact etc...pretty modern rock-n-roll, but not the most obtuse stuff.

Well, aided by something calling itself plant feeder I stayed up till 6 am with my good woman blasting tunes.

Managed to get through the first two discs (focusing mostly on 'The Modern Dance' and 'Dub Housing'). Really enjoyed a lot of the creative guitar playing. Lots of it sounded nothing like I expected and I was quite surprised by a lot of the mellower moments. 'Humour Me' from 'The Modern Dance' stood out, the rest was a schizophrenic blast of all sorts. Good stuff though. Looking forward to returning. I particularly dug the production. Lots of crazy noise. Even went down well with my girlfriend.

Dunno if I'm wrong but I'm sure I recall hearing that there's quite a divide between those who prefer 'The Modern Dance' and 'Dub Housing'. 'The Modern Dance' probably edged it for me on first listen. Really need to pull out 'Rip it up and Start Again' and re-read the Ubu chapter.

Cloudland has some great highs but too many duds. And Tenement Year has actual OG Allen Ravenstine on squawks, bleeps and whirrs as opposed to a dude drafted in from late Beefheart.

Allen's legendary (analog) EML synths provide the squawks, bleeps and whirrs on both 'Cloudland' and 'Tenement Year.'

It wasn't until 'Worlds in Collision' that he was replaced by the estimable Eric Drew Feldman, formerly of Snakefinger's band & the Shiny Beast thru Ice Cream for Crow-era Magic Band, and later "the 5th Pixie" and a frequent Frank Black-collaborator (not too shabby an avant-rock resume for a nice Jewish boy from L.A.).

Cool fact: I saw 'em at a club called Velvet Underground. So the ticket stub suggests an Ubu/Velvets double bill.

"Really need to pull out 'Rip it up and Start Again' and re-read the Ubu chapter." From the Velvets to the Voidoids by Clinton Heylin has some really good background on Pere Ubu and what was going on in Cleveland in the mid-70s. It is an older book at this point, but a good read.

I actually am listening to the Terminal Drive CD tonight and the Ububox quite a bit of late. Overall, I think their sound has held up pretty well.

Seconding the From The Velvets To The Voidoids recommendation. Excellent material on Ubu and Television.

yeah, i love that book, though i've talked to some people who say a lot of the info could use some fact checking. still a great read.
as opposed to a dude drafted in from late Beefheart.
dunno, you could do worse than eric drew feldman -- he seems like a great musician.

Yeah I was just being a dick. Feldman is good. Actually, so is the very Ravenstine-esque operator they had in the band last time I saw them live (2003). Keyboards are fine and dandy but there's nothing like watching a guy frantically unplugging and switching patch cords on an antediluvian synth while simultaneously operating a theremin.

yeah, Ravenstine definitely gets props because he *invented* that sound/way of playing (and did it in the mid-70s, when that shit must have been hard!).

I'd have to say Eno invented that style! Or other precedents like United States of America?

From the Velvets to the Voidoids was huge for me...and every other music dork who went to Oberlin and discovered the Cleveland scene. There just isn't/wasn't other easy to find sources to read about the Styrenes and Electric Eels.

Speaking of which, Styrenes are about to start at 35th anniversary tour...

http://www.thestyrenes.com/

I think you could give Eno props for the synth on those first couple of Roxy Music records being out before Pere Ubu, but by the timeline, I think it is very possible that Ravenstine was already doing what he was doing just not in a band that was releasing records. I'd say both of them would have had to heard United States of America or Mother Mallard or early Cluster and certainly early Tangerine Dream.

re: from the velvets to the voidoids. i was always surprised that "please kill me" didn't include more on the cleveland scene along w/all the dead boys stuff

What about DikMik and his "audio generator" (whatever that was)?

("Velvets to Voidoids" recommendation thirded, fourthed, whatever)

probz gonna go see 'em next week

Yeah likewise in NYC.