Musings of a Punk Rock Father

I have received a couple of compilations from Kyle, such as a 2-disc set of Flaming Lips songs and a single disc volume collecting Kyle's favorite Beck songs. In return, I sent him a disc of Project 86 songs, whittled down from the massive 2 disc set that I had previously put-together (I thought 2 discs might be too much screaming for Kyle's taste).

But I started thinking, "What do I have that might be more up Kyle's alley?" Then it came to me: Pere Ubu. I had the now out of print 5 disc Pere Ubu collection that spanned from 1975 until 1982, and included a live album and a disc of rarities from the likes of Suicide and Rocket From the Tombs.

So, utilizing a couple of websites (mostly because I don't know enough about Pere Ubu to know what is "essential Ubu"), I created a disc that is, if not ncessarily the "best of Ubu," then maybe the most important.

I present this tracklist just in case there are some Ubu fanatics out there that might have a different opinion on what the tracklist should include. I have already burned this one for Kyle, but I may change it up for future compilation give-aways.

30 Seconds Over Tokyo Datapanik in Year Zero 1975 6:25
Heart of Darkness Datapanik in Year Zero 1975 4:48
Final Solution Terminal Tower 1975 5:01
Nonalignment Pact The Modern Dance 1977 3:21
The Modern Dance The Modern Dance 1977 3:32
Life Stinks he Modern Dance 1977 1:54
Caligari's Mirror Dub Housing 1978 3:54
Thriller! Dub Housing 1978 4:43
I, Will Wait Dub Housing 1978 1:49
Drinking Wine Spodyody Dub Housing 1978 2:48
Ubu Dance Party Dub Housing 1978 4:51
The Fabulous Sequel New Picnic Time 1979 3:09
Small Was Fast New Picnic Time 1979 3:35
Make Hay New Picnic Time 1979 4:08
Kingdom Come New Picnic Time 1979 3:16
Go The Art of Walking 1980 3:39
Misery Goats The Art of Walking 1980 2:42
Rounder The Art of Walking 1980 3:26
Birdies The Art of Walking 1980 2:32
The Long Walk Home The Song of the Bailing Man 1982 2:39
Stormy Weather The Song of the Bailing Man 1982 3:22
Thoughts That Go By Steam The Song of the Bailing Man 1982 3:50

Here's what allmusic.com has to say about the period I've compiled:

Pere Ubu emerged from the urban wastelands of mid-'70s Cleveland to impact the American underground for generations to follow; led by hulking frontman David Thomas, whose absurdist warble and rapturously demented lyrics remained the band's creative focus throughout their long, convoluted career, Ubu's protean art-punk sound harnessed self-destructing melodies, scattershot rhythms, and industrial-strength dissonance to capture the angst and chaos of their times with both apocalyptic fervor and surprising humanity. Named in honor of Alfred Jarry's surrealist play Ubu Roi, Pere Ubu was formed in the autumn of 1975 from the ashes of local cult favorite Rocket From the Tombs, reuniting Thomas (aka Crocus Behemoth) with guitarist Peter Laughner; adding guitarist Tom Herman, bassist Tim Wright, keyboardist Allen Ravenstine, and drummer Scott Krauss, the group soon issued its debut single, "30 Seconds Over Tokyo," on Thomas' Hearthan label. The follow-up, "Final Solution," appeared on the renamed Hearpen in early 1976, and resulted in a series of live dates at the famed New York City club Max's Kansas City.

Laughner's longstanding battles with drugs and alcohol forced his exit from Pere Ubu in June of 1976; within a year, he was dead. The group continued on as a quintet, with bassist Tony Maimone signing on in the wake of Wright's move to New York, where he joined the pioneering no wave band DNA. In the wake of their third single, "Street Waves," Thomas was approached by Mercury label A&R exec Cliff Burnstein, who convinced the label to form a new imprint, Blank Records, for the express purposes of signing Pere Ubu; their debut LP, The Modern Dance, was issued in early 1978, and although the record made little commercial impact at home or abroad, its manic intensity and dark impenetrability proved profoundly influential on countless post-punk acts on both sides of the Atlantic. The follow-up, Dub Housing, was even better, pushing the band to further extremes of otherworldliness, but already the cracks were beginning to show, and upon completing 1979's New Picnic Time (working title: "Goodbye"), Ubu disbanded. Although the group re-formed months later, Herman opted not to return, and was replaced by Red Krayola mastermind Mayo Thompson.

The Art of Walking followed in 1980, with subsequent tours in support of the record heralding the increasingly pop-centric sound which would distinguish later Ubu projects; a live record, 390 Degrees of Simulated Stereo, appeared a year later. Krauss was replaced by drummer Anton Fier for 1982's Song of the Bailing Man, but as before personal and creative differences began taking their toll and Ubu again disbanded; while Maimone and Krauss reunited in the group Home and Garden, Thomas continued the solo career he'd begun with the 1981 effort The Sound of the Sand (And Other Songs of the Pedestrians), a collaboration with guitar virtuoso Richard Thompson.

I think Kyle, who shares my appreciation for artists as diverse as Godspeed You Black Emperor and Johnny Cash, may appreciate the avant-garde sensibilities of Pere Ubu.