Dub Housing

You know how the lead singer of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah sometimes sounds like someone doing an imitation with more voice breaks and yelping? Well the lead singer of Pere Ubu sounds like someone doing an imitation of the Clap Your Hands Say Yeah singer, bit with more voice breaks and yelping. This is the second Pere Ubu album we've had, and the weaker of the two... and the first wasn't great. Sometimes it feels like it's on the verge of being interesting and enjoyable, but that usually collapses pretty quickly.

Maybe my expectations were low, but I hated this less than Deep Purple. Is it dissonant and experimental at times? Sure? Is it unlisten-able? Only in parts.

Occasionally interesting, but mostly noise with terrible vocals.

Unique and interesting but not enjoyable to listen to.

This album just has an unnecessary creepy vibe don’t think I’m ever gonna return except for track number four and it’s drunken sailor but other than that, I mean it’s a short album so it doesn’t take up too much time but it also feels like you’ve wasted a lot of your time especially the last song bro so so creepy something that would be played in a serial killers layer

In another time, maybe I could appreciate this. But right now, hot garbage. No redeeming qualities. Worst album so far.

It neither seems coherent, nor particularly structured to me, more of a chaos with non-descriptive and almost meaningless lyrics. Some of the musical ideas are interesting, but could have been better executed (i.e. the melody on the last track). Nothing really stands out from this album.

Chaotic lyrics. Sounds weird at times. I fail to see the point of most songs. Anyway it was great.

I hated this. Noisy. Bad singing. Not good!

J'adore Pere Ubu. Mon hypothèse personnelle c'est que Céline a toujours voulu imiter David Thomas sans jamais être capable d'y arriver.

Au risque de me répéter, l'avant-garde rock c'est pas trop ma tasse de thé. Je comprends l'intérêt mais ça me semble très noisy et aléatoire.

Dur à dire. Ça m’a laissé plutôt indifférent.

po esse aqui conseguiu ser (no meu gosto) ainda melhor do que o anterior, que já era do caralho pqp deus abençoe o post punk experimental pqp

eu frequentaria uma ubu dance party. pedrada máxima. mantém a qualidade do primeiro album, mas com um ritmo mais dançante. um art punk puxadinho prum new wave, mas sem perder a experimentação e a barulheira. dobraram a aposta e ficou um absurdo. essa banda ter nota baixa nesse site me deixa maluco, os mano moldaram metade do rock gringo """alternativo""" que tá aí até hoje. enfim, eh bão pra caraio, quem não gosta eh má pessoa!!!!!!!

Off putting vocals but dig these extended moody instrumentals. Codex and title track were great

Fuck it, throw Talkings Heads into a blender with Jazz players and season with psychedelic rock and jamming sessions to boot—as if any one of those weren't weird/singular enough on their own. Sounds nothing like anything before (or frankly after) it. Might be my favorite discovery on this so far (600ish albums kn), insofar that I would never have discovered it otherwise.

I was stressed listening to this

Ok for a couple of songs, then it gets annoying.

This music does nothing for me.

This is probably the strangest rock music I've ever listened to (if you can call it that). The vocal style is certainly an acquired taste (out of key, a lot of spoken dialogue). There are lots of weird sound effects and samples added in. In fact, "Thriller!" is pretty much just sounds and samples. It has some funky moments and plenty of lap steel guitar. It comes across as just an extended jam session to me. It did start out more cohesive and just standard psychedelic rock, but it got weirder as time went on. I think this album was a little too weird for me, but there were a few interesting musical moments I liked (like in "Caligari's Mirror").

This is terrible

This was slightly better than their previous album, because it's 1 minute shorter.

Previously unknown. Not for me.

There was cool, instrumentation, experimental sound design, and psychedelic composition elements, but sorry I don't like the lead singer very much XD The second half of the album wasn't bad I guess, I liked I will wait and Ubu dance party

I remember hearing (or reading) about this group, and this album in particular, when I was in college, and getting the impression that it was super cool, but somehow I never got it . . . and, well, I guess, good thing, cuz it kinda sucks, lol. Ok, maybe not exactly sucks, but just . . . not super musical or pleasant or enjoyable to listen to? I mean, I guess I can appreciate its creativity, and willful freakiness, but . . . life's too short? I have a slight feeling of failing, somehow (in not liking it more), but I think I have to give this 2 stars (an extra star, above just 1, in part for just being creative and pushing the envelope).

I think if you played this for a child they would likely enjoy it I also think a casual music listener would be put off This might be the first time that an album on this list actually strikes me as way ahead of its time. I wouldn't have been surprised to find out that this album was contemporary. Their use of sound is creative. I think the vocals should be perceived as just another sound. If you try to analyze them as singing compared to Frank Sinatra for example, well. . . But the vocals are very innovative and reminiscent of Death Grips, Geordie Greep, artists that would come decades later I had fun listening and I think it warrants more listening, but it's certainly not something I would put on anytime

Rad weird stuff

This is just a weird amalgamation of noise, it is so hard to find a melody in some of these songs, and the vocals are just bad. I cant dig any of this. Its like they all just started playing their instruments willy nilly and hoped for the best. What a jarring experience.

This is what Talking Heads sounds like to people who don’t like Talking Heads

i was sooooo hopeful the songs would start out great but the singing? guys it sounded like a chicken was trying its best this is what i feel people who don’t like rock assume all rock songs are

What is this and why did I have to hear it!?

Started out pretty interesting. Some unique sounds. But got annoying by the end

This one felt a little aimlessly weird without enough substance.

What😭

Some fairly twisted post punk, as you might expect from Pere Ubu. Like their other music, this is slow burn and takes some time to fully appreciate. Despite claims that this album would make them pop stars, Pere Ubu exist firmly underground, probably too opaque to get much radio play or mass attention. But sit with the music for a while and it does start to make sense. "Dub Housing" even gives you a few accessible breaks, such as the sea shanty inspired "Caligari's Mirror", which you can actually sort of sing along to. Well partly. The whole album includes such a varied palette of sonic experiments that I think I'll need to explore this more in the future.

I had a girlfriend who liked Pere Ubu. She was pretty mean to me. That should have been my first red flag.

Partly great, partly just weird.

While reading about the album, I really wanted to like it. But it's just too divided for me. High and lows.

Pues no he conseguido conectar con este grupo. Vale que en el rock no es esencial tener una buena voz para transmitir energía y pasión, pero es que la del cantante aquí es continuo desatino de desafine y nerviosismo en la cuerdas vocales que exaspera a la segunda canción. Quien quiera, que lo compre. Le doy algo de crédito por el intento de post-punk alternativo, poco ortodoxo, si el punk alguna vez lo es, pero me exaspera.

I liked this more than I was expecting to. Enjoyed the music but I wasn't a big fan of his vocal style. I don't think I would listen to it again, I find the singing too difficult to listen to, but I did enjoy some of the songs. Fav song: (Pa) Ubu Dance Party Least fav: Codex

Don’t know if Talking heads sounds like a shit them or the other way around. Not a huge fan of this either way. Specific rating - 2.4 Fav song - drinking wine spodyody Least fav- thriller!

I think if my anxiety made an album it would sound exactly like this. It's definitely got the vocals right. A boy in my office got so stressed today that he climbed out of the window (we're on the ground floor but it still felt fairly drastic). This album makes me consider following. Favourite song: Dub Housing Least: Thriller!

I love this non-conformist oddity. Like a DIY Zappa without the disdain for his own audience. Or the pretension. Or pretending to be a jazzbo. Just way more listenable. Nevermind. This is nothing like Zappa. They did not take my advice about the brown acid from last time though.

Somehow a combo of Baz Lerman and Iggy Pop

I'm all for musical visionaries who strike on their own path, but there comes a time when the music can seem like introspective noodling. Even when it's as noisy and intense as David Tomas and Pere Ubu. The Modern Dance will always have a place in my heart, but Dub Housing....Meh. Listened to it today, and it just didn't inspire me.

Do not know if I really like it or really dislike it.

Another in a series of bands that were really important to bands that were really important to me. If new music today made by younger folks plays like music made for their peers +/- a cohort but not for me, the likes of late 70s bands are for a set alive before I was born and...does not always feel timeless. It’s like 1-2 standard deviations removed from me. Which is fine, I’m happy I have the Pixies, Wrens, etc.

Pretty cool, and very avante garde. I'm not sure I loved it enough to revisit, but it was impressive.

Noise, I tell you

I like how David Thompson always sounds afraid. I wish he had toned it down on some tracks.

Slightly chaotic

This album didn't really do anything for me. It was interesting, so I'll give it that. But I don't have much else good I can say about it. Overall: 1.4/5

gaajvi

intruiging with a David Byrne vibe

This is not really doing it for me - It’s close to being good though

crazy album. it was a lot but also pretty good. very interesting

I can usually find something I like in music that is unconventional but this is so all over the place that nothing stuck with me long enough to care about what I was listening to.

Had hoped this was actual dub, but it was one of the worst yet

3.3/5 some weird stuff but good

Bizarre. Not at all bad musically - and even flirted with a 3 at times - but it was too difficult to not be convinced otherwise by the absurd vocals.

Not sure what to make of that. Didn't hate it, didn't really like it. Will go 2.5 rounded up.

Preposterous

A bit ridiculous but for some reason made me smile

Favorite Track: On the Surface

This album is 35 minutes long. That was the longest 35 minutes I've ever sat through.

Rough, abrasive, contrary, yet addictive too.

i cant give this album four stars

This album does some interesting things, but not for me.

It's quit crazy and all over the place, but also very fun. I'm really enjoying it for a first listen. 3 and 4 are great songs. And thriller doesn't sound like a thriller, more like a parody of a thriller. Still, for a nonsense track it's fun in a way. It has a bit of a captain beefheart vibe to it. I'm all for it. 7 is a highlight. Blow Daddy-O is a bit too much, though. Codex is really great. A dark closer. Very cool indeed. I think it's a solid fun 3

This is some of the choicest, grade a pretentious bullshit. I already hate post punk but this takes the cake for the worst of them. Even if the singer didn't have a deeply unpleasant voice, I don't find any artistic value here, just shock value.

I kind of liked this album. It has a lot of energy, it's angry but overall I really didn't care for it. Wouldn't listen to it again and certainly would not want it in my collection

This one was interesting. Not in a good way. There were some funky, unique sounds at play but I couldn't see myself listening to any of these songs again.

Not 4 me

Yeah, thought I'd like this. Not even close. Another 1/5 banger!

Not the right vibe

Uhh what

After being subjected to The Modern Dance a few years ago, my expectations of Pere Ubu couldn't be lower. And, uh-oh, Dub Housing was released in the same year... I guess it's time to "pre-pere" for ubu. We're launched into the album with the aggressively terrible Navvy. That singing is truly the voice of all time. It's so, so bad. The backing instruments do an okay job at keeping the sound relatively stable, but only when Mr Ubu (David Thomas) isn't wailing and moaning like a male Yoko Ono. I particularly like the soft, pre-alt guitars on this track. But it does little to spare the ears from their untimely 35-minute-long death that would follow. The synth riff in On the Surface is really solid, actually. Funny that the best part of the track is the weird barbecue-in-the-rain deal (complete with mumbled conversation). But then, that part of the track doesn't have Thomas's "absurdist warble" (as Spotify chose to describe it). The strongest track on the album, along with the one it leads into, Dub Housing. Lovely interacting instrument parts here. The delicate high piano contrasts with the mournful horns and other lines. Sort of reggae-ish. The Police should take notes (and they absolutely did, because their output is quite a bit less garbage than, uh, this). Caligari's Mirror pays a weird homage to... somebody, I think. Maybe the Rolling Stones, or David Byrne. Now is a good time to remind everyone why the Talking Heads' music isn't *quite* perfect: namely, the singing is terrible. Now imagine making the songwriting a little less memorable and the vocals even worse (somehow) and you get a good approximation of the Dub Housing experience. Drinking Wine Spodyody has a more laid-back classic-rock mood than most previous tracks. Again, the guitar line is pretty good, and whatever weird bass melody was conjured up for the solo always stands out. But that singing... man, it's *so* unbearably terrible. I could see this being a standout Bowie track from around the same time period. But Pere Ubu? Nah, man. Turn down the Ubu, the neighbours are listening. Thriller? More like Snoozer. I Will Wait isn't exactly convincing as an artefact of the punk movement (though it's more of a thriller than the previous track). Why not hire a good singer? Or even one of those drunk-sounding British 19-year-old dudes that appears on every 1977 punk record? The final three tracks are completely empty of substance and I have nothing to say about any of them. Well, except for Codex. I have to point out how it's actually pretty solid until (you guessed it) Thomas starts groaning in a vaguely rhythmic fashion. And then I start groaning in the same way. Let's all groan together, because this music sucks. Conclusion: just because you can record it doesn't mean you should. 1/5 Key tracks: On the Surface, Dub Housing

I don't need to listen to that again -

Not as good as the modern dance, the vocals at some point just get to be too much but I liked a good amount of the songs and the instrumentation is rather well done

I enjoy this more than their debut, it sounds equally as angry and raw but it seems to have a bit more of direction. 7/10 [KEEP]

Interesting, but not my cup of tea. I can see how some folks might enjoy it, though.

Came close to a 1

Oh, a stone-cold classic album. It's brilliant from the get-go, with real jagged earworm tracks that are wholly memorable.

I was just right in the mood for this. Maybe I finally need a major Pere Ubu/David Thomas phase, especially because I've learned various Henry Cow people and Richard Thompson played with him in the 80s. I'm enjoying the idea of a meeting of minds between Pere Ubu and Def Leopard as mentioned in the Wikipedia entry. How much did they horrify one another? Or did they have an unlikely workers in song camaraderie?

Very frustrating to listen to, since there isn't anything but nonsensical noise on this album. Strange and unappealing, and decidedly not for me

lowkey just sounded werid, was not for me

Sounds like if The English Beat got hit in the head with hammers. That being said fantastic work I will listen again

Terrible. I’ll never get back those 35 minutes

Genuinely made me nauseous listening to this

Dang it I was so excited about a house music album

Man what the hell was this

divisa tra il fatto che alcuni pezzi sono davvero belli, altri difficili da ascoltare per intero

Non l’ho finito ma si capisce l’avsnguardia musicale

awful

uma das piores coisas que já escutei.

Tem ate uma ou outra coisa interessante mas na maior parte se eu ficar batendo com a cabeça no teclado sai algo melhor 1.5/5

Decent post punk sounding album, plenty of jagged energy and weird vibes, and I get why people are into it. It just didn’t stick with me. I’m glad I heard it, but it’s not something I’ll be actively listening to again.

David Thomas' vocals never fail to make me giggle. Great band, terribly underrated.

No entiendo cómo este terminó entre los 20 peores álbumes; es divertido y enérgico a más no poder. No se toma demasiado en serio ni se hace pesado, ¿qué más se puede pedir?

Late 70s alt-rock. One of the most important post punk albums. Very weird vocals, sometimes pleading, sometimes clucking. Some very weird noises, experimental. Kind of unpleasant and unsettling.

One star. Horrible

Late 70s rock - I'm not sure what the goal is with this band. It sounds like a bad dream.

- If this was performed in my city I’d go on holiday -If this was performed in my local I’d ban myself permanently -If this was performed in my house, they can have it by squatters rights because I’ll never be back

Absolutely terrible, no redeeming qualities

Not my thing, Navy was almost good

this album is so wild, oh my god. i love how crazy it is?! really haven't heard anything like it, especially from this era. solid 3.5/5 i think.

This is a really hard one to rate. It definitely is its own thing and genre. There are surprisingly some good moments in here while also being very difficult to listen to. This is the most conflicting album yet, I don’t hate it, but I also really don’t like it.

Too experimental for me. Some enjoyable parts but overall I mostly tuned it out.

Odbijam da slušam Peru

Kind of messy. Didn't really hold my attention. There were some parts, musically, that were interesting. 2.5/5 Won't listen again

Overall Rating - 2.35/5 (4.70/10). Definitely a miss. Not one I'll listen to again.

Gotta give it to Pere Ubu, it's experimental, fun, bizarre, incomprehensible at times. All things I enjoy hearing, and I can't help but have a soft spot for this album. It's not going to be an immediate favourite but it was a lot of fun and I'll definitely revisit this one. Favourites: Navvy I, Will Wait Drinking Wine Spodyody

Ewwww, David!

Pere Ubu's Dub Housing is noise disguised as music and strained yelling passed off as singing. It’s weird, disorienting, and about as pleasant to listen to as a car alarm blaring through the neighborhood at 3 o’clock in the morning. What really amazes me is that at some point someone heard a demo of this, nodded thoughtfully, and said, “Yes… let’s spend money putting these guys in a real studio.” That person was either a fearless champion of experimental art… or extremely high on cocaine. I’ve heard worse on this list, and while I’m sure this is someone’s exact and precise cup of tea—I’d rather drink a coffee.

While there is much worse to hear on this list, this one isn't an enjoyable one by any means. It's unusual and uncomfortable and for people that want to be seen as avant-garde and more superior than you. Only THEY can understand the true "genius" of this..... music? For the rest of us, this is sonically unpleasant and in no way needed to be recorded for posterity.

что это вообще такое скучно, странно, не энергично

Mit Dub Housing (1978) festigten Pere Ubu ihren Ruf als eigenwillige Kraft im amerikanischen Underground. Die Band aus den USA bewegte sich zwischen Art Punk, Proto-Post-Punk und experimentellem Rock. Aufgenommen wurde das Album im Suma Recording Studio in Painesville, Ohio, unter der Produktion von Ken Hamann. Stücke wie „Navvy“, „On the Surface“ oder „Caligari’s Mirror“ zeigen die typische Spannung zwischen nervöser Rhythmik, scharfkantigen Gitarren und den eigentümlichen Synthesizerflächen von Allen Ravenstine. David Thomas’ markanter Gesang wirkt dabei weniger führend als vielmehr kommentierend, fast beobachtend. Trotz aller formalen Sperrigkeit besitzen einige Passagen eine unterschwellige Eingängigkeit, die sich erst nach mehrmaligem Hören erschließt. Dub Housing klingt kontrollierter als das Debüt, ohne an Unberechenbarkeit zu verlieren. Für mich ist es ein konsequent durchgezogenes Statement zwischen Kunstanspruch und Rocktradition, das eher durch Atmosphäre als durch einzelne Songs trägt.

Weird, interesting, and short enough to not outstay its welcome. 3.5/5.0: Very Good

not as interesting as the other pere ubu album on the list but not bad

Pere Ubu is still just so weird to me. And I applaud them for it. This sounds like nothing else. I just don't like it as much. Some really cool parts but this album (and band) just continuely confuse me

I think I like this one just slightly more than their debut. More dance-y, but still in a very discordant way. It's definitely not for everyone, with the yelping vocals and strange songwriting, but it's really cool once you give in to its eccentricities. Key tracks: On the Surface Ubu Dance Party

Not a fan. I’m not the audience.

Wierd and meh, 1

You can hear how this influenced things like Pixies etc I think... Not bad, but not mind-blowing. Kinda like Pixies...

Mediocre music and vocals. Some interesting tunes.

What is going on ? Experimental for sure and maybe a bit too much 2/5

Nah. I will begrudgingly give it credit for some of the interesting musical ideas. But I loathe everything about the vocals. Just because you can be weird in a vocal booth doesn’t make it music.

Well, this isn't the "Thriller" you're all thinking of, but that was a completely bizarre experience that I'm not sure I ever want to experience again. Favorite Track: "Thriller!".

Average to me

Quite enjoyable or listen to.

Really did not enjoy this. I had the album on in the background while working and I was actively trying to block it out, but couldn't. I constantly would get interrupted by it thinking "What in the hell is that noise?" Just not good at all for me.

7/10

7/10 – Good

I wanted to like the instrumentals, those were ok, but the singer took me completely out of it. Then the 'song' Thriller? What was that? Just uhhh... unnecessary. Kind of like most of this album.

not good

Awful awful singer. Any interest in this is killed stone dead by him. Post punk late 70's is the most overhyped genre ever.

Industrial anxiety having a nervous breakdown in a warehouse. Rating: 4.2/5 Short Review: Jagged, weird, confrontational. This album doesn’t care if you like it. It lurches and mutates and makes you slightly uncomfortable on purpose. Favorite Track: Navvy. Chaotic, twitchy, almost mechanical in its paranoia.

The voice reminds me of if justified Roiland (rick and morty) could sing, but it’s post punk so I can get past that, some of it is quite good then it’s too weird and unsettling and it takes you out 3/5

The fact this album is rated even lower than their other one scared me. That one wasn't even 1 star worthy so how the hell could it get worse?! But surprisingly this one was much better! I even enjoyed some parts. But overall still shite. Who put this noise on the list?! 2 ⭐️

What the fuck is dit

I get why someone would be fascinated by this, very quirky but the vocals are not for me. Love the instrumental tho.

Changed my taste in music entirely - I'm always happy to relisten to it. Weird punky synth things ♥️

There's some interesting artistry going on here, Codex particularly stands out, but I do wish there was less high pitched wailing.

🫨Shit was rough, yo. But towards the end, I did say to myself a couple of times, well, I guess I don’t hate that. 1.1 stars

Uh… I have no idea what to say about this one honestly. I think it’s cool that it’s here, but i doubt I ever wanna listen to this again.

Wtf did I just listen to?

Yep, this was weird. It was at times joyous (Ubu Dance Party) and yet equal parts annoying. It is one of those albums that I'm glad that I had a chance to listen, but it's doubtful that I'll listen a second time.

Solid drumming, but that's about where the positives for this record ends for me.

Just seems like unorganized noise, a few cool guitar licks but this is ultimately a no for me dog.

This is what I like about this project, never heard of this, it's weird, I like it.

Nice music horrible vocals!

Post-punk before punk is quite an achievement. I'm not sure that this is their best album, but really interesting.

vocals are atrocious

eclectic

An interesting album that doesn't deserve such low ratings. This is exactly the kind of surprising discovery I signed up for. Some people seem to have a very narrow definition of what music should be ; after reading the reviews, I was expecting something overly weird and experimental, but this album is nowhere near as strange as they make it sound. Sure, it's not something you'll hear on the radio, but it's still very listenable overall. It's just a quirkier, more unhinged version of Talking Heads. I actually find it more interesting than Talking Heads, since I've always thought Byrne didn't go far enough into crazy territory. So yeah, it's a bit weird, but it's also unapologetically funny, and it's an honest album that does its own thing without trying to appeal to mainstream taste. It certainly has personality. The way they experiment with sound sometimes prefigures what noise rock would later do in the 80s (Blow Daddy-O had an almost Sonic Youth vibe), and the chaotic keyboard lines are super fun. Not something I'd listen every day, but I'll definitely keep this band in mind. It's a subjective 3* for me - but I'm adding 1 extra star for originality (and also to boost their stats). 6+1/10

Non mais franchement, j'ai du me trompé de liste !! Je me demande bien l'influence qu'a bien pu avoir cet album... en tout cas, direct aux oubliettes en ce qui me concerne

There are the Talking Heads I really like. There’s finally some warmth, more garage dirt in the mix, and it grooves hard while still going slightly off the rails in the best way. I only knew them by reputation, so this feels like a really cool late discovery. I can hear traces of stuff I love, Pixies for sure, maybe others, and that alone makes it exciting. Definitely makes me want to dig deeper, the intro od I, will wait will haunt me for quite a long time. On the down side, and even thought the voice didn’t bother me at first listen, I’m not sure I can keep up with it… and the few songs are a bit too experimental for my taste. But let’s try anyway!

Surely everyone has heard the so-called "new wave of post-punk"? Yes, yes, be it the now-hyped Geese, a slightly toned-down Black Country, New Road, or, at worst, Sorry. Many people like it, but for me, it almost always comes off as pompous and pretentious. The most interesting thing is that a band I hadn't heard before, Pere Ubu, made similar music almost forty years ago. The same rather jagged guitars, the same abundance of unusual instruments and noises, the same declarations instead of singing. What's even more interesting is that I rather liked this album! They're certainly overdoing it with the experimentalism in places, but for the most part, it's decent post-punk, very unusual for its time. True, sometimes you still can't tell if it's the music playing in your headphones or a snowplow humming outside your window; however, that's par for the course for the genre.

Well, at first I though I didn't hate it as much as The Modern Dance. But my god, that last song especially tested me.

Wtf do u want from me bro, cant give this higher than a 1 now can I

A collection of random sounds. I don’t get it nor did I enjoy it.

The vocals were very much not my thing.

Weird and wacky but strangely compelling When the first track started, my initial thought was "this is what people who don't like The Talking Heads think they sound like" But as the album went along, it started to grow on me - until I got to Thriller! which stops it in its tracks. Things pick back up again after that - I, Will Wait is a highlight. Definitely strange but interesting

Post-punk is so interesting because there was this entire period of time, once punk had broken down so many musical barriers, when bands were trying to be weird just to be weird, and were trying to out-weird each other. And each band was trying to be weird in different ways. But it all comes out sounding- well- weird! Pere Ubu is absolutely in that vein. Gimmicky and subversive. I don’t mind it though. Sufficiently weird. THREE STARS

Track 1: I hate it right off the bat. Feeling a deep desire, a need really, to turn this off after just 45 seconds. I seriously don't know how I can finish this track let alone this record. Sorry. Track 2: This sucks man. Circus hell nightmare loop. Yeah I quit this sucks.

When to listen: In the mood to be screeched at. This is not an easy listen, but I do think the chorus of Pa(Ubu) Dance Party is a bop.

Sorry for listening to the schizophrenic mormon music in a more complex and nuanced way than everyone else. I guess I'm just chill like that.

Cred för att de försöker tänja på gränserna, men det blir lite jobbigt.

Really weird, like an off brand talking heads but less music and more vocal sounds

half the songs sound like cats meowing (in a bad way)

Quite interesting, the lead singer's voice is unique and not for everyone.

Finally put a sound with the name I've heard here and there throughout my life, and I kind of knew they were from Ohio which is a huge plus. But being from Ohio doesn't make borderline-unlistenable music borderline-listenable.

I love you, Americans but please give up the delusion that you’ve ever provided a great band in the English model in rock. This is incredibly poor. Shitty lyrics. Awful playing. Poorly constructed songs. And that voice. Christ. Just appalling. I asked some fingernails on a chalkboard what they thought. They said it was the most annoying sound they’d ever heard. 1 star

I understand how Dub Housing is an important album in the history of post-punk, but I find actually listening to it generally forgettable. Caligari's Mirror and Blow Daddy-O have moments of being recognisable as songs, but I do not find this album compelling. It's mostly just clanking noises, guitar noodling and David Thomas's annoying bleating. I don't mind noisy and discordant music, but this is incredibly unfocussed. I did, however, enjoy this fun fact from the wikipedia article: "During the band's November 1978 tour, [Pere Ubu manager Cliff] Burnstein introduced the band to another group he was managing, Def Leppard, so they could observe how Pere Ubu conducted their soundchecks." I can't even imagine what lessons Def Leppard would have learned from this.

Gotta love a creative fat guy

Not for me 2

weird, difficult, wonderful there are times when the records selected for the books make me ask "who has not heard loads of stuff exactly like this already?" - but not for this one, a great band relentlessly moving onwards to new sounds, new challenges 5 stars

I almost liked some of it, but it was a little too out there for me...

There were some experimental moments that were interesting, but mostly this gave off bad post-punk recorded in a garage vibes. Meh. 2.4/5 -> 2/5

Some of this is a little too goofy for me to really get into, but it’s a fun enough post-punk album. There’s some cool moments on here that really work, like “Caligari’s Mirror”, “Blow Daddy-O”, and “I, Will Wait”. There’s also plenty of confrontational noise work, like “Thriller!” - the kind of musicianship that is exciting to somebody but not really exciting to me. Sometimes it reminded me of Talking Heads. Maybe if David Byrne and Captain Beefheart vigorously shook hands. I’m between a two and a three for this one, but I have to be realistic and admit I’m not going to revisit this one and rate accordingly. Post-punk is difficult for me. They don’t seem as self-serious as The Fall, though, god bless.

ross geller on his keyboard could never.

Weird, kooky, different. But the more I listened the more I disliked it

Totalnie nie.

When I started this project I wanted to be exposed to different things that I had not experienced before, mostly it has been enjoyable and worthwhile. I didn't think I would like this. I was right. Of the 150+ albums I have listened to so far this comes a firm last. There is nothing in this to redeem it. Thank goodness it's over and I never have to listen to it again.

I remember reading somewhere that the Violent Femmes couldn't get any gigs in the midwest in the late 70's because the scene was just full of pretensions post punks. and I didn't realize this was the garbage they were talking about. absolute garbage pretending to be "smart"

Nice and experimental

12th from bottom doesn't even deserve a link click through to the album.

Weird on first listen but enticing, could see it higher on second listen.

OMG Can't get much worse than this

I always forget how weird this album is every time before I listen to it but it grows on me a little more each time.

Some of the random noises killed it for me. But there are high moments like ‚I will wait‘

There's something out there for everyone, and this avant-garde experience of a record proves that. It's a challenge to sit through, and that's from a fan of progressive and avant-garde music. Its unique qualities and willingness to break the conventional rules has to be why Dub Housing is in the 1001, because it was a chore for me.

i enjoyed way more than i expected , fun experimental sounds!

It was ok, I didn't really care for the vocals but the bass was fun.

I don't hate it, but not a lot to really grab me here.

Oh, man! I've heard of Pere Ubu,but never listened to them, which I'm regretting now. These guys are fantastic! At times, while listening, I was pretty sure Modest Mouse had these guys on repeat when forming their band. This redeems the last few weeks of shit we've been served up.

I had listened to The Tenement Years and Terminal Tower, so I had some idea of what I was getting into, but I'm still a little punch drunk. I listened to this album twice, but I'm pretty sure I would need to listen to this 3 or 4 more times to really accurately understand it. I'm ok with the warbling vocals and the general weirdness, but probably could use some more hooks somewhere. I really liked (Pa) Ubu Dance Party, in particular, and generally that they bring elements of the 70s to 70s post-punk music which often sounds entirely outside of its era. Also, listen to On the Surface and tell me Modest Mouse sounds like it does without Pere Ubu.

4/5 - With the exception of “Thriller!” which was straight up annoying, I found something in almost every track here. I don’t think anyone is here for the vocals, but I thought the instruments and loops were mesmerizing. Pere Ubu is one of those bands I’ve heard of my whole life, but never checked out. Really weird, but in a good way.

excuse me what the fuck. i legitimately like the instrumentals but the vocals appear scientifically engineered to be insanely annoying. DNF. once again feel that the name of this project is disingenuous.

i don't hate it as much as i thought i would. but i am also a fan of noise and drone rock so.

What the fuck

I like the punk and 70s new york underground scene influences but even I have my limits. I don't think it's trying to intentionally absurd?! Idk. I like the album more in theory than I'd actually like to listen to it again.

no way this is a real album. this is a disaster lol. i cannot take this seriously, the guy's voice sounds like a broken sprinkler. i cannot help but laugh. what is happening??? dude this is just noise at a certain point. i do not enjoy. 2/10

Well that was certainly... something. Exhausting to listen to, but then again, the album was so erratic that it somehow kept my interest and I did not necessarily want to turn it off? I have no desire to listen to this ever again, but for this once, it was weirdly entertaining?

This was virtually unlistenable. Absolutely awful. I think my ears are still bleeding.

Well alright

boring at best.

The lead vocal has an annoying, whiny voice. I get the avant-garde riff but it would be nice to know if he can really carry a note without whining.

2.9/10 Pure dissonant-psychosis music garbage ranging from “unlistenable garbage” to “almost kinda listenable until he starts singing garbage” the most listenable song here is probably “pa ubu dance party” and I do like its reggae vibe and has minimal screeching vocals but even when those vocals do come in it feels hostile to human ears. This album was an absolute chore to get through and I genuinely had to split it into 2 listening sessions, as when I first started listening I was on a walk and decided I’d rather enjoy my walk & listen to music I actually enjoy, then today I listened to the rest of it driving to get food so I could sort of have it as background music without fully assaulting me. I will not be listening to this again nor will any song be added to my playlist of my favorite songs from these albums on this list. I’m 15 albums in & this is the first genuinely bad album I’ve gotten. Most listenable song: Pa ubu dance party Least favorite: the rest of the album

I'd never listened to Pere Ubu before this list and I was very impressed with The Modern Dance - which was my first of their albums. Dub Housing is good, but it didn't quite resonate with me in the way The Modern Dance did. A strong four.

Album #1,018 Weird, but interesting stuff. The singer seems to be a cross between Peter Gabriel and David Byrne with a little Tiny Tim thrown in. This was worth a listen for sure. Would I want to revisit it? Well...maybe not.

I had never heard of this album or band but damn, did I get into this. Funky. Experimental. Every song is a new groovy adventure.

Another miss for Pere Ubu

huh

Surprising. Great

There were some songs that sounded like a decent experimental take. Too many songs that sounded like experimental bullshit that goes nowhere.

Yes, this is something special. And very creative. I don't like it, but at least it is something new and worth listening to (and that is not the case with so many albums on this list).

The music is quite interesting: kind of pulsating, krautrock-style. I'd say the vocal is much more of an acquired taste.

pretty interesting, would probably listen to this again

Yeah, I don't know if I get Pere Ubu, but this was still interesting to listen to.

Incredible and influential album

Interesting instrumental with different styles in it, not really my style but still great

Didn't get this at all.

Love the middle finger in your face attitude of this one. Great energy, cool motifs, some of it is just a little too weird but so groovy, will have to listen to more of them.

it really wasn’t for me

What the. This was... impactful. I don't know if I hated it deeply or kinda enjoyed going through it. Cold and unpleasant, surprising and unheard, brave and avantgarde, cacophonic and tedious. Is this a 2/5 or a 4/5? What I know is that I never lost interest in it while listening. It kept me with it. It stuck with me. And this has value. I don't know if I'll ever go through it again. Maybe if I feel weird. This 4 is gonna stick out and bother me just like the album bothered me to listen to it. Somehow, for me, it makes sense.

certainly interesting

Best Track - "Navvy"

Likte da ikkje så godt

weird

A groovy, zany collage of sound. Fantastic.

ma è devastante

Talking Heads meets Primus, it was ok, got a bit too abrasive for me, pretty forward thinking for 1978.

2/5 Anyone can be a singer. Apparently..

Need to understand

Guys voice is horrendous… “avant- garage “… more like avant- garbage to me. Like if the Talking Heads had no musical talent at all.

Obviously this guy isn't a great singer, but I think there are some really interesting and unique ideas here. It is very ahead of its time and something I will definitely be returning back too. Low 4.

Ever wonder what it would be like if Captain Beefheart made a punk album? Me neither. Another answer to a question that nobody asked. Sit, Ubu, sit. Good dog.

Like listening to someone slowly release air from a balloon for 35 minutes.

yeahhh just no, something is up with the tone of the vocals in combination with everything else

Weird post-punk vibes. Like a fucked-up Talking Heads. Heard before ❌️ Listened this time ✅️ Revisit ❌️ ★★★☆☆ (6/10) Total reviewed : 187 Already owned : 43 Purchased : 8 To buy list : 4 Nope : 132

STOP GIVING ME ANNOYING AVANT ROCK

Hm. Well I don’t know about all of that

01) Navvy - 5,5 02) On the Surface - 5,5 03) Dub Housing - 5,0 04) Caligari's Mirror - 4,5 05) Thriller! - 4,0 06) I, Will Wait - 4,5 07) Drinking Wine Spodyody - 4,5 08) (Pa) Ubu Dance Party - 4,5 09) Blow Daddy-O - 4,0 10) Codex - 4,5 TOTAL: 4,65 (47/100) Current ranking: 745/780

Very interesting sounding album, codex was a catchy outro

not for me

I want to really like it. I probably will in a few more listens. It won’t be a favorite, but it is an enjoyable use of my 30 minutes on New Year’s Eve.

i ALMOST like this.. musically kinda dig it, unfortunately the singing (if you can call it that) is awful.

Some of this is really nice, but then there are parts that are just noise imho.

An interesting one

really didn’t like the singer

This was a very difficult album to get through,but I begrudgingly completed it. It's thoroughly unenjoyable and the vocals are nothing short of a tragedy.

Never head of Pere Ubu so was a new experience - all be it initially disappointing due to insufficient dub. Its a short listen so was able to crack through a few times and there are a few cracking tracks - like Navv and On the surface. The shouted vocals are mostly annoying and get in the way. I am feeling grumpy today so the avante garde stylings are mostly getting on my tits. 3 feels a bit mean but not sure will rush back.

Dub Housing Looking back I gave The Modern Dance a high 3, I wasn’t fully sold, but I liked it and was intrigued to listen further and investigate more of their albums. That was May 2024, and I haven’t actually listened to again, or listened to anything else by them, and I can’t actually recall that much about it. So after listening through to this I felt I needed to go back to The Modern Dance. Although it feels a bit reductive to compare the two, I needed a bit of context and a reference point. So being reductive and comparing the two, Dub Housing feels a bit tighter than The Modern Dance. It still maintains similar avant garde new wave-isms, but The Modern Dance felt slightly more wilful and deliberate, with a notable sense of drift in the second half, whereas Dub Housing feels slightly more comfortable in its own skin, slightly more melodic and maintains its quality to the end, and as a result is probably more enjoyable. Navvy is a great opener, the ‘that sounds swell’ recalling early Talking Heads and Television, and it has an infectious jittery energy. On the Surface is also excellent, the recurring organ riff is a superb, nagging hook and the whole thing comes together brilliantly. The title track feels to me like their take on smooth AOR early 70s rock with the sax refrain, but obviously it comes out all weird through their filter. Caligari’s Mirror recalls Talking Heads again in the driving bass of the refrain, but also recalls PIL in the spacey verses. Thriller! almost reminds me of the breakdown in Whole Lotta Love, and also reminds me of Kraftwerk a little, and Radiohead, and is probably the closest to The Modern Dance in spirit. I Will Wait has a B-52s feel to it, and is a great example of how they manage to make what sounds like 3 different songs come together to sound discordant but also great. Further evinced by the pulsing, off centre, slightly menacing groove of Drinking Wine Spodyody (great title). I love (Pa) Ubu Dance Party, another excellent and disconcertingly hypnotic groove, with some catchy, poppy Na Na Nas, which feel like something they wouldn’t have included on The Modern Dance. Blow Daddy-O also has a Kid A/Amenesiac feel and Codex is excellent, a kind of 70s horror soundtrack feel, with ominous chanting and lyrics. It's notable how many other bands, both contemporaneous and subsequent, that it put me in mind of, showing how influential this is, or at least how influential it has been on other bands who are perhaps more influential. The bass really is the thing that holds it together, groovy and melodic, and often the first thing your ear to latches on to, while the sax wails, or the organ tweeps, the drums skitter around and the vocals bark around all over the shop. I probably should have given The Modern Dance a 4, and I think this is a step on from that, getting better with each listen. And as I haven’t got carried away too much recently I’ll chuck out a 5 for this. 🏘️🏘️🏘️🏘️🏘️ Playlist submission: (Pa) Ubu Dance Party

Whilst not a step-change from 'The Modern Dance', this feels tighter and more consistent. Stomping geek-rock opener 'Navvy' lays down much of the template for later bands in the lineage - Pixies, Modest Mouse, Young Knives. As soon as it starts to feel too conventional they pull the rug again - such as 'Caligari's Mirror' with a solo that The Residents would be proud of. 'Dub Housing' also has that Residents out of tune guitar feel. 'Thriller!' sounds unrecognisable from the Michael Jackson cover; this one tips into the avant-garde, and although it has some excellent atmosphere (and 90s dance effects by the end), it does break the flow of the album. This is borderline top marks; I find the Ubus so distinctive, interesting, unique - and this album marginally better than the four-rated last - that surely I must bestow that highest honour.

Horrible so bad

On the Surface, this seemed alright. But when you read the Codex, Blow Daddy-O!

My favourite Père Ubu album

Part of me wants to not like this based on the guy's goofy, affected vocals, but I can't deny the album is pretty good all around. Some original sounds for sure--I'd listen to again, maybe I'll start to get over the vocals. 4/5

joyous and interesting as hell

With no priors I expected this to be a dub album by a Nigerian artist. I was then immediately surprised it was post punk and a bit new wave (Talking Heads). And I liked it. And gradually I liked it less as it went along. I wanted Codex to be over. BUT I think I could like it more if I tried again. And maybe I would one day. So low 3.

interesting throughout but only gripped me sporadically. was thinking that this would be 3 but then it just kept being more miss than hit. caligari’s mirror is amazing and the rest just doesn’t really hold up against it.

I'd not heard of these. I can kind of see why. I can hear elements of things that they influenced, especially in the new wave era of stuff. Amusingly there was one track that sounded just like vic reeves doing a track by the ting tings in the club style. I dunno, it was interesting I'm just not sure that I enjoyed listening to it. Perhaps with a different style of vocal, perhaps with some more tuneful approaches.

Strange. Rock I guess.

Not my type.

Annoying vocals, experimental songwriting, complete mess. 4/10

1.9 Like a shit fusion between the worst excesses of Talking Heads and someone wank like Captive Beefheart. Not for me Clive.

Do not waste your time

Had heard their name a lot but had never listened to them. This is my type of music... imperfect, off-key, weird patterns, haunted Melodie's. Will revisit

There are better moments than the previous Pere Ubu album. But it's not something I would seek on my own time, *throws 2 shoes at the band*

The first notes of the album I thought - oh am I gonna like this? Then the singing started and I thought otherwise - but then throughout the rest of the album it grew on me! Definitely not just something to casually put on but I kinda liked it at times

Man, this was some weird shit.

Music was decent but didn't like the vocals or lyrics

I know I started listening to Pere Ubu within the past year. They were a long-running avant-garde rock band that went through several lineup changes, with singer-songwriter David Thomas as the lone constant member until his death earlier this year. They proved to be highly influential to several underground and alternative rock artists, to the point where their first two records appear in the 1001 Albums series. Dub Housing is the latter of those two, written and recorded with the intent of having a cohesive set of tracks, as opposed to standalone songs. Did it work? Well, I'm not sure about the cohesiveness, considering this album is weird to begin with. There were a lot of strange compositional choices and elements added to this record - the Morse code in the background of "On the Surface", the howling saxophone on the title track, the demented sea shanty on "Caligari's Mirror", the dilapidated noise instrumentals "Thriller!" and "Big Daddy-O", and especially David's caterwauling vocals throughout. What Pere Ubu managed to do could be described as intentionally obtuse, without fully sacrificing the fundamental understandings of song structure or only half-committing to ideas. Most of the songs here stand well enough on their own that not only do I respect the experimental musicianship, but I came around to liking this album. Not every track worked for me, notably "Thriller!" with the slowed-down warbly slide guitar and liberal use of filtered audio recordings. But more often than not, I reveled in the madness these lads thrived in, probably a lot closer to my enjoyment of krautrock acts like NEU! and Can. Honestly, I'm amazed at how much I enjoyed Dub Housing in all its controlled insanity. This has me looking forward to the other Pere Ubu record.

of “never let em know your next move” was an album

After reading some of the reviews, and seeing the low rating, I wasn't sure what to expect from this record. I've heard of the band, but never any of their songs as far as I could recall. One of the most common comments was that they sound like Talking Heads, and I have to agree. It felt like if the Heads never wanted to have any hits and just wanted to do their thing for themselves, this is what the result would be. And I really liked much of it. I didn't expect there to be any songs I'd want to save to playlists, but both Dub Housing and (Pa) Ubu Dance Party really bopped for me. It took a couple of songs to really get into it, mostly due to David Thomas' vocals which were initially off putting but then not an issue after a while. I totally get why some people really don't enjoy this, but I think it's a worthy inclusion in the list.

Really weird. Kind of reminding me of a drunk person trying to sing and they don't know most of the words, just some of the sounds

I’m all for experimentation and innovation, but when it leads to music no longer sounding good by any normal metric, I tap out very quickly. What a great example I have of this idea in Pere Ubu.

Some of the reviews are way too harsh. I would listen to it again.

Of the 578 albums I have heard there have been 577 better than this one. 1 star or F-.

Hard but interesting listen. Didn't know Jehovas witnesses made music like this! So this album taught me something new. Will probably never listen again, but if someone asked me to give them a weird and unique album, I might recommend this one

Better than Coldplay

Nope. Not my cup at all. I would think it is a very niche band.

Not that bad, kinda weird, but it sounded super important to me for all the New Wave movement that followed. Surprisingly and strangely fun, but not that essential to me.

If I didn't have a headache before, I do now!

It's the albums like this that make me question why I am even listening to this list in the first place.

I don't know what it is about the 1001 albums to hear before you die list's pick of Post-Punk albums, but I keep getting some of the worst Post-Punk I've ever heard right about now in my journey. I had somewhat high expectations for Pere Ubu's albums as there are two on the list, but after hearing Dub Housing in full I am truly not impressed in the slightest. The vocals here are god awful and extremely out of place to the point where the lead singer's voice is so bad you can't comprehend a single word that is being said. It also seems like Pere Ubu's band has absolutely no direction whatsoever and is just playing randomly hoping that something sticks, akin to Trout Mask Replica and its' absurdist concept. I truly don't understand how someone could comprehend listening to this without utterly hating it, let alone listen to it more than once and call it a favorite of theirs. This project is a flaming dumpster fire of music and even that is pretty nice given how much I despised this album. I am really not looking forward to hearing anything else from Pere Ubu, but I know that time will come shortly.

Very weird. Denk dat ik het live best leuk zou vinden

I didn’t enjoy this album. It has many of the elements of the Talking Heads that i don’t like, while omitting the aspects I do like.

Clearly I don't know what I'm doing with my life. What i really should be doing is finding a guy that sounds like Jar-Jar Binks, bring him to my band's rehearsal space and just record us hanging on shit and sometimes playing half-assed grooves for 35 minutes. Maybe if I'm lucky in 40+ years some critic will think it's awesome and deem it mandatory listening.

Wild stuff!

I feel like I might've liked this if I were listening to this while getting high with my high school friends in the early 80s. On the other hand, I have no desire to go back to that time. And no desire to subject myself to Pere Ubu again.

Bruh.

Everyone found it a bit disturbing

Dub Housing by Pere Ubu was such a fun surprise. I’d never heard the album before, and it’s completely different from anything I usually listen to. The mix of strange sounds, off-kilter rhythms, and experimental beats made the whole thing a really enjoyable experience. There’s so much variety packed into it that it never gets dull. Favourite track: Every track had something interesting going on, but I especially enjoyed the ones with strong vocal parts. Least favourite track: Honestly, nothing here felt weak—everything was worth a listen. Album artwork: A very cool, intriguing cover that fits the album’s odd, experimental vibe.

Too weird for me and I don't like the vocals at all.

Not a fan. Couldn't wait for it to be over.

This list really does give you the whole history of Post-Punk through stuff like this. First you get the stuff that started it like Roxy Music, then you get early Post-Punk like this album, and then you get the stuff when the genre became fully established like Talking Heads. I feel like this one is especially a good history lesson that gets written off for being way too experimental for most people. Granted, most of the bottom 25 on this list is in the bottom 25 because it's too experimental for most people. I'm not most people and I love Post-Punk, so this was great. It's a lot messier than most Post-Punk, but that's a part of the fun. Reminds me a lot of No Wave music from around the same time as this album's release like Swans' self-titled EP or No New York.

Random noises made in garage, squekty voice doesnt help, sorry