Dub Housing

That was some delightful weirdness

I thought this was fine

It’s cool but not loving it. I think if I wanted this kind of music, I’d just listen to Television

Best Song: Dub Housing I have no idea why this would be in the 1001. I didn't hear too many redeeming qualities to it. Nothing on this is above average. 2/5.

Music is meant to be enjoyed. If this shit sucks and I have to force myself to derive meaning from something labelled as "avant-garde" then I'm not a fan.

Yeah well no.

So, this is the band that Dave Thomas formed after his former band Rocket from the Tombs broke up. I had no idea. What a mind fuck since I have been a pretty big Rocket from the Tombs fan for the past decade. Anyways... How much you will like, or dislike Dub Housing will largely depend on how much you like or how well you can tolerate the late great Dave Thomas' (he passed in 2025) vocals. They are pretty different they were in Rocket from the Tombs and are often little more than intrusive with their main character vibe and a self-awareness that borders on dadaism. While the music is often brilliant none of the tracks with vocals can overcome the sheer annoyance that the vocals bring to mix. I wish this was an instrumental album. I would play it a lot and rate it a 4/5 maybe even a 5/5 but all things considered Dub Housing is never higher than a 2/5 and it's only because the music is so very good (most of the time) that I can even muster a less than enthusiastic 2/5.

Well I'll give them this it was better then the previous project that showed up here but it still wasn't for me. At least they try and do something unique. 3/10

Really saying something! 3.7

WTAF - this was tough, tough listen. I have no idea how to describe it - my best attempt would be Talking Heads but before they were famous and without the musical chops

Pere Ubu is a band I’ve known about for a good 25 years, but I never really gave their albums a shot because whenever I heard a song from them on a compilation, it never left much of an impression. Now that I’m actually diving into their albums, they’re definitely growing on me. It does take me a few listens before I really start to appreciate them, but once the album sinks in, I’m completely drawn in. They lean heavily into the avant-garde side of post punk, but they still maintain enough structure to keep things somewhat accessible, which is probably why they stand out among more experimental bands.

I dunno, this album is pretty bad… really seems like they’re trying to make annoying music. Very little on here that I liked. Not a fan.

Feels like New York in the late 70s. An odd blend of proto-no-wave stylings with a heaping dose of glam. Not exactly for me but it’s interesting enough to keep your attention.

I didn't really like this

It started out okay and then it got worse.

Not great.

Kind of like Talking Heads and Devo with added weirdness. My favourite track was Blow Daddy-O, a light four.

Homes in Baltimore, Maryland.

Decent

so fucking weird and cool, I like it! ——————————— Added to Liked Songs Playlist: — Thriller!; — (Pa) Ubu Dance Party; — Codex;

This wasn’t good. Really at all. For some reason it reminded me a bit of primus. Need half stars. I’m rounding down. 2 stars.

Taste the beefheart

Really weird, I can kinda get down for some of it Will I listen to again: 38%

Unhinged, men jag stängde inte av det..

I just don't think I get Pere Ubu. I suppose everyone had a limit to their artistic interests and these guys have helped me find mine.

I previously enjoyed the Modern Dance when it was generated, but I don’t remember it being as weird as this. I remember the Modern Dance was a solid noisy post-punk record, but Dub Housing sounds like a surreal mix of the Talking Heads and Devo, which is kind of perfect for me right now as I’ve been exploring Devo after watching the Devo documentary and have been obsessed with David Byrne for awhile now. I really want to know what was in the water in Ohio in the early 70s to produce these wildly avant-garde bands. Well, probably a lot of rubber by-products and too much lead actually.

Gear: ZiiGaat x Hangout.Audio: Odyssey 2 Artwork: 🏚️🏙️⬛ Production: 🥩📏💩 Music: 🤮🤔😅 Rating: 🚮🚮(🚮)/5

Interesujące, cieszę się, że poznałam i przesłuchałam, ale czasem zbyt odklejone, żebym z przyjemnością wróciła do tego albumu

Gdybym miała komuś wytłumaczyć słowo ‚rzępolenie’ po prostu puściłabym mu ten album. Przesłuchałam aż 3 razy, bo niby nie jest aż taki zły….ale random piszczałki w tle make it impossible to enjoy it. Ostatecznie oceniam go na 2, czyli zjadliwe, ale nieprzyjemne, a jedyny naprawdę catchy moment to pierwsze 15s piosenki On The Surface

Wasn’t sure on this, wondering if it’s one I had to be there for. This was pretty bold for 1978 I imagine.

It's a little difficult to describe how this band, or at least this album, feels a bit tailored to me.

Album not available

No dub, sold a pup…would need to pay me to listen to this again.

Didn’t listen to the whole thing. Singing/screeching was horrid

Generally was ok. But some of the more experimental (wacky?) parts put me off

This was insane for a 1978 album.

i can't sit here and pretend i actually enjoy experimental music, but you know, it was definitely interesting and caught my attention. however, the vocals are VERY hard to get past and it just sounds kind of ridiculous at parts. definitely an overabundance of post-punk on this list

Goid

Another post-punk classic

That was painful, didn't enjoy it for a single minute

Decent enough album. Some great tracks on here, others not so great. Nothing terrible though

Not everything on this list can be classified a stone cold classic. Like this, this isn't.

This ain't Dub.

Unfortunately these “you had to be there” albums don’t translate very well if you weren’t there. I’m sure they were making a statement that was “avant-garde” at the time, but it’s a poor musical effort bordering on unlistenable

Just no.

Shit sounds like if talking heads got much much worse

I liked this quite a lot; more than the debut Pere Ubu we got a while back (which I gave four stars). This is catchier, almost poppy in places, though Thomas's voice is still a love-it-or-loathe-it oddity. This is in the upper echelons of four for me; I suspect it could go to five with repeated listens.

wa is dees absoluut niet m'n ding

I understand the importance of this record due to its groundbreaking sonic landscapes, song structures, and overall concept, but I found the listening experience of this album dull and uninspired.

Wow, this album blows. If I had ever heard of this band before I know that’s why I would’ve forgotten them / it.

I got both of the Pere Ubu albums on back to back days, that also was part of a 5 album span that included both of these albums and then two albums from The Who. It was such a strange coincidence in the context of this website. I left that grouping of 4 in my blacklog for a little while to laugh at. This was the first in the series of 4, but as I waited a few weeks to get around to them I listened to both of the Pere Ubu albums in chronological order rather than generator order. That one I gave a three, mostly due to its role in developing the wonderful world of Post-Punk. This album confuses me though. It just is not good enough to belong, and did not have as deep of an impact. Not horrendous, just not great.

This is the second Pere Ubu album I've gotten on this list. And the best one so far, which isn't a huge accomplishment. I hated the first one, and this one isn't much better. On this album, the boys get their act together a bit and have some coherency going on. There are whispers of inspiration and genius, but it never really fully materializes. I'd love to jam over this album and see what comes out of it.

Good, interesting, will need more listens to fully appreciate but I can sense the significance of this record as a future influence.

Not my cup of tea.

Quite noisy, although I can see it being ahead of its time when it came out. Nothing special though, seemed like an experimentation rather than something with motive behind it.

I have a soft spot for Avant Garde music, but I did not really click with this one. It sounded really smoothly sloppy, which isn't something I look for but was very well executed. I spent a lot of time not listening to this album because I didn't want to sit down and dedicate the energy to do it. I appreciate that they came up with something strange and original.

I am so glad that I was not alive instead of a 20 something in the late 70s to early 80s because I would have been the most insufferable prick if I found art punk and no wave as it was dropping. I had never heard of this band before today but I'm immediately into it. Such a nice blend of the weirdness of No Wave with the accessibility of garage rock. I'll be coming back to this frequently.

The only thing I liked about this album was when it ended.

Really?

Only heard their other album on this list before. It's weird but good, might listen to this again and rate it higher.

I can see why this album was very influential and parts of it were excellent, but it was a tough listen at times, chaotic and mangled. Good to experience it though

75% Best: Navvy; Dub Housing; I, Will Wait Must-Hear? Nah

Well it’s certainly different.

Noise.

Too Avantgarde for me

Great Songs: Dub Housing, Caligari's Mirror, I, Will Wait! Good Songs: Navvy, On the Surface, (Pa) Ubu Dance Party, Codex Mid Songs: Thriller!, Drinking Wine Spodyody, Blow Daddy-O Bad Songs:

No thank you.

Like Talking Heads if you gave them a truckload of meth and dedicated a roadie to repeatedly kicking David Byrne in the nuts.

Phwoar what a load of shit

Could only come from Cleveland, after the river catches fire and before the balloons smother people on the lake. In a record presumably designed to defy most pleasant expectations, the guitar work consistently stands out and engages. The singing… honestly, maybe it was Stockholm syndrome, but I started to enjoy it later in the record. Really reminds me of the work of Brian Ennals and Infinity Knives.

Never heard of this band so was excited to get something new on here! Really enjoyed several songs but also really hated several. I appreciate how weird and experimental it is. Can definitely hear how this was an influential underground/punk sound that crossed into several other bands. I think I enjoyed the front half more than the back half on this one. Thriller! Is where it starts to turn a bit for me.

Super interesting music. Horrible singer. I'd love this album in a karaoke version OR re-recorded with another singer. (Which makes "Blow Daddy-O" a winner here. Almost every song has cool bass lines, interesting guitar flairs, and/or interesting keyboard choices. Sometimes his voice is tolerable, but mostly he's yelling, kind of screechy, or leaning into sounding weird on purpose. Weird is good, trying hard to seem weirder plays badly. I'd really like to hear this again, but I don't know if I can abide his yowling. Want to give this a 4 for the music and a 1 for the vocal stylings. I'm going to be generous and give it a 3. I can see why some people would love it.

I really don't know what this is supposed to be. But I do know what it is - mostly annoying.

Pretty intimidating album to get as my first one of this project. Punk/post-punk is not something I’m very familiar with, but I did my best to go in with an open mind. There are elements of this album that were almost enjoyable and the enthusiasm of the band is hard to ignore. It was definitely an interesting listening experience, but not something I’d ever revisit. Afterwards I decided to check out their album “The Long Goodbye” since I’m a fan of Raymond Chandler novels but the album made me slightly nauseous. I originally gave this a 2 and the first album of this project, but I’m switching to a 1.

Nicht mein Ding und diese Stimme :-(

First impression - little screechy, maybe not for me? Grew on me as it continued... little modest mouse/talking heads. Overall - meh. 4/10 Probably wouldn't listen again

AbSOLUTEly not WHAT is that voice

Enjoyed this. I’d heard it previously but never really connected with them, but this is a good album. Original and odd. Interested to hear more and investigate them again.

Æ vet æ hørte på den, men det festa sæ jammen lite!

Lowkey unsettling.

So annoying. Instrumentally speaking, there are a few parts that I like, but it is completely ruined by vocals

Little touch and go. Some songs I absolutely adored and some were a little rough, but overall a great intro and an album I'm surprised I was unfamiliar with.

ass

Out there, unique and an interesting experience. I enjoyed the album as a whole, nothing really stood out though and gripped me. Could benefit from another listen

Three funny things I noticed. One; “On the Surface” features Pere pronouncing the word brain as “bwain.” Two; midway through the album, I was thinking that the lyrics and some of the instrumentation sounded reversed. Lo and behold, “Thriller” was mostly reversed. Three; “Ubu Dance Party” sounds ironically like the digital screams of the damned. This album was fun alternative to music.

For something so unlistenable, it’s surprisingly listenable. Most hopefully in bursts of 30-45 seconds. Heard once a moon phase. Delivered with a sum of one million dollars.

Cleveland’s own! One of the better things to come out of my home town. Not always accessible, this has more in common with Talking Heads than 70s gutter punk - but just as essential. Glad this was on the list.

Oh..this is just what I needed today. I think heardsome tracks before,but didn't know what band it was Awesome 10 out of 10, added to favourites

Every post punk album I’ve ever heard is just a band putting the most discordant music they can possibly make over distorted guitars and then having some poor soul who has no idea how to sing bleat out some nonsense in over top of it

tbh unsure how i felt about this. would fs give another try felt super experimental and unique which i like but it was smth i would need to listen to more than once. didn’t like it but didn’t dislike either

(SPOILERS!!!!) There is no way this band deserves to have 2(!!!) Albums in this list. Reading that this Album is considered one of the best of 1978 has me reevaluating the year 1978.

Maso

Insane asylum music. Someone needs to give the singer his meds and stop shaking him. I think this is awful while at the same time think its great. Is it loud, obnoxious and too experimental? Yes. Is it also kind of catchy, interesting and experimental? Also Yes. I would take this over some generic 70s rock band or the 8th album by a mega hit artist anyday. 6/10

Influential post punk album, but perhaps mostly an artifact of its time

Post Punk with fractured rhythms, angular guitars, and tense, eccentric vocals that create a disorienting, sometimes playful, sometimes claustrophobic atmosphere.

Not my thing

Avant-garde, jazzy, funky, weird arse/out there post punk. I think ‘Dub Housing’ is a bit more focused overall than ‘The Modern Dance’. I scratch and shake my head in wonder at how low the reviews are for this. I think it’s an interesting and solid record that more than justifies its place on the list. 3.5/5 rounded up to 4.

there’s some extra emphasis on ‘post’ in post-punk regarding this album. firstly I thought that the voice was to irritating and it was ruining the whole melody, but then i realised that it was intentional. i’ve saved some tracks that wouldn’t bother me too much if i get them while listening to my music on the shuffle. don’t think i’d like to listen to the whole record once again, yet it was an interesting experience and interesting experiences is why i’m using this platform in the first place

Not really in the mood for this today, it's pretty hard to listen to

The singing was weird, but then I guess that's the point. Had some good parts and some not so good parts. I'm on the fence a little, but I'm going to go with four stars, as I feel I would want to hear this again.

The comparison this has me reaching for is of riding old racing bikes, which I've done a bit. Less comfortable, awkward, oft-eccentric in construction, they jolt if you're used to lightweight, ergonomic, indexed and computer-designed machines, but after a while you tune in, your shoulders relax, and you fall under their aura. Beautiful, quirky and handmade, made to last. I had a similar experience with "Dub Housing" on the second run; on the first, I thought of the great records this influenced (Dead Rider's LPs are streamlined descendants), but it sounded like a museum piece. And then I reached down unconsciously for the first time, shifted gear, and it all became easy.

This is everything I had hoped "The Modern Dance" would be. Striking, poppy, weird, banging. I might Frankenstein a Greatest Hits together..

I have heard before, and do think I prefer their previous album but this is still good. But does not deserve its very low rating on this site! Interesting post punk noise. 3.5 rounded up Heard before? Some Owned: No 14/1001, 14/54 (25%) Will I get? Maybe

This feels like a Talking Heads fever dream. It’s not all bad, but most of it comes off as nonsense, making it a tough album to really get into.

Wemmer Bi dem Album eifach mol t Stemme wäglod, esches eigenltech voll easy. Rächt guet gspelt, ganze abwächsligswiis dass es eim ned sehr langwiilig werd ond es hed einigi gueti Grooves, wie Zom biispel I "On the surface". Einigi komischi instrumentelle Teil geds aber, wo Onder passende Omständ secher mega guet chönd si, aber ech ned so gse. Es biispel esch debi öppe s ändi vo Thriller. Wär's es rein instrumentals albom wär's rächt guet. Klar, I dem Fall wörd e klare Lead fähle aber es wär emu hörbar. Jetzt werd de Lead leider vo stemme öbernoh, wo enorm verzoge send oder zomendest so töned. Ke ahnig öb das eifach fancy Experimentell sett si oder so, mer heds aber definitiv med gfalle. Velecht als Höheponkt vomne Song zom t Emotione no chli z verdütleche, aber secher ned es ganzes Albom lang, wel mer si halt doch rächt schnell gar hed.

Not my cup of tea

Honestly can appreciate what they are trying to do on this album, and can tell how their sound has influenced some contemporaries and bands that have come after, but after a couple listens it is still not really clicking for me personally. Some positive moments and cool music, but overall i dont think its something i would come back to.

Okay, I get why others hate it, but its funky and weird and I kinda liked it. The vocals are strange, but i like a lot of the melodies and little musical phrases. I'm not going to go back and listen to this a bunch, but I can appreciate it.

I tried to come at this one with an open mind and feel like it definitely benefited from a second listen. As someone who is a fan of some music with non-traditional/out-there vocals, I actually found the utter uniqueness of his approach to be pretty amazing and like nothing else I've ever heard (some David Byrne parallels in his weirder moments maybe?) This band is rightly lauded as a pioneer of "art punk" and although it's really hard to find any super direct influences, there are for sure seeds of this in later indie rock bands that I can think of like Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. It's a weird unsettling soundscape in parts, but also has some very cool musical moments behind it that feel a bit more straightforward. Caligari's Mirror is a standout for me - the deranged delivery, the drunken sailor chorus overlaid on an almost Skynyrd-like riff, I loved it actually. Trying to sort of keep my ratings in context and I'm not sure I'd quite go 4 but found this a super interesting listen.

Musically interesting intros followed by the most absurd, grating vocals you can possibly imagine

El anterior fué mejor. Pero siempre lo aprecio. Nota: 3.0

nothing really stood out to me

Highlights: Navvy, On The Surface

fucking garbage

Their second album. Rock / Post Punk. Well this is a whacky one. Weird and wonderful. On The Surface was my favourite track. Imagine going to see these guys live in 78 ! That would have been an experience. The album is definitely a cacophony of sound. I like it. Disjointed and unusual but I did feel like a I went on a cool 35min journey. Fun ! Also some excellent musicianship and production at times.

I'm sure there are those who like this as their go-to listening. Couldn't be me. I appreciate the "art" of this and I can hear the influence it's had on stuff that came later and I get the individualism of the work. But I can't see this being a style I gravitated towards.

Unclear why this is on this list. Not unlistenable but not particularly engaging either

I found this interesting and I was in the right mood for the listen. However, in reflection I am unlikely to pick this up and listen again. Likely an ancestor of some of the music I enjoy more. 3.5 but on the three side.

Terrible.

screetching vocals , mind numbing instrumentation

I didn’t not like it…but I also didn’t particularly enjoy. A bit repetitive in spots - oh you think about me all the time? 2/5

genuinely terrible. 1.

Interesting stuff. Not my typical lane in Post Punk, but still a worthwhile listen. 3.5/5

Infuriatingly annoying Best Song: Caligari's Mirror Rating: 2/10 Stars: 1/5

OMG - that voice is just too much This sounds like music to accompany water-boarding and sleep depravation interregation sessions A hard NO! 0/5

They have a sound and quality that could've been created at any point in time, so it's even more bizarre that this album was from a band from Cleveland in the late 70's.

Interesting album. Liked it more than I expected.

Zuhause, Heidenheim, Deutschland. Viele Höhen, aber auch abgründige Tiefen.

Imagine watching an ASMR video while your toddler was running around the house munching on things and playing with various noise making toys ...

What a trip. Postpunk/artpunk/proto-new wave? Några bra låtar, men otroligt experimentellt. Vissa låtar var mest ljud, andra var rätt poppiga istället. Otroligt revolutionerande för sin tid antagligen

The first two songs were ok. Not sure about the rest. Not for me.

Not for me 1/5

This is Pere Ubu's second album in this project. I feel the same way about it as I did about the first one. There are a few interesting pieces on the album. But overall it's too exhausting for me. Do I want to listen to it again? Rather no. Therefore 3/5

A rendition of Art Rock that at first I didn't quite understand, but the late songs made me comprehend the project as a whole. It's not perfect, but definitely a worth listen if you want to indulge into a more obscure experimental scene. 3.5/5 ⭐⭐⭐1/2

Never change Pere Ubu

Wouldn’t necessarily say I liked this one but I was intrigued by it

I don’t think the singing is enjoyable. It’s groovy, but I just don’t understand why you would do that for the vocals

Interesting record

I did not like this.

Surprising, enjoyed this more than the last album I generated by these guys. Fewer weird siren sounds, few good tunes

Guitar heavy experimental rock; good for listening to while working on projects.

This is terrible, and "earns" one-star status despite what seems to be some pretty good work on the drums.

Nope, hated it as soon as the vocals started

This is #day387 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... boy, that sounds swell! Now, I've seen this album cover before and, being an early post-punk/new wave lover, I'm familiar with the band's name, but somehow I never got to listen to Pere Ubu properly, album-wise. So, it's a case in point: this list is a nice opportunity to catch up on what's been postponed or overlooked. Dub Housing, though? An absolute hell of an avant-garde post-punk from 1978. Weird, experimental, jazzy... Loving the sax in the title track and "(Pa) Ubu Dance Party." What a year for music. R.I.P. David Lynn Thomas. This is a 4 out of 5. Looking forward to #day388.

Ugh. This was a very tough listen. DId not like this at all.

Fav: Caligari’s Mirror Least Fav: Navvy Well this time I was sober for the Pere Ubu album, and I enjoyed it just as much as the other so it’s a 3/5. Expected some unintelligible experimental nonsense and it was actually only somewhat like that

Are you kidding me? 1st song was the warning - this isn't going to go well. And it didn't. It's a big NO for me. Could not make it through this one.

I remember when my cool friend played this for me, and I dug at least some of it. But now it frightens my dog.

This is an abrasive listen.

No.

well this sure is a weird album!! i like the instrumentals quite a bit but the vocals are crazy (but i suppose this is the point) and i do like sorta crazy vocalists from time to time. this seems a little too put on for me though.

I'm sure this was very influential but it's also so grating that I found it intolerable to listen to.

I really enjoyed this. New wave? Avant garde? Their second album and it is excellent.

This is my 500th album on this project. While not every day has been rewarding, this has been a fascinating adventure to explore into the vast worlds of modern music. Coming in I had a very deep knowledge of music released since the 90’s, but outside of famous singles, very little knowledge of albums prior to that. I vastly prefer listening to full albums, how each track flows into the next, and hearing bands that influenced the music that I love. It can be absolutely fascinating to hear a record that you might not love, but can so clearly see as a record that influenced one you do. That was the case with Pere Ubu. Would I throw this on in my own time? No. Do I see the Rosetta Stone for other Post-Punk bands I adore? Absolutely. And that’s why I’m still sticking with this project. I hate my commute some mornings when I’m on the subway and experiencing some prog rock nightmare. But when this project rewards it feels like all of these excessive hours are worth it. 3/5

I think the singing is pretty atonal and annoying, and the songs without lyrics also grate, verging on a noise-y sound. There are some tiny glimmers of good stuff in here, but if it came on a mix I would be bummed.

Heard the name of the band here and there but never really knew what sort of music they do. It was quite a weird experience, not an enjoyable one 1/5

Lite spretigt och ofärdigt stundtals. Men när det sitter ihop är det avant-garde, proto-punk på samma nivå som Talking Heads. Svag fyra

It was good and had its moments but was not for me

One of the best albums of 1978? Sorry to hear about that.

I was annoyed at first but in the end it was ok indie rock, I guess. 2.5 rounding up

Kind of insane, kind of amazing. Always been fascinated by music that sounds nothing like what "good music" is supposed to sound like but still has an undeniable appeal to it. This certainly fits that mold.

Some interesting grooves and some very annoying stuff too haha.

interesting...

Perhaps this was ground-breaking in its day (though I question that assertion a bit, since it largely mixes a lot of bits and pieces that others were already doing in more interesting ways), but it doesn't feel all that relevant anymore. It generally just feels scattered and unfocused.

It grew on me quite a bit, a little odd tho

Hmmm...I don't think so...2

Appreciate the punk attitude but still not a fan of this album. Their debut album would've been a better selection.

What is going on?? It definitely catches my attention with every song, but not in a good way. Even Kevin has to chime in to express negative confusion on this one. I see a lot of more positive reviews on this site begrudgingly admit the vocals might not be for everyone, and like, the instrumentals are surely worse? What /is/ going on??

Nothing could have prepared me for this dumbster fire. Somehow worse than the other random-sound-album that is Welcome to the pleasuredome

Great Odin's Beard! What sonic devilry is this? This was a challenging listen but somehow very captivating, and yes, at times, oddly enjoyable, even compelling. 3⭐ for the audacity of it. Would I buy this album? No Would I listen again? Probably not! 1. "Navvy" – 3 2. "On the Surface" – 3 3. "Dub Housing" – 3 4. "Caligari's Mirror" – 3 5. "Thriller!" – 3 6. "I, Will Wait" – 3 7. "Drinking Wine Spodyody" – 3 8. "(Pa) Ubu Dance Party" – 3 9. "Blow Daddy-O" – 3 10. "Codex" – 3 Total - 30 Average - 3.0

Not my cup of tea but was at least interesting

Couldn’t get past the vocalist.

So this is what an aneurysm sounds like...

Really interesting, I feel like there’s not really one style your can say this is, parts remind me of hardcore punk and also post-hardcore like husker dü and stuff, but there’s also some really new wave ish and arty parts. The vocals fit the chaotic bits well, but are a bit one note sometimes as he’s just yelling most of the time. The really low bit synths are also very interesting and something not in a lot of later heavier music. I also feel like some parts just get lost in experimentation, which I suppose can be both good and bad. Favourite songs: navvy, dub housing, on tbe surface, I, will wait, (pa) ubu dance party, blow daddy-o, codex. Overall around 7/10

Phenomenal sound. Would sit on the record shelf between TV on the Radio and Parquet Courts

Weird, annoying, couldn’t tell if next door were having building work done or if it was this album. The last album I was given on here was purely instrumental and after 30 seconds of the first track of this, I was wishing this was too. Not the worst I’ve been served up on here but close to it.

Je feelais pas le Talking Heads su'l crack.

Horrible, its like if David Byrne and Danny Elfman formed into one man who liked to grab his balls and twist them in the recording studio.

My second favourite Jehovah’s Witnesses related album. 2nd to Houmous & Chutneys famous ‘Sorry, But There’s 3 Up Top’ - everyone thought it was about St Livingstone’s decision to play 3 up top in 1979s Scottish Cup. 1.1 2/10 On The Surface

This album seemed to be a concerted effort to sound like a crappy Talking Heads. This was rough to get through and I wasn't able to make it through a single song.

Rating: 4/10 This singer might be the worst one on this entire list, which is saying a lot. But somehow this album gripped me even though I did not enjoy it overall. The song structures and instrumentation are so weird that it sometimes works and even sounds decent. This is experimental music which for me misses more than it delivers, but I respect it for what it's trying to do.

didn't really understand their previous album but it definitely trained my ears for this one. I enjoyed like a little more Its an interesting listen, there's some cool shit on here. the vocalist on here is fucking nuts, I've heard very few vocalists as manic he is its crazy.

this might be one of the most discordant albums i've ever heard - it stretches from loud raucous guitar and vocals that sounds almost like mewithoutyou to intensely slowed down psychedelic dub music with discordant noises and polyrhythmic overlapping percussive elements.

👍

Un peu trop experimental pour moi parfois mais pas mal

A bit jarring. I think there's value here and there, but it's not an enjoyable experience on the whole.

Do we need two Pere Ubu albums in this list? (No). Are Pere Ubu best represented by their early singles rather than albums? (Yes). Does this album deserve to be in the bottom 1% of ratings on this site? (No). I reckon if I heard this at the time it would garner a 5 from me, listening now I’ll give it a 3.

Freaky stuff from the Crocus & pals. Used to love this. Find it hard to listen to these days. Ultimate example of a band that should only have one album on this list. I'm becoming a broken record but it does piss me off. If you've heard of less than 500 bands, maybe you're not qualified to narrow down the must hears.

okay wiso isch nomel es ubu album uf dere liste. find de erst song etz funny aber au nüt bsunders. on the surface au afoch postpunk mit bitz nervig avantgarde? title track het cooli gitarre und das isch jo nice und so aber dass es paar lärris afoch "we knooow" 100 mol umeseged isch au chli weird emfall. caligaris mirror plötzlich chli stones im refrain? schisst mi ah da lose? dancepartyau rotz. blow daddy o au. dasch jo nüt?? han the modern dance vieeeeeel cooler gfunde. sorry wie finded die ganz kritik das seg mega geil? ich checks glaub nöd?

hahaha hä wiso nomal die? und wiso singt en aff? de synthi bi on the surface isch fuun! jaa s isch öppe so wie ich au s letschte scho in erinnerig gha han. scho lustig aber au chli irgendöppis caligari's mirror het so öppis wie en refrain??thriller._. schrecklichschrecklichschrecklich ubu dance party findi echt no funny d gitarre vo codex isch na cool aber es passiert eifach z wenig, hans gfühl me chönnt vill meh drus mache kei ahnig hii und daa ghör ich scho cooli sache aber chan eifach nüt demit ahfange. und denn ischs auno s zweite album vom vater ubu. würd es 2 geh aber vlt gits es protest 1

this is fucking weird i like it. 80/100

Wtf

Great album.

More postpunk weirdness from Dave Thomas and Pere Ubu. I love it--these songs hang on by their fingernails to your expectations of what constitutes a pop song. They meet our basic requirements of a beat, some idea of A-B-C format, more or less conventional instruments and arrangements, but challenge the ears at every turn in terms of melody and harmony. In those terms, Dub Housing is not a big stretch from The Modern Dance (their debut), so I wonder, as much as I love this album, why are both on the list?

Dreadful shit

I didn't really care for this album. It wasn't that it was bad but that it was an amalgamation of sounds and noises. If unfinished thoughts were an album this would be it. The listening experience was pleasant enough but I don't see myself listening to this at all in the future. Plenty of mid to go around though. Top 2: On The Surface and Dub Housing lots of mid that I don't care to type out 2.50/5

Can't convince me they're not from across the pond and that the whole album is english language but pretty neat to give a one time listen to

What in the world is this. I could have gone my entire life without listening to this and I would be better for it. This added absolutely nothing of value to my life. In fact, instead it took away. Never again. 1/5

Caligari's House

That guy's singing is just terrible. Even I could sing better than him. It's no surprise that users consider "Dub Housing" to be terrible. I do like the rest of the band, though. "Blow Daddy-O" is my favourite from the album. 2 stars for "Dub Housing".

I can see where some people might like this, but I'm not one of them.

Such a strange band but I do enjoy them.

I can see what they were going for with the horns/sax and chaotic sound, but this really wasn't for me.

What a weird record. I couldn't make out anything that the vocalist was saying. Favourite Track(s): Dub Housing, I, Will Wait, Drinking Wine Spodyody Least Favourite Track(s): Thriller!

Not great but fascinating: a band I never literally listened to, flipped past a million times in the bins, and now can put in late-70s-ish context. Reminds me of the acts I did listen to that were fusing noise and melody - Mission of Burma, for one, though I don't like this nearly as much. Can't say I will listen to it again, but there were moments when I shifted it out of the background to find out what I was listening to (like the "chorus" in Caligari's Mirror). Kind of wild to listen to it right after the Velvets, who, at their least formal, seem like a direct ancestor.

I can see how much it influenced a lot of bands I love, although I find it painful to listen to. I read one read one review that referred to it as "assaultive" and I'd have to agree, but it also said they had the vision to push boundaries, which I also agree with. I don't want to hear it again but I appreciate that it paved the way for others.

I really don't understand genres. How can an album from 1978 be considered post-punk? This is obviously the raw material for Talking Heads, Pixies, and everything else I like, so I am having trouble comprehending why everyone hates it. Yeah, some of it is grating, but it seems like it gave Black Francis permission to sing however he wanted, showed David Byrne how to combine rhythm and chaos, and demonstrated the uses of noise in the service of a song to a generation of punk bands.

It's a very generous 3 stars from me. This music is alternative, weird, very capitain beefheart-inspired. Not for your average music listener, this will challenge your ear drums. I liked a couple of the songs but I can take most of them or leave them. I'm not sure Dub Housing is the best Pere Ubu album to start with either. The Modern Dance is much better.

Not good at all

Screaming nonsense

80’s new wave

More like 2.5

Oh god damn it, these guys again... Last album was a 1 so my hopes could not possibly be lower. Oh great, I just learned the lead singer of this band is a Jehovah's Witness. As if this group couldn't get any weirder along with their music. 3 songs in and while the music still sounds weird, it at least has more flow and cohesion. Dub Housing kind of jams. Alright well the rest of this stinks. It remains an improvement over the last album, so let's graduate Pere Ubu to the 2-star tier. A low 2 at best. If they appear on this list again I am boycotting them.

Looks like this one came out in the same calendar year as the last. We'll see if it holds as much of my interest. Navvy sounds a bit like Devo. Not bad, but not a great opener imo. On the Surface redeems nicely. Still has a certain Devo-esq feel about it, but fused with psychedelic influences (organ sound really) and a vaguely Byrne-like vocal delivery. I really enjoy the dilapidated sound of Caligari's Mirror, though the vocals are pretty awful in sections. Thriller! makes me feel like I'm slipping into insanity. Drinking Wine Spodyody is a fun little bop. Generally I did not find this album nearly as enjoyable as The Modern Dance. Seems they leaned further into being weird, and further away from writing solid songs. For me this is a high 2 - low 3.

I was very scared going into this one. Much better than the last Pere Ubu album so that's something.

Just another absolutely brutal album by Pere Ubu. Did not need a second album by them in a week. The instruments and singing all sound like they were recorded without the knowledge of what the other instruments were going to do.

Never heard of these guys and then we get 2 albums within a week of each other. Sick, considering I did NOT enjoy their debut. Feel exactly similar to my last review about their last album.

Almost unlistenable. 1 out 10.

Loved this one more than their classic Modern Dance. It’s more experimental and more weird than their debut, which makes it more enjoyable for me.

God damnit. I'm supposed to love this kind of shit, but I just can't stand them. Too bad!

I had a little more fun with that one from Pere Ubu. More catchy, yet more experimental and weird. The ace tone organ always felt right. That said, I don't think I'll ever be a fan of them.

Wierd, Old school.

A little weird but I like weird. Although I don’t think much of my listen will stick with me

Didn't enjoy this

Infinitely better than the first Pere Ubu album I got. This one contains actual music! The dude’s voice is so terrible though.

I enjoyed listening to this unorthodox album. I am not sure how I would classify the music and I’m sure it’s polarizing but I liked it.

Liked this quite a bit made me listen to Wipers the rest of the day

first listen in a few years, almost always go back to the modern dance over this. One of the most insane relistens I’ve had in a long time, this thing is fucking incredible. It’s somehow weirder than TMD but also more laid back and playful. Even the throwaway experimental track kind of fuckin rocks. RIP

Never heard, was deep and interesting. Gave me a parquet quarts vibe here and there.

Extremely my thing I wish I knew this had existed earlier.

I will never like his vocals, but this is strangely less difficult than their follow up The Modern Dance. That’s all relative though. This is still startlingly experimental and ahead of its time. It sounds like if Talking Heads made a horror film soundtrack. Uncomfortable pace and style shifts, absurdist lyrics and constant discord. This is music that demands to be listened to. At its best it’s brilliant. What I can’t get over is the album release date. It sounds so modern to me, like it was made 20 years later. To my ears this sounds like deconstructed post punk. Strong 3

Surely a big influence on talking heads. Manages to be extremely odd but very listenable. A creative tour de force.

Relative to other post-punk bands this is a very eccentric album, though in the context of Pete Ubu this is a pretty sober and subdued follow up to The Modern Dance. There are two epic hits in the form of Navvy and On the Surface which will definitely be in my regular rotation, but the album as a whole is strong. It’s like listening to an evil Talking Heads. It’s interesting to hear them present themselves as a slightly more conventional rock band (again, this is all relative). I’m sure this different mode will be an improvement for some but for me gives the debut the slight edge.

This band must have been very fun to be in, edges the debut slightly as I prefer my post punk a little more melodic

had a lot of fun w this record : ) played it a number of times w mike in the car driving up to Bari, now it has new meaning : ) yeah!!! Pere Ubuuuuu !!! you really can hear like 9 different bands who were influenced by them while you listen

Utter crap. I get they’re trying to break ground and push boundaries but this is unlistenable.

I guess this is a great week for this one, given the title's meaning. But enough about politics. It retains a semblance of a beat throughout, even on the more avant-garde songs. Were those sneakers rubbing on the floor? Who knows? I liked the energy and its range, pinging from surrealism to more rock-sounding tracks. Chaos reigns.

A second Pere Ubu album. Really? Does this album do anything that Modern Dance doesn't? I know each of them - only a year apart - ended their respective recording contracts. Dave Thomas' yelp generally does the heavy lifting in escorting people out the door. And he is in full voice here. Still better than Steely Dan.

My poor ears !

How this sounds like David Byrne covering Bloc Party I don't know

eh

Absolute fever dream

Falopa total, no me cierra del todo la voz pero musicalmente tiene cositas interesantes. Es el primer disco, por lo que el segundo (con muchas mas escuchas) me da intriga. Habrá que escucharlo. Codex mi favorita, temazo.

Sum songs had good beats nun had good vocals everything is too messed up this album is so shitty respect yourself pere ubu n please so yourself and the world a favor n never experiment with vocals again cause thats the only excuse you can make for that shit you pulled off. As for the man who made this 1001 album lost please remove this immediately

Can’t quite articulate why, but the album has a real SpongeBob SquarePants kind of energy. Fav tracks: On The Surface, Caligari’s Mirror, and Ubu Dance Party. I like this, a lot, but while it does interesting things with structure and sound and language, it doesn't really grab me on an emotional level. I am really glad that punk as an artistic movement liberated a lot of people to start making experimental music. Pere Ubu singer Dave Thomas, passed away in April of this year so I had been listening to this album and Modern Dance recently. If we had to sit through Brian Wilson's "genius" when he died, we should have got more Dave Thomas too. I really did consider a 5 for this one.

I liked the drunken sailor song a lot! I don't know why this is so disliked. It's kinda fun. Prob a 2.5 for me but I'll bump it to a 3 to boost the average.

2/5. I can appreciate the experimentation of it all, and it has that David Byrne sound, but it just isn’t my sound.

This is like if one of those annoying skronky bands from C86 (MacKenzies, bIG fLAME, the Shrubs) was actually good! All the hate this gets on here is mostly because of his voice, right? It's not even that bad, and there's not really anything else on here that feels too hateable.

Haven't heard of this band or their music previously. Hard to get into but some interesting sounds! Some songs I'd listen to again but others I happy to have listened to once.

Not my jam.

Alrifht

I mean, not good.

I gotta hand it to this album, I'm 1018 deep now and this may have broken the record for how quickly I hated it. Literally as soon as the singer got on mic I knew I was in for an ear-bashing. 2/10

Wow, I was not expecting to be into this, but it blew me away. Almost gave this a 5.

Katastrophe

Good, but nothing stood out as beyond amazing. 3.5/5

I'm not saying this is a bad album it's just not for me, I tried to listen to it years ago when I read Clinton Heylin's From the Velvets to the Voidoids but I just couldn't get into it and I still feel the same way.

The perfect album to put on when you're having a party and want everybody to leave.

The lead singer's style of singing is pretty difficult to get into, but I really appreciate the frantic aspect about it. The backing track matches the vocals quite well; just pure frenzy, which fits the garage/punk attitude of the singing.

Not my thing. 1/5 stars.

this was weird to me at first but i pushed through and felt elitist and pretentious for liking it and “getting” it. did i actually “get” it? the world may never know

Well, this was certainly something. I kind of dug the band, but what the hell was that singer up to? Does that cunt really sound like that or was he just trying to be “artistic”? This is like a K-Mart version of a Talking Heads album.

I don't even know, man.....I'm not giving it a 1 because I kind of want to listen to it again to figure it out. Some of the music and effects are cool - I like when I hear some organ in this kind of music....but the vocalist is something else. Most of the time I'm not totally sure what he (they?) is blathering about. Track 9 - I thought my nine year-old daughter was crying in the other room and had to take the earbuds out a couple of times....If that's not a perfect summation of this album, I'm not sure what is.

yay! finally the first dub album on this list. . . .oh, nevermind

Half is good. The other half is dumb. Ez 3

Would expect nothing less from a Jehova's Witness

borders on unlistenable for far too long to give this anything but a 1. i feel like this is what Zappa haters hear when they listen to him

Goofiest album bro what is this.

An album that on the surface i should enjoy because of the genres. But i couldnt get into this. Their previous album "The Modern Dance" is actually a lot better. 6/10 Favourite: Navvy Least Favourite: Codex

Decent but The Modern Dance was better.

Talking heads on severe drugs

Loud and attention grabbing. Haven’t heard much like this before and probably won’t need to listen to this again. Not sure how to feel about it. Definitely different and strange.

I’m getting Pixies vibes

This is one of those albums where all of the songs on the album are all equally as played as each other. So when people listen, they listen to the whole album. That's a good sign IMO This album is pretty amazing. I don't want to really hear it again, even in my more adventurous days I probably wouldn't have been very into it. But I'm happy it exists and someone gave them money to keep going.

Wieviele Punk Alben kommen noch? Gar keine mehr? 10? 20? Es muss aufhören. Ausnahmsweise mal 2 Sterne (Hätte sonst einen gegeben), weil der Anfang eigentlich noch ging

Das war absoluter Schrott, aber so lustig teilweise. Herrlich.

Not really, no

I am three tracks in, and I am enjoying this more than I thought I would. The lyrics and vocals are annoying, but I am fascinated with the arrangement and instrumentation risks they've taken. I love how they incorporate synths into this record. NIN is one of my favorite bands and you can hear the Pere Ubu influence on Reznors' work from 1994 to 2008. You can also hear their influence on bands like Skinny Puppy's industrial sound. You can hear it in Ministry's eighties albums like LAND OF RAPE AND HONEY and TWITCH, particularly with how the synths and sequencers were used. It seems like Pere Ubu's intent was to make a post apocalyptic soundtrack and they certainly achieved that with tracks like "Thriller!". It really does feel like they were years ahead of where everybody was headed in the rest of the 1970s and well into the first the first half of 1980s of post punk, dub/reggae, goth, industrial. I also dig that they were not afraid to include all kinds of instruments outside your typical punk guitar. While I likely won't have a craving for hearing this album again, it is definitely worthy of a list like because of how influential it was on the burgeoning genres that would emerge from the crossroads of Pere Ubu.

Meh I don't think this guy can sing and the guitar just wails and drones, really not for me

If you walk in to someone's house and they call you in to the kitchen and ask you to smell something, there are really only two reasons why they would want you to do that. The first is that they are cooking something so wonderful and the aroma is so magnificent that they want to share it. The second is that they have found something so foul in their refrigerator and the stench is so bad that they want to share it. I think this album challenge is like that. Some albums smell so good that you have to listen to them so that your life is enriched by the experience, while others need to be experienced only so that you have a frame of reference of how bad something can be. This album is the leftover oyster dressing from Thanksgiving that you find on New Years because your resolution is to finally clean out the refrigerator.

I didn’t really like it at the start, but it grew on me towards the end of the album. Very early Talking Heads vibes.

Pere Ubu’s Dub Housing is jarring (Jarry?), nonsense filled fun on the one hand and compact, composed compositions on the other. I picked up The Modern Dance first in the 2000s and found it to be post-punk brave enough to blend its influences without apology (and pretty much snapped up the back catalogue after that). David Thomas is like a more unhinged version of another David (Byrne) from a band of this era — sometimes singing, sometimes shrieking. What was in the air between Cleveland and New York City (by way of Providence)? Dub Housing shifts from punk to pub/party vibes, occasionally veering into circus music, hypnotic/hypnagogic patterning or flirting with the chanty — they’re a band perpetually curious about where a song might take them (and us). Anyway, this review is just noodling at this point — a bit like Pere Ubu’s guitar and bass meandering over a steady beat and a vocal yelp or absurd spoken word. It’s either a 3- or 4-star record for me depending on the mood and weather.

not cool enough to enjoy

Generally fine Bit try hard Bit boring Fine

One of the best post punk albums of all time. An all time classic. Its dissonant and weird and not an easy listen but David Thomas and team delivers if you keep insisting...

was für ein lärm. nicht nachvollziehbar.

Spannend und überraschend. Nicht zum immer hören.

On the Surface and Dub Housing are both awesome with jubilant edgier Talking Heads/ B-52s vibe. The rest of the album is pretty eh for me.

Definitely different, especially for its time. Sometimes it’s noise and chanting that sounds like Radiohead to people who don’t like Radiohead. Other times, it breaks into something jazzy and Doors-like. Would’ve liked it a lot more without the singer.

That's a fast 1 star

It's strange how the title of an album can lead you to expect a specific thing. And then it turns out to be completely different. Well that's what happened here. That's not to say it wasn't still complete and utter shite, just not the shite I expected it to be. This has no redeeming features. You cannot even say it's so bad it's good, it isn't. You cannot even describe it as a novelty, comedy album. It's just plain shite. I have just thought of something positive to say about it...... It isn't slipknot.

Weird vocal just ruined any joy I might have got out of this. Some tracks were ok, most were awful.

A very odd but intriguing album. They were one of those bands doing their own thing. The vocals are very way out there, which does make it a difficult listen. I can't dismiss this out of hand. There is a lot going on instrumentally too, so I shall have to give it another listen to see if it's worth my time.

Probably influential, not especially pleasant

I think this is probably unfairly maligned because of David Thomas' voice and the timbre of some instruments. It's not one to playlist but I genuinely liked more than half of it. Judge this by the yardstick of being a post-punk record and you can see it's potency. Judge this by it's accessibility and it looks like a fish climbing a tree

This one might be better than their debut. Much more refined sounds. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Quite interesting to listen to. Reminds me of Sikth now and then.

Thank God that's over

Though I wouldn't listen to this again, it was a fun listen because of its experimental nature.

I like experimental music, but one thing about it is that sometimes it hits and other times it doesn’t, this is one of the times it doesn’t. Favorite Track: Caligari’s Mirror