Reviews (page 6 of 7)
It has some moments here and there but is mostly annoying. I can get down with some Sonic Youth, Captain Beefheart, Ween, etc but this stuff is just goofy, weird and annoying without much that I could consider endearing. To be blunt: it feels like pseudo artsy hipster crap and I'm not feeling it.
Outside of post-punk devotees, this album probably appeals to a very limited audience. Harsh and formless.
Varies between interesting songs and plain noise
Catchy, but not for me. I think there were more skips then listens if I listen to this again
what a weird album, can't say I was a fan at all
I want to like this album, but it might be too new-wave-y for me. Not really catchy in the way that the talking heads are. Caligari's mirror is nice and there are catchy moments to this album- the rest is kind of a stew that I can't get into. 2 stars
Come on, some interesting chord progressions which keeps it from being 1 but "what do we do with the drunken sailor".. no
Fucking nonsense. The vocals are just dumb. Whoever rates this as a classic needs their ears checked. Christ.
pas vraiment aimé pour etre franc. C'est bizarre et éclaté mais sans rien qui vient me chercher. C'est meme fatiguant pour les oreilles des fois. 2.5
Wtaf
thriller is such a deeply unsettling song and i can’t decide if i like or hate it blow daddy-o guitar riff reminds me of that devil song in GH3
Not the dub house music I was hoping for
First album to legit make me laugh when it came on
Not really my thing. A bit too experimental and goes from okay listen to unbearable.
Do you like things that are wary of being liked? Then have i got a band for you.
couldn’t connect, i think the lyrics in particular made it more difficult
Sorry Pere, I couldn't tolerate this today.
I found this one a bit jarring on the ear. Not really for me. And, sadly, there was no dub to be heard on the whole record.
Too weird
👏 Every late 70s early 80s post punk album isn’t one we must hear 👏
Such a frustrating album. I really like the music, very much so, but the vocals make me want to stab pencils into my eardrums for some blessed relief from the agony of hearing that voice. I've never heard anything so polarising. If this was an instrumental I'd have doubled its score.
"Important post-punk" album. Riiiiight. It's loud and annoying. On the bright side: it's only 35-minutes. Didn't add.
I wasn't high enough for this.
This albums low points drag on the ground while the high points are barely above the elbow.
Weird album, off rhythm off key singing, didn’t really enjoy it
The music was alright but the vocal was terrible. Put me on edge. 2*
If I needed a sound track for a haunted house I might be tempted to include some of these cuts. Was not whelmed
Like a somehow-more feral Talking Heads. A record that would be playing while you were shopping, bleary-eyed, for records. Part of me, for some reason, enjoys this, but "Codex" knocked it down from a 3 to a 2. Though I'm sure the haunting, "I think about you all the time..." will visit me in my sleep tonight. Favorite track: "Caligari's Mirror"
This is the musical equivalent of drinking Jeppson's Malört. It's an extremely challenging experience that seems mostly to exist as an initiation into a group or a rite of passage. You get to watch your friends make that distinctive face when they realize how horrifying it tastes, and then find appreciation for a completely unique experience. It becomes a shared bond and lively conversation piece. This is not enjoyable music. But it's kind of compelling in a WTF kind of way.
Unpleasant
Áhugavert
Did not enjoy any of the songs, but continued to listen without interruption. Barely two stars.
I love post-punk and appreciate the influence this album/band had but as a listening experience it's a bit grating.
This was a challenging listen, very off the wall vocals, dissonant and unsettling so it was very difficult to enjoy.
6/10
I understand how this is an important album in the history of post-punk, but generally forgettable. Caligari's Mirror and Blow Daddy-O have moments of being a recognisable song, but I find this album mostly not memorable or compelling.
Occasionally like listening to a cheese grater and a broken keyboard being played by a drunk. Post-punk mash potato. Best Tracks: Navvy; Drinking Wine Spodyody; (Pa) Ubu Dance Party
Very interesting. Had zero knowledge of this band before now. At times, this album veers towards what sounds to me like parody, but I'm not always great at being able to spot that, so forgive me if I missed the point. Musically odd and disjointed, so it had my attention at various points. The vocal melodies and performances are quite unusual, especially for the time. All in all, a little "out there" for me, but I can see how they were influenced by 60s avante garde and experimental art of all kinds, and how ahead of the musical curve they were in some ways -- a lot of the elements I hear in these tracks are familiar to me from later music.
Interesting!
Couple o' nice grooves, but it mainly sounds like some folks jamming/fooling around in the studio. Which is fine, though I wouldn't say it makes for a 'great' album.
Inventive and unique in its sound, but hard to listen to top-to-bottom and just not my style.
influential this may be, but can not listen for pleasure
Musically this is quite interesting and fun. The vocal just ruins it though. Screechy and awful and renders some songs unlistenable. I'd like to understand why the band didn't just go out and find someone who could sing, but, frankly, I can't be bothered to look it up. 1.5/5.
starts of great with roots of punk there and new electrical sound as the album progresses some 'experimental' sounds are used which mainly make your ears bleed
Felt like there might be something more interesting in this music but never materialized.
Interesting arrangements to the entire album and an interesting look into post-punk from the late 70s. At times it was a little grating, but overall an ok album. Best: Dub Housing Worst: Blow Daddy-O 2.5 Stars
Interesting...
I appreciate the experimentation but overall not something that I would go back to. I'd be grooving to it one second, and then confused the next.
Weird experimental rock album. Some catchy songs though.
A weird album
Not a fan of his singing. Very experimental and jagged sounds. More noisy than musical. Like your friends in the garage trying to be a Ultra Cool New Band.
Seems newer than late '70's, some catchy other unlistenable songs
This is a first time listen to a band I've never heard of. There are elements that reminded me of the Talking Heads and the Art Rock of the early 70s. I'm not sure what to do with this album. It was interesting, and I'm glad that I got to hear something new. I'm not sure if I liked it enough to give it 3 stars, but I'm judging the album as a whole
Des hob i jetz ned verstanden
Flashes of decency, but just weird post-punk vibes throughout. The flashes keep it at a 2 for me. Caligari's Mirror is a jam, but they will mix in more artsy discordant riffs that throw me off
Ballsy
35 minutos y 10 canciones. Sigo sorprendiéndome con lo corto y directos que eran antes los discos. Empieza bien con Navvy a pesar de la voz como de gato maullando. El sonido post-punk, avant-garde no me disgusta y tenía algo de miedo ya que este es uno de los discos peor puntuados dentro de los 1001 de esta lista. No es malo y pero tampoco se merece más de un 2. Si te gustan Pavement, Talking Heads o Manos de Topo lo mismo te parecen interesantes.
There's maybe one good song in this album...
Meh
Dont understand this album at all feels uncomfortable 1.1/10
Two days two absolutely disgusting albums At the very least I think this album is a touch better than the other one on this list, The Modern Dance, only because the parts where there’s no vocals aren’t quite as bad, just not exciting by any means. Also thankfully a short album clocking in at 35 minutes The lows are just horrendous on this album though. I really think David Thomas has one of the worst voices I’ve ever heard for a lead vocalist, genre be damned. It’s like it takes everything that makes a bad singer (no range, no touch, no ability to stay in time, no tone) and combines it into a voice that would be horrendous even for a band of elementary schoolers. The instrumentation sucks and actively makes this album worse, just screeching, chaotic, and basically just noise to fill out the tracks length. I really just despise this band and I’m beyond glad I never have to listen to this piece of shit group ever again. Getting this in and captain beefheart in back to back days only ensures me more and more that experimental “bad on purpose” music is without a doubt my least favorite genre; I’m not listening to music to engage with it as a challenging piece of art, I’m listening to it to make me feel emotions (usually positive ones).
Started off ok, but by the end I was completely over it.
Listening to this album after a long and tiring day filled me with a very particular and unsettling form of despair.
Felt almost deliberately terrible.
Whinge singing. I get enough of that at home
Ärsyttävävimmän kuuloinen laulaja vähään aikaan. Eikä musiikki muutenkaan oikein kolahtanut
Gek doen om het gek doen. Het is slechts 35 minuutjes en dat is het enige positieve aan het album, dat het niet langer duurt. Het is niet grappig, het is niet mooi, het is niet baanbrekend. Het is gewoon een beetje triest. Aandachtstrekkerij. In kunstzinnige kringen zal hier wel heel bijzonder over worden gedaan o.i.d. Anders heb ik geen idee waarom het in deze lijst staat. Ik kan hier niet meer dan 1 ster voor geven. Wat een onzin.
Not very good
There's a reason I've never heard these guys before...their music is atrocious.
This is bad. I don't like it.
Expectation: -> No idea. Not going to research. Just going to tap play. After listening: -> Insert big eyes emoji here. I'm truly going to wait to see how the rest of this project community feels about this album. Are there people who like this? That prefer this over say… anything else? How did it make this list? This is our 73rd album and I've yet to give a 1 rating, though in retrospect could have given that to a couple. With some I refused to do so out of respect to a well known band with better songs elsewhere. That would not apply here. This was a tough listen and though my brain is slowly getting used to the sounds, most of this is some combination of abrasive and bizarre. Looking forward to taking a peak at ratings from friends and this community.
What even was that?
What in the fresh hell is this???? Imagine you took Tiny Tim, gave him three singing lessons, backed him with Tom Waits' band with actual instruments, and then armed them with a songwriter who took cues from the Talking Heads, Napolean XIV, 10cc, and Robert Wyatt. I get being an artist, but this is not my thing. It shouldn't be your thing either. You can do better. My Rating: 1/5
I still haven’t really grasped what I listened to. I just know I’m not a fan lol.
Some of it is cool, Talking Heads-y, most is too weird.
I didn't have the patience to listen to this whole album. It all sounded the same, and when I checked to see how far along in the album I was, it was only the second song. one star.
Oh no. Ohhhh no. This is one of THE most hated albums on the site. I understood why, at least I thought I did at first. It's noisy, it's hectic, it's unpredictable and downright scary sometimes, and it's got a whiny singer. All your least favorite things for most of you, right? That's part of what drew me to it. I love noisy, I love weird singers, I love unpredictability and being so taken aback and astonished by whatever it is I just heard. I was so ready to sing my praises for the album before I even heard it, because it seemed so in line with everything else I usually like! And then I heard it, and you were all proven right. I'm not sure if I'll be able to get into this. Many of my friends are early Pere Ubu fans, so it might need a bit of time on my end to appreciate. But I just...this singer, man. He's a bit too whiny, even for me. If I felt the songs were stronger, I'd probably appreciate him more. But I don't even think the songs behind him are that great. Caligari's Mirror I found to be just too bizarre for my tastes. The songs aren't even boring, I can say that. Nothing about the album is boring. But to me, there's not enough to latch onto. Not enough legitimately pleasing musicality. The amount of times I felt like I was listening to a ringtone, or listening to my dryer cycle being done... Maybe in a few years I'll grow to love this, just like I did with some other favorites of mine. But now is not the time. As of right now, I don't want to come back to a single song on this again. I have to give it a 1 just so I can laugh at my ratings in five years time when I end up loving it.
A new one for me, and I doubt I’ll listen to it again
People might say this is avantgarde. I pretty much say it's shit. I didn't enjoy this at all.
Some elements of this album I kinda of like. There are some catchy basslines & fun guitar work at points. But unfortunately that's where the semi-praise ends. Everything else's is awful. I absolutely hated the vocals from the second the wailing started on track 1, and every time the record decided to go experimental I let out an audible sigh. Not good at all - 3/10.
2 songs in… can tell this one sucks. DNF. 1 star. I can’t stand this type of singing or instrument playing. It feels like the artists are just TRYING to be artsy. Or like if someone learned guitar and 1 year later started a band and was like, “we’re so good and so cool everyone listen to us.” And then their popular friends were like YEAH OMG ITS SO GOOD! EVERYONE LISTEN TO IT. And everyone pretends to like it bc they think it’s cool to do so. But deep down everyone knows it’s dog shit.
Yikes. A cacophony of sound. Not in a good way.
Если бы не сумасшедший псих-вокалист, то музыка была бы вполне сносная (местами).
I really wasn't a fan of this if I'm being completely honest. It just seemed really odd and all over the place with no real direction or meaning behind it. It just sounded like endless noise to me... I couldn't even get behind the vocals at all; they were just slightly annoying. There were some tracks that stood out more than others, but I can't really say that I enjoyed them. Standouts: Caligari's Mirror Thriller! Blow Daddy-O
So I listened to it. I can say that about it. I can also say that my boss walked past while I was listening and went, "Drew the short straw on the list today huh?" I'm sure there is something good to say about it, I'm not sure what but I'm sure it's there.
Just no
nah this is too messy
One of the most annoying things I've ever experienced
Oh.... noise......
It felt like being in a farm surrounded by chickens.
Some fun beats that cannot be enjoyed due to the heavy handed use of dissonant noises so ill-suited to the human ear that I assume the band had some sort of vendetta against it.
Oh cool, some atonal screeching over other atonal screeching layered over yet more atonal screeching. The bass kinda sounded like he knew what a key signature is. Kinda. I got through 3 songs and DNF'd, on to an album that won't make me re-think this whole list.
Tingiu bl
This is even weirder and more annoying than the last Pere Ubu album. Pretty difficult to listen to.
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.
I hated this. Noisy. Bad singing. Not good!
I was stressed listening to this
This music does nothing for me.
This was slightly better than their previous album, because it's 1 minute shorter.
Previously unknown. Not for me.
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.
What is this and why did I have to hear it!?
What😭
I had a girlfriend who liked Pere Ubu. She was pretty mean to me. That should have been my first red flag.
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 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!
Noise, I tell you
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
Had hoped this was actual dub, but it was one of the worst yet
Preposterous
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.
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!
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
Very frustrating to listen to, since there isn't anything but nonsensical noise on this album. Strange and unappealing, and decidedly not for me
Terrible. I’ll never get back those 35 minutes
Genuinely made me nauseous listening to this
Man what the hell was this
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
One star. Horrible
- 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
Odbijam da slušam Peru
Ewwww, David!
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.
Wierd and meh, 1
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.
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.
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.
What the fuck is dit
🫨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
Wtf did I just listen to?
Just seems like unorganized noise, a few cool guitar licks but this is ultimately a no for me dog.
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
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.
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.
half the songs sound like cats meowing (in a bad way)
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
ross geller on his keyboard could never.
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"
12th from bottom doesn't even deserve a link click through to the album.
OMG Can't get much worse than this
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.
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.
What the fuck
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
This was virtually unlistenable. Absolutely awful. I think my ears are still bleeding.
boring at best.
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
Another miss for Pere Ubu
ma è devastante
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.
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.
yeahhh just no, something is up with the tone of the vocals in combination with everything else
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
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.
Horrible so bad
Strange. Rock I guess.
Not my type.
Do not waste your time
Man, this was some weird shit.
Music was decent but didn't like the vocals or lyrics
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.
Nope. Not my cup at all. I would think it is a very niche band.
If I didn't have a headache before, I do now!
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.
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.
Too weird for me and I don't like the vocals at all.
Not a fan. Couldn't wait for it to be over.
sta se dere bre ovaj retard
First couple of songs were alright and I hoped PU had decided to keep things a bit more palatable on this record. From then on it progressively abandoned any semblance of thinking about song structure and became increasingly unlistenable. Think there is a good band in here somewhere if they wanted to be but seems in an attempt to be truly alternative they've decided to be rubbish.
I quite enjoyed the previous pere ubu album we had..... I didn't get on with this at all though. It's too weird. Bits of it sounded like it would've fitted on a shooting stars episode. Not sure if I'm missing something, but I didn't get it. Can't really see past a 1, which is a shame as the last one was pretty decent
This was interesting musically, but I did not enjoy much of the vocals and or the extensive discordance.
Horrible start to the album, just a lot of noise and really annoying vocals that just did not like to listen to. Songs have so much going on but still feel so empty and also just very repetitive. Really not a big fan at all.
This album encompasses the garbled teacher's voice from Peanuts and everyone grabbing an instrument and playing them at the same time. I will not think about this album all of the time.
Why do the critics who put this list together think that unlistenable arty crap must-listen before I die? I have a limited amount of time on this earth. Don’t waste it.
weird lil fellas abusing their weird lil fella privilege
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.
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
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
That was painful, didn't enjoy it for a single minute
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.
wa is dees absoluut niet m'n ding
Wow, this album blows. If I had ever heard of this band before I know that’s why I would’ve forgotten them / it.
The only thing I liked about this album was when it ended.
Really?
No thank you.
Phwoar what a load of shit
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.
AbSOLUTEly not WHAT is that voice
So annoying. Instrumentally speaking, there are a few parts that I like, but it is completely ruined by vocals
ass
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.
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
Post Punk with fractured rhythms, angular guitars, and tense, eccentric vocals that create a disorienting, sometimes playful, sometimes claustrophobic atmosphere.
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
fucking garbage
Terrible.
screetching vocals , mind numbing instrumentation
genuinely terrible. 1.
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
Imagine watching an ASMR video while your toddler was running around the house munching on things and playing with various noise making toys ...
Not for me 1/5
Wouldn’t necessarily say I liked this one but I was intrigued by it
I did not like this.
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
Ugh. This was a very tough listen. DId not like this at all.
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'm sure this was very influential but it's also so grating that I found it intolerable to listen to.
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
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.
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
So this is what an aneurysm sounds like...
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.
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
Dreadful shit
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
Not good at all
Screaming nonsense
Almost unlistenable. 1 out 10.
Utter crap. I get they’re trying to break ground and push boundaries but this is unlistenable.
My poor ears !
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
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
Katastrophe
The perfect album to put on when you're having a party and want everybody to leave.
Not my thing. 1/5 stars.
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.
Talking heads on severe drugs
Das war absoluter Schrott, aber so lustig teilweise. Herrlich.
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.
not cool enough to enjoy
was für ein lärm. nicht nachvollziehbar.
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.
Thank God that's over
Nope
What was that? Maybe it makes sense when you're high. Listening to it sober makes it sound awful.
What the hell was that.
I do not like his voice
This is avant garde and I don't care for it.
I hated this
First thoughts on first notes - no. Three songs in and really, really disliking. This is going to be a DNF for me.
Strange.
Weird and bad in a way that is neither enjoyable nor interesting
On a positive note, I only had to listen to this for 35 minutes. On a negative notenote, I had to listen to this for 35 minutes. Fuck post punk with a rusty dildo.
Meh
Uh… I mean I want to be open minded enough to say that there is something in there? Some songs, like ’Drinking Wine Spodyody’ had a groove that was onto something. But at the end it’s just a bit too weird for me. Especially the singing is just too much to handle.
Last time I gave Pere Ubu the benefit of the doubt, that was ill advised. Honestly, it's so over the place an nothing was particularly good. Like what is with the reggae pastiche in "Blow Daddy-O"? Feels like I'm missing something.
No comment
Sounds like the talking heads, and I don't like the talking heads. Too much new wave for me, it felt like there were some good prog-rock riffs that were quickly replaced with dissonance.
It started out ok then got progressively worse
Nope. That makes two ⭐️ albums on the list for Pere Ubu. That’s a pretty special accomplishment.
Please for the love of god, make this bad acid trip stop. I just want to do my homework.
Nope
Oof. Just oof.
i don't get why making prolonged stupid noise is such a thing but these guys were good at it. unfortunately
Som en full Anton Halldin
Hot garbage
Yeah... This is pretty shit.
This is the worst “music“ I have listened to so far. The instrumentation is okay and even nice at times. But this singer‘s voice is nightmarish. In German we would refer to his voice as Katzengejammer / Katzengejaule. (Caterwauling in English according to ChatGPT.) The only track that was bearable was Thriller! because the singer shut up for the whole song. This album reminds me of awfully bad musicals or distorted music used in theatre plays. Terrible but so terrible it made me laugh a few times.
My thoughts going into Navvy "Dude this isn't even that bad theres no way this is one of the lowest rated albums". But then, the singer kicked in with one of the most off-beat unenjoyable voices I have ever heard. The instrumental feels competent except for one or two parts per song I would change/remove, but the singer's voice and the lyrics are so offsetting, I can't find myself to come back to this album again. I can understand wanting to do something different but I feel like removing the enjoyability of the most prominent part of your song wouldn't be my first choice. Thriller! is a highlight for me just for being able to creep me out with just the music.
I couldn't make it all the way through. It was awful. It's albums like this that really make me think though. Do the band sit in the recording studio and say "fuck yeah, we nailed that" or do they say "we fucking hate it, that's exactly the sound we are looking for"? In some ways I hope it's the latter. It reminds me of a quote that Chuck D from Public Enemy said about their creative process. He was so sick of the soul \ ballad shit in the 80's (think Freddie Jackson and Luther Van Dross) that he would play what the band had produced to his girlfriend and if she said she hated it then he knew they were onto something good. This album gets 1 star only, I couldn't get to end (I dropped out at track 5 for anyone that's interested)!
Ive never liked an album less from the needle drop that this one
1/10… punk rock experimental
What the fuck was that crap...
De muziek is opzich wel nice, maar die zanger klinkt alsof 'ie op zijn 16e pas heeft leren praten. Wat een tyfusherrie...
Truly awful
At first I thought the music was ok, the singing was just bad. Then I got a couple tracks in and it got worse. And worse.