Dub Housing

Catastrophically bad. It’s incredibly typical, lame, disjointed, scratchy 70s post-punk but with the guy from B-52s yelping periodically over it. Not quite the guy from B-52s to be fair, it’s the guy from B-52s crossed with a mortally wounded hyena and Beaker from The Muppets. Meep, meep! Just when it couldn’t get any worse it arrives at the bleak tetchy cobweb morass of ‘Thriller!’ which is not a Rod Temperton tune I assure you.

What I really find I appreciate in here with Pere Ubu is that, for all the looseness and experimentation and art sensibility or however you choose to frame it, there’s normally at least one steady element that sits as a backbone for everything else and that you can return to so you can kinda dance along even when the rest is as it is. It’s a bit like if a rhythm section, or a synth and a metronome or a guitar line or whatever is taking the spot in the song, was your parent watching on as you played in the weirdest playground going. With that little bit of guardrail, it’s easier to appreciate the sort of weird collective influences becoming one thing here, with an experimental post-punk where the band listened to dub and free jazz and want to play with loud-quiet dynamics and droning vocals or w/e else. Basically, it’s cool as hell tbh, put Pa Ubu Dance Party on for the club to bounce to.

This was truly a miserable experience for me. When they weren't being way too hurky, they were way too jerky, if not both. And then there's artsy fartsy crap that is "Thriller!" and "Blow Daddy-O". I don't even know what to call "Codex" except audio blah. Admittedly there are times I could at least acknowledge the post punk drive though most of the album. But quite honestly most of those parts sounded more like what Talking Heads would be if they were fucking annoying. (3.6) ★½

Waar is hier de nooduitgang

Just didn’t get it. Singer does however sound like someone out of Rick And Morty! Won’t be listening again…

Didn't finish

I respect it, but I don't like it. It's not the worst thing ever by any means, but it's not far off.

I feel like this band always smells bad :/

This is the kind of thing that this list feeds me over and over again and it makes me start to ask…. Do I even like music? Is any of it good? I know it is but this makes me lose my will to listen to anything

😟

I didn't mind this. The scores and reviews led me to expect something really terrible and offensive. Cool in places, if a bit weird. I like weird. I am weird.

Weird and interesting but won’t be listening again

This is very insane, but I think it’s interesting.

Pretty funky. Not sure if these guys or talking heads were there first but it's similar ground. Sounds pretty great though, an enjoyable listen

Wow, it's so bad overall. There are glimpse of good music, but the singing, lyrics, melodies of some song are so bad. Who thought that this low is a must hear before I die? If I would die now, my spirit will hunt those people. Less than 1 star

Damn thought I was getting a dubtastic time but instead got a freaky deaky time. I actually didn’t think that was this bad it was like a scary talking heads. I didn’t like all the tracks, they were a bit jarring at points but i can respect the experimentation.

This was good, something completely new. Never heard of the album or the band so that was nice. Enjoyed the diversions.

:(

"I think about you all the time...I think about you all the time...I think about you all the time..." - Codex Man, I get that there's a need for experimentation in music, and there are a few interesting nuggets and grooves here and there throughout. But as a whole, it's a pretty unpleasant, at times unnerving, listen. The lead vocalist, David Thomas, sounds like a cross between Fred Schneider of the B-52's and Roland Gift of Fine Young Cannibals -- on some very serious meds. Don't need to go back to this one.

++: Navy, On the Surface, Dub Housing, Caligari's Mirror, I, Will Wait, Drinking Wine Spodyody, (Pa) Ubu Dance Party, Blow Daddy-O +: Thriller!, Codex 9,4/10

Heyrðu þetta kom bara skemmtilega á óvart. Hresst og stuð rugl. Fílaða. Gúbbarnir á síðunni vilja bara fullkomnar plötur og óverpródúsað prögg. Expand your mind segi ég bara, þetta er frábært stöff.

Gott avant garde pönk. Ég fíla þetta. Frumlegt og óhefðbundið. Söngurinn fer greinilega í taugarnar á mörgum, en þetta er music to my ears.

The first time I listened to this I was totally unprepared and I believe I disliked the experience. I think I gave it a 3. It wasn’t awful, there were elements that made musical sense, but it seemed a total mess. This time? Damn. I almost want to give it a 5. Call me crazy, but this album opened up for me and the experience became the kind of journey that I tend to rate well. It ended and I thought “how did I not think this was awesome the first time?” And to be clear I have listened to Trout Mask Replica twice now and I still think that album basically sucks. 4 Boolean: True

Another experimental album!

3 out of 5. A high three. I liked how weird this album was but The Modern Dance had a better sound for me.

So much more listenable than the other album I've heard from the list. I liked this and might even listen again. 3.5 stars rounding up to 4, just cause.

I thought id be a contrarian to the global reviews after the first few songs and then it nosedived into stupidity.

More than any other band, I feel like Pere Ubu is daring you not to like this noise so that they can mock you. Are these even songs? How is a listener supposed to know where one ends and the next begins? How do you remember them or tell them apart? But if you don't 'get it' you're not cool. This is music for cool people and you have failed the test.

draait vierkant van voor naar achter.. klinkt als Beefheart die Bauhaus speelt met een zanger die verslaafd is aan helium.. kortom : hemel op aarde

Second and final Pere Ubu. I was surprised when I discovered these guys had two albums on the list. Didn't think they had it in 'em. I think about the opening song to "The Modern Dance" on occasion, if only because I admire how ballsy it is to open your album by exploding the eardrums of everybody within a thousand mile radius. As for the rest of the album, I'm pretty sure it was just standard punk/new wave, though I recall it incorporating industrial into a few of its songs. I'm a big fan of industrial, so I was favourable to it on those grounds. Here's hoping I can form more of a consolidated opinion of the band with this album. Yeah. Another freaky album for fucked up psychos. This was a little shaky, but I was generally on this album's page. That being said, it's very hard to summarise my thoughts on this album with how off the wall and loopy the music is. The droll, droning bass guitars are quite good. I enjoy the use of synthesisers. The guitar reverb and distortion is pretty sweet. The clashing, thudding drums lend a billowing intensity to the music which carries these songs a long way. The singer's wailing vocals are surprisingly quite rhythmic and engaging. That's it. That's the review, buddy. While this style of music isn't entirely up my alley, I did think it was quite good and I will be returning to it. Book time. The band flipped the script on their established proto-punk style, instead opting for a completely different sound. The song titles reference old films, TV shows and catchphrases. "...this was music of honesty and warmth that was simultaneously creepy and exciting." Composed and recorded in no time at all. The huge shift in the band's style came from a reckoning that they would never be massively successful. "Every member makes a special contribution here, though it is, of course, David Thomas' unusual and distinctive vocals that stick in so many listeners' minds." The entry closes with "This is the biggest leap the group made, and very satisfying." Wikipedia says the album name was derived from "...a block of identical row houses in Baltimore, whose appearance was reminiscent of the echo and reverberation effects of dub music." Huh. The sound of this album was intended to be more interconnected than that of The Modern Dance. Loved by critics across the board, and considered to be one of the more important post-punk albums. The album didn't chart anywhere. Yeah, I'm in favour of this album. I'm always willing to stick my neck out for an album that is willing to try something different, and this music is certainly unusual. I cosign this inclusion.

Weird but I kinda liked it

Er Pere Ubu, av alle band, representert med to plater her? For om Dub Housing er med må vel den enda bedre, og jeg vil påstå enda mer innflytelsesrike, debuten The Modern Dance være med også? Håper det. De fortjener det begge to. Dave Thomas er det vi kan kalle en lettgjenkjennelig vokalist. Han har særpreg, for å si det sånn. Noen, endatil ganske mange, kan ikke fordra stemmen hans. Jeg digger den. Veldig! Jeg liker alle låtene på Dub Housing. Alt er bra. Men alt er ikke superbra. Bare sånn omtrent halvparten av låtene. De andre er vanlig bra. Det spenner fra magiske On The Surface, innom litt omskrevet sjømannsshanty i Caligari's Mirror, til skummel instrumental i Blow Daddy-O, hele tida med en herlig uforutsigbar stemning som gjør at du aldri er helt trygg på hva som kommer i neste takt, langt mindre på neste låt. Det eneste du kan være nokså sikker på er at det er noe annet enn det du hører akkurat nå. Denne stemningen gjør at du følger litt mer med enn vanlig - det er jo hele poenget - samtidig som rammene er nokså stabile, om enn rimelig romslige, hele tida. Det gjør at ufoutsigbarheten nesten går over til å være trygghet. Du aner ikke hva som kommer, men det gjør ingenting for du aksepterer at det ikke er du som styrer dette skipet, og det er enda godt. Det er deilig å bare være med på turen iblant, og turer som dette er det ikke så ofte vi tar på egenhånd. Dub Housing er dypt forstyrrende musikk. Dub Housing er et meditativt mesterverk. Dub Housing er alt det du helst unngår, uten at du klarer å sette fingeren på hvorfor. Dub Housing er akkurat det du trenger når du har fått vilja di litt for lenge. 8/10

Jeg skjønner ingenting av dette. Jeg elsker det. OK, ingen av påstandene over er helt sanne. Likevel, fascinerende plate og band.

Pere Ubu - Dub Housing Kantete og kaotisk rock som eg aldri har funne heilt plass til. David Thomas hikstar, hyl og grin seg gjennom desse instrustrielle, klaustrofobiske stykkene og det er vel, som sei seier, i kaos og kontrast den store kunsten oppstår. Eg blir merkeleg fengsla av ordlause “Blow Daddy-O”, som kunne vore lydkulisse i “Inland Empire” eller noko i den duren, men finn framleis ikkje heilt plass til Pere Ubu. Denne plata er både skummel, stygg og interessant. Og så er den kanskje ikkje heilt for meg denne gongen heller. 5/10

For for a spin, but not sure whether I’d spin it again

I gave this a three because I would listen to this again…I think this one deserves more time as it has a certain pull… so we will see

Cool.

This has quite the reputation, I see. When I get albums like these, I want to prove that they're not as bad as everyone says. Unfortunately, this was genuinely annoying. It would have been OK if not for that singer, who is the worst singer I've heard on this project-yes, worse than the Dexys Midnight Runners guy. The rest of it seems to be trying so hard to be weird that they forgot to be good. Ugh.

The drums were the best part for me but the music was too out there for me.

Difficult to rate because I had a constant headache and was not ideally in the mood for something kind of disonant. I probably only stuck with it because I enjoyed the other pere ubu record I got so much. There was definitely a lot to love. It did sound a bit more disjointed and difficult but that might be what I brought to it

Ok, it’s not dub and it doesn’t have much to do with housing of any description, but what it is is a quirky, post punk experimental album with some nice touches as well as some deeply irritating ones. On, the latter, a weird buzzing on the first track made me think my speakers were broken and odd pitch shifts on a later track sounded like a Walkman with dead batteries playing a cassette that had been left out in the sun. However, as with similar albums from bands like The Residents, I tried to embrace the weird and started to enjoy the experience including a deeply bizarre riff on the sea shanty “Drunken Sailor”. I can see a route from this to other post punk bands that followed, making this an album that I’m glad I listened to, but probably not one that I will go back to. Spodyody-tastic!

2.5

2.5

Some of the musical ideas are interesting, but I hate the vocals. 2.5 stars

I don't like this quite as much as their debut, but I do think it's pretty good. Pere Ubu is definitely a weird band and aquired taste, but much like the Fall or Sonic Youth, they have these bursts of catchiness that come out and it makes for an interesting listen. "On the Surface" was the highlight for me, but the title track and "(Pa) Ubu Dance Party" were a couple other cool songs. 3.5 stars.

Bad, lame and crap

This was messed up, and not in the good way.

I don’t demand a lot from punk vocalists but… C’mon mate Sounds like LCD Soundsystem if they like were shit and not in a funny ironic way just sonically shit

So, I cheated and, after listening to this album and seeing that Pere Ubu's debut (released the same year) was also on the list, I went ahead and listened to the debut so I could try to get a full grasp on the situation. Given the brief time period between the two albums, it's not surprising that they're more-or-less the same experience. However, this album definitely feels more polished (if that adjective can even apply to something like this). Therefore, I don't think the list needed both albums, and I would have dropped the debut (but it's clear that redundant bloat and debut albums are Robert's M.O. (in fact, I believe Robert added the debut in a later edition, so it originally (rightly) wasn't included)). Anyway, I can appreciate what was attempted by both albums (particularly for 1978) and the influence these may have had on other acts I enjoy, but I have to be honest: I really don't think most of this has held up particularly well 50 years out (especially with regard to the debut). In the interest of correctly fitting all 1,001+ pieces into this puzzle, and considering I gave its contemporary, 'Duck Stab', a 3, I'm going to give this a 3 because I think it's better than the debut, and I don't think the debut quite deserves a 1.

A funky vibe. Not terrible. A very tolerable experience that I can see situationally this could hit very well.

Need some one on one time. But I like it

This is why people should release crazy shit. In the same year we had Talking Heads, Blondie, The Cars and more New Wave taking over. This weird construction had me gripped the whole day. What a year for releases, what a fantastic album, what a masterpiece.

Very abrasive psychedelic post-punk album. I know some people will be put-off by it, but I think David Thomas has a great voice for this style of music. Pere Ubu was remarkably active putting out two records in '78; personally, I like the first one a touch better, but that may be because it was my introduction to them. This record feels a bit more experimental with studio sounds and effects—almost spooky on tracks like Thriller! I'm a huge fan of the basslines throughout, which maintain a cool groove underneath the chaos. My standout tracks were Navvy, Drinking Wine Spodyody, and (Pa) Ubu Dance Party, which really brought the album's energy together.

A very odd sound but it all kind of works and I enjoyed it enough that it didn’t get boring.

Sounds like Talking Heads got shitfaced and had an improv jam. Which is not nearly as bad as it sounds.

Super cool, dissident, weird-sounding post punk.

Opções instrumentais interessantes e curiosas. Vocal um tanto quanto esquisito.

Wat de fuck haha

Average

Incredibly interesting listen, sort of post-punky but with an arty twist. Reminds me a bit of Parquet Courts and Talking Heads. Title track is brilliant. Couple tracks a bit too weird for me, like Thriller!

5: I will happily play this album anytime 4: I may occasionally play this album of my own free will 3: I will happily listen to this if someone plays it in the background 2: I will tolerate this if it is playing in the background 1: I will leave the room if someone plays this in the background

Post-punk strikes again. I understand its place and importance in history but I just can't get in to it. This wasn't as bad as some of the others I have gotten on this list earlier. It didn't hurt to listen through. The part that stood out as better to comparatively to me is the singing and the keyboard playing. Still not something I really want to ever want to listen to again if I have a choice.

全体的に不穏な雰囲気があって、thriller?とかでは、その雰囲気だけを抽出した曲になってる。特にこの曲が良いとか、好きとかはあんまりなかったかな。 アルバムに通底してる雰囲気は割と好きだけど

It wasnt really brilliant or anything but better than I expected with a stupid title and name. Cant really remember that much about it now

Well, it's experimental. It sounds reggae and almost post-rock. This singer should make TikTok brainrot remixes, I think they'd do well. (2.5-3)

by my green candle, this is quite fun! it's probably not as well fleshed out as some of the other early avant-punk, but it has a lot of great moments. pretty cool! deserves to be one of the 1001? i don't even think i'd put this one on, but the more experimental choices, the better

“This is either madness or brilliance." "It's remarkable how often those two traits coincide.” Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

Weird, slitsomt om man ikke er i riktig headspace, men mye å hente om man er det. Foretrekker den litt mer tradisjonelle Modern Dance.

Weird, slitsomt om man ikke er i riktig headspace, men mye å hente om man er det. Foretrekker den litt mer tradisjonelle Modern Dance.

A strange but compelling record.

Not as good as their first album.

1978 art punk, bloc party, frank black On the surface Thriller Ubu dance party

I don't think I understand. Some of this is really cool. Some of this is clearly a prank... Right?

Definitely one of the more creative albums I've listened to. Not bad, cool musicality of this one.

There are some artists you just put in completely the wrong genre based on their name - I always thought Bonnie “Prince” Billy was reggae, for example, then found out he does rather nice gentle folk-type stuff. Equally, I thought that this lot were going to be some kind of world music, probably African. I was more than a little bit wrong, but I’m not sad. Sort of punk/post-punk/new wave/ noise rock, and it’s far from bad. Not going to be a regular listen, buts it’s ok.

I do appreciate the multiple Pere Ubu entries on this list; I really did enjoy the 'The Modern Dance' entry early on. And this record manages to feel even more drunken and disorienting than that one. Dave Thomas is a more "ruthless" vocalist here, squealing his way through these songs. But just like 'The Modern Dance', the best thing is just how grounded the album fundamentals are - yes, this feels like the worst fever dream you could imagine, but at its core, the drumming and bass are holding this thing down like nothing else. It gives the whole thing this dance punk feel that I really enjoyed. There were some really tight grooves here, like with 'I, Will Wait' or 'Pa Ubu Dance Part' Ultimately, though, it's still a very difficult record to grasp; there are no anchors here like 'Non-Alignment Pact' of their previous record; every song is equally as discordant, with Beefheart-esque guitar leads, weird call-and-response choruses that fade into seemingly nothing, some pretty out-there electronics - be they quirky synth arpeggios like 'On The Surface' or the weird industrial pulsating of a song like 'Blow Daddy-O' or 'Trhiller!'. And of course those wailing sax-esque sounds trying their best to match Dave's cadence and tone. It's a tense record; you're never fully at ease listening to it, even on the more deceptively "poppy" song. It's a bizarre record, and one I haven't fully grasped yet upon initial listen. But I appreciate it for sure, just such an experimentally dense record that feels like a dance-punk album being shredded to bits and broken down to its ugly fundamentals, before being haphazardly re-constructed.

I found most of this pretty annoying.

Nope

Weird album really. Not bad as such, but not really one that did anything for me overall. Somebody will absolutely love this. To me it was just jumbled up noise, with some decent sounds at times.

Second of 2 Pere Ubu albums in this experience and this one is more tamer than the first. That is to say its still bat shit crazy but it feels more organized than the first one I got. This could be because I knew a bit more of what to expect going in. I'm not the biggest fan of this album but I can respect what they are trying to do and like in my write up for the first one, I suspect there is an artist I like who took influence from this group and I just don't know it. 3/5

2/10 -pretty terrible, not dub but kind of hippy rock noise

God I wanted to like this. I maybe even though I might love it based just on the description, but it really missed the mark for me.

Not really.

I don't like the singer's tone, I don't like the music, I don't like the style, I don't like anything about it, I don't understand why anyone would need to hear this album. 1 star

Jolly good. Nice voice.

Ok

Was the last song written by a serial killer??

I fuck with this heavy dawg

I didn't necessarily find it as unlistenable or annoying as most of my 2-star albums are, but too unique for my taste. I do appreciate parts of the songs, just not the final product, and the grating vocals were too much.

Not sure how much I'd revisit it, but it was good. (Pa)Ubu Dance Party was a standout.

8/10 I was a bit nervous when this album popped up today since its rating is so low - it's in the lowest-rated albums list on this site - but upon listening I found myself confused because, well... I think it's pretty good. It's an incredibly experimental album that doesn't really stick to any one genre; I hear echoes of psychedelic rock, punk, krautrock, and synthpop, among other genres. The album starts off as traditional (although characteristically quirky) rock, before evolving into experiments with genre, sound, and song structure. Some of the experimental nature of the album doesn't really click for me, but much of it does, so it deserves its flowers for being radically innovative and creative.

I’m simply not on board with this album. I can hear the rock elements underneath it, but the whole thing feels too chaotic and messy for me. David Thomas’ vocal style is probably the biggest problem. It is so awkward, erratic and at times almost shrill that I find it hard to focus on anything else. Combined with the disjointed arrangements, the album quickly becomes more exhausting than interesting. I understand why some people might find the chaos fascinating, but I just can’t use this album for anything. It completely loses me. 1/5

Talking Head vibes. It’s not as enjoyable as Talking Heads. It’s interesting, if a little intense.

We have talking Heads at home…? Woew deze kan ik ff echt nie hebbe vandaag. They rlly let anyone make music enzo. Sjeempie. Just hootin and hollerin.

Didn't love every artistic choice on this album, but it was certainly never boring.

Post-punk? Avant-garde shit. Just another noise album. So edgy.

No me ha gustado, la única canción que podría considerar para mí playlist sería On the Surface, pero no me termina de convencer tampoco

Weirdo music, bit too cool for me. Fave Track: Caligari's Mirror 3.3/5

Most underrated album ever? Yes. Not only is this about five times as good as "Modern Dance," it's one of the truly great Post-Punk opuses - only Remain in Light, Pink Flag and Entertainment! come anywhere near it. David Thomas himself referred to this album as Ubu's masterpiece. It's an incredible synthesis of garage rock, warbled grotesqueries, and bubbling experimentalism, completely uncompromising yet compulsively danceable. It was wise of Pere Ubu to go in a different musical direction after releasing this - to ever try to recapture the otherwordly aura that surrounds it would be foolish. American industrial music in the truest sense of the word.

While I absolutely hate this, I do not find it boring or derivative. It gets a star for finishing something, and another for the thing being something I have not encountered. Should anyone hear it is a good question, but not many have, or something close to it and that is worth a listen. However, I'm never doing it again