The Modern Dance

Didn’t even get through the first song. If your album opens with tinnitus then go fuck yourself

If I wanted to listen to random noises I would listen to my butt cheeks.

One guy on Rate Your Music said this is his favorite album ever. I disavow that.

why do i have the best time with the weird albums

This sounds like a cross between Hawkwind and Television, albeit some rather twisted, scary versions of both bands. Does that sound like the perfect blend to you? It does to me

Summery: One of the rare albums that's genuinely hard to listen to. Solid bass and drum playing throughout (including some undeniably good bass riffs), but the vocals are consistently garbled and grating. It gets even worse when the vocal harmonies join in. Additionally, the sound effects are really, really annoying. I can see these songs being used to extract information from foreign espionage agents. Non-Alignment Pact: Punk, for sure. Very high drone in the right channel is annoying and unnecessary. Fantastic bassline begins to make itself known, and around 1:30 we get some really solid reduction in texture. The right channel is almost completely unlistenable - like the end of Queen's Sheer Heart Attack (the 1977 song), but for more than 3 minutes. Too irritating for my taste. Modern Dance: The right-channel noise has been replaced by literal static noise (a bit like the sound lava makes in Minecraft when it turns into obsidian), and it's a welcome relief. The song would be much stronger without it, though. Fun vocal back-and-forths, and an overall fast-paced groove. Unfortunately, though, Pere Ubu adds these really unappealing sound effects that make these songs go directly from 3-4 stars to 2 or less. Laughing: I sat through 125 seconds of painful, off-tune intro, before an equally out-of-tune shouting harmony ensued. At 2:50, the thinning of texture was again a welcome relief. Great bassline and decent drumming, but everything else is... not good... At least the ending was tolerable. Street Waves: Easily the best track so far, because it lacks the incredibly grating sound effects that dominates the earlier songs. Another solid bassline that steals the show, and a garbled, technically unsound vocal that brings the song up several notches as soon as it ceases. Chinese Radiation: It's alright until the loud-crowd section, which is bad. Strange piano-based section at the end that I can't really comment on. Life Stinks: The singing is actually pretty funny here. However, whatever's happening at around 0:55 is unacceptable. Real World: Pretty good, actually. Fairly nondescript. The singing is very weak. Over My Head: Floyd-esque whale noises, but the comparison ends there. The singing is okay, particularly the backup vocals (they're especially okay). Nice and chill. Sentimental Journey: The breaking glass probably means something. I wonder if it's a result of the vocal performance. Lots of nonsensical noises here, again reminding me of some early experimental rock piece by Pink Floyd (think Several Species from Ummagumma) or possibly Revolution 9. Not fun. Humor Me: At this point, you'd have to give me a Bohemian Rhapsody or Stairway to Heaven to bring this album up from 1 star to 2 stars, and this song wasn't either of those. It was pretty good though, especially the bassline. Good guitar playing, but whatever effect was used on it doesn't fit the song well (too much distortion). A decent ending to an indecent album.

Ground zero for postpunk. The avant garage. The beauty of Cleveland pressed into vinyl... A band I'd probably have never got into, except for reading Rip It Up and Start Again, Simon Reynolds amazing book on postpunk 78-84. I hear it very differently now. Not a perfect album, but the highs are totally exhilarating. 4.5*

Really dug this. It's got a raw, punk rock vibe to it.

An absolute assault on the senses! My ears feel like they’re bleeding. Pure trash, throw it in the bin! Zero stars - dont rizz me, dont come by ohio, we’re done!!

bro why is this on the list

This is SO weird, but I LOVE IT.

I've got no language for Pere Ubu's early genus. No positive language, at least, which made the trip from second to first release a search for flaws. I suppose there are plenty: It's a rough album, deliberately spiky at all kinds of levels. But breaking glass fills the brain-space prepared for it more than perfectly. I'm no dancer, so even the title is appropriate. Glad there are several more hours of this somewhere out there.

Discordant at times, feels like it's going to lose control then finds it right back. Awesome album, undeniable energy and a pace you can't help but want to match.

Back when I were young, in the mid 80s, it was hard to track down truly left-of-centre music. Here in Australia, it meant listening to Triple J late at night on the off chance they played something really out-there and then haunting stores like Red Eye Records to see if you could find vinyl, hopefully without getting gouged for expensive imports. (I once made the naive mistake of buying a pricey imported Canadian edition of a Severed Heads album, not realizing that they were, in fact, a Sydney band and there were much more reasonably priced local pressings to be had). That is how, for instance, I discovered The Residents, who I think could be considered in the same sphere as Pere Ubu. Their 13th Anniversary Show Live in Japan album was briefly available as a cheap local pressing on AIM, so I snapped it up and spun it obsessively for at least a year. I loved it, partly because it was so hard to find these things. It was exciting to be challenged by music in that kind of way. I can imagine that I might have had a similar relationship with Pere Ubu if I had access to this record when I was 15. I have certainly read a lot about them; Simon Reynolds is almost hagiographic in his description of the band, especially their early years, in his wonderful survey of postpunk 1978-1984 'Rip It Up and Start Again' (highly recommended). On paper, this should be right up my alley; abstract, intellectual, industrial postpunk, with weird noises and a rhythm section described as "the tank side". But Reynolds quotes Dave Thomas as saying "I was totally obsessed with the abstract", and cites the massive influence of Captain Beefheart, although studiously avoiding any blues elements at all (which, frankly, are the best bits of Beefheart). The result is, often, an unfocussed mess, more idea than execution. There are a handful of strong songs on the record (Non-alignment Pact, Modern Dance, Street Waves) that I quite like. I would totally dig an EP of songs like that. But many of the tracks are more interesting in the concept than the actual listening experience. It doesn't help that Dave Thomas can really only sing one melody, which gets tedious as we move into the second half stretch. So, 2.5 stars for having a few good songs (which certainly makes this better than Dub Housing, which doesn't have any). But I'm rounding down, because I'm cranky. Maybe if I'd spun this obsessively when I was a teenager, I'd love this, but these days I just don't have the time and energy.

40 minutes of goofy caterwauling

willfully ugly

Sounds like a bunch of children were let loose with instruments and a sound effect machine. And to top it off you have the mumbling and random shouting which sounds like someone on a drug binge. Couldn't distinguish any of the songs from eachother. 36 mins of assault to my ears Don't listen with headphones - save yourself from the offensive screeches. The worst song for me was "Sentimental Journey" - what I imagine the inside of a microwave sounds like. Also includes birds/clown horn and bottles being smashed repeatedly. Lyrics include - " Table. Chairs. TV. Books. Other stuff". To the 5 (!!!) writers who wrote those lyrics - I hope you didn't give up the day job Terrible 1 ⭐️ but wish I could give it less

Discarding all sense of musical conventions reminds me of both the fall and the minutemen but with less of an effort to make musical sense. Anti music Don’t take the brown acid, man. It’s “challenge music.” Side effects may include writer’s block, delusions of postmodernism, man’s inhumanity to man, and improper comparisons to abstract art.

One of my favorite albums. Probably listened to hundreds of times. The tunes, the sounds, the pacing...all excellently conceived and executed out of the cultural cave that is Cleveland. Gets to places no other record does. Years after I got into this album I saw the 1973 Terrence Malik film "Badlands" (w/ Sissy Spacek and Martin Sheen) and recognized that the dialogue must have inspired some of this album's lyrics, specifically "my baby says that when the devil comes, shoot him with a gun."

I can imagine this will be a pretty devisive album. For money - this is as much a piece art - a true display of intention and expression - as anything I have heard on this list. Garage-prog, art punk. There are songs that feel like the could be talking heads that then veer in a wildly different direction. Kids music not for kids. There is real raw email under the chaos. And the bass lines. A one of one band for sure.

Very wild and eccentric post-punky, ridiculously influential

Ooh, this is great - a bit more accessible than "Dub Housing", I think, but, you know, still not _that_ accessible. I was entertained, while listening, by trying to come up with similes for what I was hearing. "They're like The B-52's on a bad batch of meth!" "It's like the Pixies, but they fucking hate you!" I was thinking 4 stars, but I wanted to play it again immediately after after my second play through finished, so that, plus the broken glass sound effects rounds it up to 5! Fave tracks - any of the first 3 tracks, "Real World", "Sentimental Journey", I like the lot!

I love the garage intellectual blend that happened in the mid to late 70s, where you've got Pere Ubu chanting "merdre" from Ubu Roi and Patti Smith singing "go Rimbaud" instead of "go Johnny go" Pretentious? Don't know, don't care, I'm a sucker for it, even if I do think "Sentimental Journey" might have gone on a little long.

More cranky, hanky stuff like Dub Housing, but it feels slightly more like organised chaos here. In some senses, that's great, this album has ten actual songs, but on the other hand, I quite liked the terrifying unpredictability of the former. In short, both are great, the people low balling this just want everything in varying shades of grey and beige.

I hear a lot of fantastic later bands in this record, and the best parts have this sublime controlled hysteria to them, but I have owned this record for over ten years and never feel like putting it on. A great three out of five record!

I really wanted to like this, as I know the "hits"; unfortunately it starts with two absolute bangers and then - nothing much else happens. My eldest thinks Thomas sings like Peter Griffin. Was hoping for more Gang-of-Four-like action and less obtuse weirdness. Gotta appreciate the history, however

3.5 stars. Started off great for being pretty out there. But second half faded and got too harsh. Standout is "Non-Alignment Pact".

Wow! The album started out with a long annoying sound and managed to sustain that thru several tracks. Points of brilliance but nothing I will need to endure again

Best Song: Life Stinks. The one song that was appreciably punk. Worst Song: Non-Alignment. Who decides to kick off an album with such an insufferable noise? "Hey, you know how we should start the album? How about a metro train screeching into the station, but worse?" Overall: Not every obnoxious art project is accidentally great art. This is mostly just directionless, uninspired nonsense. I bet they had fun making the album, and I love that for them, but it sure isn't fun to listen to.

LOVE this! I don't know why I always heard the name Pere Ubu and thought they were a crappy Pet Shop Boys clone. This album has a great post-punk sound with a LOT of artsy experimentation. Really fun first listen, that inspires replaying for sure.

This was weird and fun. Don’t even recognize the name of this band. Contemporary with punk, but ahead of their time - sounds more post punk like Talking Heads, early Modest Mouse, or, more modern, Parquet Courts. I love this stuff. Clean guitars, bass high in the mix. Messy and noisy, but finds a way to keep the wheels on - until the last few songs I suppose. Maybe a little too arty for me to return to super regularly or to play around the house, but it was great for a couple of spins with headphones on. Highlights for me are Chinese Radiation, Street Waves, and Over My Head. Great as a complete album piece. Also, newcomer Frank 2/Fascist Frank found this amazing rule book the band/collective wrote: https://www.ubuprojex.com/facts/uburules.html

First time listening to a Pere Ubu album. I was anticipating something more off-putting, though way more avant guard than expected. Great album. Another reminder that I really like a lot of what would be considered strange music.

Every post punk, new wave, no wave band that followed owes this album a debt of gratitude. Not everyones taste and jarring at times but influential and important

A FAVORITE OF MINE! Been a huge Pere Ubu fan even before starting this, so was absolutely THRILLED to see their debut pop up here! One of my favorite underappreciated “weird” bands of all time, and their debut is still one of their best to this day. Noisy punk crossed with abstract experimentation all rolled up into an album of absolute perfection. Long live Pere Ubu!!

great punk sound

I almost want to give this album 5 stars, not because it *is* a 5-star album, but because it's so weird and unique that I don't want to forget it (hard as it is to imagine forgetting such a thing). It's like a wacky version of Television channeling future Mr. Bungle or something. I could've done without the tinnitus at the beginnig, or the glass breaking monotony towards the end, but otherwise this is a fun, challenging record.

Reading the reviews here, you’d think this was a Merzbow record or something. Sure, The Modern Dance is experimental and discordant art-punk, but it’s not so far removed from traditional rock music that you’re listening to blaring sheets of pink and white noise. It’s not a record I’ll find myself searching out often, but I’ll tell you this much: Albums like this one continue to be a welcome reprieve from the dozens of 90’s Britpop records on the list that all sound exactly the same. At least The Modern Dance offers a sense of unpredictability and individuality. That’s more than can be said for *a lot* of the records on the list.

I'm not sure I can say I enjoyed this album, but I really appreciate it that this project tuned me into the weird world of Pere Ubu and its avant-garage. (I'd rate this album up there with Laibach, Deerhunter, and John Martyn as a band and music-style that was completely unexpected and deceptively original.) It's hard to say that any of the tracks are favorites of mine, although "Laughing" and"Real world" kind of stuck in my brain for a while, and nearly all of the song titles are intriguing, even when the song itself didn't live up to its potential (here's looking at you "Sentimental journey"). David Thomas' voice is pretty distinctive, and the Allen Ravenstine's keyboard/synthesizer effects are equally odd and memorable (definitely contributing to the "avant" part of their garage). If nothing else, this album seems waaay ahead of its time musically, although I'm not sure there are many other bands or albums that ever really sounded like this, past or present. Thanks, 1001 Albums! (And thanks too for a nice review of the album, as Wikipedia's entry is abysmally terse and unhelpful.)

Once again, Pere Ubu shows up for me with another banger that I didn't know of. The Post-punk era has genuinely produced some of the best music of our time and The Modern Dance continues the trend. 4/5

I liked this more with each subsequent listen. Non-Alignment Pact, Modern Dance, and Street Waves are excellent. Recorder-sounding intro to Laughing takes me back to elementary school music class. Gang of Four, Joy Division, Pixies, Husker Du, Ween - I hear it all in Pere Ubu. This album is punk as fuck. *Added to library and shared with people who give a fuck about music.*

A weird and noisy rock album that often hits all the right chords. The opener; Non-Alignment Pact is simply an amazing song. Straight ahead rock that chugs alog with a fierce momentum that bores into your brain and stays there. But the fun doesn't stop there; the whole first half of the album is amazing. Things get a little noisier and experimental in the second half but no less compelling. Great album 4.5 stars

This is an absolute classic that should not be missing from any post-punk/wave collection. These are excellent musicians: wonderfully hectic music, avant-garde with lots of crazy sounds, distorted synths and sax, and hysterical vocals. You have to have strong nerves because otherwise, you won't make it to the end of this album.

I'd callt hem experimental punk. I didn't know about them, they are not great musician, but they know how to twist your mind.

Never heard of these guys before this project. Great stuff - the more I hear it the better it gets! Standouts: The Modern Dance, Real World, Humor Me, Non-Alignment Pact, Laughing, Life Stinks, Over My Head, Sentimental Journey. 4/5

There's a lot to digest here. Not the most listenable album, but definitely worth listening to for the ideas and imagery it spontaneously generates.

Rating: 7/10 Best songs: Modern dance

This has a post-apocalyptic feeling to it. Like any minute, there’s gonna be slow moving zombies staggering about. I don’t hate it! The song with the reed instruments bellowing like dying geese?I couldn’t help but chuckle. There was 2 straight minutes of that! Fully committed. There are moments where it’s right in the pocket and it cooks. And then it’ll abruptly pivot to some chaos, making you long for that pocket moment again. I guess that’s their trick. 2.8

If I’m going to listen to this type of genre, I’d lean more Throbbing Gristle or Psychic TV. I did enjoy how irritated a friend got in my car as they finally asked about the glasses smashing in the background.

The hype around Pere Ubu among the punk/alternative community at the time was real, but I missed the point, whatever it was. I’ve just given the album about three spins & I can see a bit more clearly why it had the reputation it gained at the time. But it’s still not my bag. The first two trax sound like the same track to me & they set a chaotic course that rarely varies. Life Stinks may be amusing, but it reminds me too much of Captain Beefheart at his least accessible. Interestingly, there are so many times on the album that, to me, Thomas’s voice sounds very much like early David Byrne (Real World; Humour Me). I went online to see if this was a common belief & debate certainly rages about who influenced who. I’d say the difference between the bands was that Talking Heads had melodies & Pere Ubu generally did not. With another dozen listens I might get used to this album, but that ain’t gonna happen.

Couldn't finish for some reason

The quirky, jagged and unrestrained side of postpunk. Not particularly engaging or impressive, and verges on the downright annoying. Vocals are shaky and incomprehensible, and rest of the instrumentation does not make up for that. Avant-garde sure, but not good. Best Tracks: - Humor Me Worst Tracks: - Sentimental Journey - Laughing Rating: 2/10

OK I hated this. It's like everything terrible about "rock" music jammed into one album. Talented musicians aside, this audible dementia is garbage. Thank all that is holy that the entire absurd mess lasted less than 40 minutes.

I like post punk if it's done in a good manner. This really hurt my eardrum. Literally. I had tinnitus the whole day, and it's still going.

In the name of all that is holy, how did this end up on a list of 1001 albums that must be heard. Incoherent lyrics, random noises, and irritating vocals. I just don't get it...

I had to listen to this and drive like jehu back to back and robert wyatt oy 2 days before. Someone is messing with me. Give me my time back. Just cause it's different, doesn't make or good.

Good god, what the hell was that?

Ugh

Modern? Experimental? Art? Garbage? Yes to all

rammelende muziek, raar zangstemmetje, vreemde tempos... dat is smullen smullen smullen

It was a mistake to not give Dub Housing a 5, and I’m making up for it now (although I think this one is also a 5 in its own right, if not a rounded up 4.5). These guys are aggressively weird in a way that most bands on this list would never dream of, and they still manage to let some really nice and interesting actual musical stuff slip through. Good shit.

I would give this 4.5 stars for being so powerful, a great mix of styles, and very original and brilliant in so many ways - but I do think it lacks the final push to a truly 5 star album. However, I'll give it 5 stars here, since we can't give half stars. I've heard of this band before but never really listened to them or listened to this record, and this will definitely become a part of my digital collection and rotation!

So weird and stimulating

What a great example of the adventurousness and innovation of early punk rock, especially early Midwest punk rock. Catchy and eccentric, I can't get enough of this LP or the following Pere Ubu album, Dub Housing. Highly recommended.

Ovo je vojkecu jedan od najdražih albuma. Slušam ga redovito skoro trideset godina

This is very much my thing - probably shouldn't be 5 stars because of 'Sentimental Journey', but I really really liked this one.

if u give this less than 3 stars u a bitch

Nice, ei harmittanu kuulla.

8.5/10. This is so weird and unsettling. I love it!!! :)

This was a genuine, real surprise. I love this crazy surreal, Meshuggah.

yes

Man, this is why I keep doing this project. What a cool album that I probably never would have listened to otherwise. You all have no taste.

Timeless Pere Ubu record and one of the best albums ever made in every sense; consistent high-quality song-writing and I especially like that the music is both experimental and, at the same time, highly accessible. A clear 10/10 album for me.

W sumie to bardzo dobre. Trochę surowe instrumenty, dużo mocy, ale też spokojniejsze fragmenty. 5/5

This has everything. Punk energy, strange noises, sing(shout)along bits and some brilliant basslines. And Thomas' voice just sets it all off. This must have been quite the thing in 1978, and it still sounds great now.

Sentimental Journey and Humor Me sound like Tim Heidecker and I love it. I wasn't sure about this album, it opens with quite possibly the worst tonal sound I've heard, but after that, I love everything about this album.

My kind of chaos

A very potent, angry sound; almost a sonic cross between the romantic instrumentation of Roxy Music and the bombast and nasal tone of the Jello-led Dead Kennedys. Musically it reminds one of the frustration of the excess of the disco era, music about the reality of hip, disaffected young people away from the gloss of pop. Magnificent.

Fuck yes.

nice

This album was released the same year as 'Dub Housing,' and album I have already reviewed. Much of what I said for that album applies here. If any band deserves to be called art punk, it's this one. This album is dynamically varied, and utilizes noise well. Despite its chaos, it is very carefully constructed and skillfully executed.

Unfiltered master piece. A collection of great punk songs that became legendary. Great album!

Ahh my old pal/nemesis Pere Ubu - my first experience of what can only be described as headache inducing euphoric psychosis was back at the start of this project. This is slightly more accessible but still fucking way out there man. It's made me surprisingly tempted to go back and listen to Dub Housing again (a task I swore I would never willingly subject myself to after my first listen) to understand where the differences between the two lay. I think the accessibility of this one comes from the fact that although it's still rife with seemingly non-sensical horn and synth key bashing, each track ultimately opens up into pretty strong, pretty funky post punkesque riffs - something which I seem to remember Dub Housing definitely not doing. Okie dokie have just got to Life Stinks and they are back to their old tricks again and I love it. They are definitely going down as one of the most interesting finds within 1001 and I am super glad they snuck two albums in, have really enjoyed the point of comparison. I've mentioned before that Post Punk is my favourite genre and I think it could be argued that these guys (along with Talking Heads, Devo etc) are probably responsible for the genre as we know it. ALL HAIL PERE UBU

Avant- garde punk. Some songs are great and hit hard. Others I wouldn’t listen to unless I were in the mood for experimental sounds. Classic album though.

A really great record! I never listened to it before but it is flawless in my opinion.

innovative

10/10 Pere Ubu has quickly become one of my favorite post-punk bands their stuff is incredible

It opens with piercing feedback in one ear and chuck berry riffs in the other and proceeds in an equally eclectic stapled together style. Punk deconstructed and reassemble in pieces, it's sparse and tense, twitchy, nervously kinetic, alternating between thrashing squall, angry free jazz chaos, and hushed reflective hungover meditation. It's not the best post punk album, but they take an early stab at most of the sounds the genre would develop, planting seeds that bloom on dozens of great albums.

I am somehow at a 4. Call it Stockholm Syndrome if you want, because it very well could be – I found myself utterly captivated by just how goddamn out there this one was. I had the same general feeling with “Dub Housing”, but while that album sounded truly, truly horrendous at certain points, the very worst part of this album is the egregiously awful buzzsaw tone that permeates the first track. If you can get past that, the rest of the album feels a lot nicer by comparison (save for the shattering glass on “Sentimental Journey”, although I think it’s kind of fitting, somehow), though it’s still a tremendously strange journey through some manically designed soundscapes. Honestly, I really did like everything from “The Modern Dance” onward, so if your first track is your worst track, I guess it speaks to the sort of people they wanted to weed out from the very top. I think this album is entertainingly strange, & it’s very intentionally designed to evoke the imaginative senses in ways that normal music may not be able to capture. There’s no heartfelt lyrics, there’s no beautiful string sections, & there’s certainly no mesmerizing vocals. This album evokes stuff like “fucked up jazz you might come upon in a dream”, “a crowd horny for propaganda”, “Donnie Thornberry-core”, “trauma dumping ASMR”, “being held hostage on a UFO”, and my favorite, “the first sentient android’s attempt to make Roxanne by The Police solely off a prompt”. Do the tracks actually reflect this at all? I dunno, mileage may vary, but solely based on my brain going to such strange & avant-garde places throughout the 36 minute runtime, and my belief that most of this is a genuinely competent (save for the first track) & intentionally designed album… I honestly feel captivated enough to give it a 4. Realistically, more of a 3.5 that I’m bumping up to a 4, but I think it’s actually earned it. Am I insane? Yeah, probably. Do I regret it? Not yet. Will I? Who knows. Either way, I’m giving it a 4 and you can’t stop me.

Oddly weird and jarring. I approve. This was quite good. Kind of fitting I got this album considering David Thomas recently passed away. RIP.

7/10…experimental rock / art punk

A nice surprise. Raw punk with early electronic and random samples/atypical instrumentation. Will listen to more of these guys

unsettling, from the very first piercing notes, the wild vocals - with panic rising - sometimes frantic, always intense. a great listen

this grew on me a lot, its experimental and can take some getting used to but it did enjoy it over time... its def something im gonna have to revisit to "get" but i think ive seen enough quality

Excellent

Riktigt bra pre-punk eller vad man ska kalla det. En fyra!

Should you do an audience hostile track smashing glass in the middle of an album if you're a band today? Probably not. Is it hilarious when you do it in 1978 after rockin' for 30 minutes and just before rockin' again? Yes. I think this is the kind of impression Roxy Music wanted to make but they didn't have the guts to rock so hard or be so confrontational. music: appreciated. (⌐■_■)

That was a journey, sfx, horns, vocals musical madness at times

Sounds like a bridge between music concrete and Japanese noise bands. I didn't know how much I could stand to listen to it, but I really enjoyed it

Luke is a big Pere Ubu fan so I knew some of these songs already but I did enjoy the whole album actually. Gave it a couple of listens to truly appreciate it. A bit wild and off beat but I liked that!

I really enjoyed this. I could hear a lot of elements in this of things that are popular today in post-punk. IT wasn't all brilliant but I think the overall sound was cool. I also love the album cover.