The Modern Dance

EBA finalmente o santo bateu com pere ubu. sempre quis curtir mais, mas não conseguia encontrar um momento bom pra ouvir. acho que agora foi, viu. post punkzada de 78 super experimental, bonito demais de se ver. os cara era BÃO de serviço, hein, pqp. barulhada de altíssima qualidade, cê tá maluco. dei 5 estrelas pra wire por serem pra frentex, logo esses aqui merecem também. tudo que eu curto de BARULHEIRA veio daqui, graças a deus. (((o ouvinte médio desse site é burro e tem mal gosto. morte ao rock de papai)))

Classic album. The first four tracks are perfect

"The Modern Dance" is the debut album by American rock band Pere Ubu. Art punk, experimental rock and avant-garde are the Wiki-listed genres. Yeah, that works. "The music draws influences from the avant-garde, garage rock, music concrète, performance art and the rust belt." The bandmembers included David Thomas (vocals, musette, percussion), Tom Herman (guitar, backing vocals), Allen Ravenstine (synthesizers, saxophone, tapes), Tony Maimone (bass, piano, backing vocals) and Scott Krauss (drums). The album was commercially unsuccessful but had critical acclaim for its influence in the development of post-punk. Piercing feedback opens "Non-Alignment Pact." A ringing guitar and the drums come in...very garage rock sounding. A melodic bass. Thomas' muffled vocals but very catchy backing vocals. "The Modern Dance" features field recordings by Ravenstine including water spraying and street sounds. Triangle ticks. Post-punk guitar. A more prominent bass. Echoing backing vocals. It's quirky. It's dancey. "Street Waves" proves the band can rock if they want to. Wind blowing and a guitar solo. Former guitarist Peter Laughner wrote "Life Stinks." Thomas screaming. A hypnotic guitar. Shuffling drums and scratching noises. The music goes chaotic yet they keep the beat. The band uses a fireplace to break glass (when all else fails) in "Sentimental Journey." Slow guitar strings and Thomas with haunting vocals. Thomas also plays the musette. This song was their anti-take on the 1945 Doris Day pop song. Mission accomplished. The music on on this album is quirky, dancey, experimental and catchy. Idiosyncratic beats. Post-punk guitar with lots of scratching and feedback. A melodic thumping bass. Thomas' annoying yet lovable musette. The random noises of course. Thomas' vocals are unique to say the least...yelping, chaotic screaming and mumbling. Performance art - Yes! This album is great. I love irritating noises and sounds when they start to make sense and that's what this album does after multiple listens. I don't know who to recommend this to other than those who are willing for a steep initial activation musical energy hump before the understanding comes.

Insane, cacophanous, and ahead of its time. I loved this album; though the lows are low, the highs are in the clouds. The screaming guitars, experimental instrumentation, unique vocal sound, and constant delivery of unexpected twists made this an instant relisten, and saying I'll come back to it is the highest praise I can give.

First 7 songs are exceptional. Amazing punk vocals and great musicianship

As much I hate to encourage the contemporary phenomenon of inceldom, David Thomas and co. made the perfect window into that headspace: by turns horny, abrasive, placid to the point of passivity, contemplative (which a nice way of saying too smart for its own good), and just downright weird in the best way. A perfect soundtrack for making DOOM .wads in your room. Alternate title: Songs About Not Fucking.

Great band & great album

Non stop energy expressed by agressive sounds make this album something really awsome!!!!

Great album! I can't believe it came out in 1978!

It’s okay if you don’t like this but also not really

Interesting one this. Some 5 star stuff and some 1 star self indulgence. Still sounds fresh in places. I’m going to have to ignore the 1 star stuff in favour of the groundbreaking innovation.

Pulled this off the shelf and was once again amazed at how brilliant this album truly is. It's a little punk a little new wave but that's the thing I love about this album. It simply exists and songs like the title track and even Real Life are pieces of a musical puzzle that needed to be created.

Different

Fun stuff

## In-Depth Review: *The Modern Dance* by Pere Ubu Pere Ubu’s *The Modern Dance* (1978) stands as a landmark in the development of post-punk and experimental rock, a record that remains as jarring and radical today as it was upon release. Below is a comprehensive review focusing on the album’s lyrics, music, production, themes, and influence, with a balanced look at its strengths and weaknesses. --- ## **Lyrics** *The Modern Dance*’s lyrics are a surrealist blend of absurdity, urban alienation, and dark humor, drawing inspiration from Alfred Jarry’s *Ubu Roi* and the Dadaist tradition. David Thomas, the band’s frontman, delivers lines that oscillate between the cryptic and the deeply personal, often resembling the diary entries of a tortured soul. The lyrics rarely follow conventional storytelling, instead evoking fragmented images and emotions: - In “Non-Alignment Pact,” Thomas sings, “I want to make a deal with you girl / Get it signed by the heads of state,” juxtaposing personal relationships with Cold War politics, reflecting both paranoia and absurdity[1]. - “The Modern Dance” and “Laughing” offer lines like “If the devil comes / We’ll shoot him with a gun,” blending existential dread with black comedy[1]. - “Life Stinks” is a two-minute outburst of nihilism, its title and refrain capturing the bleakness and absurdity of modern existence[1][4]. The lyrics are intentionally obtuse, often bordering on nonsense, but this is a deliberate artistic choice, mirroring the confusion and chaos of late-70s urban America. Thomas’s delivery—sometimes manic, sometimes muttered—amplifies the sense of instability and anxiety that pervades the album[2]. --- ## **Music** Musically, *The Modern Dance* is a volatile collision of punk energy, avant-garde experimentation, and proto-industrial soundscapes. The album’s sonic palette is defined by: - **Guitars and Bass**: Tom Herman’s guitar work alternates between jagged, atonal riffs and bursts of noise, while the bass (often played by Tony Maimone) is prominent in the mix, providing a driving, sometimes doom-laden foundation[4]. - **Synthesizers**: Allen Ravenstine’s analog synths are central to the album’s identity. Rather than playing melodies, Ravenstine manipulates his EML 101 and 200 synthesizers to produce whooshes, static, and eerie radio-like effects, functioning more as a sound sculptor than a traditional keyboardist[2]. - **Drums**: Scott Krauss’s drumming is tight but unpredictable, shifting from motorik grooves to arrhythmic bursts, supporting the album’s sense of organized chaos[4]. - **Vocals**: Thomas’s vocals are unique—wailing, muttering, and sometimes multi-tracked, they add to the album’s sense of unease and unpredictability[2][3]. Tracks like “Non-Alignment Pact” and “Street Waves” have a proto-new wave strut, while “Chinese Radiation” and “Sentimental Journey” push into experimental territory, with musique concrète elements and extended passages of noise and found sound[2][4]. --- ## **Production** Recorded and mixed in just two weeks by veteran engineer Ken Hamann, the album’s production is raw yet meticulous. Hamann’s approach was to capture the band’s live energy while allowing for studio experimentation: - **Mixing**: The mix is deliberately unpolished, with instruments sometimes clashing or bleeding into each other, enhancing the sense of chaos and immediacy. - **Sound Effects**: The use of feedback, static, and tape manipulation is prominent, especially in tracks like “Sentimental Journey,” which features six minutes of moans and glass breaking[1][2]. - **Vocals**: Thomas’s vocals were recorded “carefully, sometimes phrase by phrase,” contributing to their nervy, fragmented quality[2]. The result is an album that feels both spontaneous and carefully constructed, with a sonic landscape that is as abrasive as it is compelling. --- ## **Themes** *The Modern Dance* is thematically dense, exploring: - **Alienation and Madness**: The album is a soundtrack to urban alienation, capturing the anxiety and dislocation of life in the industrial Midwest during the late 1970s[2]. - **Surrealism and Absurdity**: Drawing from absurdist theater and Dada, the lyrics and music often subvert expectations, embracing nonsense and non-sequiturs as a form of artistic expression[1][2]. - **Rejection of Punk Orthodoxy**: While often grouped with punk, Pere Ubu consciously rejected punk’s simplicity, instead opting for a more experimental, avant-garde approach that blurred the lines between rock, noise, and performance art[2][3]. - **Dark Humor**: There is a thread of black comedy throughout, with Thomas’s delivery and the band’s willingness to embrace the ridiculous providing moments of levity amid the darkness[1][2]. --- ## **Influence** *The Modern Dance* is widely recognized as a foundational work in post-punk, influencing countless bands and genres: - **Post-Punk and No Wave**: The album’s blend of punk aggression and avant-garde experimentation paved the way for bands like Sonic Youth, Talking Heads, and Gang of Four[2][3][4]. - **Alternative and Indie Rock**: Its willingness to sacrifice melody for jagged artistry and its embrace of noise and dissonance can be heard in later acts like Pavement, Modest Mouse, and Parquet Courts[4]. - **Critical Reception**: Though a commercial flop, the album was a critical success, with Robert Christgau noting that “the highs are worth it,” and Rolling Stone calling it “vivid and exhilarating, even if harsh and willfully ugly”[4]. - **Legacy**: Without *The Modern Dance*, much of the more esoteric rock music recorded in the decades since would have remained unheard. The album is frequently cited in lists of the greatest and most influential records of the 1970s[3][4]. --- ## **Pros and Cons** | Pros | Cons | |------|------| | Groundbreaking fusion of punk, avant-garde, and experimental rock[2][3] | Can be abrasive and difficult to listen to for some[4] | | Innovative use of synthesizers and sound effects[2] | Vocals are often garbled and grating, alienating casual listeners[4] | | Lyrically rich, blending absurdism, humor, and existential dread[1][2] | Some tracks meander or feel self-indulgent (“Sentimental Journey”)[1][4] | | Captures a unique sense of urban alienation and madness[2] | Sacrifices melody for artistry, which can limit replay value[3][4] | | Highly influential, shaping post-punk and alternative music[2][3][4] | The experimental second half may lose momentum for some listeners[4] | | Raw, energetic production that enhances the album’s impact[2] | Not a commercial record; its appeal is mostly to fans of experimental music[4] | --- ## **Conclusion** *The Modern Dance* by Pere Ubu is not just an album; it is a statement of intent, a radical reimagining of what rock music could be at the dawn of the post-punk era. Its combination of surreal lyrics, abrasive yet compelling music, raw production, and thematic depth make it a challenging but deeply rewarding listen for those willing to engage with its strangeness. While its abrasive sound and experimental tendencies may alienate some, its influence on the shape of alternative and experimental rock is undeniable. For listeners seeking to understand the evolution of post-punk and the possibilities of rock as art, *The Modern Dance* is essential listening—an album that remains, decades later, as unsettling, innovative, and vital as ever.

An unruly chaos that, at the same time, sounds regimented and orderly, Pere Ubu's Modern Dance sounds above, beyond and against its time with its stabs, shrieks and yelps; doing everything it can to be inaccessible whilst being uneasily reachable. There can be many students for this kind of thing, but the teacher has long left the classroom.

Kind of wild how a lot of the great, most interesting albums on this list have low ratings. This is infinitely better than the dross dished out by Springsteen, Dylan, etc. that seem to always have high ratings here. 4.5/5.0: Excellent

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

woah. pere ubu is a name i've always seen at record stores but i've never listened to them before. i had no idea what to expect. holy shit does this stuff rock. i'm kind of floored. it's very noisy, a bit unconventional in that sense, a lot of atypical instrumental choices (noise, an instrument i am learning is called the 'musette') but juxtaposed with that is some killer rock. really really cool stuff!

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

This is very odd in many ways, but it never really got grating to me. I kind of liked it actually

Best surprise in a while. Good start to finish

Surprisingly good music although I'm not a fan of the vocals

Didn't really know what to expect from this but thought it was pretty rad. Spiky, weird and a little funky - feels a little like early Talking Heads with a little krautrock thrown in.

I fail to see why there is such resistance to this. It’s both really strong and really not that weird, issues which seem the source of most of the criticism. I think a reasonable comparison would be PiL who (maybe cos Lydon is present) seem to be much more broadly accepted. I love PiL but I would, for example, consider Metal Box a more challenging listen than this. Also I recently reviewed Pixies Surfer Rosa and Black Francis’ whoops and howls are equally as savage as David Thomas. As I noted in my review of that album though, the passage of time has allowed for all of the strangeness inherent within Pixies œuvre to become accepted as part of a new understanding of “classic rock”. No such accommodation for Cleveland’s Finest (deal with it Reznor). I’m not saying The Modern Dance is ever likely to be considered Dad Rock, it certainly embraces experimentation and isn’t afraid to get a bit dissonant, but there are very few occasions when it strays into actual avant garde, rather it remains firmly a rock album albeit a quirky one. I had no idea my review would end up coming across as a get-over-yourselves call-to-arms but so be it. That now covered, I want to celebrate how, not only did they make a modern, original sounding album, they also managed to take a broad palette of influences, extract their essences and subtly and successfully recontextualize them. I hear echoes of Velvets, Stooges, Zappa, Beefheart, even some Roxy and yet never do they ever end up sounding like any of them. Again I end up with comparisons! and seem to be skirting around talking about the actual music. Maybe I’m just not skilled enough to put into words their version of what has become identifiable as a post-punk sound. It’s edgy but doesn’t come across as angry. There is quirkiness, but there is also plenty of riffi-ness, funkiness, grooviness. Cheese wire thin guitars are present, but not all of them are that harsh, and the drums and bass provide plenty of warmth and oomph. On top of this are fantastic synths, occasional slithering reed instruments and of course Thomas’ idiosyncratic vocals (oh and some breaking glass). Now I’ve managed to get an attempt at describing the sound out of the way, I should move on to the songs, but I’m pretty sure I’ve reached the end of my abilities for today at least. When their second album Dub Housing is generated for me, I will try to be ready to go headlong into reviewing the songs themselves and ignore my bafflement at the great number of reviewers too easily finding barriers to properly giving this music the chance it deserves.

Very impressive.

Det trodde jag aldrig! En stark fyra.

Okay, I get why people say this is good even if it's ugly.

This is a decent album. I like their style

It took some time before The Modern Dance revealed itself, but I rabidly went down the Pere Ubu rabbit hole shortly after hearing it for the first time. Not every track remains potent, not every track is a winner. But it's an album that was worth the wait and is worth its weight in unusual rewards. And, very likely it's better than these four stars suggest.

This was a fun listen for sure. Cool history too. This is absolutely underrated here. So I'm gonna give it a low 4.

This was an incredibly interesting record. The contrast between the almost baroque art-pop and industrial elements really created a unique sound and atmosphere, I've never heard anything quite like it. My only complaint is the vocals were hard to get into at times. Still very solid overalls. 4/5. Man, people on this site really are allergic to anything remotely experimental.

First time listening, really liked this, some great weird rock.

Energetic early alt-rock with a bit of an experimental feel. Dig it.

Seems to be a trend lately ... albums on this list that average around 2.5, I seem to really enjoy! But then I have never walked to the same beat as everyone else. Sure I love some of the all time classics that everyone else knows and enjoys. But I love the weird and experimental. Today's music as I have said is all just a repeat of everything that came before. You naysayers need to embrace where all this music came from. The late 70s and early 80s was such a great experimental period for music. It will be a rare thing for me to give anything from this era under 3 stars!

Modern dances require modern solutions by spinning this record.

I Wanna Make A Deal With You Girl 1001 Albums Generator 275 (4/22/2026) The Modern Dance is probably the most experimental album I've had thus far on the list, and it's one I've been looking forward to. Whenever an album is panned by this website, but loved by critics and RateYourMusic, it tends to be an album that I end up enjoying, and Pere Ubu's debut is no exception. Yeah it's loud, abrasive, and ugly. But it makes me feel something. The 2 minute intro to Laughing before everything crashes in with the vocals is powerful. The bassline on Street Waves. The way the cheers on Chinese Radiation overpower David Thomas' abstract, anxious lyrics about the Chinese cultural revolution. The mix of artists that I hear on display here are Talking Heads, David Bowie's krautrock era, a bit of Slint, and even Black Country New Road's first album. It's quite a wild ride, and I liked it. Although I know my wife is gonna hate this one lol. 4/5. Favs: Non-Alignment Pact Modern Dance Chinese Radiation Least Fav: Over My Head

An acquired taste but I do enjoy me some Pere Ubu. We had Dub Housing a few months back and with this one, they make a great weirdo paring.

Okay weird choice for the random generator to put two Pere Ubu albums back to back, but I like this one better.

Pete Ubu is fucking awesome

There was a couple moments that were like wtf, but overall this was a great post punk album. 4/5

Didn't expect another Pere Ubu album on the list but glad to hear it. More sound effects, less anti-music than Dub Housing.

Evocative and idiosyncratic in the best way. This guy seems like a real legend, and it’s crazy I’m well versed in “alternative” music but have never really encountered anyone in the wild discussing Pere Ubu’s apparently prolific and well-appraised discography. Is he an “endangered” legacy act?

Fun mix of punk and other genres

What a great and unique album. Interesting that this is described as punk in any way - I would love to hear more punk take influence from this record.

was kinda sick Will I listen to again: 95%

VERY FUCKING GOOD I just didn't like the vocals in some parts

This album is what I'd hoped a lot of this project would be. "The Modern Dance" is a totally new discovery for me, and I absolutely loved it. It sounds more modern than it's 1978 release date. I can hear the influence they had on bands that came later. Much of the album has an energy that reminded me very much of Husker Du. I want to give this album a 5 but a few tracks linger a bit too long. It's a high 4 then, and this is one I'll def be revisiting again!

there's a lot in here where they are trying to piss you off- and it worked!! And then something would come through that was completely my shit and I'd be all over it. Had to reckon with the annoying parts getting my attention to really here the cool shit. It was a close battle but they got me. Also gotta give points to this album clearly having a huuuge influence on the 90s

Good art rock/ jittery noise punk. Dave Thomas’ singing can get a bit much, but this band is just as seminal as Wire.

Seems a divisive album with listeners having great love or dislike. For my part I find it a very interesting album. A great post punk record

This is fucking awesome! I can’t imagine many of my favorite modern bands existing without this. This is a little more direct and less abrasive overall than Dub Housing. Favorite songs were Non-Alignment Pact, Modern Dance, Laughing, Life Stinks, and Over My Head.

Pensé que iba a ser un fiasco por el nombre y terminó siendo todo un viaje musical. Mil disculpas, Pere Ubu.

it's 3.75 and todat i'm feeling fine

Enjoyed this! I can definitely see why some might find it irritating sonically with the sometimes *interesting* choices. Faves were "Non Alignment Pact" "Modern Dance" "Street Waves" and "Life Stinks"

this was funky junky … very WXPN. maybe i’m turning into my mom but i enjoyed!

Some quite good experimental post-punk stuff. It's very weird but in an actually very enjoyable way and it is rather memorable. First song is nuts

Sehr geil! Das wird definitiv wieder laufen.

Pere Ubu was exactly the kind of band that rock critics in magazines would rave about as groundbreaking and essential. For me, that's usually a warning sign, I tend to steer clear. So I put off listening to them for way too long. What was I thinking? The moment the first track kicked in, I was hooked. This was something genuinely different, fresh in a way that caught me off guard. Right away, I picked up on echoes of Captain Beefheart's wild, off-kilter influence coming through.

Not always an easy listen, you can hear how this chaotic and discordant record was a massive influence on the emerging post-punk scene. The loud drone of the synthesizers can make this challenging to listen to. The unhinged vocals are certainly an acquired taste. Dude sounds like he's having a severe mental health episode. I can hear a lot Geordie Greep in the vocals actually. The guitar and bass work here is top notch. When they get locked in a groove, its easy to forgive the more challenging aspects of this and you can roll with the chaos that these guys bring to the table. In these moments, everything come together in an ugly little package and you realise the album wouldn't be the same without the schizophrenic vocals and droning of the synthesisers. With its big chorus, 'Modern Dance' is the closest thing you'd find to a radio single here. 'Sentimental Journey' is the most inaccessible track, with the six minute track featuring smashing glasses and disturbing instrumentation. Although it may be a touch too weird for regular rotation, but I will always admire this for creating something so unique.

Debut album from a band I probably should have taken more notice of over the years. Energetic post-punk songs with an undercurrent of screeching, whistling, howling keyboards that wouldn't sound out of place on a Hawkwind album. I enjoyed it.

In my teens and 20s, I would have loved this band! Heard of them, vaguely, but never gave them a shot. They are weird and noisy, his voice sometimes reminds me of Black Francis, sometimes David Byrne, sometimes Lux Interior. And of course, often just his weird self. The tunes are great, but the noises and sound effects are distracting. To me, Sonic Youth figured out how mix distortion and effects without detracting from the music. On this album, especially on the right channel, the music kinda fades into the background. Overall great effort and I want to listen to more Pere Ubu!

Just learned of these guys 2 weeks ago and listened to this album! Totally in my lane and love the early pop punk influence

This is some genuine weirdo music, everything the Talking Heads think they are.

Gott pönk.

20 years in, I still find something new to like about this album with each spin.

This feels like it’s TRYING to piss you off, and I kind of love it. It’s chaotic and super weird and interesting and a bit scary. I love that it’s NOT for everyone and yet still has a beating heart to it. Will be great to torture friends with in the car.

Weird quirky album but I like it. Fans of both post punk and psych rock will enjoy

Love the songs in the first half, get less interested as it gets more experimental but this is absolutely Me Music.

3.7

I had never heard of them or this album before, I really enjoyed it, I can imagine The Strokes playing it none stop !

1. 4/5 2. 5/5 3. 5/5 4. 3.5/5 5. 5/5 6. 4/5 7. 4/5 8. 5/5 9. 3.5/5 10. 5/5 Average: 4.4/5 4 stars

I listened to this once a while ago and didn't care for it, played it twice today and it's growing on me.

Can't believe I didn't hear this sooner.

A gem from this list. This compares favorably with Talking Heads and I even like the lightbulb song.

Punky, chaotic, and weird. Has a lot of experimental aspects but is a very energetic album with angsty vocals. Love the call and response in some of the songs and works great to give that energetic feel. 7/10, Favorite Song: Modern Dance

I listened to it twice. I tried to really get into it. I can see how influential this would be to punks back then. The rhythmic grooves, abrasive guitar textures, and political content especially stand out in The Modern Dance.

Album 250 and not something or someone I have heard of before 🤔 Reviews have got me intrigued and when a magazine review says "listening through the failed stuff—the highs are worth it." I’m not sure it’s the best endorsement! Let’s see… Not quite as wild as I was expecting from the reviews, but clearly left field. Almost like Talking Heads meet Electric Six with a bit of experimentation thrown in for good measure. A sprinkling of Primus. I’m surprised, but I’m really down with this. Feels ahead of its time and I don’t usually like New Wave/Post-Punk. Glad I discovered it.

Dope

If you were to believe the reviews on this website about this album, you would think that Pere Ubu stole someone baby and stabbed the mother with a rusty piece of sheet metal. Then you finally listen to it and it's... fine. I actually enjoyed this a lot, and it's crazy this came out in the 70s. I'm not denying that there are some more... grating bits to this album, but there are things on here I really enjoy and I don't understand the hate. Just because you don't understand doesn't mean it's bad.

I’ve never heard of Pere Ubu prior to listening to this album. What sticks out the most for me is the experimental nature of some of the songs. For 1978, the loud synths and wacky solos seem a bit out there and I really enjoy it. There’s also a striking resemblance to the Melvins in much of the vocal delivery and experimental parts — and I can’t help but think that Pere Ubu lended some kind of inspiration to the Melvins material that came after. 3.9/5.0

I could hear early Modest Mouse and McClusky in these guys. Obviously Pere Ubu was hugely influenced by those two bands. I read somewhere that they listened to them all the time In their time machines

Really enjoyed it

Jesus this album is weird. I can't believe it's 1977. It could be this year and I wouldn't think twice. This was pretty but also probably the worst album to accidentally get way too high to

Went into this one blind and was pleasantly surprised! It is avant-garage, punk rock. There is some great bass parts and synth work, I heard a bit of The Monks in some songs. There were maybe 2 songs that were meh, but the rest was really good.

weird post punky

A perfectly cromulent post-punk album

1978???????? completamente a frente do tempo puta merda disso isso pere ubu influenciou parte considerável de bandas que eu tenho como favoritas, e eu entendo 100% pq brabo

Haven‘t heard this for probably ten years… and actually saw them live even longer ago. So I totally forgot how great this record is. A blueprint for all the great Post-Punk albums to come.

I think this list has had more post punk than actual punk albums. Most of them are terrible as well. This album, which I've never heard of or the band, is the exception. It sound like I'd hope post punk sounded. It still has the energy and speed, but just adds some experimental instrumentation and such like horns. Still pretty much punk but with some extra elements. Digging the vibe on this. 4/5

Gritty garage sound that permeates the brain

Strangely, although I didn’t have any memory of hearing this album previously, a few songs jogged my remembrance of being a very young kid listening to KROQ in Los Angeles in the very early 80’s. This is a good one that I’ll have to revisit.

Weird...I like it.

I had to listen to this album more than once and each time it grew on me. Some of these songs are brilliant yet bizarre. Really enjoyed it more than I thought I would.

Ratings: 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 Bouncing between a 3 and a 4. Really enjoy the first half. Second half not as much. Currently listening to Street Waves so there you go.

Avante Garage! Love this band now, need to listen to them more. Best songs are tracks 1-3 (but especially Laughing) and Life Stinks.

Interesting band. Avant Garage:) 4.4 stars

This was funky! I liked it

Very good

Not the easiest of listens....full-on late 70s art punk. David Thomas had one of music's most distinctive and unique voices and presences. Like Ohio contemporaries Devo, a band whose music was completely suffused with art and experimentation. Though I know a handful of Pere Ubu songs, I haven't listened to a full album of theirs in years, and never this one. The album starts off with the great 1-2 punch of Non-Alignment Pact and Modern Dance. The first all aggro and in-your-face, the 2nd no less aggro but mixed with arts interstitials and tempo changes. A more conventional band would have made Modern Dance a standard new wave pop hit. Then Laughing comes in and we are in full on art-band territory...noises and squawks. The album continues apace...conventional song parts wrapped in noise and mayhem. The sound of a band following its own muse, playing its own unique sound.

Picture this, you're a weird guy in Cleveland, Ohio. The year is 1977. The record shops are filled with AOR. Punk music trickles in here and there. Radio stations are still too conservative to even play the Stones before 7 PM. You fancy yourself an intellectual. Your father is an academic, you read the music magazines - especially the underground zines circulated by your fellow weirdos, even sourcing some from the Coasts. You've listened to avant-garde music coming out of France & Germany, it sounds like nothing you've ever heard. You're David Thomas & your name has not yet been seized in the public mind by the old fella who started Wendy's. You're your own thing - and you devise Pere Ubu. You and your collaborators draft up several series of songs. Your first release is The Modern Dance. It's got shouting, blathering, glass breaking, fuzzy guitar tones, simple chord structures, and choruses that reoccur through each of the album's ten songs. No one can really sing, not that it matters. What you've made is so strange, so of its time. Is it like The Stooges? A little. It's like The Stooges if those guys hated partying. Thomas feels like he fell out of a rain gutter. Every song on here have a pulsing intensity which has the twin, contradictory effects of pushing the listener away - it's just too awful - while also courting the listener back into the sound. Welcome to the Dance. Real deal Julia Kristeva hours.

you know, i really don't mean what im about to say as being derogatory towards pere ubu, but: i have a strong suspicion that i only liked this as much as i did because 1001 has eroded my standards. don't get it twisted - i say erosion and you probably imagine a whittling down, a degradation of quality, or even an erasure of what once stood reason to be. but - the grand canyon started as a stream, and look at it now: big, wide, and listening to a band that took their name after an avant garde shitposter from the 19th century (i mean, really, the father of all shitposters if we're being honest, and honesty is a virtue). this isn't bad. it's different. i kinda like it. i didn't want to turn it off after thirty minutes!! anyway: can someone please come get me they're holding me in the ranger station here in arizona they're telling me i'm disturbing the peace playing this for the grand canyon and they won't listen to me when i tell them about 1001 albums. can we crowdfund a pair of headphones for the earth id like her to hear this. highlights - non-alignment pact, street wares, over my head, sentimental journey, humor me

Very cool album, I like how it feels influenced by a lot of stuff but also it's own thing.

Strange but I can't look away

Artsy, sure, but not as postmodern or experimental as you might assume: these Clevelanders know what a hook is, they know that the avant-garde can coexist w/ something that's as immediate as it is cerebral. The aptest comp for this record is Beefheart's Safe as Milk, a record that endures on the margins of the very weird and the unusually catchy, held together by odd, memorable, and often farcical lyrics: 'I can't wink / I can't blink / I like The Kinks / I need a drink'; 'Techniramic Heartache (TM) / Out in the Real World.' 'Sentimental Journey,' the most out-there of the tracks, is flat and pretentious - David Thomas is at his best as a songwriter not a slam poet - but the rest is a welcome balance of hard-hitting punk and erratic signals.

sounds influential to many things that i like

Love it!

Oh no it grows on you, the longer you listen the more it works.

I quite liked this one.

Listened to this for another list, but it's really good. I just really enjoyed it. 4/5

Man… post punk done right. A thousand albums and genres branched out from this. It’s like Talking Heads without the pop sensibility. Great stuff I am sure to return to.

life stinks, humor me

Pretty down for whatever tf is happening

I did have this on MP3, didn't remember much about it though. Very interesting post-punk, sharp in many ways. Can hear the 80s punks lifting so much from this. First side is the stronger. 4 Heard before? Yes Owned: No. 8/1001, 8/32 (25%) Will I get? Yes Recommend: Yes

Me gusta el bajo. En general bien. Canciones un poco similares entre ellas? Nota: 7,5/10 Es el primero, no se como va a ir, no tengo con que comparar.

I do not understand the hate for this band at all. It's just fun post-punk that doesn't take itself too seriously. Like ok, it's maybe just a tiny little bit more experimental and avant garde than most of the other bands on the scene at the time, but if you can't even handle music that thinks outside the box in such a small and minor way as this does, then I think it's time to revaluate how you perceive music.

I liked this one more than the other I listened to here. There's a good mix of more "normal" songs with some cool experimental noise stuff.

It took me a couple of songs to get into this - Thomas's voice is not a particularly easy listen. But I adjusted to it and by the end of the album I felt like I'd thoroughly enjoyed myself. Would listen again.

It starts out rough but man does it grow on you. I can see why it would be polarizing but I am in the camp of this rocks.

Really fun to hear some post punk while punk was still in it's hay day. Love hearing where Pere Ubu may have influenced others. Discordant at points, jubilant throughout, and astonishing in moments.

Incredibly interesting. Laughing is a real standout, drum sound is great. Actually the whole sound is great, that bass, the guitars and those wild vocals too. Some sweet piano too! All these parts seem pretty unique and memorable from song to song. I can hear a bit of The Minutemen in Life Stinks, which by the way is great. I love how screwed everything sounds on Real World those electronic noises are awesome. Over My Head is completely a different pace from the rest of the album which is appreciated dearly, most of the album has a been the good variety of crazy. Speaking of crazy holy shit Sentemental Journey is some pure distilled tonal whiplash, in a great way. As soon as I heard glasses shattering I knew shit was going down. Humor Me is a great closer with that groove that synth that kinda reminds me of a theremin is nice and that lead on the guitar is very welcome. Can't believe I've lived a seemingly to me full life without having listened to that record. The more I listened the more my ears seemed to attune to it. I'll definitely be listening to it some more.

1. Street Waves 2. Modern Dance 3. Non-Alignment Pact

Never have listened to Pere Ubu and am surprised I haven't. This album really reminds me of their contemporaries - Television and Talking Heads. It also sounds like Modest Mouse might have been influenced by Pere Ubu. I will definitely plan to listen more.

Good, I liked it, but it wasn't really too notable in my opinion.

Man oh man what a wildly awesome album. I really wasn't sure what to expect based on the band name and album cover. I have listened to it several times today and it keeps getting better on each listen. I did a little bit of a dive and found a few live videos on YouTube, Dave Thomas had amazing energy on stage. I'm not sure if other's would agree with me, but this album very so slightly reminded me of The Talking Heads and The Minutemen.

I listened to this through once and wasn't really playing attention and just caught the odd weird bit, probably from "sentimental journey", which is mad..... But gave it another proper go this morning, it's pretty punk sounding really. The vocals can be a bit rough, but think that probably adds to it. Some great bass in it. Glad I went back and listened again. First half of the album was really pretty good, second half maybe lost it's way a bit. 3.5, would've been higher if it ended sooner!

Rules

Vocals throughout are pretty rough, but the songs themselves are loose and quite entertaining. Not a ton to write specifically about here... Really enjoyed the openness and quirkiness of the saxophone on Laughing. Street Waves was a low-key ripper. Life Stinks is wonky, but it works IMO. Real World adopts a more trudging cadence and is among my favorites here. Humor Me is my favorite track on here -- a low tempo dub scratch -- and I could swear that the bass line is the same as used by Chance the Rapper on Nana and A Tribe Called Quest on Sucka Nigga (apparently its actually Red Clay by Freddie Hubbard). Solid listen front to back on the 3/4 boundary. Going high because I could see myself coming back.

If post-punk/art-punk was a dirt race track in 1978 then this is the Daytona 500. This is excellent. What it lacks in anything it makes up for in vibe. I actually really enjoyed this.

Still not sure what to think of this album 24 hours later. It was so weird. The cheering during Chinese Radiation was an interesting choice. Actually almost everything was an interesting choice. Vocals that are just kind of there? Is he singing? Does he understand musical structure at all? It was weird. I'm glad I listened to it, and maybe next time I feel like being a real hipster I can throw this on at a party.

If David Byrne had gone his own way from Talking Heads a few years earlier... I really liked this. On another day it might not have hit so well, but that's music.

7/10 Very strange and very fun Post-Punk album, you could tell this left a gigantic crater in Experimental Rock as a genre shoutout Ohio

i dig it, its weird

4.5

Noisy, experimental post-punk is exactly what I signed up for! Favourite tracks: Laughing, Over My Head, Sentimental Journey, Humor Me

this album is cursed. ive tried to listen to it on three separate occasions and each time i was repeatedly interrupted. i felt like this is an album that really needs a full uninterrupted listen to appreciate it but alas i dont think that will happen. it has a lot of interesting things going on. im not sure if i like all of them but overall pretty enjoyable

There’s an engaging tension throughout between Pere Ubu presenting songs in the classic form and jagged jabs of uncontrolled energy and noise. The vocals have a compelling, anxious unpredictability that goes beyond post-punk’s typical form of expression. They can screech and yelp and laugh and lurch to places well beyond a conventional approach. It’s playful, artful music which is willing to stretch and contort itself. You can’t make music that engages in sound collage, or performance art that intentionally uses repetitive, monotonous, and unsettling elements, without people calling it pretentious. Ultimately whether this is pretentious to someone or not is just down to that gut reaction - did you enjoy it? I personally love it and love what it does to my brain. It makes me feel like I’m being turned inside out.

I bet these guys were wild live. Their singer is huge and it would have been very fun to see that voice come out of that body. I listened to the song Modern Dance a lot a couple years ago, but never dug deeper. I liked going back to the whole album. I wouldn't re-listen to every song, but I always enjoy that brand of weirdo Gen X punk adjacent music. Album cover: (B)

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.

4.49

Great album, great post punk precursor

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.

One digs bands who do it their way, commercial consequences be damned. Pere Ubu is very much such a band. This is spiky and difficult-seeming but they create a rich and resonant complexity out of relatively simple approaches (see the opening of "Chinese Radiation"). And they don't have to ask one to humor them when they do things like unsentimentally – in fact, brutally – deconstruct "Sentimental Journey." Indeed, that and next cut make for a powerful, if bitingly staccato, ending.

funky and weird, but scratched an itch in my brain that i didn’t know needed scratching. it’s truly a listening EXPERIENCE 4.5 easy

It’s fucked up how many good punk adjacent bands come out of Ohio

A chaotic punk album with more hits than misses.

Weird on purpose. But I fucked w it. Laughing and Sentimental Journey are both awful but the good stuff is really good

Very cool. Did not know anything about Pere Ubu before having to listen to this!

Another solid post-punk record from Pere Ubu. I like the combo of noise and experimentation of a lot of the post-punk bands, but I recognize it’s not for everyone.

I liked it, couldn’t say why but yeah I’d listen to this again

Ya no se puede hacer música así de distendida y bizarra hoy día. Solo por eso le pondré un 3.7 pero con 4 estrellas.

Really like this one - another band I've heard of but never listened to. It's pretty put there for punk at the time, I can see why they managed to avoid being pigeon-holed. I can hear their influence on both REM and Fugazi pretty clearly, but also more modern bands like black midi. Will definitely be getting a copy of this one for myself, can see it growing on me even more. The only criticism I'd have is that the lyrics are a bit impenetrable - I don't really have much of an idea what these songs are about after 2 listens.

Really enjoyed this album. Weird and interesting

Weird, but interesting. I'm a little surprised that I hadn't heard this before, given the general time frame and the overall genre.

Some great songs on here and they know how to get a bit insane and still keep the song short. I like it best when they are wild and raucous.

Yup, it’s a little bit weird, it’s sometimes grating (Laughing) but it’s also very alive and enjoyable (Street Waves). Kind of incredible that this record came out in 1978, I’m sure there was nothing else quite like it at the time. Just sonically all over the place, almost impossible to categorize.

Definitely the kind of music a guy called Crocus Behemoth would make.

thank god for weird guys from ohio

I'm glad I have this one a second listen. There was a lot of noise and dissonance that was layered over some really interesting rock music. One of the lessons I've learned from this project is that if you are going to try to make a statement on an album, it's best to keep it under 45 minutes.

Thanks, Bangs!

OMG!! I gave the last Pere Ubu album 1/5 but this is really good. It's sufficiently inventive and fun and keeps it's roots whilst forging new ground away from the 'punk' ethos.

I hate it, I love it. It is modern dance.

How many glasses were broken during the production of this album? I really like the combination of punk and some Avant Garde elements in here. Vocals are nice but not very typical. Bumping it up half a star to compensate for all the low ratings.

I will never be cool enough to actually enjoy avant-garde punk. Some albums make me feel like I'm getting closer though. For my money there's a lot to get into here, but I truly struggle with the vocals. I can live with, and maybe even appreciate, the opening tinnitus whine. I find a lot to love in the rock solid drumming and bass lines. The weirder instrumentation choices are interesting, and some of the guitar riffs are fire. But that leaves the vocals, and nothing will save that for me.

Another post punk classic and I like it. Never got around to listening to Pete Ubu but glad I finally did!

You know what? I enjoyed the shit out of this and I’m not ashamed to admit it. Sure, some parts of it were a bit too out there for me, but overall I enjoyed it a lot.

Yeah man shout it out

I liked this one better than Dub Housing. This one just feels a bit more coherent 4/5

The first half is especially cool. I really hear a lot of influence on 80s post-punk bands like Mission of Burma, the Minutemen, and Pixies. Highlights for me are "Street Waves", "Non-Alignment Pact" and the title track. 4 stars

Porto Viagra Boys

Raw, atmospheric, a class of its own. I feel very much the influence on über-post-rock follow ups like Le Fly Pan Am or experimental Mr Bungle record „Disco Volante“.

At first I had no idea what this was. Then I began to like the post punk vibe, the way they use sound affects and goof around... It made me think of how I feel about overproduced, too perfect, calculated money maker style albums. Because this is the opposite. It may be well produced and designed and purpose built and all that, but it actually feels quite raw and open and just plain fun. Considering this album could be being made right now in some off main street venue dive, it has aged remarkably well. I think I may just listen a bit more to this band...

I like most of it. The vocals are too loud in the mix, which makes them annoying. Favorite song: life stinks

It's not bad. Kinda dated but it's a vibe

I really enjoyed this, like Talking Heads without being boring, also a little like Hawkwind in places. I enjoyed the weirdness and actually wish it had been a little bit longer.

Pretty amazing album for 1978 - it improved on repeated listenings, and I'll probably come back to it

At 466 albums in I have a pretty good feeling what an album is gonna be rated by the generator crowd. Before looking, I’m fairly certain this will be averaged in the 2.5 range which is criminally low, maybe I’m wrong. I was not previously familiar with Pere Ubu from Ohio but they got my attention. They display some chaotic energy to create a truly interesting post-punk album here. It’s noisy, it’s messy and it’s so damn weird. Love the weird vocal tendencies going on throughout and all the odd musical messiness going on in the back. Title track, Modern Dance was my fave but I also loved the following track, Laughing, with its wild horns and rousing vocals and sharp guitar. You get a good sense that their live set would have been a sweaty good time in Cleveland in their prime. Good stuff 4 stars

Not much on my radar--too bad for me. Nice driving intensity. The grating subtleties nicely matched by the lyrical abrasiveness. Punk freed from the confines of song structure into industrial dance (see cover of oil rigs and factories). 1/2 hour or so of pure engagement.

Such a wide range of musical influences. An album that is still able to amaze.

Ooohh. This slaps. Early premonitions of Drive Like Jehu or Mclusky or Future of the Left. Weird for sure, but good weird. And it's so cool to hear something so original here.

Excellent

8.5/10 - i remember this being whacky and it still is. love it. talking heads gang of four all took reference. chinese radiation is such a nice track.

Why had I never heard of Pere Ubu? There's some real standout tracks on this album! I loved Street Waves, and Life Stinks is a masterpiece piss take. But Real World was irritating and not for me.

Fun and interesting album, pretty modern, even 40 years later. Cool stuff.

raw&atmospheric

Cool

Couldn’t fathom why there would be 2 albums by this guy on the list, but actually I ended up quite enjoying it. I was into the late 70s post punky weirdness

Entertaining in a very strange way. I’d never listen to this with other people around but I kinda enjoy it Last song is maybe the best

Rå kaos! Tror den her plade har været en stor indflydelse for mange plader jeg elsker

If you find RIO like Univers Zero or Henry Cow to annoying you should start with these guys who bring a lot more punk attitude to the table. They influenced bands like The Birthday Party and you can hear why. What I like about this album that all the obscurities sound carefully crafted and intended for the quality of the song - and not just for the sake of being different. There are still some structures I miss here and there.

Utterly unlike anything else, the first side is a blast of new wave that is still, bearing in mind their forbidding reputation, 100% accessible. The second side is more of their arty stuff culminating in David Lynchian (Thomas' soul brother) Sentimental Journey. Fabulous cover as well.

Perhaps it's my Reminiscence Bump (wikipedia.org/wiki/Reminiscence_bump) in play, but the postpunk movement is probably the most interesting to me, because I, a few years younger than the bands in the scene, looked up to them and saw the unrealized potential of the punk movement actually being manifested. Art, literature, social justice and activism appeared in the songs and in the zines. Pere Ubu and bands like them brought art to the rock stage in a way that really resonated with me. Several other reviewers have praised "Rip It Up and Start Again" by Simon Reynolds, and I bought it right away. If this album resonates with you, perhaps you'll want to read this book, too. The album kicks off with a fair warning of a tinnitus-inducing alarm to tell us that something very new and different is in play. This isn't your father's rebellious rock--this is a total revolution, so get lost with your 3-chord rock and harmony. Is it "fun?" No, but it's stimulating.

Yeah the feedback scream at the start of Non-Alignment Pact was just what I needed on a Saturday morning with a hangover after the first game of the season. It's a good tune though when it starts. Pere Ubu fall into the category of I'm glad they exist to push boundaries, but I don't really listen to them. You know what though, I really enjoyed this.

Interesting for the late 70’s

Overrated in the sense that it’s a good album but I can’t see how it could be someone’s best album of all time

Was a time where I’d have thought this fantastic. Not so much now but let’s be fair. I changed. It didn’t. 4

A very interesting diversion. Are you really ready for something different today? Give this a go. On nice big warm speakers. It gets better and better, track by track. Oddly compelling. Experience it once. We are not here to hear Radiohead and Dire Straits again. So hold on last the first 30 seconds, and you will get some music you might otherwise NEVER hear. I admire the artistic freedom and willingness to defy anything really. It's interesting the way installation art is + you look at a seemingly incomprehensible mess trying to figure it out, and realise it best to just let it flow ... It's a bit free and deranged, if you can handle the concept.You REALLY gotta be in the mood for this kind of thing. Or truly like punk. Or free forming art. Give it space and let it overtake the room. File under: experimental + interesting punk almost jazz. It does have its moments. And as someone who listens as broadly as Stromae & Indila to Tom Waits & Patti Smith , it's rare to find something this new and different and avant garde feeling. Will I become a regular listener? Hell no. But it's worth a listen. Once.

Really cool sound, loved the noisy, angry energy.

I've always been curious about Pere Ubu but never knew how to get a foothold into their music. Like there was a wall separating me from understanding what on earth was going on. The key, I now realize, is brute force. You just need to sit down and listen to it, and then listen to it again. Now, it's starting to click and I love it. 'The Modern Dance' is like a punk rock version of 'Trout Mask Replica' (I mean that in the best way possible). It sounds like jazz and punk musicians trying to record together in the middle of a minor earthquake, with resulting happy accidents throughout mingling with moments of genius and raw energy. It's musique concentrate with angst. It's the Stooges in space. This album could exist no where but deep underground. It's not about to get any radio play outside of college campuses. Yet its influence is all over modern music, in particular Joy Division and Talking Heads. I know a lot of people will hate this one, but I'm honestly mad at myself for sleeping on these guys for so long.

Very weird, and very good. The detours this album takes are exhilarating and there's not much like music anywhere but within these tracks.

Never has a band sounded so much like they're from Birmingham. Turns out they're American!

I can fully understand why people hate this and also why they love it. I’m not rushing to listen to it again, but I gotta say I dug it.

Well this was a pleasant surprise. Personal enjoyment: 4/5 Relevance to this list: 4/5

Интересный, лично мне звук понравился, эксперимент в качестве угара, который получается, так автор умеет хорошо петь, сочинять и тп, это слышно

Enjoyed this one. Such a unique sounding voice.

I liked it

I liked this - I think I would have enjoyed it when it first came out, if I had heard it then.

Nice. Has a talking heads vibe in places

i really like this in theory but in practice i don't want to hear David Thomas's vocal performance ever again (can't believe he had time for this band on top of running Wendy's!) challenging in a way that doesn't feel forced or (excessively) pretentious. not something to throw on in the background for sure, but active listening is certainly rewarded here. again, i just wish there wasn't some unwritten rule about post punk vocals being insufferable 85% of the time

I had never heard of this, but it was entertaining. Strange sound and some of it is just noise, but I never put it down.

They’re growing on me I’ll probably listen more

Vascillating wildly between really liking it and really hating it. The hatred was of the squonky woodwinds. I don't need anyone to explore the full range of sounds a soprano sax can make. But, when they put that aside, I was getting into it. This is clearly an inspiration to a lot of music I like. Just abrasive as all hell.

Personally I love that records like this make this list. The band has 30k monthly listeners on spotify which means that a lot of their listeners are probably from this 1001 albums project. It's nice to get something weird. This record feels intentionally weird and harsh sounding. I believe it actually takes quite a bit of skill to make a record sound so weird like this and I think most people that hate it can't appreciate that. Yeah, there are a lot of weird sounds going on but it stays cohesive. It kind of makes me think of black midi and Viagra Boys which makes me wonder if this album is an inspiration for post-punk. It also sounds like Talking Heads could have pulled some inspiration from this record or they had similar inspirations.

very unique band. punky and experimental. solid debut album

This is what punk should always sounds like.

An album I always enjoy returning to.

Bias because I have this album cover in my room…yes I am judging an album by its cover, what about it?

I liked this album, cultured rock from the 70s, something a little different.

Listened 3/19/24. Always an interesting listen from these guys

This reminded me of a a weirder harsher and uglier version Television? Oh boy sign me up. Not a perfect album (like Marquee Moon) but one I’ll be coming back to.

I like this one way more than Dub Housing. It feels more consistent and Pixies-like. Not sure if my taste is changing or what, but I appreciate Sentimental Journey way more than I probably would have a year ago.

Vreemd. Heel vreemd. Doet soms ronduit pijn aan mijn oren, maar toch wel vet. En de basgitaar is fantastisch.

Not an album I should love as much as I do, but it's never uninspired, always exciting and never feels cheap, even though it is definitely inconsistent.

A very good album that becomes even better when you hear David Thomas’ vocals and your broken brain transports you to a world where the entire album is being performed by Muppets. Four stars.

Образующим событием в моей музыкальной одиссее стала книжка "Rip it up and start again", автор которой по всей видимости эту группу, и этот альбом в частности, очень ценит. И-и-и я слышу, почему. Это звучит как пост-музыка сейчас, а в 78-ом? Вишенкой на торте является еще и то, что когда музыка группы Pere Ubu заканчивается, спотифай генерирует лучший саундтрек конца света с группами вроде Swell Maps, Young Marble Giants и Wire. Лучшая песня - Laughing.

Pere Ubu have always been underrated and under appreciated. An incredible art punk experimental band from Cleveland. Very stoked this is on the list.

An angular album uncompromising in its abstract chaos and unquestionable in its importance for the development of post punk and art rock.

Was waiting to hear this one... I love On the Surface and knew this was their classic. Love this weirdos, solid 4

I always associated this band with a pretentious hipster douche that I knew. This was one of his "you just wouldn't get it. It's just too intelligent for people who aren't me" bands. Well "HA!" because I do dig this. It isn't as deep as ass hat claimed it to be, but it definitely isn't going for the mainstream. I liked it but I didn't want to because of the association. I also hate that band name; it enrages me for no reason. I'm still slappin' a 4 on it

Artist not available to stream on Spotify, but songs I was able to locate on Youtube are quite good

Really interesting. Really cool. I had no idea what to expect from this and was pleasantly surprised when this turned out to be a rowdy, avant-garde take on punk. I will listen to more from this band.

Inventive and progressive sounding art punk. 7.5/10

meni dobar album, zadovoljan sam, ima dobrih stvari kojima bi se mogao vraćati

Wow! Didn't expect to enjoy so much of this. For the first half, I thought it was gonna be a 5. Actually sounded like music for several of the tracks. Eventually, it sounded like a lunatic locked themselves in the recording studio but I actually want to hear a lot of this again. Nice surprise!

My first opportunity to hear Pere Ubu was months and months ago in this project when I made the acquaintance of their second album, Dub Housing. I was surprised to find this is their first album, also released in 1978. What reasons for offering two albums up on this list when they were created so close together? As expected, this was an off-the-wall, wacky affair that started with an alarm clock beeping then some very weird music that was supposed to include Sentimental Journey but I couldn’t make it out. I kind of enjoyed this in some weird way.

This is pretty weird but wonderful!

With a punk energy, explosive inventiveness, and a natural sounding chaos, it has everything I love about experimental rock.

I quite liked this but found it hard to understand the lyrics so I just pretended it was in a different language. I really enjoyed Modern Dance and Sentinmental Journey -- I will defintely give this anohter listen sometime.

Not really what I needed to be listening to with an enormous hangover, but even through the discomfort of the often quite dissonant instrumentals, you can tell there's reason to the rhyme.

Doesn't sound as dated as I expected; very confident for a debut album; a clear influence on loads of bands I love, but falls just short of a fifth star - only just though!

Post-punk classic! Even within the varied field of post-punk they manage to stand out without resorting noise. Great record from a great band

Så bra skiva... fräschaste post punk bandet

it was pretty cool i think, but that's about it. 7.7/10

post-punk. Me ha sorprendido para bien.

groovy

I really liked how weird this album was, but sometimes it got too shrill for me. "Sentimental Journey" is basically unlistenable. But, I ended up listening to it 3 times and would definitely listen again.

I loved this album when it first came out. So jarring. It still holds up.

post-punk. Me ha sorprendido para bien.

Holy fucking shit, this album kicks balls. I was originally going to give it 5 stars, but I’m torn because “Sentimental Journey” was the only low point that I thought didn’t come together. Everything else about the sound of the album is fantastic.

"Modern Dance" has white noise that honestly made me think my headphones were faulty. :P

I don't know if my tastes have evolved, but this sounds more accessible and melodic than Dub Housing. There are several catchy dance tracks, skewed toward the first half. The sparser, creepier tracks remind me of the post-rock band Slint. The Byrne-esque vocals are very dramatic and excessive, but just adds to the extremity of how hard music can be while still retaining some form and structure. The samples are a cool addition that add to the atmosphere. Bass is strong, which is also a standout to me in post-punk. There were several unsatisfying parts, but I had a fun time.

It's good. I never heard of these guys before this book project. Now I know two of their albums. Great sound, interesting. I'd definitely keep listening. Standouts: Non-Alignment Pact, Real World 4/5

I LOVE POST PUNK!!!@ this is a good album, a bit too weird for me but I like the title track and a few others. very niceee

Lost me a bit towards the end but overall boundary pushing and solid

Really like this. I love the "avant-garage" description, I think that captures what they are doing. Their sound is solidly punk in some ways, but they are also freely experimenting, and the concoction is irresistable. Occasionally it got annoying, like that track with all the bottle smashing, but besides that I think I have a new band to dig into.

very good...kind of niche rock and jazz fusion.

How do you say that

I enjoyed this album

I've noticed that musicians who want to be "different" often rely on adding "noise" and singing "weirdly". . . probably because those are easier and require less musical training than being inventive in the realms of arrangement, dynamics, harmony, melody. I would prefer the latter. So you can probably guess how I feel about this. The high pitched noise at the beginning is a choice. Some of the arrangements are boring. But it's entertaining and makes me wonder what they're on about. And the use of a variety of sounds and samples is enjoyable. It's just on the fringe of music. I also enjoy how silly the vocals get. They're quite successful at being unhinged

This album is really surprising, and completely unexpected. Sure. I didn't know what may I find in here, and it's a weird mixture of sounds and genres. But, at some point, I think I've understood it. There are actual good songs in here, and some nice experimentation. But there is also so much... weirdness going on that does not make me feel anything. So, I don't know how to feel about it. It's not a bad album, but maybe just one listen is enough. I don't know... Did I like it? I'm not sure. I'm not sure with anything about this album: I've liked it as much as I've disliked it, if that makes any sense.

Part punk, part noise. Interesting to the ear.

This is #day674 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… this is my second and final Pere Ubu record. Surely, it's a seminal work in the context of post-punk, art-punk, and whatnot. Also, it's not the most immediate record out there. And it shouldn't be, right? "Real World" is my personal standout. I appreciate the overall edginess and sense of experimentation. Let it be a 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day675.