Pere Ubu -

Pere Ubu was an American avant-garde rock band from Cleveland that cut the 1975–76 proto-punk singles “30 Seconds Over Tokyo” and “Final Solution,” followed by their debut indie album The Modern Dance.

Ubu signed with Chrysalis for the 1978–79 post-punk albums Dub Housing and New Picnic Time, then jumped to Rough Trade for 1980’s The Art of Walking and its RIO-influenced 1982 followup, Song of the Bailing Man. Singer David Thomas cut multiple albums with revolving-door backing by the Pedestrians and the Wooden Birds.

Members: David Thomas (vocals, keyboards, melodeon accordion, musette, theremin), Tom Herman (guitar, bass, 1975-79, 1995-98, 1998-2002, 2016), Scott Krauss (drums, keyboards, 1975-77, 1978-81, 1987-94), Allen Ravenstine (synthesizer, saxophone, 1975, 1976-88), Peter Laughner (guitar, bass, 1975-76), Tim Wright (bass, guitar, 1975-76), Dave Taylor (synthesizer, organ, 1975-76), Alan Greenblatt (guitar, 1976), Tony Maimone (bass, guitar, keyboards, 1976-93, 2003-04), Anton Fier (drums, marimba, 1977-78, 1981-82), Mayo Thompson (guitar, 1979-82), Chris Cutler (drums, electronics, 1987-90, 2002-05), Jim Jones (guitar, keyboards, 1987-94, 1994-95), Eric Drew Feldman (keyboards, 1989-92)

Background

Pere Ubu was one of two main offshoots of Rocket from the Tombs, a Cleveland garage-rock band that gigged the local club circuit, starting in 1974. RftT developed a setlist of originals that included the future Ubu numbers “Final Solution,” “Life Stinks,” and “30 Seconds Over Tokyo.” The final RftT lineup featured vocalist David Thomas (aka “Crocus Behemoth”), bassist Craig Bell, drummer Johnny Blitz, and guitarists Peter Laughner and Cheetah Chrome.

After cutting an album’s worth of demos at their rehearsal loft — later collected on the Smog Veil archival disc The Day the Earth Met the… — Rocket from the Tombs disbanded in mid-1975. Chrome and Blitz teamed with singer Stiv Bators in Frankenstein, which relocated to NYC and morphed into punk rockers the Dead Boys. Bell moved to Connecticut and formed Saucers.

Thomas and Laughner teamed with guitarist Tom Herman, bassist Tim Wright, keyboardist Allen Ravestine, and drummer Scott Krauss. Ravestine and Krauss hailed from Hy Maya,^> a cosmic jam band that featured three members (Krauss, bassist Albert Dennis, and Mellotron player Cynthia Black) of Laughner’s makeshift Cinderella Backstreet, which cut a 1973 version of the Velvet Underground‘s “White Light–White Heat.”^>

The new six-piece — Thomas, Laughner, Herman, Wright, Ravestine, Krauss — named itself Pere Ubu, a reference to French playwright Alfred Jarry’s 1896 avant-garde play Ubu Roi.

1975–1976 Singles

“30 Seconds Over Tokyo”

Pere Ubu debuted on December 4, 1975 with “30 Seconds Over Tokyo” b/w “Heart of Darkness,” self-released on Hearthan. This proto-punk double A‐side unleashed jagged guitar, rhythmic chaos, and David Thomas’s anarchic vocal delivery over an unorthodox time signature rhythm.

A. “30 Seconds Over Tokyo”
B. “Heart of Darkness”

“Final Solution”

In March 1976 they followed with “Final Solution” b/w “Cloud 149” on Hearthan. The single combines minimalist lyricism with abrasive guitars and unsettled rhythms, setting a template for their early avant‑garage sound.

A. “Final Solution”
B. “Cloud 149”

“Street Waves”

In November 1976, they released “Street Waves” b/w “My Dark Ages” — instrumental-driven grooves layered with industrial noise textures, recorded during the early-day Pere Ubu sessions.

A. “Street Waves”
B. “My Dark Ages”

The Modern Dance

Pere Ubu released their debut album, The Modern Dance, in February 1978 on Blank Records.

The album contains ten originals written primarily by David Thomas, Tom Herman, and Allen Ravenstine. Thomas wrote “Life Stinks” with late bandmate Peter Laughner, who also co-wrote “Sentimental Journey” with Ravenstine. “Humor Me” originated as an early live staple with Laughner.

The Modern Dance features Thomas on vocals, musette, and percussion; Herman on guitar, slide guitar, and bass; Ravenstine on EML 200 analog synthesizer and saxophone; Krauss on drums; and Tony Maimone on bass. The track “Sentimental Journey” includes furniture percussion and tape manipulations credited to Ravenstine.

The songs mix angular guitars, ramshackle organ, and unpredictable synth turnarounds—often subverting conventional verse-chorus form. Tom Herman provides interlocking guitar riffs; Maimone doubles on piano; Ravenstine layers EML synthesizer and tapes; Krauss handles drums; and Thomas adds organ, percussion, and his signature yelps.

A1. “Non‑alignment Pact” (3:45)
A2. “The Modern Dance” (3:20)
A3. “Laughing” (4:10)
A4. “Street Waves” (4:00)
A5. “Chinese Radiation” (3:50)

B1. “Life Stinks” (3:55)
B2. “Real World” (3:30)
B3. “Over My Head” (3:15)
B4. “Sentimental Journey” (3:20)
B5. “Humor Me” (3:15)

Sessions occurred October 1976–November 1977 at Cleveland Recording and Suma Studios with engineer‑producer Ken Hamann, assisted by Mike Bishop and Paul Hamann. Ken worked earlier with Bloodrock, The Choir, and the Outsiders.

The Modern Dance appeared with a minimalist grayscale photo cover with art by S. W. Taylor and photography by Mik Mellen. The album received a 2005 expanded edition (Cooking Vinyl) with alternate mixes of “Humor Me,” “Sentimental Journey,” and the single version of “My Dark Ages.”

Dub Housing

Pere Ubu released their second album, Dub Housing, on November 17, 1978, via Chrysalis.

The album contains ten Thomas–Herman–Ravenstine compositions, developed from the band’s abrasive live repertoire. Thomas sings and plays accordion, Ravenstine uses tape machines and EML synthesizer, and Herman contributes guitars and bass. Krauss and Maimone complete the rhythm section.

Musically, Dub Housing fuses rhythmic repetition, found sound, and dissonant synth-warping—aptly titled to evoke both recurring musical motifs and Cleveland’s flatline landscapes. “Navvy” and “Caligari’s Mirror” juxtapose motorik rhythms with decentered narratives, while “Ubu Dance Party” evokes modernist absurdism through jagged funk syncopation. Ravenstine’s synthesizer/sax and Thomas’s organ interplay are foregrounded; Herman’s riffing and Krauss’s drums fuse dub-like space with avant-garage electricity; Maimone adds piano and bass fills.

A1. “Navvy” (2:40)
A2. “On the Surface” (2:35)
A3. “Dub Housing” (3:39)
A4. “Caligari’s Mirror” (3:49)
A5. “Thriller!” (4:36)

B1. “I, Will Wait” (1:45)
B2. “Drinking Wine Spodyody” (2:44)
B3. “(Pa) Ubu Dance Party” (4:46)
B4. “Blow Daddy‑O” (3:38)
B5. “Codex” (4:55)

Recorded August–September 1978 at Suma Recording, co-produced by Pere Ubu and Ken Hamann, who also engineered.

A 2005 reissue on Cooking Vinyl includes alternate takes of “Navvy,” “Caligari’s Mirror,” and “I Will Wait.”

New Picnic Time

Pere Ubu released their third album, New Picnic Time, on September 19, 1979, via Chrysalis. The album contains ten originals by the core band.

Musically, New Picnic Time emphasizes minimalist introspection through tension-filled narratives (“Have Shoes Will Walk,” “49 Guitars & One Girl”) and bleak audio collages (“The Voice of the Sand,” “Jehovah’s Kingdom Comes!”). Tom Herman’s layered guitar textures and Allen Ravenstine’s synthetic sputters create eerie, industrial soundscapes.

A1. “The Fabulous Sequel (Have Shoes Will Walk)” (3:16)
A2. “49 Guitars & One Girl” (2:50)
A3. “A Small Dark Cloud” (5:49)
A4. “Small Was Fast” (3:40)
A5. “All the Dogs Are Barking” (3:02)

B1. “One Less Worry” (3:47)
B2. “Make Hay” (4:03)
B3. “Goodbye” (5:22)
B4. “Voice of the Sand” (1:28) draws lyrics from a poem by Vachel Lindsay (1879–1931), the founder of modern singing poetry.
B5. “Jehovah’s Kingdom Comes!” (3:13)

Sessions spanned early–mid 1979 with producer/engineer Ken Hamann at Suma. A 2008 remaster added alternate takes of “The Fabulous Sequel” and “49 Guitars.”

The album marks Tom Herman’s final appearance until his 1995 return. After New Picnic Time, Herman formed Tripod Jimmie, a Cleveland-based trio that issued three underground rock albums during the 1980s.

Pere Ubu welcomed guitarist Mayo Thompson, the mastermind of Sixties Texan psychsters Red Krayola. Thomas guested on the reactivated Crayola’s 1979 album Soldier Talk.

The Art of Walking

Pere Ubu released their fourth album, The Art of Walking, in June 1980 on Rough Trade. The album contains ten group-written songs and one solo contribution (“Horses”) by new guitarist Mayo Thompson.

The Art of Walking features a spare, angular lineup centered on David Thomas’s off-kilter vocals and organ interjections, with Mayo Thompson contributing fractured guitar lines, piano, and occasional lead vocals.

Allen Ravenstine shapes the album’s texture with EML synthesizers, while Tony Maimone alternates between bass, piano, and organ. Scott Krauss handles most of the drumming, adding piano and primitive drum machine on select cuts. Thomas also plays Baroque-style organ and drums on “Lost in Art,” resulting in a jittery, avant-pop atmosphere full of tonal contrasts and rhythmic fragmentation.

Stylistically, The Art of Walking fused post-punk and RIO with angular chord changes and odd-metered, jazz-inflected polyrhythms. Select tracks mine Talking Heads-like nerviness (“Go”), deconstructed blues (“Tribute to Miles”), zany bleeping zolo (“Birdies”), and reverse-tape soundscapes (“Arabia”).

A1. “Go” (3:34)
A2. “Rhapsody in Pink” (3:35)
A3. “Arabia” (4:57)
A4. “Tribute to Miles” (“Young Miles in the Basement”) (4:20)
A5. “Misery Goats” (2:37)

B1. “Loop” (3:14)
B2. “Rounder” (3:25)
B3. “Birdies” (2:27)
B4. “Lost in Art” (5:11)
B5. “Horses” (2:37) originated on Corky’s Debt to His Father, Thompson’s 1970 solo album.
B6. “Crush This Horn” (3:03)

Sessions occurred in late 1979 at Suma with Ken Hamann. A UK pressing featured an alternate vocal take of “Arabia,” titled “Arabian Nights.”

Krauss cleared for Anton Fier, the erstwhile Feelies drummer who played on the 1981 debut by John Lurie’s Lounge Lizards. Fier played a major role on The Sound of the Sand and Other Songs of the Pedestrian, the 1981 solo debut by David Thomas, recorded with Ravestine and assorted backing groups, including The Trees (with Tin Huey saxophonist Ralph Carney), The Pedestrians, and Anton’s Golden Palominos (with ex-Henry Cow bassist John Greaves).

Song of the Bailing Man

Pere Ubu released their fifth album, Song of the Bailing Man, in September 1982 on Rough Trade.

The album contains eleven group-composed songs with lyrics by David Thomas. Their new arranger, drummer Anton Fier, multi-tasks on piano, marimba, and sundry percussion.

Musically, Bailing Man veers into chamber-rock territory with intricate rhythms and soft vocals (“The Long Walk Home,” “Use of a Dog”) and tense interplay (“A Day Such as This,” “Big Ed’s Used Farms”).

A1. “The Long Walk Home” (2:34)
A2. “Use of a Dog” (3:17)
A3. “Petrified” (2:16)
A4. “Stormy Weather” (3:20)
A5. “West Side Story” (2:48)
A6. “Thoughts That Go by Steam” (3:47)

B1. “Big Ed’s Used Farms” (2:26)
B2. “A Day Such as This” (7:17)
B3. “The Vulgar Boatman Bird” (2:52)
B4. “My Hat” (1:22)
B5. “Horns Are a Dilemma” (4:20)

Sessions occurred in mid-1982 at Suma with Englishman Adam Kidron, a soundman on concurrent titles by Orange Juice, Rip Rig + Panic, and Scritti Politti. This was Ubu’s final studio release before a five-year hiatus.

David Thomas Solo 1982–87

During Pere Ubu’s hiatus, David Thomas recorded five solo albums with assorted backing configurations.

Winter Comes Home (1982) is a live collage of spoken word, performance art, and improvisation. Performed by David Thomas, Lindsay Cooper, and Chris Cutler, it forgoes conventional song structure in favor of surreal monologues and avant-garde textures. Thomas later disavowed the release, calling it unauthorized.

Variations on a Theme (1983), with the Pedestrians and Richard Thompson, alternates cabaret-like ballads and quirky miniatures, blending guitar-based avant-rock with lounge-jazz inflections.

More Places Forever (1985) leans heavily on voice and clarinet interplay, pairing Thomas’s eccentric phrasing with introspective, abstract chamber arrangements.

Monster Walks the Winter Lake (1986), recorded with the Wooden Birds, centers on icy atmospheres and dreamlike narratives. It uses minimal percussion and eerie soundscapes, evoking a bleak theatricality.

Blame the Messenger (1987) builds on that ensemble with sharper focus and rhythm, reintroducing rock elements amid the abstract tones. It’s more urgent and linear than its predecessor, closing Thomas’s early solo arc before Ubu’s reformation.

Discography: