Artist: Pere Ubu
Date Released: 1989
Label: Fontana
Produced By: Paul Hamann, Stephen Hague & Daniel Miller
Tracklisting:
- Breathe
- Race The Sun
- Cry
- Why Go It Alone?
- Waiting For Mary
- Ice Cream Truck
- Bus Called Happiness
- Monday Night
- Love Love Love
- Lost Nation Road
- Fire
- Nevada!
- The Wire
- Flat
- The Waltz
- Pushin'
Review[]
This is Pere Ubu's actual, honest-to-"Bob" attempt at a Pop album, with a capital P. It's full of catchy melodies, hooks, and non-abstract lyrics. The track Waiting For Mary even had a music video. The video was on MTV! There's a semi-cover of Sloop John B (Nevada!). Of course, there's plenty of the usual Ubu oddness here, too, from the odd little musique concrete interlude in Monday Night, the odd squeaking, chattering, R2-D2 synth that runs through most of the tracks, and David Thomas' famous vocals. Of particular note is the song Love Love Love, which is actually an old Pere Ubu track called "I Can't Believe It", turned from a The Velvet Underground-esque workout into a 80s New Wave popfest. Naturally, this album confused and alienated the standard Pere Ubu fanbase, but really it's quite good, but sadly, way out of print.
Further reading[]
Ubu Projex into on the Fontana recordings, including Cloudland