Pennsylvania | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | March 2, 1998 | |||
Recorded | 1998 | |||
Studio | Suma Recording Studio, Painesville, Ohio | |||
Genre | Post-punk, experimental rock | |||
Label | Tim/Kerr [1] Cooking Vinyl [2] | |||
Producer | David Thomas | |||
Pere Ubu chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Robert Christgau | ![]() |
Record Collector | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Pennsylvania is an album by the American band Pere Ubu, released in 1998. [6] [7] The album marked Tom Herman's return to Pere Ubu's studio work after a twenty-year absence. [5] It is a loose concept album about geography, travel, and road trips. [8] [9]
Guitarist Wayne Kramer joined the band's tour in support of the album. [10]
The Hartford Courant thought that "in many ways, the band is more focused than ever on its new Pennsylvania, churning up compelling guitar tracks while Thomas sings or often speaks over the top of tracks: weary, wary, compelling in his observations." [11] The Chicago Tribune determined that "though a little less hook-oriented than its predecessor, Pennsylvania finds the band cloaking David Thomas' delirious visions of America in a claustrophobic yet compelling cubist blues-rock that could have emanated from no other band in the world." [12]
Stereo Review opined that "the acoustic/slide-guitar mix in 'SAD.TXT' is downright Zeppelinesque, and in 'Woolie Bullie' ... Ubu locks into a monolithic, pounding riff that may be the dumbest thing these folks have ever played, and it sounds great." [13]
Reviewing a 2021 remix of the album, Record Collector wrote that Herman's "presence is dynamic from the chugging chords of opener 'Woolie Bullie' (most definitely not the old rock’n’roll song) through 'Muddy Waters' (certainly not blues) creating high-energy fragments of nearly-pop." [5]
In 2005, to celebrate Pere Ubu's 30th Anniversary, a "Director's Cut" was released which featured new mastering, alternate mixes, and two bonus tracks.
All tracks composed by Pere Ubu
(*) alternate mix
Pere Ubu is an American rock group formed in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1975. The band had a variety of long-term and recurring band members, with singer David Thomas being the only member staying throughout the band's lifetime. They released their debut album The Modern Dance in 1978 and followed with several more LPs before disbanding in 1982. Thomas reformed the group in 1987, continuing to record and tour.
The Modern Dance is the debut album by American rock band Pere Ubu. It was released in January 1978 by record label Blank.
Dub Housing is the second album by American rock band Pere Ubu. Released in 1978 by Chrysalis Records, the album is now regarded as one of their best, described by Trouser Press as "simply one of the most important post-punk recordings."
The Chesterfield Kings are a rock band from Rochester, New York, who began as a retro '60s inspired garage band, and evoking the sounds and styles of 1960s psychedelic rock music. The current lineup features longtime members: Andy Babiuk, Mike Boise, Jeff Okolowicz, Ted Okolowicz, and newcomer John Cammarosano. Former singer Greg Prevost left the band in 2009 to pursue a solo career. The band, named after a brand of unfiltered cigarette, was instrumental in sparking the 1980s garage band revival that launched such groups as the Unclaimed, Marshmallow Overcoat, The Fuzztones, The Pandoras, Mystic Eyes, The Cynics, the Secret Service, and the Stomachmouths.
New Picnic Time is the third album by American rock band Pere Ubu. It was released in September 1979 by Chrysalis Records. Reportedly the album sessions were stressful and contentious, and after touring, the group disbanded. They would reform a matter of months later, with Mayo Thompson replacing founding guitarist Tom Herman. The lyrics for the song "The Voice of the Sand" are based upon the poetry of Vachel Lindsay.
The Art of Walking is the fourth full-length album by Pere Ubu. Mayo Thompson of the Red Krayola joined as guitarist for this album and slanted the proceedings further towards deconstruction and abstraction, and away from the primal rock that former guitarist Tom Herman had facilitated. The group would record one more album with Thompson, Song of the Bailing Man, before disbanding.
390° of Simulated Stereo is a live album featuring recordings from Pere Ubu's first few years of existence. In general, the recordings featured are lo-fi in nature. The album was out of print for decades, but was reissued for Record Store Day 2021.
Terminal Tower: An Archival Collection is a compilation album by American rock band Pere Ubu. Released in 1985, the album compiles several of the band's early singles and B-sides, including the Hearthan singles recorded with founder Peter Laughner that were initially compiled on the Datapanik in Year Zero EP, and continuing through later sides recorded with Mayo Thompson.
Datapanik in the Year Zero is a 1996 box set by Pere Ubu, which catalogues their initial phase of existence up to their 1982 break-up. The title was first used by the band for a 1978 EP which compiled their first singles; the name was "recycled" for this release. The name references the Cold War film Panic in Year Zero! (1962).
Cloudland is the seventh studio album by American rock band Pere Ubu. Released in May 1989, the album was produced by Stephen Hague. The single "Waiting for Mary", the video for which achieved some MTV exposure, netted Pere Ubu their only Billboard chart success to date, reaching number 6 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart. Cloudland is a village in north-western Georgia between Summerville and Chattanooga on a spur of Lookout Mountain. In the early 20th century, it was a summer getaway for Floridians.
Why I Hate Women is the 13th studio album by Pere Ubu, released in 2006. Keith Moliné stepped in for departed longtime guitarist Tom Herman, making this the first Pere Ubu studio album not to feature any of the group's founders either as members or as guests. Explaining the title, Thomas claimed that Why I Hate Women is a tribute to an imaginary book that Jim Thompson could have written.
Ray Gun Suitcase is the tenth album by the American rock group Pere Ubu.
The Shape of Things is Pere Ubu's fourth live album. It documents a performance within the band's first few months of existence, from the brief period in which Peter Laughner was a member. Initially produced only as a tour merchandise item, it has since been released to retail.
St. Arkansas is the 12th studio album by Pere Ubu, released in 2002.
Lady from Shanghai is the fourteenth studio album by American band Pere Ubu. It was produced by Pere Ubu's front-man David Thomas and it was released on January 7, 2013, on Fire Records label.
Carnival of Souls is an album by the American band Pere Ubu, released in 2014. The title is taken from the 1962 film, for which the band had created an underscore. "Irene" was released as a single.
The London Muddy Waters Sessions is a studio album by Muddy Waters, released in 1972 on Chess Records. A follow-up to 1971's The London Howlin' Wolf Sessions, the concept was to combine American bluesmen with British and Irish blues/rock stars. The album was an attempt to capitalise on the increasing popularity of traditional blues music and blues artists in Britain.
20 Years in a Montana Missile Solo is the sixteenth studio album by American band Pere Ubu. It was released on September 29, 2017, through Cherry Red Records. The album was dedicated to Paul Hamann, the engineer owner of Suma Recording Studio, who died on September 14, 2017.
The Muddy Waters Woodstock Album is an album by blues musician Muddy Waters released by the Chess label in 1975. The album features Levon Helm and Garth Hudson from The Band and Paul Butterfield.
"30 Seconds Over Tokyo" is the debut single by American post-punk band Pere Ubu. It was written by David Thomas, Peter Laughner and Gene O'Connor, during their stint as members of Rocket from the Tombs in 1974. Released on Thomas' independent Hearthan Records in 1975, the song received very little airplay but has earned high praise in the years since.