| The Modern Dance | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | January 1978 | |||
| Recorded | October 1976; January 1977; November 1977 | |||
| Studio | Cleveland Recording and Suma Studios, Cleveland, Ohio, United States | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 36:20 | |||
| Label | Blank | |||
| Producer |
| |||
| Pere Ubu chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from The Modern Dance | ||||
The Modern Dance is the debut album by American rock band Pere Ubu. It was released in January 1978 by record label Blank.
A 5.1 surround sound version was released as the DVD-Audio side of a DualDisc in 2005.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | A− [4] |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [5] |
| The Independent | [6] |
| Mojo |  [7] |
| New Musical Express | 10/10 [8] |
| Q | [9] |
| Record Mirror | [10] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [11] |
| Spin Alternative Record Guide | 10/10 [12] |
| Uncut | [13] |
Reviewing for The Village Voice in 1978, Robert Christgau wrote that "even though there's too much Radio Ethiopia and not enough 'Redondo Beach,'" he would be "listening through the failed stuff—the highs are worth it." [14] In Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981), he reaffirmed that "the highs are worth it, and the failed stuff ain't bad" in his revised review. [4] Ken Tucker, writing in Rolling Stone , called it vivid and exhilarating, even if "harsh and willfully ugly". [15]
NME named The Modern Dance the 11th best album of 1978. [16] Fact placed the record at number 31 on its list of the 100 best albums of the 1970s. [17]
All tracks are written by Pere Ubu (David Thomas, Tom Herman, Allen Ravenstine, Tony Maimone and Scott Krauss), except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Non-Alignment Pact" | 3:18 | |
| 2. | "The Modern Dance" | 3:28 | |
| 3. | "Laughing" | 4:35 | |
| 4. | "Street Waves" | 3:04 | |
| 5. | "Chinese Radiation" | 3:27 | |
| 6. | "Life Stinks" | Peter Laughner | 1:52 |
| 7. | "Real World" | 3:59 | |
| 8. | "Over My Head" | 3:48 | |
| 9. | "Sentimental Journey" | 6:05 | |
| 10. | "Humor Me" | 2:44 |
Pere Ubu
Technical
| Year of Release | Place of Release | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | United States | Vinyl LP | Blank |
| 1981 | United Kingdom | Vinyl LP | Rough Trade |
| 1988 | United Kingdom | Vinyl LP | Fontana |
| 1988 | Germany | CD | Fontana |
| 1998 | United Kingdom | CD | Cooking Vinyl |
| 1998 | United States | CD | DGC |
| 1999 | Italy | Vinyl LP | Get Back |
| 2005 | Europe | DualDisc | Silverline |
| 2007 | United States | Vinyl LP | Blank |
| 2008 | United Kingdom | CD | Cooking Vinyl |
| 2015 | United Kingdom & United States | CD and Vinyl LP | Fire Records (UK) |
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.
Tony Maimone is a bass guitarist, producer, and recording engineer, who lives in Brooklyn, New York.
Adventure is the second studio album by American rock band Television, released in April 1978 by Elektra Records.
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."
Slates is an EP by the Fall, released on 27 April 1981 by Rough Trade Records. It was one of singer Mark E. Smith's favourite Fall releases, and he claimed it was aimed at "people who didn't buy records".
Too Much Too Soon is the second album by the American hard rock band New York Dolls. It was released by Mercury Records on May 10, 1974, and recorded earlier that year at A&R Studios in New York City. Dissatisfied with the recording of their 1973 self-titled debut album, the Dolls' lead singer David Johansen enlisted veteran producer Shadow Morton to produce the sessions. Morton, who had been disenchanted by the music industry, found renewed motivation in the band's energy and undertook the project as a challenge.
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.
Song of the Bailing Man is the fifth Pere Ubu album, released in 1982. It was the final Pere Ubu album until 1988's The Tenement Year.
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).
The Tenement Year is the sixth studio album by American rock band Pere Ubu, and their first album after reuniting following their 1982 break-up. 'Classic lineup' members Tony Maimone and Allen Ravenstine, along with fellow Cleveland scenester Jim Jones and Henry Cow percussionist Chris Cutler found themselves playing with David Thomas for his 1987 album Blame the Messenger, and, discovering they sounded much like Pere Ubu, began incorporating a few Ubu numbers while touring for that album. Eventually, an official reunion was pursued, original drummer Scott Krauss was contacted, and thus the new lineup was completed and the old mantle assumed. The Tenement Year found the group veering in a loose, freewheeling, and decidedly more pop-oriented direction than in the past, although the pop leanings would become even more pronounced on subsequent albums. The album is a farewell to their hometown of Cleveland.
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.
One Man Drives While the Other Man Screams is Pere Ubu's second live album, covering the years 1978-1981. After remaining out of print for many years, the album was reissued in 2004.
Worlds in Collision is the eighth album by American rock group Pere Ubu. The album continues in the shift away from their more experimental early work to emphasize the relatively conventional pop found on their previous studio album, Cloudland. For this album, Eric Drew Feldman takes over from departing original member Allen Ravenstine on synthesizer, though Ravenstine makes some guest appearances.
Story of My Life is Pere Ubu's ninth studio album. Eric Drew Feldman left the band prior to recording, reducing Ubu to a quartet. Prior to touring on this album longtime bassist Tony Maimone left as well. This is the final release to feature both Maimome and founding drummer Scott Krauss. According to a conversation between David Thomas and Frank Black included on the b-side of the "Kathleen" single, the album's working title was Johnny Rivers Live At The Whiskey A Go Go.
Ray Gun Suitcase is the tenth album by the American rock group Pere Ubu.
Apocalypse Now is Pere Ubu's third live album, and their first to document a single performance. The show in question, recorded on December 7, 1991, at Schubas Tavern in Chicago, was performed semi-acoustically, with synth-man Eric Drew Feldman instead handling an upright piano, and Jim Jones playing an amplified acoustic guitar.
"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.
[I]f you're curious about the original post-punks, The Modern Dance remains absolutely essential.
