The Modern Dance

Performer: Pere Ubu
Engineer: Ken Hamann
Producer: Ken Hamann; Pere Ubu
Distributor: Fontana Distribution

Notes: Pere Ubu: Tom Herman, Scott Krauss, Tony Maimone, Allen Ravenstine, David Thomas (vocals, various instruments). Personnel: David Thomas (vocals, musette, percussion); Tom Herman (guitar); Allen Ravenstine (keyboards, synthesizer); Scott Krauss (drums). Recording information: Cleveland Sound Studios, Cleveland, OH (1976-1977); Suma Studio, Cleveland, OH (1976-1977). Unknown Contributor Roles: Allen Rowenstine; Scott Knauss; Tom Herman; Tony Maimone. It is hard to believe that such noises could come from so deep in America's heartland, played by a group named after a French absurdist play. The debut album by Pere Ubu, The Modern Dance is the realization of group leader David Thomas's (a.k.a. Crocus Behemoth) high-concept vision of a rock band whose sound was always just on the verge of falling apart. Avant garde and not terribly accessible, the album's noisy anarchy was a tonic for punks and intellectuals sick of the bloated, corporate sound that passed for commercial rock at the time. It became a major influence on the leading alternative bands of the following decade, including the Pixies and Husker Du.

Spin (5/01, p.109) - Ranked #14 in Spin's "50 Most Essential Punk Records" - "...Ubu were punk's greatest no-future futurists..." Q (p.123) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[I]f you're curious about the original post-punks, THE MODERN DANCE remains absolutely essential." The Wire (p.62) - "[With] impatient energy, out-of-nowhere sci-fi synthesizer playing...crowd-roaring, and David Thomas's astonishing voice..." Mojo (Publisher) (3/03, p.76) - Ranked #34 in Mojo's "Top 50 Punk Albums" - "...Pere Ubu worked fearlessly on a planet of their own..."

Pere Ubu was aptly named for Alfred Jarry's Dadaist play. One of the prime movers in post-punk, the influential Cleveland, Ohio, group took the power and volume of punk and the fractured song forms of avant-gardists like Captain Beefheart, then sent David Thomas's free-ranging vocalizing careening across the top. Founded in the 1970s, the group has undergone a multitude of manifestations to become one of the longest-lasting avant-garde ("avant-garage," they have called themselves) music groups, continuing to make uncommercial audio into the 21st century.

Click Here for Shipping Options and Policies

Shipping or Dimension weight in pounds: 0.25