Re: Pere Ubu - Datapanik In the Year Zero boxset £12

Pere Ubu

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Popel Vooje Oct 19, 2013 13:05:22

Replying to Astralcat

Astralcat wrote:

Thanks so much Stevo. That's saved me a lot of work. Excellent links/recommendations. I'm pretty strapped at the moment but these will definitely be suggested Xmas presents from friends/family etc.

I'd second the recommendation for "Datapanik...". As Stevo says it has their first two (excellent) LPs in full, plus all the early singles and an extra disc featuring various offshoots and precursors (such David Thomas and Peter Laughner's brilliant pre-Ubu band Rocket From the Tombs). the second half of disc 2 and disc 3 - featuring their third, fourth and fifth Lps - isn't much cop IMO (too self-consciously arty) but for £13 you can't really go wrong.

If you like this set I'd also recommend their two late 80s albums "The Tenement Year" and "Cloudland", plus last year's storming "Lady from Shanghai". The 90s / noughites albums have their supporters two, but I can't comment on those as I haven't heard them.

Astralcat Oct 19, 2013 14:19:57

Replying to Popel Vooje

Thanks Popel. On the list!

Sin Agog Oct 19, 2013 15:20:37

Replying to Popel Vooje

Bah! I really like their Mayo Thompson years. Maybe that's partly because I'm a Red Krayola-fan post-freakout years (i.e. when they were Mayo's deconstructionist plaything), or maybe because I always suspected David Thomas wasn't just a bit quirky but an outright strange individual. Bailing Man and the Art of Walking can be annoying, sure, but Pere Ubu couldn't very well have ploughed the Avant-Garage furrow forever. I will admit I developed Stockholm Syndrome for arty poncing about long, long ago. I think it must have moved onto the more terminal strains of Gothenburg Syndrome, Malmo Syndrome and Lund Syndrome by now.

The Day the Earth Met the Rocket From the Tombs is my favourite ever Ubu-related release, though, mostly on account of Peter Laughner's searing geet-arr, and the palpable angst of wanting to graduate out of the shitheap that was and probably still is Cleveland. From Lester Bangs' eulogy of Laughner, he smacked more of a fatalistic rock-acolyte than an actual rock musician, but the Tombs' aural testimony, and I guess the comp Take the Guitar Player for a Ride, say otherwise.

Stevo Oct 19, 2013 15:24:44

Replying to Popel Vooje

Actually, the sideshoot and other Cleveland scene disc that was in the original 90s version of the box set isn't in the one I linked to, which came out about 3 years ago. It's a shame since there was some very interesting stuff on there. Presumably has something to do with licensing.
I'd reccomend the These Were Different Times cd if you want to investigate other stuff from that Cleveland scene, if that is still available anyway.
I saw that a label was just about to reissue some Electric Eels material thanks to a link posted to Facebook last week
http://www.cmj.com/feature/hozac-records-to-reissue-ohio-proto-punks-the-electric-eels/

Stevo