Pere Ubu

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Cleveland, United States (1975 – present)

Pere Ubu is an music group formed in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1975. Despite many long-term band members, singer David Thomas is the only constant. The group is named after Père Ubu (“father Ubu”), the protagonist of Ubu Roi (“Ubu, the King”), a play by French writer Alfred Jarry.

While Pere Ubu have never been widely popular—usually categorized as “underground rock”—they have a devoted following, have been hugely influential on several generations of musicians and are a critically acclaimed American musical group. To define their music, Pere Ubu coined the term Avant Garage to reflect interest in both avant-garde music (especially ) and raw, direct .

When Cleveland-based band Rocket From The Tombs fragmented some members formed Dead Boys, while David Thomas and guitarist Peter Laughner joined with guitarist Tom Herman, bass guitarist Tim Wright, drummer Scott Krauss and synthesist Allen Ravenstine to form Pere Ubu in 1975. At the time the band formed, Herman, Krauss, and Ravenstine lived in a house owned by Ravenstine.

Pere Ubu’s first single (their first five releases were singles on their own “Hearthan” label) was “30 Seconds Over Tokyo” (inspired by the “Doolittle Raid” and named after a film depicting the raid), backed with “Heart of Darkness”; followed by “Final Solution” in 1976. One review noted that “30 Seconds…” “was clearly the work of a garage band, yet its arty dissonance and weird experimentalism were startlingly unique.”
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Top Albums

  • The Modern Dance
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  • Dub Housing
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  • Terminal Tower
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  • Cloudland
    Pere Ubu Play
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Top Tracks

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  • M3Event

    M3 asked Pere Ubu drummer Chris Cutler about the devaluation of music, the differences between SOPA & ACTA, and why print-centric copyright laws are struggling to cope with recording technology - http://m3event.wordpress.com/2012/05/25/interview-chris-cutler/

    Friday evening
  • Wirftgu_

    V Homer Simpson is gay and completely unoriginal, the clueless dad who drinks beer has been beaten to death. Peter is similar but much more witty and can generate humor on his own while Homer is simply the butt of the joke.

    Thursday morning
  • mk741

    David Thomas = Awesome. Peter Griffin = Unfunny Homer Simpson clone. Family Guy = Show written by manatees.

    20 days ago
  • anarchodandyist

    I want Vic Reeves to perform a club-singer version of Ubu Dance Party.

    last month
  • mgajdaczewa

    David Thomas = Peter Griffin

    last month
  • polymorphous71

    http://www.last.fm/group/Oblique+Satellites

    last month
  • RobertoReis

    It feels like heaven

    last month
  • somnambuliks

    Fucking georgious.

    last month
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April and May Releases

9 May 2011 | from www.hearpen.com

The April release from hearpen.com was the long-lost David Thomas And His Legs live album from 1982 with Chris Cutler and Lindsay Cooper, "Winter Comes Home." The May release is "A Warning …

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