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 avant-garde 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 Musique concrète) and raw, direct garage rock.
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."
Of their second single, "Final Solution" (backed with "Cloud 149"), one reviewer wrote that Ubu's "call for a 'final solution' was the cry of teen angst run down in the decaying rust belt of America, and unlike the British punks who were looking around England the same year, seeing no future, and hating what they saw, Ubu reveled in it." They would rarely perform this song after some listeners misinterpreted it as being associated with the 'Nazi final solution'.
After "Street Waves", their third single, Pere Ubu signed to Blank Records, a short-lived imprint of Mercury Records.
Laughner left the group after their first two singles, and died soon afterward after a struggle with drug addiction. Tony Maimone signed on as bassist after Tim Wright left to join DNA.
In 1978 they released their debut album, The Modern Dance, which sold poorly but has proven influential. With the song "Sentimental Journey," the debut also introduced the practice of re-appropriating titles from well-known popular songs: Pere Ubu's "Sentimental Journey" has no obvious relation to the Doris Day hit song of the same name; "Drinking Wine Spodyody" has no apparent connection to the Sticks McGhee song (later revived by Jerry Lee Lewis). This practice has continued through 2006's Why I Hate Women, which has a song called "Blue Velvet" (again, no relation to the 1963 hit song by Bobby Vinton).
Special note should be made of Ravenstine's contributions to Pere Ubu. While most synthesizer players tended to play the instrument as they would a piano or organ, Ravenstine generally opted instead to make sounds that were reminiscent of spooky sound effects from 1950s science fiction films, or perhaps electronic music and musique concrète.
Dub Housing was released in 1978 and New Picnic Time in 1979. The group briefly disbanded in 1979, but reformed soon afterward with Tom Herman replaced by Mayo Thompson (of Red Krayola).
The Art of Walking was released in 1980, and by the release of Song of the Bailing Man in 1982, Krauss was replaced by Anton Fier. The group disbanded again soon afterwards; Krauss and Maimone formed Home and Garden, while Thomas worked on a solo career, notably with Richard Thompson and with members of Henry Cow.
By the late 1980s, one of Thomas' solo projects eventually featured much of Pere Ubu. The band was reformed again in 1987, with Jim Jones and Chris Cutler joining for the release of The Tenement Year in 1988, a far more pop-oriented album than ever before. The following year, the track "Waiting for Mary" (off the album 1989 Cloudland) appeared on MTV briefly. After the recording of Cloudland, Ravenstine left the group (although he made a guest appearance on Worlds in Collision in 1991) and later became an airline pilot. Eric Drew Feldman joined the band in time for the Cloudland tour and the recording of Worlds in Collision but left afterwards, joining Frank Black.
Story of My Life was released in 1993 on Imago Records; Maimone left (once again) to join They Might Be Giants, and Michele Temple and Garo Yellin joined the band for the Story of My Life tour and feature on Ubu's 1995 album, Ray Gun Suitcase. Robert Wheeler has played synthesizer and theremin with Pere Ubu since 1994. Krauss left the band during the Ray Gun Suitcase sessions. For the Ray Gun Suitcase tour, guitarist Jim Jones departed as a touring member (although he continued to contribute to recordings), founding guitarist Tom Herman replaced him for the tour.
Concurrent with the 1996 release of the Datapanik in Year Zero box set, Jim Jones retired due to health problems. Tom Herman returned to the band after a twenty year absence to tour with the band in 1995, and went on to record Pennsylvania in 1998 and St. Arkansas in 2002. Jim Jones contributed guitar tracks to each album as well, and guitarist Wayne Kramer of MC5 fame joined the band for their 1998 summer tour. Herman left again in 2005, being replaced by Keith Moliné, of David Thomas's "solo" group Two Pale Boys. The new lineup completed an album entitled Why I Hate Women, which was released on September 19th 2006.
On 18 February 2008, Jim Jones passed away at his Cleveland residence.
Heart of Darkness
Pere Ubu Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Or maybe things just look differently
Maybe I'm nothing but a shadow on the wall
Maybe love's a tomb where you dance at night
Maybe sanctuary is an electric light
I get so tired it's like I'm another man,
And everything I see seems so underhanded
I don't see anything that I want,
Image, object and illusion
Go down to the corner
Where none of the faces fit a human form,
Where nothing I see there isn't deformed,
Where in a secret lab works a Doctor Moreau,
And no private eye's gotta tell me it's a long goodbye
I get so tired it's like I'm another man,
And everything I see seems so underhanded
I don't see anything that I want,
And I don't see anything that I want
Looking into the heart of darkness
The lyrics of "Heart of Darkness" by Pere Ubu are introspective and probing. The song is philosophical and thought-provoking, with a core that speaks to feelings of disillusionment and disenchantment. In the first two stanzas, the songwriter expresses doubts about his place in the world and his ability to perceive things correctly. He questions whether other people can see more clearly than he can, or if things really do look different to him. He wonders if he is merely a shadow on the wall, not really a substantive force in the world. These lines evoke a sense of insecurity and doubt, as if the songwriter is struggling to find his footing in a confusing and uncertain world.
The third stanza is a vivid description of a dingy, inner-city area where the faces don't fit human form, and everything is distorted and disfigured. The reference to Dr. Moreau, a character from H.G. Wells's novel of the same name, underscores the surreal, science fiction quality of the imagery. The final stanza brings everything together, with the songwriter looking "into the heart of darkness." This line carries a profound weight and suggests a realization that the songwriter has been looking in the wrong places for something he wants.
Overall, "Heart of Darkness" is a song about disillusionment and feeling lost in the world. The imagery is vivid and surreal, conveying a sense of unease and disorientation. Despite its foreboding tone and challenging subject matter, the song is a powerful and poignant reflection on the human condition.
Line by Line Meaning
Maybe you see further than I can see,
Perhaps your vision extends beyond mine own.
Or maybe things just look differently
Alternatively, perhaps you and I perceive things from different angles.
Maybe I'm nothing but a shadow on the wall
It's conceivable that I may just be a fleeting reflection, barely noticeable to most.
Maybe love's a tomb where you dance at night
Love is a tomb, where you cavort under the guise of darkness.
Maybe sanctuary is an electric light
On the flip side, perhaps a haven could be as simple as turning on a light.
I get so tired it's like I'm another man,
I am exhausted at times to the extent that I might as well be a different person.
And everything I see seems so underhanded
I view everything around me with suspicion.
I don't see anything that I want,
I am disinterested in all that is before me.
And I don't see anything that I want
Furthermore, nothing in particular catches my eye or engages me.
Image, object and illusion
These three concepts unite into one.
Go down to the corner
Descend down to the equivalent of the block.
Where none of the faces fit a human form,
Assemble in an area where no faces are conventional or familiar human likeness.
Where nothing I see there isn't deformed,
Present within a space where all my sights appear grotesquely distorted.
Where in a secret lab works a Doctor Moreau,
Somewhere in that vicinity, a true mad scientist of the caliber of Doctor Moreau.
And no private eye's gotta tell me it's a long goodbye
A seasoned private investigator does not need to inform me of the lengthy farewell that awaits me.
I get so tired it's like I'm another man,
Again, I become so exhausted that I feel like someone other than myself.
And everything I see seems so underhanded
Once more, everything before me appears suspicious and corrupt.
I don't see anything that I want,
I remain unenthusiastic about any of my prospects.
And I don't see anything that I want
Additionally, nothing stands out enough to snag my interest.
Looking into the heart of darkness
Peering into the abyss of nothingness.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: DAVID THOMAS, PETER LAUGHNER, SCOTT KRAUS, TIM WRIGHT, TOM HERMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jackal59
God damn it. The end of this sounds like they're just getting started and will go on for another ten minutes. I WANT THAT TEN MINUTES!
@alfredpetrie7920
Brilliant
@kolloduke3341
NO ONE SOUNDS LIKE PERE UBU AND HIS BAND!!! MORE THAN EVER RELEVANT .
@jonathanpork-sausage617
An anthem for dissonance!
@misslizzie8480
Tour dates in 2023 very limited performances.
@danielgillmore6769
living i n Philadelphia, this is sometimes a perfect description of my loneliness.
@aveburyridge7533
:(
@davidbeckerich
Total genius and musically pleasing. David Thompson on vocals and Peter Laughter on guitar was the best Pere Ubu sound. Taken from two Heathen singles on the "Data Panic in The Year Zero EP and a part 2 45rpm release. From a industrial city (Ohio?) one can hear the hard edged metallic sound. Great band and this sound carried over to their first album "The Modern Dance".
@boocook23
David Thomas
@68friendhead
the first instrumental break is pure trascendence