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.
On the Surface
Pere Ubu Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Made the day like a beach
Lost and in love
I was sand in the surf
I heard talk
Talk like music
I heard talk
It was a day like a beach
No cult
No revision
I was saying
At the curb
I was swaying
I was wave washed
Wave washed
Knocked down
The lyrics to Pere Ubu's song On the Surface have a dream-like quality to them, with vivid imagery that captures a feeling of being lost in love and swept away by the rhythm of life. The first line, "I heard the radio sun," suggests a sense of warmth and energy coming from an outside source, perhaps a metaphor for the power of music to uplift and inspire. The next line, "Made the day like a beach," furthers this idea of music creating a carefree, relaxed atmosphere. When the singer says, "I was sand in the surf," it feels like he is surrendering to the forces around him, allowing himself to be carried along by the waves of life.
The next lines, "I heard talk/Talk like music," paint an interesting picture of language taking on a musical quality, further emphasizing the idea of everything and everyone being interconnected and flowing together. The final lines of the verse, "It was a day like a beach/No cult/No revision/I was saying," suggest a sense of unity and acceptance, as if the singer is content with his place in the world and doesn't feel the need to challenge or change anything.
The chorus, "At the curb/I was swaying/I was wave washed/Knocked down," feels like a release of tension and a surrender to the forces of life. The idea of being "wave washed" and "knocked down" suggests a vulnerability and a willingness to be open to experience, even if it's unpredictable or uncomfortable. Overall, the lyrics to On the Surface evoke a feeling of being lost in the ebb and flow of life, surrendering to the rhythm and finding beauty in the chaos.
Line by Line Meaning
I heard the radio sun
I heard a great song on the radio
Made the day like a beach
It made my day feel like a day at the beach
Lost and in love
Feeling both lost and in love at the same time
I was sand in the surf
I felt like a small and insignificant part of a bigger picture
I heard talk
I heard people talking
Talk like music
The conversation sounded like music
It was a day like a beach
The day felt carefree and leisurely like a day at the beach
No cult
There was no cult involved
No revision
No changes or alterations made
I was saying
I was expressing my own opinions
At the curb
Just hanging at the side of the road
I was swaying
Moving slightly to the beat of the music in my head
I was wave washed
I was hit by an unexpected wave of emotions or circumstances
Knocked down
I was stunned and unable to react
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: DAVIE ALLAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
toynbee3
The conversation in the middle of the song is a Dutch radio conversation. Ubu probably picked it up during one of their tours in Europe. Back then, It was custom for listeners to phone in and ask for a record song to be played. I always had the idea that the male DJ-voice was Joost den Draaier but I'm not sure anymore. Part of the conversation is clear but most of it isn't. So below could be totally wrong... who cares anyways :)
Fem: in Hilversum - in Hilversum
DJ:Ja - Yes
Fem: iets kopen - to buy something
Fem: zeg euh, kan je een plaatje voor me draaien? - say, eeh, can you put on a record song for me?
DJ: ja hoor - sure
Fem: eeh, even kijken, voor, euh, John van Cuijken, in de Zonnestraal - ehh, well, for, eeh, John van Cuijken, in the Zonnestraal (Zonnestraal is/was a hospital in Hilversum)
DJ:Ja - Yes
.....
DJ: je bent ook op het werk? - You are at work too?
Fem: Ja - Yeah
...
Craig Beasley
I remember the reviews from this period. By the time this was released, it was early 1979. All that was mentioned was it's dreadfulness! Now we all cherish it as some kind of shrine to inventiveness. It just goes to show 'how little they know'. This song smacks one in the face with every conceivable manner of sound collage! What a triumphant achievement.
adriane61
probablt my favorite by these guys. this & Modern Dance were real eye-openening records, especially for the time period!
Hox Vox
This made sense in my teen (I was born in 1965)
CheGumby
over & over again & still never enough
toynbee3
The conversation in the middle of the song is a Dutch radio conversation. Ubu probably picked it up during one of their tours in Europe. Back then, It was custom for listeners to phone in and ask for a record song to be played. I always had the idea that the male DJ-voice was Joost den Draaier but I'm not sure anymore. Part of the conversation is clear but most of it isn't. So below could be totally wrong... who cares anyways :)
Fem: in Hilversum - in Hilversum
DJ:Ja - Yes
Fem: iets kopen - to buy something
Fem: zeg euh, kan je een plaatje voor me draaien? - say, eeh, can you put on a record song for me?
DJ: ja hoor - sure
Fem: eeh, even kijken, voor, euh, John van Cuijken, in de Zonnestraal - ehh, well, for, eeh, John van Cuijken, in the Zonnestraal (Zonnestraal is/was a hospital in Hilversum)
DJ:Ja - Yes
.....
DJ: je bent ook op het werk? - You are at work too?
Fem: Ja - Yeah
...
Rob Nijman
I think the DJ was Hugo van Gelderen
Ivan83
please don't remove this song again.
BW Wells
Pere ubu formed in st Louis mo suburbs in the 1970s
bambalikman
האם זה השיר הגדול מכולם? מסופקני.
Sammyboy72
@Iamcola65 Hahahahahaha. Hahahahahahaha. Ha. Yep, through the use of a time machine, they stole it. Damn them!