- Architecture Of Language
- New Picnic Time
- The Art Of Walking
- Song Of The Bailing Man
- Architectural Salvage
Pere Ubu
Architecture Of Language
1979-1982
Released March 18 2016.Fire Records FIRELP422 Mar 18 2016, 4 lp box set
Release Notes
The box set includes these albums: New Picnic Time, The Art Of Walking and Song Of The Bailing Man. The bonus disk, 'Architectural Salvage,' consists of singles released between 1979 and 1982 and mix outtakes.Architectural Salvage
The Fabulous SequelHumor Me - live
The Book Is On The Table
Released as a single in October 1979 (Chrysalis Records CHS2372). Two of the songs appeared on the B side of The Fabulous Sequel. The Book Is On The Table was an out-take from the Dub Housing sessions. It is based on a French lesson recorded by Ann Titolo. Humor Me was recorded December 5 1978 in concert at London College of Printing.
All The Dogs Are Barking - alt mix 4
Arabian Nights
Tribute To Miles
Horses - alt mix 3
Rounder - alt mix 1
These are alternate mixes from the last stage of the journey to the album mix.
Not Happy
Lonesome Cowboy Dave
Released as a single by Rough Trade Records RT066 in February 1981 and later that year in the US as Rough Trade Records RTUS004. Engineered by Paul Hamann at Suma. Mixed by Adam Kidron, Geoff Travis and Mayo Thompson in London. Artwork by David and Mary Thomas.
Outtakes
Between 1975 and 1982, Pere Ubu recorded one out-take, The Book Is On The Table. (During The Modern Dance sessions a track called Byzantine was started but never had vocals written for it.)Studio time was expensive and the band would keep track of how much time was recorded. When the total reached thirty-six minutes they stopped. That was considered the optimal length of a vinyl LP. There were no alternate mixes until New Picnic Time but The Art Of Walking sessions were the first to yield a significant number. Under the guidance of engineer Ken Hamann the band would arrive at an agreed mix and move on to the next song. Nothing was worked on that one was not released.
Two versions of The Art Of Walking came out in 1980. Arabia was recorded as an instrumental. After complaints from the record company about too many such tracks, an irritated David Thomas quickly improvised vocals and the track was remixed. Tribute To Miles, aka Young Miles In The Basement, was remixed and vocals added. A second master was cut but a mixup at the pressing plant meant that the original master was used, after all, for the first production run in June. The corrected pressing followed in August.
Production Notes
The analog 1/4" 2-track mix masters from 1979 to 1982 were digitally transferred by Paul Hamann at Suma at a 192khz / 24 bit resolution. The resultant digital files were mastered by Brian Pyle. The vinyl was cut by Pete Norman at Finyl Tweek in London, on a Neumann VMS80 lathe. David Thomas prepared the download audio files from the 192khz / 24 bit masters.An A3 sized Coed Jail poster designed by Johnny Dromette is included in the box.
Press Reaction
A Pessimist Is Never Disappointed, Mar 17 2016"Architecture Of Language spotlights -- over and over -- those moments that made Pere Ubu such pioneers of sound. Everywhere on the 4 discs of this set is the material that would set these cats apart from any peers in the era. The music here is difficult and challenging and, at times at least, terrifying. This is brave, bold stuff all around and one should approach this with both an open mind and a bit of excitement at challenging one's boundaries when considering what makes up so-called alternative music....The natural progression from the hard edges of the band's earlier stuff, these 3 releases and 1 compilation chart the growth of this band of musicians as Artists. Risky, annoying, inspiring, and corrosive, the cuts spread across the expanse of this set showcase one of the great American bands. Compared to Pere Ubu, The Velvet Underground nearly sound like The Monkees. Concerned not one little bit with making pop, David Thomas and Pere Ubu instead crossed every genre before them with a mixture of bravado and absurd risk-taking. And yet, they still kept things largely concise and that's remarkable when one considers where music like this could have gone instead... Discover the tunes of perhaps some of the last real pioneers in American song-craft."
