Dave Thomas in his native environment © K. Boon
After making intermittent visits to Planet Ubu and always enjoying the views, I have to admit that it’s been six years since I last bought the new Pere Ubu CD and they have had two in that interim shamefully not in the Record Cell. Especially considering that the live show behind the last album I bought, “The Lady From Shanghai,” was immense.
The last few months have foretold of the coming of the latest Pere Ubu album, “The Long Goodbye.” Well, the release date came last Friday. It’s out there now. The title was another of Dave Thomas’ repurposing of classic media titles for his own ends. Scuttlebutt had it that the title might have been really dead serious in that this was imagined up front as the final Pere Ubu album. A devastating flu left Thomas unable to continue their last tour, and Thomas has always maintained that when Pere Ubu achieves its apotheosis, it will end. So that probably led to thoughts of finality. But the end results may have left the door open for more explorations.
The recording methodology was such that Dave Thomas recorded the songs using synths, drum machines, and melodeon [as is his wont] and invited band members to take the music further. The CD versions of the album come with a bonus CD of the band playing the songs live in France as they were still in the midst of recording the album! So we have a live interpretation that was made before the sessions were done for the album! Bold thinking; as we expect from these quarters.
Cherry Red | UK | 2xCD | 2019
Pere Ubu: The Long Goodbye UK 2xCD [2019]
DISC 1 – album
- What I Heard On The Pop Radio
- Marlowe
- Flicking Cigarettes At The Sun
- Road Is A Preacher
- Who Stole The Signpost?
- The World (As We Can Know It)
- Fortunate Son
- The Road Ahead
- Skidrow-on-Sea
- Lovely Day
DISC 2 – Montreuil, Paris Live
- Heart Of Darkness
- Flicking Cigarettes At The Sun
- Marlowe
- What I Heard On The Pop Radio
- Road Is A Preacher
- Who Stole The Signpost?
- The World (As We Can Know It)
- Fortunate Son
- The Road Ahead
- Skidrow-on-Sea
- Lovely Day
- Road to Utah
- Running Dry
- Highwaterville
The album may be ordered here directly from the artists’ store. Or use your other, favorite means of purchase.
– 30 –
Post-Punk Monk 
I love Pere Ubu (especially the classic period) but haven’t really connected to anything since Golden Surf II In 2014. Will try again!
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My LP version of “The Long Goodbye” didn’t come with a free CD of the live performance. Or a download code, for that matter.
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Robert Saunders – Welcome to the comments! Wha…?! That’s what the Ubu webstore implies. But I misread it hastily. Here was the actual wording: “Buy vinyl or cd… or both. The vinyl is limited to 1000 copies. The cd, though, includes a bonus disk, ‘Montreuil,’ a live recording of the album before it was finished! Both are gatefold packages.” And the Cherry Red store confirms: LP or CD. Not one of those LP with CD slid inside packages. But no download code?! That’s so messed up, but don’t say I didn’t warn you! More importantly, how is the album hitting you? I haven’t heard a note yet.
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I know I’m a week behind in your holy writs, O Monk, but I’ll be happy to post my thoughts when I get a moment to take a good critical listen. Pere Ubu is an acquired taste but it is one more people should acquire!
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chasinvictoria – Aaaah! You kids and your “streaming!” Harrumph!!
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