The Tenement Year by Pere Ubu

Press Quotes:

So what's astonishing isn't just the high spirits and good faith, both rare enough on reunions, but the singleness of purpose. A Pick Hit: A. - Robert Christgau, Village Voice, 1988

As if a mountainside had learned to play Mendelssohn... Even when they make no literal sense, Ubu have the alluring and deceptive plasticity of a foreign language. - Adam Sweeting, The Guardian, 1988

The Tenement Year is this year's manna from heaven. For the cold initiate about to enter this strange world... hold on and enjoy the ride, you've never heard anything like it. A classic. - Edwin Pouncey, New Musical Express, 1988

It's still a band that blithely upends all that's solid and foursquare about rock. At the center of Pere Ubu is a garage band, one that can knock out guitar riffs fit for any frat party... Solid as the band can be, it's also likely to dissolve songs from the bottom up. For all Pere Ubu's uncertainty, the band isn't arbitrary; its music has the off-the-wall unity of a Marx Brothers routine. - Jon Pareles, New York Times, 1988

Who else could not only write a song with lyrics that are just "George had a hat but it wasn't where it wasn't at" but also make it sound like a love poem to humanity. - Steve Hochman, Rolling Stone, 1988

Release Notes:
Engineered by Paul Hamann.

Recorded at Suma November 9 - 30, 1987, except Miss You (live) and We Have The Technology (live) which were recorded live in the studio for BBC Radio on June 27 1989 at Eden Sound, London, engineered by Mike Engles and produced by Dale Griffin.

Mixed by Paul Hamann, David Thomas and Chris Cutler at Marcus Studios, London, January 8 - 13 1988, except George Had A Hat, Dream The Moon and The Hollow Earth (alt mix) which were mixed at Suma in November 1987. Further overdubs recorded at Suma in December 1987. Mastered by Paul Hamann and David Thomas at Suma, January 22 - 23 2007.

All songs written by Cutler - Jones - Krauss - Maimone - Ravenstine - Thomas. ©1988 Ubu Projex, administered by Bug Music.

Design and photos by John Thompson/idrome.
Band photo by B.C. Kagan.
Liner notes by David Stubbs.
Original release as Fontana SFLP5 in March 1988.
Thanks to Nick Hobbs and Neal Jacobs.

Band:
David Thomas - vocals, trombone, melodeon, spike
Jim Jones - electric guitars, backing vocals
Allen Ravenstine - EML synthesizers, sax, backing vocals
Tony Maimone - bass guitars, backing vocals
Chris Cutler - drums, percussion, noises off
Scott Krauss - drum kit
John Kirkpatrick played melodeon on Miss You and Busman's Honeymoon.

Extras on Mercury Re-issue:
Postman Drove A Caddy and The B-Side. Recorded specifically as b-sides during the Suma tracking sessions. Released July 25 1988 in the UK as extra tracks on the 12" vinyl release of We Have The Technology, Fontana UBU112 (870-407-1), and the cd single release, Fontana UBUCD1 (870-407-2). The B Side, as well, was released on 7" vinyl as the b-side to We Have The Technology, Fontana UBU1 (874-407-7).

Miss You (live) and We Have The Technology (live). Never previously released. Recorded for the John Peel Show. Pere Ubu for this session is David Thomas, Jm Jones, Eric Feldman, Tony Maimone, Chris Cutler and Scott Krauss.

Thunder In The Mix. Never previously released. We found this on the original mix session tape At Suma. There was evidently some intention of putting it on the record somewhere.

Release History:
Fontana Records:
  SFLP5 (UK) March 1988 lp.
  SFCD5 (UK) March 1988 cd.
  SFMC5 (UK) March 1988 mc.
  854 537 (Int'l) March 1988 lp.
Enigma Records:
  73343 (US/Can) Jun 1988 lp, cd, mc.