Box Sets #19 Pere Ubu - Elitism For The People

It might not have sold well upon its release in 1975, but I rate Pere Ubu's debut album 'The Modern Dance' as one of the best of all time. There, I've said it!

Sure it may be not to everyone's taste but I defy anyone to find an album that is as daring in it's originality and that sounds as fresh and adventurous now as it did back then. And then of course, there was the follow up, 'Dub Housing' which was released only 10 months later yet sounds like a totally different band. However the adjectives I used to describe it's predecessor could just as accurately be utilised to describe this.

Oh, and let's not forget the singles that were released on the Hearthan/Hearpen label particularly the non-album singles 'Final Solution' and the double A-side '30 Seconds Over Tokyo' / 'Heart of Darkness'. All absolutely brilliant stuff.

So to have all of this and more newly remastered in 192khz / 24 bit sound quality was an opportunity not to be missed.

The box set 'Elitism for the People 1975-1978' consists of four 180g LP records housed in a sturdy square box. Each of the aforementioned albums has an LP to themselves while the third disc brings together all of the single A & B sides released during that 3 year period. Of course it has all been done before with the 1996 CD package 'Datapanik in the Year Zero' which included material up to 1982. However the 1996 package did not include the 1977 live set from New York which is included here as LP 4. Nor did the 1996 release have such a wonderful fresh sound which was my main reason for going for this particular set. Despite being familiar with these albums, I am now hearing things that were never evident previously.

Not that the set is flawless by any means. The live album was recorded over thirty years ago on a cassette and subsequently does not match the other material in terms of sound quality. Nor does it even feature the full concert performed at Max's Kansas City all those years ago. On that night the band performed two sets and only the second is included here. To obtain the full concert one has to download it from the Hearpen website and pay $10 for the privilege. Would it have been too much to ask to have the full concert included, even if it meant running to five albums instead of four? Or at very least a download code for the concert could have been included in the set. Still, these are relatively small criticisms. The fact is that the quality of the the other material makes this purchase worthwhile.

I am informed that the set is limited to 1000 copies though I confess that it is not numbered so I could well be mistaken. However I have no regrets about splashing out to hear this material in such superb quality.

As a postscript I should perhaps give some explanation as to whether the early singles were released on the Hearthan or Hearpen label. This appears to cause confusion and argument even among fans of Pere Ubu. So here it is directly from the Hearpen Records website:

"David Thomas made Hearpen records in 1975 to put out Pere Ubu records. The name derives from an Anglo-Saxon word for harp. The 'p' is a transliteration of the Anglo-Saxon thorn, a character that was pronounced th. Hearthan (pronounced hay-are-than) gradually gave way to Hearpen (pronounced hay-are-pen) as the label's name. The logo got designed on a day it was Hearthan. A rule evolved that written the name is Hearpen while when integrated into a design it becomes Hearthan. Hearpen is the favored pronunciation in all cases. Confusion was the foundation on which our business grew."

Clear?

'Elitism for the People 1975-1978'  is released on Fire Records and may or may not be limited to 1000 copies. Grab yours while you can.