Song of the Bailing Man explained

Song of the Bailing Man
Type:	Album
Artist:	Pere Ubu
Cover:	sotbm.jpg
Released:	September 1982
Recorded:	August 1981 – January 1982
Studio:	Suma Recording Studio, Painesville, Ohio
Genre:	Post-punk
Length:	36:10
Label:	Rough Trade (original release)^[1] Cooking Vinyl (1999 European CD reissue) Thirsty Ear (1999 US CD reissue) Get Back (2001 Italian LP reissue) Fire (2016 European LP & CD reissues)
Producer:	Adam Kidron
Prev Title:	390° of Simulated Stereo
Prev Year:	1981
Next Title:	Terminal Tower
Next Year:	1985

Song of the Bailing Man is the fifth Pere Ubu album, released in 1982.^{[2] [3]} It was the final Pere Ubu album until 1988's The Tenement Year.^[4]

Production

Anton Fier replaced drummer Scott Krauss for the recording of the album. The band broke up shortly after producing Song of the Bailing Man.^[5]

Critical reception

Trouser Press wrote that "Fier’s lighter, jazzier playing sets the tone for an album that, for all its Euro-prog iconoclasm, never quite ignites."^[6] The Spin Alternative Record Guide called Song of the Bailing Man "more of a bouncy pop record, though Thomas is as gone as ever." In its review of the Architecture of Language 1979-1982 boxset, The Quietus wrote that "Tony Maimone's basslines play a bigger part on this record, making this LP more overtly poppy sounding than its predecessors."^[7]

Track listing

All lyrics by David Thomas; all music by Pere Ubu

1. "The Long Walk Home" – 2:34
2. "Use of a Dog" – 3:17
3. "Petrified" – 2:16
4. "Stormy Weather" – 3:20
5. "West Side Story" – 2:46
6. "Thoughts That Go by Steam" - 3:47
7. "Big Ed's Used Farms" - 2:24
8. "A Day Such as This" - 7:17
9. "The Vulgar Boatman Bird" - 2:49
10. "My Hat" - 1:19
11. "Horns Are a Dilemma" (Pere Ubu, John Thompson) - 4:21

Personnel

Pere Ubu

• David Thomas – vocals, cover artwork
• Mayo Thompson – guitar
• Allen Ravenstine – EML synthesizers
• Tony Maimone – bass
• Anton Fier – drums, piano, marimba, percussion

with:

• Eddie "Tan Tan" Thornton - trumpet

Technical

• Paul Hamann - engineer
• John Thompson - design

Notes and References

1. Web site: Robert Christgau: CG: Pere Ubu. www.robertchristgau.com.
2. Web site: Pere Ubu | Biography & History. AllMusic.
3. Book: Taylor, Steve. The A to X of Alternative Music. September 27, 2006. A&C Black. 9780826482174. Google Books.
4. Book: Buckley, Peter. The Rough Guide to Rock. December 15, 2003. Rough Guides. 9781843531050. Google Books.
5. Web site: MUSIC THAT DOESN'T FIT FOR PEOPLE THAT DON'T FIT - Record Collector Magazine.
6. Web site: Pere Ubu . Trouser Press . 15 December 2020.
7. Web site: The Quietus | Reviews | Pere Ubu. The Quietus.