Pere Ubu:
The First & The Last

Songs from "Long Live Père Ubu!" in a concert setting and the entirety of "The Modern Dance"

Critical Reaction to The Modern Dance upon its 1978 release:

Jon Savage, Sounds, 2/11/78
Uh-oh, this is getting frustrating, trying to tell you how good this is - black and white is an inadequate substitute for the impact heard... This is a brilliant debut. Granted it lacks the superficial accessibility of lesser works, but this time around the aroma lingers. This is built to last! Ubu's world is rarely comfortable, full of the space beyond the electric light and what it does to people, but always direct and unwavering. And courageous.

Ian Birch, Melody Maker, 3/18/78
It's a devastating debut...this album has struck me with a vengeance. Because it delivers such a powerful, complex and open-ended punch, it's almost impossible at such an early stage to explain why or how in full detail.

"Long Live Père Ubu!" - The Spectacle is the concert version of Pere Ubu's theatrical production, Bring Me The Head Of Ubu Roi, an adaptation of Alfred Jarry's Ubu Roi. As should be expected from Pere Ubu it is a production without precedent. The boundary between musical and dramatic performance is obliterated. The very notion of what a rock band can and should achieve on stage is turned on its head. David Thomas plays the parts of both Père and Mère Ubu. Members of the band perform the music, choreography, as well as all dramatic roles. The instrumental line-up is augmented with electronica artist Gagarin. As with the full theatrical production, the staging is framed by large screen projections of bespoke animations from legendary film-makers The Brothers Quay.

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